today i'm going to double update because I'm putting off homework
-rabid
***
AUGUST
"Steph, hey," I poke him on his way out of the studio. Jilly prances right out the door and doesn't seem to notice. "Want to watch a movie sometime?"
"Yeah," He leans on the counter, making sure Jilly is out the door. "Tonight? Tomorrow? I don't really have plans."
I don't want to seem too clingy, because we just went out for coffee on Friday, but. "Tonight sounds good, you?"
"Totally," He winks. "I'm off parenting duty because Helen is coming over to teach Jilly how to make their family bread thingy, so."
I scan him, he seems way less tired than he did Friday, and we did spend a good long time face-timing at night Saturday. "What movie?"
"Doesn't matter," He shrugs. "Popcorn on me."
"So I could make you watch a horror movie?"
"No," He fidgets. "Nope, I'm squeamish."
"Romance?"
"Ehh," He mumbles. "I die for a good classic, but some of the new stuff now is eesh."
"Are you just saying that."
"Because I'm a total nerd for brain fluff romance films? Yes."
I reach up and ruffle his hair. "Seven sound okay?"
"Perfect." He's got a chunk of hair that's sticking straight upward now and I find it too cute for his own good.
"Now shoo," I wave at the door. "Jilly's going to get suspicious or something." He leans on the counter, raising one eyebrow.
"Suspicious of what?" He's trying to be hot or seductive or something along that vulgar category, but it really just doesn't work. He's got crinkles in the corners of his eyes from smiling and that just kills his whole effort.
"Face-sucking, dork," I look around. "Shoo shoo, my boss might show up or something, and if he sees me flirting on the job he's going to be irritated."
Steph layers his tone with sarcasm. "Oh no, not the boyfriend," Holy fuck did he just refer to himself as my boyfriend. We've only kissed that once after the first date and it wasn't even really a full kiss, it was like a peck on the cheek but on the mouth, but like it really did matter because it made me feel like heaven for way longer than I expected, but we have gone on only like a date and a half, that's dating, right? And he's coming over to watch a movie, and we talk all the time over the phone but does he consider me his girlfriend? We haven't talked about that? He's still so wild and new, what? I mean, I totally caught feelings and he told me he did too, but we're really new at this and isn't boyfriend-girlfriend like after a month? Nobody evER TOLD ME HOW TO DATE????
"Hey, Aug, sorry," He looks worried when I snap out of it. "Didn't mean to come on that strong."
I blink a couple of times. "No, you're good," I blink again. "Boyfriend, huh?"
"If you're okay with that?" He tilts his head to the side, trying to read my expression. I must look like a ball of raw panic.
"Yeah," I clear my throat. "Yeah."
"You look like you're going to pass out, are you feeling alright, or?"
I look up at him, a little giddy all over. "Gabby is going to freak the hell out."
"What?"
I point at him, tapping his chest. "Boyfriend." It makes his ears turn pink.
"Yeah?" He tilts his head again, then pokes my chest. "Girlfriend."
That makes me turn red. "Like I said," it comes out a little breathy. "Gabby is going to freak out."
"Uh-huh?" He still looks confused, then waves his hand in front of his face. "Again, I'm not real smart."
"Steph," I reach out and shake his shoulders. "That just means you made it official."
"I know."
"Gabby's gonna flip."
"Yeah?"
"Dork," I shoo him again. "Now go so you can get back! And don't forget that popcorn!"
"Don't plan on forgetting it, I'm a sucker for popcorn."
And then I watch that ass leave, and the second the door swings shut, I'm sprinting up the back staircase to my apartment.
"gABBY!" I face time her, she's at home and makes a face when I pick up. I realize she's eating but this is news.
"What," She covers her mouth. "You seem to be flipping out?"
"Steph made it official."
"What?"
"We're like, a thing now."
"He asked you to be his girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
Her eyebrows go up. "Look at you going official with Mr dreamboat out here."
"And, annnnnnd," I spread my arms. "He's coming over to watch a movie tonight."
She chokes a little, then swallows. "Mr boyfriend is coming over to watch a movie?"
I nod. "Yeah, he- fuck."
"What?"
"I haven't kissed him yet."
"You literally told me that you kissed him after that date."
"That wasn't like a real kiss, it was like a peck on the cheek but on the mouth, like really soft and nice and cute, but also super short, which means if he's coming over tonight in private, we're going to end up making out, I, that makes me nervous, wait, what should I wear?"
"Okay back to sentence one," Gabby takes another bite of sandwich. "You are in an official relationship with this man and you're about to make out for the first time, I feel like you should've figured out if he used too much tongue or too much slobber or not enough of either before committing to him. For reasons that follow, before the commitment, realizing he was a bad kisser and breaking it off wouldn't have been bad; however, you're committed now and that would involve a breakup because it's clear that you both caught feelings."
"Shoot."
"Next, wear something cute, but really casual, you're hanging around the house, he'll probably show up in jeans and a hoodie, don't do the exact same thing, but go for something like leggings and a t-shirt, that way if you get cold, he'll give you the hoodie, even though you're in your house and you've literally got a whole bunch like right there."
"Alright, makes sense, makes sense."
"Plus, he's simple, he'll probably drool a little bit over leggings. Just try not to get any hickies, bite marks, scratches, markings of any sort. Don't have any sex, don't do anything other than kiss him, per my own suggestion."
"Gabs."
"I'm just saying, it's like your second legit date, too soon."
"Gabby I knnnnooow." I laugh.
"And also, go shower, I can smell you from here."
"Do I really smell that bad?" I lean over and sniff. "Crap what if he could smell that?"
"GIRL, HE JUST ASKED YOU TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND, CLEARLY HE DOESN'T CARE THAT YOU SMELL LIKE B.O."
"Alright, alright, I'll call you back post-shower."
STEPHAN:
I shut the driver's side door. "Jillyyy-"
"What took you so long?" She teases.
I wiggle my eyebrows. "Asking her to be my girlfriend, that's what."
"No way, already?"
"Why, is that too fast?"
"No, I'm just," She laughs. "Way to go Steph, you've got a girl."
"Not just any old girl," I put the car into drive and we head back to the apartment. "Okay, also, I'm leaving you with Helen, and then going back over for a date."
"At her house? Alone? A date? Stephan," She looks up at me from her phone. "Do you need ground rules?"
"Jilly-"
"One! Only kissing! Two! No kids! I don't want to be an aunt! Three! Keep it protected!"
"JILLY."
"FOUR, WRAP BEFORE YOU TAP."
"JULIANNA WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT?"
"FIVE! NO DRINKING!"
"JILLY!"
Then she's laughing too hard to make fun of me, thank god. "Six-"
"No, no more,"
"No-"
"Noooooo."