My car broke down.
I was currently around three traffic lights away from The Pizza Plaza, searching for Dennis' name in my contact list, grateful that Chloe actually thought of putting it in as I stood in the chilly nightlife in that ridiculously short skirt.
Darn you, Chloe.
I actually could not believe my luck. Was this some sort of punishment for all the terrible things I've done in my life, such as forgetting to water my dearly beloved Arbutus unedos for an entire week?
Was this is what Justin Timberlake meant by the whole 'what goes around comes around' thing?
If so, damn Karma, you sure know when to come into my life.
With my heart beat accelerating, I pressed the call button and waited anxiously for my 'date' to pick up. Honestly, I felt sorry for him. This whole 'blind date' thing was a stupid idea. I can't believe I let Chloe talk me into this. Dennis DiCaprio? He's definitely going to think this was a total waste of time.
"Hello?"
And just like that, I forgot how to breathe.
My breath hitched in my throat for what felt like an eternity. His smooth voice caught me entirely off guard.
Far out, he even sounded attractive over the phone.
I'd only seen Dennis a few times at school, and those rare occasions were from a long distance - way too far to clearly make out any distinctive features about him, but from what Chloe tells me, he's absolutely gorgeous, both physically and personality wise.
"Hello?" He repeated again, snapping me out of my daze.
Allie, speak already, goddammit!
"Dennis?"
"Allie?"
"Hi!" I chirped, smiling broadly at the sound of my name coming from him.
Oh my God, I hope I didn't sound too enthusiastic. I should have said 'Hi' more casually. Or maybe I should have said 'Hey'. That would have been played more coolly, right?
"Hey!" He beamed, just as cheerfully, "Where are you?"
By now, my heart was pounding against my chest. I didn't know whether it was because I was so relieved he sounded excited to hear from me, or because I was too embarrassed to reply to his question.
I shut my eyes, feeling like a fool, "I'm actually on Xerxes St. My car broke down ten minutes away from the restaurant."
I waited for him to say that it would have been a waste of his time anyway, or to just declare the date cancelled.
But instead, he chuckled.
His laughter was soft, and had my heart strings tugging as he reminded me of a little kid, it made me smile.
"That's okay, I'll meet you half-way then?"
"What?"
"I'm on my way towards you, just keep walking up, and I guess we'll see each other half-way." Dennis said, as I heard some background noises then the sounds of cars, signaling he was outside the restaurant.
"Really? You still want to go through with this?" I blurted, my cheeks burning, thankful that he can't see me as my legs begin moving across the road.
"Don't you?" He asked, his voice filled with genuine concern. "Oh." He suddenly muttered as if he caught onto something, "If you were calling to cancel, I totally underst-
"No!" I all but yelled over the phone, before turning a bonfire red and face-palming myself. Oh God, did I have to say that so loud?
"Good!" He laughed, sounding relieved.
A taxi travelling towards me beeped twice and I could also make out the same sound over the other line, meaning that Dennis was close.
We were close.
"Dennis?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you wearing?" I wondered, biting my lip from smiling.
He took a long moment to answer, I guess he wasn't the only one who stunned others.
"Well?" I urged, as I passed another traffic light. All the streets were crowded to the extent where you had difficulty not bumping into people. I mouthed an apology to a man I accidentally nudged, before focusing on the boy on the other line.
"I'm..." He paused, contemplating whether to answer or not, before sighing, "I'm wearing a grey V-neck."
My lips tilted into a massive grin, as Dennis DiCaprio stood out in the heap of people, looking like sex on legs, just a couple of meters ahead of me, as he too, carefully flowed around the heap of people. He still hasn't noticed me through the crowd, as he kept the phone to his ear and kept walking straight towards me.
I beamed wickedly, "Damn, you look hot."
Dennis stopped in his tracks, his mouth slightly parting in disbelief of what I just said. If it were under any other circumstances, I would have died from embarrassment for making that remark out loud but watching one of the hottest guys in our school look incredibly dumbfounded and adorably astonished as he searched through the sea of faces was well worth the shame.
And then, his eyes landed on me.
