[Bonus chapter because I love you guys!]
The doorbell rang, so I finished putting on the last touch of mascara. Lexi was busy putting the rest of my make-up away, while Marvin and Nick lounged around my bed discussing comic con. I was only half listening, since the butterflies in my stomach weren’t letting me focus.
I practically flew downstairs to find my dad opening the door. Harvey stood at the other side with Rex, Rowen, and Dreads flocking him from behind. My dad did some sort of gruff noise, but I shot him a look that I was sure he could feel from the back of his head since it was meant to burn.
I was about to say something, when Brian ran out from the kitchen through my legs and started happy yelling.
“Harvey!” He yelled, running past my dad in a similar manner towards Harvey. My little brother seemed to like Harvey as much as I did, which came as a total surprise. Nothing tugs at your heartstrings like seeing your boyfriend play Ninja Turtles with your little brother. The rest of the guys got similar greetings from Brian.
“Hey, Little Dude.” All four guys pretty much greeted in unison. It wasn’t long before Dreads picked Brian up on his shoulder and after a short greeting to my dad, since he was the only one of the guys who didn’t tuck his tail between his legs when he saw him, started his way to my room. Rowen and Rex followed close behind, enough for me to hear Rex calling out to my little brother.
“So, how much you weigh now Little Dude?” He said this casually, including my little brothers nickname.
“Rex, don’t you dare bench press my brother!” I yelled behind him, already knowing that Brian was completely down and the rest of the guys would make a big show out of it anyway, because it was a common occurrence.
“Good evening, Sir.” Harvey coughed awkwardly now that it was just us two and my dad.
The tension broke when my mom walked into the living room.
“Good and yourself?” At closer inspection I watched my dad shoot Harvey a narrowed eyed glance, not waiting for a response.
“You’ll bring her home before her curfew?” I internally died when my mom spoke up, giving Harvey a similar withering glance. My parents were definitely not my boyfriend’s biggest fans.
“Of, course, Ma’am.” Harvey was the prime example of well behaved and I almost wanted to give him a medal. My dad, at least, didn’t look to scare him as much as my mom now.
“Well, now that it’s all settled-“ I hurried on, grabbing Harvey’s arm before pushing him out of the door. We were almost out in the clear, until my mom yelled something behind me.
“Make good choices!” She said. I wanted to die right there, especially when Harvey gave me a wink now that we found ourselves further from the light and into the darkness. My boyfriend was always well behaved, until my parents weren’t around, of course.
I climbed onto the back of his newer motorcycle and wrapped my arms around him. He smelled good, like cedar and boy, which instantly made my night even though we weren’t even a few blocks away from my house.
“I’m so excited.” I said in a deadpan tone, but actually completely meaning it.
Harvey had just cut the motorcycle off and was in the middle of taking the helmet off my head when he heard me. I started to bob my head side to side with a cheesy smile, because I really was excited. Harvey didn’t even bother with my weird antics anymore, and gave me a brief kiss before helping me off of the bike. It wasn’t every day that a girl got her first date with Harvey Lockwell.
I let him put his hand on my back to lead me towards the doors of the bowling alley. The entire place was dark, while loud music blasted through hidden speakers. Harvey didn’t even have to wait in line to get our shoes, since he knew the guy who was manning the station. I had worn my black skinny jeans with a sequenced peplum top. My bowling shoes didn’t match at all, but I was comforted by the fact that they even looked funny on Harvey.
Harvey and I had to input our names into the machine to start the game and we spent several minutes laughing trying to make up the most embarrassing name for each other.
Harvey settled on Livvie Cakes, while I inputted Harv Harv into his. Everything was going well, until I realized that I had no idea how to bowl. Literally, no clue.
“Uh, remember when I joked about being an awesome bowler?” I finally said, recalling my attempt at being funny when Harvey had told me we were going bowling.
“Yeah?” He said, trying out different weights for his bowling ball.
“Well, I might have embellished it a little.” I said, crinkling my nose and putting my hands up in surrender.
I watched Harvey look down towards the current bowling ball in his hands before smirking up at me.
“So, how much did you embellish?” He was starting to look amused.
“Like an awesome bowler might know where to put her fingers.” I said, kind of half apologizing for lying, but mostly just confused as to how things would work out.
“You mean you need help fingering it?”
“Yeah! Like, tell me which fingers go into which holes…” I said, falling right into it. My cheeks reddened when I realized what he really meant.
“Wait, no!” I fixed it by giving Harvey a slap in the arm while he chuckled.
“Perv.” I finally said, picking up a ball. Except since really I didn’t know how to finger it at all I ended up cradling it like an overweight baby.
“Here, let me show you.” Harvey finally said, coming over to tell me exactly how to hold it. His hand went over mine while he showed me, sending sparks all over my body. Jesus, the guy was telling me how to handle a bowling ball and I was getting all hot and bothered. Harvey took the first swing, getting a strike on his first try.
“No fair, you’re actually good!” I said, already lining up to take my first shot.
“I’m good at a lot of things.” Harvey replied, sending me a suggestive glance. I rolled my eyes, like I wasn’t completely charmed, which I was.
I narrowed my eyes and tried to remember everything Harvey had done before swinging. With a determined sigh, I walked a few steps back and swung my arm. The ball flew out of my hand and into the lane, falling down with a thud before rolling all the way to the side lane only to make a sad journey towards not even one of the pins. The second one happened just the same way.
"Oh, gutter ball!" He said with a smirk. I promptly told him to shut it, which only made him give me a cheeky smile in return.
