The Agreement (H.G.)

12

Brooklyn

On the car ride back home Hayes was telling me a story about when Nash fell into the lake off of the boat and cried because he touched seaweed at the bottom. The sweet sound of his voice filling my ears with euphoria.

Once again Hayes's story makes my stomach hurt from laughing too hard and I can't stop smiling, Hayes always makes me smile. It isn't a forced smile that I plaster on my face when I'm with his friends, or a sweet smile I play with my family, but a genuine crisp real smile, the kind that makes your cheeks ache and it leaves you wanting to smile more.

I take a deep breath and throw my head back as I soak in the North Carolina air through the open windows. I close my eyes and get drunk off the warmth radiating from Hayes that engulfs my body in that humming I'll never get used to.

"Hey Bookie?" Hayes says and I open one eye to look at him, "how was your date with Jack last night?" He asks and keeps his eyes focused on the road. I notice his eyebrows are drawn into a scowl and his hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"It was good, like I said last night I tried LSD, he said he wanted to take me somewhere else tonight." I say calmly and sigh deeply, letting my eyes close again.

"So does our relationship mean nothing? I mean do you want people to think you're a cheating slut?" Hayes asks, an edge in his voice I've never heard before.

"Hayes, Jack is the whole reason I agreed to doing this." I say just as harshly back, reminding him this relationship is a façade.

Hayes rolls his eyes, "have you ever even been in a relationship before? Do you not understand how this works? Well let me spell it out for you, you going on dates with other guys looks suspicious as hell and I want it to stop."

I scoff at him, "I hope you're fucking kidding right now because that's ridiculous." All of the positive emotions I've been building for Hayes start crumbling down, "I don't even like you! I loathe spending time with you and it sickens me that you would even think that it's okay for you to make me feel at fault for anything!" I scream at him and run my hands through my hair.

I look over at him and his eyes have fallen and he looks sad. Why would he be sad? The Hayes Grier couldn't possibly like me. He is completely cognizant of the nerd I was not even two weeks ago, and he says it himself, this is nothing but a job for either of us.

The words feel like poison in my mouth, burning the very teeth and tongue that spew them. But I can't let Hayes think he has any power over me. That is when this whole situation will become incalculable for me. Once again, here I am comparing my life to math.

When we get to my house I open the door and start to get out, Hayes grabs my arm and I roll my eyes and look back at him, "please come back for a second." he whispers like he can't trust his own voice.

I slide back into his car and cross my arms, I turn to look at him with one eyebrow raised. He looks at me and smiles, shaking his head and laughing at me. I want to take a picture of this moment and let it replay in my head over and over again.

His smile filling my vision like a firework show, endlessly exploding in my sight and sending my brain haywire.

His laugh filling my ears, warming me from the inside out. Leaving my brain dizzy from the sound that I've become addicted to.

His hand on my wrist sending vibrations all around my body. Something I'll never get used to is his touch, sending me into a whirlwind spiral, making my body get confused and making my stomach do flips.

He looks over at me again, and this time he grabs my face, pulling me out of my trance. Before I can react his mouth is on mine. I feel my body relax, letting my weight fall into him and my eyes flutter shut, and I can't even find the strength to bring my hands around his neck. My mouth kisses his back but all I can think about is how stupid and giddy I feel with his plump lips plastered onto mine and my mind is spinning from the brief intoxication his lips allow. the taste of his lips. The brevity discomposes me, but I will never get the feeling of his soft, warm lips off of mine.

"Yes, you can kiss me." He whispers and reaches over to open the door for me. I stumble out of the car, my legs failing to support my weight and my mind completely blank from everything besides the constant replay of Hayes mouth touching mine. The foreign sensation sent my body on a roller coaster, my stomach is still erupting in butterflies and my hands are shaking from the subtle hum that he left behind with the ghost of his touch.

When I finally reach the front door and get inside the air conditioning, I slide back on the door and sigh out of bliss. I touch my lips that are still tingling with the feeling of his warm soft lips, pressed gently against mine even for a moment. I let my body take in the pure happiness of this moment before something comes along and ruins it.

~~~

Taylor

I hear the door open and close signaling that Brooklyn is home. I want to yell and scream at her for last night. When I enter the room near the front door of the house, she sitting against the door with her hands on her mouth and she's smiling.

"Brooklyn." I say sternly and she jumps up and scrambles to her feet, her cheeks and nose instantly igniting in embarrassment.

"Hey, Taylor. I was just out at breakfast with Hayes, I left a note." she says in a sweet little voice.

"So tell me why you thought it was a good idea to try LSD last night." I say and cross my arms and she looks up at me.

I can tell she's getting more frustrated by the second. Her eyebrows are drawn together and her jaw is flexed. I prepare myself for the sudden blow I know I'm about to receive, "Are you joking." she says as less of a question and more of a statement. "Taylor I'm going to go up to my room, slam the door closed and try not to break everything in there because if you think you can tell me one thing about not doing drugs you are SO wrong." she says, by the end her hands are vibrating with anger. I watch her stomp up the stairs and hear her door slam shut.

Well, that went better than expected.

~~~