I watched, hypnotised as his lips curled into a semi-smirk, his hand still gripping onto his phone.
"You don't look too bad, yourself."
I smiled broadly and slowly walked over towards him, well aware that the space between us was rapidly decreasing by the second, "What can I say? We try to impress." I tell him over the line, surprised by my sudden boost in confidence.
It was almost as if it were in the air.
You know, as well as Oxygen, Carbon dioxide and Nitrogen, of course.
"Clearly." He stated, nearing in, until we were no more than an arms length away.
Only then did we both press the end call button on our phones, without once looking away from each other, and without wiping the goofy grins of our faces.
"Hi." I smiled, enthralled by his enchanting blue eyes, dark hair, strong jawline and his soft-looking lips that smiled back at me.
"Hi." He replied, letting out the breath he'd been clearly holding onto.
We just stood like that for a while, or maybe it was seconds, I don't know.
"So...did you want to go back to that Pizza place, or...?" He trailed, breaking the silence and letting curiosity get the better of me.
"Or what?" I asked, raising a brow.
Dennis put his hands in his jean pockets, rocking back and forth with a mischievous smile on his face, "I don't know...something fun?"
I peered through my lashes, remembering that this was Dennis DiCaprio, one of the bad boys of Prescott Private.
"Why've I got a feeling we have two entirely different definitions of fun?" I laughed, rolling my eyes, yet desperately ignoring the pang of excitement burning within me.
Dennis leaned in closer, so close that I couldn't help but witness his blue eyes darken and his cute boy-ish image instantly vanish, only to let his dangerous, rebellious side out to play.
"Because, you've never experienced my kind of fun, Allie." He whispered, his voice low and smooth, causing my knees to feel like Jell-O. "But I want to show it to you."
For the second time that night, my breath caught in my throat as I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach.
On second thought, butterflies?
Hell, someone let out the entire zoo.
"So what do you say, Allie?" He smirked, outstretching his hand out for me, "Want a date worth remembering?"
My heart was currently on a frenzy, as it consistently battled with the little voice inside my head screaming that I did not know the first thing about the boy in front of me insisting to have some 'fun'. What if his idea of fun involved drugs, or had us getting in trouble with the police? Dennis and his friends are known for nothing but trouble. I know this, I should know better.
And yet...his eyes caused me to think twice about what I was about to say. They were just so hypnotic, so clear, so beautiful. And his cheeky smile seemed to be doing a better job at keeping the street lit up than the lamp-posts around us.
So, with a hesitant smile, and by blocking out the nagging voice in my head, I slipped my hand in his, immediately feeling wonder struck by the sparks that ignited when we touched. His hands were warm, and much larger than mine, which seemed to envelop mine in a way that seemed to have been created just for me.
"Sure." I agreed, my voice sounding a billion times more confident than I actually felt, "Pressure's on. Don't disappoint me, Dennis DiCaprio." I warned him playfully, unable to wipe the grin of my face.
Our shoulders bumped into each other as we walked down another road, "Wouldn't dream of it, Allie Harper."
***
Twenty minutes later, Dennis dragged me into an old diner, swearing on his life that I was about to taste the world's greatest Tacos.
When we entered the warm room, I was immediately enthralled by the coziness of the place, followed by the mouthwatering smell of Mexican food.
A small Latino woman who looked to be in her mid sixties came rushing towards us, embracing Dennis and kissing both his cheeks.
I watched Dennis turn a dark shade of red, making my heart swell at how adorable he looked.
"Dennis! I'm so happy you come!" She gushed in broken English, "How is your papa?"
"He's good. Working hard." He shrugged, "How are you, Ana?"
She gave him a toothy smile, "Better now that you are here!" She turned to me, as if noticing me for the first time, "And who is this pretty girl?"
I blushed at her compliment, "Hi, I'm Allie," I greeted, outstretching my hand for her to shake.
The lady took it, and pulled me into a hug, shocking me.
"So nice to meet you." She said warmly, before directing us to a nearby table for two. "You two sit here. I bring you your favourite, Dennis." Ana instructed, giving the both of us a look of adoration before heading away.
My cheeks hurt from smiling, "She's so cute!" I gushed once we sat at our table.
