It wasn’t long before I’d changed out of my uniform and into some comfortable clothes that were also warm, since it was a cold night for March.
Impatiently, I waited for Lewis to arrive so we could walk. While I waited, I paced my room, imagining what his house was like. Would he show me his bedroom or was that just weird? What if he wanted to take me to his room? I blushed furiously at the thought. I’d hardly been in the position before.
Quickly, I dialled Kara’s number.
“Kara? I’m going to Lewis’ in like two minutes and I’m freaking out,” I babbled as soon as she answered her phone.
“Lacey, what? Calm down. It’s going to be okay. It’s just Lewis, what do you think he’s going to do, take you hostage? Listen, now isn’t really a good time – just act like you normally do.”
“Wait – Kara. How I normally do?”
“Yeah, be your usual charming self.”
“How?” She just laughed and then hung up. I could imagine her shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
Finally, the doorbell rang, making me freeze.
“Lacey – Lewis is here!” Mum yelled up the stairs. The pitter patter of my feet seemed to be the most prominent sound.
“Thanks Mum,” I said. “See you later.”
“Bye honey, have a good time.”
“See you Lacey!” Dad shouted from the lounge.
When the door was closed, Lewis grinned. He looked like an excited child who’d been told that they were getting a new toy for being well-behaved.
“So,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets awkwardly. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long?” We began walking down my road.
“Not at all,” I said, putting my own hands in my pocket.
“Was your Mum pleased with your English?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “She says congratulations to you too.”
“I’ll thank her when I walk you back.”
We chatted aimlessly about school, the beach trip and general things.
“Lacey, Lewis!” somebody called. It was Ronan and Sarah taking a walk themselves.
“Hey you guys,” I said as they neared. “What are you to doing?”
“Just going to the shop,” Ronan said. “Sarah’s Mum needs some icing sugar for the cake she’s making.”
“What about you two?” Sarah interjected
“Lacey is just coming to mine,” Lewis explained, grinning.
“So are you too officially together now?” Frantically, Lewis looked at me. I shook my head, my eyes wide with shock.
“Not yet,” he answered for me, a hint of annoyance in his voice reaching my ears. I didn’t want to hear it.
“Hurry up though – you two should double date us at prom. It would be so cool,” Sarah gushed.
“Yeah come on Lacey, you and Jackson should get your acts together,” Ronan added.
“I’ll think about it,” I said uncomfortably. A part of me still debated that I wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship yet, even with Jackson.
“Anyway, see you later Lewis – Lacey. Sarah’s Mum will wonder where we’ve disappeared too.”
“Have a good night, guys.”
Lewis and I did not speak for the rest of the journey to his house. A once familiar tension had filled the distance between us which made me feel slightly uncomfortable. We reached his house finally. I’d seen the outside before, but as he knocked on the front, I began to feel shaky.
“Hi Lacey,” Lorraine greeted as the door opened. “Come in, it’s getting chilly out there.” I agreed with her; my cheeks were becoming red with the cold.
“Thank you for having me,” I replied as we stepped inside. I bent down to take my shoes off but she stopped me.
“Leave them on – the carpet needs cleaning anyway. Oh, and the pleasure is mine.”
“I’m going to take Lacey upstairs Mum,” Lewis interrupted. Oh my gosh, he was taking me to his room. Oh help me.
“Okay, but leave the door open.” I blushed at her instructions. It seemed that I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at the moment.
“Jeesh Mum, we’re not even together,” Lewis grumbled. She ruffled his hair like he was a small child.
“So they all say,” she commented. “Have fun.”
Lewis’ house was typical of most people. As he pulled me up the stairs, I saw that his Mum had lines the walls with his baby photographs, the little boy in them getting older as we climbed higher.
“These are so cute,” I gushed, putting my hand to the angelic face of a toddler Lewis. “Who’d have though this sweet little boy turned into such an irritating person.”
“Hey – I’m not as annoying as I used to be,” he protested. “You know that.”
“Okay, okay, you have got a little bit better.”
“Come on, I don’t want to stand on top of the stairs all night,” he said, beckoning for me to follow him.
His room of medium size and it was surprisingly tidier than I expected. Two walls were painted deep blue and two were white. The bed cover was…Harry Potter.
“You have Harry Potter bed sheets!” I squealed excitedly, running over to the distorted faces of the cast.
“Damn, I forgot about those,” I heard him mutter to himself.
“I want some,” I said, which seemed to take the red away from his cheeks. I think it comforted him somewhat that I didn’t mind them.
When my excitement had died down, we finally got down to actually talking.
“So…about what Ronan and Sarah suggested. I know I’m already taking you to prom, but do you want to be a real couple for it?” His bluntness made me freeze.
“I’m not ready to say that yet. It’s in three months – that’s like a quarter of a year.”
“I understand Lacey, but damn it, how long are you going to make me wait? We haven’t argued in ages, I’ve tried not to annoy you and you still don’t want me.”
“I – I don’t know,” I sighed. “I really don’t know.” The matter was such a strong confliction in my mind. I wanted to take him as mine now, right at this very second, but there wasn’t a strong enough force there behind my wanting.
“Well can we at least be a couple for one day? You know, to try it out.”
The question lingered for a long time in my mind. What harm could it do, really? It was just a day. Twenty four hours. One thousand four hundred and forty minutes. Eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds. I think I could live with that.
“Fine,” I accepted. “Just for one day.”
“Thank you,” he smiled. “Let’s do it in a few weeks. When we go back to the beach.”
“Sounds like plan.”
“You bet.”
Wow, I updated quite quickly for me!! And it was looooonger than usual. Do you love me? haha. Anyway. I finished college for Christmas yesterday. Can you believe that in the last two lessons of 2011 I did mock exams? Seriously. Critical Thinking and Biology. I hate you. Anyway - I can safely say that the Biology went better. I think anyway.
Oh, I think after I've finished this I will change the title. I think this story is a bit too innocent for the title (a bit misleading, right?) Do you agree? Please comment and let me know, and if you have any ideas of course.
Thank all of you for voting, if I don't upload before hand, MERRY CHRISTMAS. And if I don't upload before that, then HAPPY NEW YEAR. Hope 2011 was a good one for you.
Oh and for everyone with January exams whether that be GCSE or AS/A Level or some crazy other exam in another country GOOD LUCK. Think of me having to do five, two of which are Maths hehe.
Love you!