The Callahan Dynasty

Facing Up

"It's cute." His voice filled the room as he tried to fight back a smile.
I nervously pushed my hair out of my face and tried to hide my embarrassment.
"No it's not." I spoke quickly as I grabbed the object out of his hands and quickly tossed it into my laundry basket. "I swear, if I knew you were coming, I would have hid it or buried it or shipped it off to Spain." I laughed nervously as I rubbed my arm.
I saw his eyes follow the little animal to where I had thrown it.
My face now felt like it was burning from embarrassment.
There was an amused smile on his face. Probably thinking I was some kind of weirdo.
"Where did you get it?" He asked curiously.
I tucked my hair behind my ear wishing he would just drop it already. "It really doesn't matter. I mean, it's not really important."
He shrugged. "Well it has a place on your bed. That seems pretty important. Unless you're just the kind of girl who lets random stuffed animals spend time on your bed." He joked.
I finally decided that he wasn't going to let it go. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
"It's um... er... It was a gift from my ex boyfriend." I finally let out.
I saw his face visibly drop.
Great. Now he probably thought I was some crazy girl who was still hang up on her ex.
"I mean, it's really not special at all, as I said, it's just..."
I gave up knowing that he wasn't buying it. I really wished I could explain it to him but I knew that I really wouldn't be able to and I don't think he would understand anyway.
After an extremely awkward moment of silence, he spoke again.
I expected him to announce that he was leaving because he couldn't handle my excruciating weirdness and I honestly wouldn't blame him but he didn't. Instead, something else escaped his lips.
"Why an elephant?"
I shrugged. "It was completely random, really, it was nothing special."

I didn't mention how Dixon and I had snuck out to the carnival that day. I didn't tell him how Dixon had one exactly like that too and how when you put the two stuffed animals together they would form a heart. I didn't mention Dixon at all because Dixon was a part of the past I as trying to forget.
"Cool." He simply said. And it wasn't in a rude way either. It was appreciative almost.
I nodded. I knew I should have left it at that but I really couldn't. "It's the only thing from my past that I brought along. I just didn't have the heart to throw it out."
If he didn't think I was hang up on my ex before, he probably did now.
But again. The blue eyed mystery surprised me by simply just nodding and saying; "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
I nodded back in gratitude. Because I really didn't want to have to talk about it anyway.
The blonde boy took an uneasy step forward.
"I know it's weird that I... um... showed up at your apartment in the middle of the night right after only our third date." What he didn't know is I didn't mind. I didn't mind at all that two hours after I saw him, he showed up at my door. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about him anyway. I didn't mind that he had offered to take a look at my desk lamp which I had told him earlier on our date had been bothering me. In fact I loved that he remembered such a small, insignificant detail. I loved every second of it until he noticed the little stuffed elephant lying on my bed.
His lips kept moving and as it would turn out, I would love the next words that escaped his mouth. "But... well I was going to come up with these not so epic excuses so that I could use to come over here but um... honestly I just didn't want to say goodnight to you just yet because..." he scratched the back of his head nervously before looking back up at me. "I had a really great time and I honestly just didn't want this night to end."
I couldn't fight the smile on my face. I tried to play it cool but it was hopeless. I couldn't contain myself. I also couldn't find the words to say either. How was it possible that after all the sadness I had been feeling, this platinum blonde boy could just walk in my life and get me feeling all giddy. I was so sure that I would never get to feel like a child again after all the heartache. It felt like my childhood had been taken away all together.
But now here I was, feeling exactly like a child on Christmas morning.
He continued speaking after he saw that I wasn't responding anytime soon.
"And by the way, this isn't some elaborate scheme to sleep with you or anything... I promise.... I'm not like that... I just..." he sighed. "I really like you."
He looked at the ground as if embarrassed by his words.
I couldn't help but smile wider. I stepped closer towards him and placed my hand on his arm.
He looked up at me.
"I really like you too."
He immediately brightened up.
He moved closer to me and placed one hand on my waist and the other cupped my cheek.
"Good, because I would have been incredibly embarrassed if this went the other way."
I giggled and put my arms around his neck almost instinctively. It surprised me how naturally the action came.
He looked deep into my eyes then at my lips. He leaned in and placed a soft slow kiss on mine.
It was brief too. But it was enough. It was more than enough.
When we pulled away I was grinning like an idiot.
"What?" He asked with a small smile.
I shook my head. "Nothing. It's just that we just had our first kiss and I don't even know your last name."
I thought I saw him hesitate.
But he smiled smoothly before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Robinson. My name is Alex Robinson."