Dennis laughed, nodding his head, "She is."
"You must come here often."
"The tacos really are amazing." He told me, biting his lip and looking guilty.
I hardly comprehended what he said, I was too distracted by the way his perfectly straight teeth gently bit down on his pink lips.
Pwoah, that was hot.
"Allie?"
I snapped back to reality, blushing, "Sorry?"
Dennis smirked, "Distracted by my good looks?"
Yes.
I chocked on air, "What?! I wasn't-"
"Sure." He interjected, looking smug.
When he chuckled, I groaned in frustration, "I thought Chloe said you were the shy one!"
"That depends, Allie..." He said, leaning a little over the table and lowering his voice, "Do you like shy boys?" He asked me, looking amused.
My heart went on a frenzy again.
"Not anymore." I murmured, just as Ana came back with two plates.
I watched as she put one before Dennis, and one in front of me, smiling broadly, as I thanked her "Enjoy darlings! If you need anything else, let me know."
"Thanks Ana," Dennis praised, giving her a dashing smile, "You're the best."
One a delighted Ana left, I looked down at my plate. The tacos looked amazing, almost as if it came out of a catalogue.
Dennis turned his attention to me, "I hope you like jalapeños."
Jala-what?
But instead of asking what on earth they were, I merely nodded my head, "Yeah, totally. I love them."
He grinned, "Really? Me too!"
I smiled. His smile was just too contagious.
So what if I didn't know what he was referring to, if whatever it was was as good as what the taco looked like, I'd probably love it anyway.
I mentally shrugged. A little white lie never did anyone any harm.
Three bites later, I was dying.
"Yeah, totally. I love them." Dennis mimicked in his girly voice.
Right now we both looked like freaks because we both had red faces and tears springing our eyes. Mine because of the stupid pepper, his because he's been laughing at me non-stop for the last 7 minutes.
That jerk.
5 glasses of water later, I was relatively calm, that is - my mouth no longer felt like it was about to explode.
"More explosive than fireworks, right?" He guessed, looking entertained.
I nodded, then shrugged, "I suppose, I mean, I've never actually seen fireworks in real life-"
"What? Seriously?" Dennis cut in with wide eyes.
"Yeah," I muttered, "Pathetic, I know." I told him, laughing, "I've only seen it on T.V, but obviously that's not the same."
"Of course it's not. Fireworks are incredible! As if you've never seen them!"
I pretended to look hurt, "Gee, thanks, Dennis. Way to rub it in."
His face fell instantly, making me giggle.
Something flashed in his eyes, and before I knew what was happening, he pulled out his wallet, threw a few bills onto the table and grabbed my hand like it was the most casual thing ever, "C'mon, I've got to show you something."
"What? Now?" I questioned, feeling the rhythm of my heart pace up as he dragged me out of the restaurant.
"Yeah. Now."
"Where are we going?"
He spared a quick glance at me and tilted his lips into a cheeky smirk, "To have a date worth remembering, remember?"
***
I watched, horrified, as I quickly caught onto what Dennis was about to do.
"Dennis, no! We're going to get in trouble."
"You think too much."
"You obviously don't think at all!"
He stopped what he was doing and gazed at me, smiling in amusement, before walking over towards me.
With each step he took, I couldn't help but feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. He was so close, a sheet of paper couldn't get through. I was intoxicated by his smell, pure heaven. His blue eyes never left mine as he reached over and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.
"I think you look beautiful tonight," He smiled, blushing slightly in the moonlight as goosebumps covered every inch of my skin. My heart was going wild, I swear I was going to have a cardiovascular attack. Could he tell he was driving me insane?
"I also think that this exactly what I'm looking for." He grinned, retrieving one of the bobby pins in my hair and going back to what he was doing, letting the cold air bite my skin.
I watched, awestruck, as Dennis professionally picked the lock to an abandoned shed. A few seconds later, when a click was heard, the lock, as well as the metal chains fell to the ground.
I bit my lip, "This is illegal."
"But baby, that's the thrill of it." He smiled. The naughty glint in his eyes never left as he opened the doors, only to reveal boxes upon boxes of...
