Rockin' Romeo and Jammin' Juliet

Fetish Took Me By Surprise

Jackson looked up at her, giving her an almost deadly glare. "It's Panic! At the Disco," he said, "and all of their songs are good, obviously."

"Please tell me they aren't all... dirty." She choked around the word.

He flipped through the songs on his phone, not looking up at her. "I'm starting to think that it's not just your music taste that needs prioritized. It's your entire lifestyle."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And you're anyone to judge me on lifestyle."

"What?" He laughed. "You didn't expect me to live in a quiet, American middle-class suburb? Where did you think I live, a cave?"

She scowled, but didn't answer.

"All right. I'll give you something else easy by them," he said. "It's actually kind of cute."

"I can't believe it."

"What?"

"You used the word 'cute'."

"And if you tell anyone, I'll murder your family." Not giving her time to reply, he put the song on. An upbeat rhythm started to play, and with a quick dash of electric guitar, the vocals picked up.

"Back to the street where we began

Feeling as good as lovers can, you know

Yeah, we're feeling so good

Picking up things we shouldn't read

It looks like the end of history as we know

It's just the end of the world."

She hated to admit that she liked it, but she said it before she could keep her tongue in check. "That's catchy." Oh, wow. What's this funny feeling inside? Did she actually want to bounce with the music? Impossible! But also irrefutable. Jackson had actually recommended a song by a raunchy group that she liked.

Jackson grinned. "Ha! I got you there, didn't I?"

Sophie snorted. "Don't look so pleased with yourself."

He turned back to his phone, flicking through songs again. "I think it's time to introduce you to another good group?"

"What?"

"Green Day," he said with a smirk. "I'll start you off with another easy song. Well, actually, it's pretty heavy," he corrected, "but it isn't dirty." He hit play; an acoustic guitar accompanied by another angsty voice filled the room.

"Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

Wake me up when September ends.

Like my father's come to pass,

Seven years has gone so fast

Wake me up when September ends."

When the song ended, Sophie felt melancholy. "That... was actually good too," she admitted reluctantly. A bit depressing, but good nonetheless.

Jackson scrolled through his phone, then paused, looking at Sophie very seriously. "Now, I'm about to have you listen to another Green Day song. Much like the last one, it isn't dirty at all."

"Okay?"

"But," he held up his index finger, "there is one- ONE, singular, tiny little swear word."

Sophie frowned. "Well... I'm not sure."

"Just give it a chance. It's a beautiful song, I promise."

Sophie hesitated. "Well... alright. Play it."