It was all very typical.
She rang his doorbell. He would answer, she knew; it might take a few moments for him to lumber down the stairs, all the while conscious of her appearance. She grinned and leaned against the doorbell again. The delay of his reaction to the bell was strange
Leaning against the door, Tori sighed. He was probably cleaning the living room, Typical Andre. It was almost scary how she could predict his movements as if she were psychic. Almost, but not quite – it was just part of being best friends.
"One second!" Finally, there were his familiar footsteps by the door. Clunk, clunk, crash! – he tripped – clunk, shuffle, creak, and the door was open a bit, revealing a shock of brown hair, a mess of chips, and a huge grin beneath two brown eyes. "Aw Tori, it's just you – I was kind of hoping you were Sherry!" Nevertheless, he pulled the door all the way open to let the redhead in.
Tori giggled, but didn't enter. "Very funny Andre."
Feigning sadness, Andre mock frowned. "C'mon T, you knew I was kidding. How about I make it up to you with a… pizza? My treat." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and stepped outdoors into the red-orange glow of a setting sun and chilly October breeze.
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," she replied dryly. "How's a walk sound instead?"
He shrugged and shut the door behind him. "I'll take what I can get, just as long as you don't mind."
Tori started along the well-lit street, her hands in her pockets: Fleece wasn't very fashionable, but at least it was warm—perfect for dusk strolls with Andre. "Why should I mind? I asked you if you wanted to walk?"
Andre fell into step beside his friend; his eyes scanned the ground, and he placed his jacket on her.
"You looked cold." he shrugged.
"Thanks" she said.
"Anyway, what brings you here tonight?" he replied.
It was her turn to shrug. "I needed a little alone time with my best friend," she admitted.
"Okay?" He laughed. "Wow, something major must've happened."
"Well, there's the usual – feeling I get when I-"
"See Ryder?" he stated simply.
"Right. But then Trina performed a 'mandatory search' of my room," – he winced – "and Mom and Dad worked overtime, leaving me alone with her. Jade said I wasn't 'pulling my weight' when I skipped out on practice for our skit."
"Ouch. Rough day."
"Yeah," she agreed, "but Sikowitz loved my report on the importance of coconut milk in an average person's diet and my Drama Club posters were a huge hit with the rest of the members. And Ryder Daniels…," she added, almost as an afterthought. "Well, I just wanted the 'calm after the storm', if you know what I mean."
"Well, you came to the right place." He placed a hesitant arm on her shoulders. "What about Ryder?"
"He tried to ask me out again! I'm so peeved, but… well, after all this suspense has been building up I just needed some calm after the excitement, and some moral support."
Biting his lip, Andre studied his feet, stopping abruptly. "Look Tori, maybe… maybe you shouldn't go out with him again."
Tori narrowed her eyes, but remained pleasant as ever. "Why not, he apologized?"
Andre glanced sideways at her. "Well Tori, you're so pretty, so popular… and he apologized? He's a player T! Before he didn't want you, but the, well – 'package' that goes along with you, remember?"
Her eyes flashed. "Andre-"
"I'm just saying," he shot back quickly, holding up his hands. Instead of getting mad at him, Tori sighed.
"I just don't know."
"He's already popular, you know, that might not be it at all. I mean…-"
"I know what you mean."
"Oh."
There was a silence after that, punctuated only by passing cars and the soft buzz of streetlights. Andre brushed a golden leaf from his hair and paused once to tie his shoe, but remained silent. Tori, however, sighed. "I can always trust you."
"What? I mean – huh – right. You can trust me, count on me." Under his breath he added, "Good old Andre," cheeks blazing crimson.
"You're jealous, aren't you?" Tori slipped her hand into Andre's.
"Of who, Ryder?" he scoffed. "Just because he's stealing my best friend away? Not me!"
She paused for a moment, and grinned. "Usually the friends aren't jealous until after the couple's first kiss."
Eyes narrowed, he replied, "I could kiss you if I wanted. It doesn't make any difference."
"Huh. Sure." She laughed.
"Is that a dare?" She didn't answer for a minute, just left him staring intently at his left shoe. Then-
"Maybe. If you had the guts."
"Yeah?" He looked up at her.
"Yeah."
Both stood silent for a long moment, hands on hips, and then Andre shuffled his feet and turned a fiery, glowing red, which sent Tori into peals of laughter. "What's so funny?" Andre demanded.
"You." She giggled. "You can't do it."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
He chose that moment, the one-second she was unsuspecting, to put one arm around her back and tip her backwards, gracefully as he could. Like a movie-star straight out of Hollywood, he bent slightly and pressed his lips to hers. In the five to ten split seconds they were connected, Tori melted into the kiss and was surprised when Andre set her on her feet, and grinned.
"Told you I could do it."
"I- I guess."
They walked a while more in silence. Andre ungraciously picked a marigold from someone's flower garden and tucked it – roots and all – behind Tori's ear. She slipped her hand into his and back out again, holding it only after he brushed the dirt from the marigold off on his shirt. Both were quite relieved when they reached Andre's front door again.
"So…."
"So…."
Reluctantly Andre brushed his lips against Tori's. There were no sign of the sparks she expected to go off in her head. The 'kiss' was perfect, and only one word came to her mind as they continued kissing on his front porch: fireworks.
"What are you doing tomorrow at eight?" Andre questioned eagerly.
"Well, I was going to go with Cat for a bite to eat…"
"Oh." His smile faded.
"…but I might have to tell her I have a new boyfriend. That is, if you…."
Grin back in place, he took her hands. "Then it's a date at Maestros for you and I?"
She nodded and dropped his hands, grinning also. "Andre, do you want to…?"
"Take a walk?" She nodded again. "We can head for your house this time." He surprised her with a quick kiss on her lips. "…and maybe take the long way there?"
Maybe he wasn't as typical as she thought.