"Explosives?!" I cried, not believing my eyes as Dennis grabbed a couple of red cylinder objects. "Are you out of your mind?!"
"Do you want to light it?" He asked, looking excited.
"What?! No!"
"Oh c'mon, live a little, Allie. Have some fun."
"We have two different perspectives of fun, I think I already made myself clear."
Dennis rolled his eyes, "And what exactly is your type of fun? Taking a couple of pictures for the Photography competition? You win every year, so why bother?"
I bit back a retort, as a smile instantly lit my face. "You know about my photography?" I questioned quietly, not trusting my ears.
Dennis flashed me another smile and shrugged, "Well yeah, they're actually really good." A second later, he shook his head, "That's not the point, Allie!"
"What is the point then, Dennis? Are you trying to land us in jail tonight? Was this your ideal date to remember?"
"The point is..." He emphasised, "That you're just surviving, not living."
My eyebrows knotted in confusion, "What?"
"Ask yourself, Allie: Are you alive or just breathing?"
I froze, my words getting lost, my mind overflowing with a thousand thoughts.
Why?
Because even I knew it was the latter.
"This is the part where you say: Oh Dennis, so hot and full of wisdom, how did I ever doubt you?"
"Shut up." I mumbled, averting my eyes from his, making him laugh.
Boy, I was starting to fall in love with the sound of his laugh.
"So...? Are you going to just stand there or...ow!" He playfully winced when I shoved him, grabbing the matches.
I looked him in the eye, warning him, "If we get caught..."
"We won't." He deadpanned.
"...You'll have Hell to pay." I finished.
"What if this world is another planet's Hell?" He asked me, pretending to have the persona of a philosopher.
I looked at him as if he were ludicrous, finally, the only words I could make out were, "You're weird."
"But...?" Dennis urged.
"Nothing. You're weird. That's all."
"But...you like me, that's what you were going to say." He stated, grinning like an absolute idiot.
"No I wasn't."
"Yes you were. You were thinking it." He nodded, as if he could read my mind, "It's okay, I like you too."
My face immediately turned bright red. My breath hitched in my throat.
How do humans breathe again?
I gave him a shy smile, before lighting the match to distract myself.
"Here goes nothing." I murmured before I witnessed the rope catch on fire.
I looked up at Dennis in shock, he just mirrored my expression, before grabbing my hand and yanking me in the other direction, "RUN!"
Adrenaline kicked into my veins as I found my legs trying to keep up with his outstretched sprints. I was petrified and excited all at the same time, and Dennis holding my hand was the only thing stopping me from collapsing.
When we were a couple hundred meters away from the lighters, Dennis abruptly stopped, making me crash into his stone hard chest. He held me there protectively, his warm arms encircling me.
"Now watch."
Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from his piercing gaze... and watched the explosives ignite.
One by one, lighters of all colours and sizes lit up the night sky with a bang. I couldn't will myself to blink, not wanting to miss second of the most incredible scenery I'd ever witnessed. It was like I was trying to take photos with my eyes, hoping they'd stay as vivid and amazing in my long term memory as they were right in front of me. My mouth had parted in disbelief as more fireworks lit up in the empty meadow.
The moment was perfect. I wanted it to last forever.
But then the sound of police cars filled our ears.
Dennis cursed and grabbed my hand again, "Allie, we have to get out of here, lets go!"
All too soon, I found myself being dragged towards the forest. With each step, the sirens were harder to distinguish, and by the time we stopped running, we were puffing for air.
All it took was one look at Dennis' face for me to double over in a laughing fit.
"Are you okay?"
I was gasping for air, "That...was...incredible!" I finally made out between laughs. "Oh my God, first it was like...RUN! And then it was like...BOOM! And then there was the police..."
"Yeah. I know. I was there."
I looked at him, still shaking with excitement. "Dennis that was amazing."
He gave me a crooked grin, "Date worth remembering?"
"I don't think it's possible to forget this date, Dennis." I told him honestly, "I'm pretty sure I'll be remembering every detail of tonight for the rest of my life."
He inched closer towards me, and gently brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Good. Then remember this too."