Harvey took his next turn, but he came over to help me for my second. I wish I could say it had been my plan all along to have his hands on my hips and his body pressed to mine while he instructed me on how to throw the ball, but at least being incompetent had it’s perks.
By my third try I managed to have two pins standing at the end, without Harvey’s help. He still ended up winning the first game, but we were neck to neck on the second. Even Harvey was surprised at my spurt of athleticism.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to hustle me.” He said, sending me a grin.
I laughed with him, before going for my turn. It wasn’t one of my best, especially when Harvey got another strike.
I was so determined to win that a gust of energy soared through my body. It was my last move and I had no intention of losing. I walked up to the balls that were resting beside the lane and stuck my fingers deep. So determined that I didn’t notice that the ball I was holding wasn’t my usual one.
I narrowed my eyes and got into position, letting my force swing the ball behind me and let it fly through the air in front of me. Only it was too bad when, without even knowing what was happening, my body started soaring through the air. I saw nothing but blurs, before my body landed hard on the polished wooden floor. But my journey wasn’t over yet, I realized, when I started sliding across the lane towards the pins. I seriously thought I was going head first towards a strike, until I felt something grab a hold of my ankle strongly. My boobs had been squished against the floor giving my chest razor burn from all of the sliding. I was half dazed when I was turned on my back and Harvey grabbed hold of my wrists, pinning them back while he hovered over me.
“Are you, okay?” He said, completely looking my body over for damage.
How did you tell your boyfriend that you were physically fine but your ego had just taken a Chris Brown beating?
I craned my neck up to see the entire bowling alley frozen, all eyes on me and Harvey.
“Oh God, Kill me now.” I mumbled, realizing that even the lights were turning on. Just so that everyone could get a good look at me?
I looked back towards Harvey to see his eyes warming back up and a smile threatening to take over his face.
“Don’t you dare laugh!” I said, starting to laugh myself in the embarrassment.
Harvey, of course, didn’t listen and started to full out laugh until his eyes held little tears at the corners from the humor. He was in the middle of laughing, when he glanced up to my wrists still in his hands and in the air. The laughter quickly died out and he focused on what he was looking at more intensely. We were still sprawled in the middle of the bowling lane when I followed his gaze.
The freaking bowling ball still had my fingers lodged inside it. I hadn’t noticed because the weight was so little, as well as the holes my fingers resided in.
“Uh, can you take your fingers out?” He didn’t sound very sure which instantly made me panic and my fingers probably too. I could practically feel them swelling up inside the hallows of the ball.
I had my answer when I found out I couldn’t get any of them out once I tried.
“Okay, don’t panic. We just have to cut it off…”
“Cut it off?!” I was yelling now, my embarrassment forgotten by my worry.
Harvey flinched, before helping me stand up. Some people started clapping once they saw me up, while a guy who worked at the bowling alley jogged up to us.
He quickly realized my predicament and it wasn’t long before a tub of butter was brought out. Some people had gone back to bowling at that point, but some still stared as I did the walk of shame alongside Harvey towards a room at the back of the building.
“Best first date ever, or what?” I asked with mock cheer while Harvey started to dip his hands into an industrial sized tub of butter. He laughed a little, before looking up at me. The kiss he planted on my lips literally sealed the deal. I was in love with Harvey. Because, although I had my fingers lodged into a bowling ball and he had to scoop butter out of a jar with his bare hands, he still kissed me.
Boyfriend of the year? I think so.
After almost more than half a tub of butter, lots of coaxing, some awkwardly shed tears (from me mostly), and a panic attack, my fingers finally slid out of the child-sized bowling ball and into the free world. After returning the ball to the owner of the Alley, who had been waiting outside the room to see if there would be a lawsuit or something coming his way, it was obvious that it was time to leave.
The clapping and cheering was overwhelming when we walked out of the little room and back towards where the lanes were. People clearly still remembered me. I tried to wave while we left, and Harvey even did a bow before we walked out the door.
My still greasy hands found their war around Harvey’s torso, while I recounted the night’s events. Only I would end up almost ruining a perfect first date. Except that Harvey didn’t seemed bothered at all. He clearly knew what he had signed up for, which was becoming evident.
I let Harvey help me off his bike for the second time that night, before bringing his face right next to mine with my greasy hands.
“I’m sorry I got my hands stuck in the bowling ball.” I said, holding his face near mine and feeling his smile on my mouth.
“Don’t worry. Fingering takes practice.” His cocky voice filled up the silence. I rolled my eyes, before planting my lips on his. His hands slid up my sides and found their place on my hips while his lips explored mine. I was in the middle of leaning against his bike to get a better angle, when a shock of light broke through our kiss.
“What the heck?” I said, looking up behind him towards the source of light.
“Oh my God.” I finally let out, right before Harvey let me go and turned around.
I knew exactly what he was seeing. My dad and Uncle both sitting under my porch with matching shotguns at their sides. It was legit straight out of a movie.
“Daaaaaaaaaaaad!” I let out a totally teenage yell. The last thing I needed was him scaring off my boyfriend.
I looked over to see Harvey look ashen beside me. His hands were even up in the air as if my dad and uncle were cops.
“Great night to go huntin’ ain’t it, Bob?” My dad leaned over towards my uncle.
“Sure is.” My uncle replied. I wasn’t sure where their inexplicable southern accents had come from. I wanted to take one of their shotguns and wack them over the head when I watched them clink their beers together, which had materialized out of nowhere.
I was about to apologize when Harvey’s hand found mine in the darkness and I saw him finally smile at me. Yup, definitely boyfriend of the year.