With that, he closed whatever space that remained between us and crashed his lips onto mine. For a moment, I was too stunned to react. In fact, I was pretty sure I was hallucinating. But when Dennis cupped my cheek with one hand and lay his other on my lower back, pressing me against him, I was finally able to respond.
I kissed him back, softly at first, but when his lips pressed down firmer, deepening the kiss, I gave in with twice the intensity. Kissing Dennis was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was like winning photography competitions everyday...or having no homework.
Hell, kissing Dennis was better than Nutella.
And when we finally broke apart, we were both gasping for air. He gave me another gentle kiss before resting his forehead against mine.
"I want to do this again."
"Kiss?" I asked him, my head still spinning from the rush.
He chuckled, before shaking his head, "Take you out on a date."
"So you don't want to kiss me again?" I teased.
"That, I never want to stop." He clarified, before leaning in and pressing his lips against mine once more.
***
And once the night was almost over, and my curfew were moments away, Dennis drove me home in his black Mustang. We talked about anything and everything. We realised how much we had in common, and argued over the things we didn't. The more I got to know him, the more I realised how unique his personality was, and how I couldn't believe that if it weren't for Chloe, I'd have gone through my high school life without once talking to him.
"That's the one." I whispered, my voice full of disappointment when my house came into view.
Dennis stopped his car, and got out. Moments later he opened my door and I took his hand, getting out as well.
Without letting go of my hand, he walked me to my door, only then did he put his hands in his pockets. I gave him back his jacket, that he had lent me when I had gotten cold, and thanked him.
"You have to admit though, it looked better on me." I told him seriously, biting my lip from laughing.
"Please. You're standing in front of God's best creation. I don't need clothes to look good."
"Okay. Whatever you say." I sung, before we both drifted into a comfortable silence.
"You're picturing me naked, aren't you."
"What?! No!"
"You totally are."
"I'm not!" I defended, playfully shoving his rock-hard chest.
He laughed, showing off his flawless smile, "I'll call you."
"Okay." I whispered, trying to hide my excitement.
He slowly brushed his lips against mine, causing my heart to pick it's pace again, "Bye Allie."
"Bye Dennis." I uttered, savouring the feel of his soft lips.
With one last smile, he walked back into his car, and I quickly opened the door, before getting inside and leaning against it, trying to stop my head from spinning from all of tonights events.
Without thinking twice, I reached for my phone and began dialling the number I'd memorised for years, and waited for an answer.
And just when I thought it was going to go on her voicemail, I heard my best friend's voice on the other line, "Hello?" Chloe answered breathlessly.
For a split second, I wondered why she sounded so out of breath, but then the thought left as soon as it came, I had more important things on my mind.
"Chloe!" I all but screamed at her, "Oh my God, I have so much to tell you!"
__________________________
A/N - Missed me? I've missed you!
In fact, I miss you guys so much...I kinda wanna...write a new story?
OH WAIT, NO WAY, YOU'RE KIDDING, SHE DIDN'T JUST SAY, WHAT I THINK SHE DID, DID SHE?
Hahaha, we'll see.
COTE! Did you like this One Shot? Gimme your thoughts! :D
(To see a picture of Dennis, go to my Facebook page - link in external link!)
P.S - OMGOMGOMGOMG LINKIN PARK CONCERT WAS AMAZING. LIKE, IT WAS ONE OF THE TOP 10 BEST NIGHTS OF MY LIFE, I WISH I COULD RE-LIVE IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN THAT NIGHT. IT WAS PERFECTION.
P.P.S - Did I mention I've started learning Japanese? It's honestly one of the most random things I've done, because I don't know a single Japanese person, like, at all.
So it's basically me talking to myself, saying Genki des ka? [How are you?] and then Genki des [I'm good], arigato Hasti [Thanks Hasti].
What a loser.
P.P.P.S - For those who aren't too Biologically advanced (like me!), Arbutus unedo is the scientific name for Strawberry trees. Also, Chloe was breathless because Allie's date happened at Chapter 27 when Reece kissed Chloe's neck and said "I guess I just discovered your weakness, too."
heart, smiley-face, ex oh ex oh!