Open Doors
Dia let out a protracted sigh, a sigh that deflated the entire room, as if he wasn't even remotely trying to hide the fact that his mind was elsewhere.
Pearl and Dia were both in Dia's room, a usually messy place that was cleaner than usual but still littered with a few stray soda bottles, perhaps the ones that his mom missed in her hurry to clean the room before Pearl came over; sprawled over a light blue beanbag was Pearl, becoming extremely impatient due to his friend's listlessness.
"What's wrong Dia," Pearl asked. "Tonight we are supposed to practice our comedy routine for next week's talent show at the Snowpoint Lodge. This is going to be huge. There will be hundreds of skiers and snowboarders looking to be entertained after a long day on the slopes. Rumor around town has it that there is a going to be a big time entertainment executive there. This could be our big break. If we impress here, then we may even be offered a paid gig at a restaurant, a bar, or even a fancy nightclub. Dia you aren't listening are you?"
Dia looked forlornly at Pearl and then the wall, completely ignoring his friend, imagining that Platina was here, smiling brightly, laughing at his jokes and perhaps touching his arm in a coy manner and pretending that she never did so. Yet, Platina was not here. Rather, she was with a suitor, undoubtedly another wealthy kid, the type of boy who had a Mercedes, a trust-fund and parents with unfathomably deep pockets, the type of boy that Dia could never hope to become or compete with.
"You're thinking about Platina again? Aren't you?" Pearl questioned. "If you like her so much, then why don't you tell her about your feelings?"
"You know why," Dia retorted sharply. "I'm not good enough for her. Have you seen those guys that her father sets her up with? They are all taller, smarter, richer and better looking than me. I don't stand a chance. Even if she gave me a chance, then it would be out of nothing more than pity."
Pearl sighed, irritated by Dia's brooding. He wanted the old Dia back, the carefree kid who loved comedy, eating and traveling, the kid who would never turn down a meal or a chance to practice comedy.
Things changed ever since Platina started dating.
Platina's father was worried because her 19 year old daughter had never had a boyfriend and he pressured her to start dating. It wasn't that Platina had trouble finding dates. On the contrary, soft peach skin, radiant hazel eyes, long black hair, a flawless complexion, and an innocent yet seductive voice meant that Platina had a lot of options, perhaps more than was really desirable, if such a thing was possible. Indeed, Platina learned rather quickly in high school that guys could be rather persistent creatures, leaving long love letters in her locker, showering her with gifts of plush Teddiursa's and chocolates, and ceaselessly asking her on countless dates, rendezvous and get-togethers. Platina turned them all down, politely of course, citing a clever excuse that would almost lead them to believe that she was really busy.
At first Platina's family thought nothing of this behavior but they were an image conscious family and what others thought of them was important, occasionally more important than individual happiness. As Platina got older, the girl's family started to pressure her to date, as if she would be socially defective if she didn't have boyfriend experience. Platina, for as long as she could, managed to convince her family that she didn't need interference in her love life but they continued to pressure her until finally 6 months ago she agreed to go out on a date with Paul, a wealthy Pokémon trainer whose father owned a substantial amount of commercial property in Hearthome City. Dia never heard much about the date but presumably it wasn't a memorable one because Platina only mentioned it briefly, complaining about the boy's rude table manners and the lack of ventilation in the restaurant.
"Why don't you just ask her out?" Pearl lamented to a sulking Dia. "We've all been friends, the best of friends, for seven years. I'm sure she would be willing to give you a chance."
"I can't compete with those guys. Why should a princess have to settle for a commoner?"
"There you go with the brooding again." Pearl, who didn't understand his friend's attitude, retorted. "Maybe they are taller, richer, smarter, more attractive, more muscular…"
"Not helping," Dia deadpanned, although a smile leaked through his sullen face.
"Whatever," Pearl responded, the boy almost excited because he was having a little fun now, even if it was at the expense of his best friend. "The point is that you can offer her something that no-one else can."
"And what would that be?"
"You can offer her yourself and that's something no-one else can give."
"That's unbelievably cheesy. Have you been watching soap operas again?"
"No I'm serious," Pearl said, impatiently tapping his foot as if doing so would help him prove his point faster. "You're a great guy and Platina would be lucky to have you."
"I would be lucky to have her. She is funny, smart, and absolutely gorgeous."
"You forgot fabulous," a feminine voice added from the doorway, a voice that was obviously being facetious.
"And fabulous," Dia gingerly added, a lump forming in his throat, goose-bumps forming on skin that was growing ever colder, forced to make eye contact with the girl who was inevitably Platina.
"What you are doing here? I thought you had a date with Lucas."
Platina, who was smiling ever so coyly, indifferently opened her purse and tossed a plush Teddiursa and a box of unwrapped chocolates on the bed.
"You can have the coconut ones. I don't really like those."
"How long were you standing outside that open door?" Dia tentatively asked.
"Oh, maybe about five minutes. I am surprised neither one of you guys saw me. You see my date ended early, so I thought I would stop by. I normally would have called but my cell phone ran out of battery. 4G is such a battery drain; you know? I hope you guys aren't mad at me."
Dia was absolutely silent, perhaps in shock because Platina ostensibly knew his secret.
"Of course not," Pearl laughed, almost too hard, as though he was trying to convince himself that the situation wasn't awkward. "I have to practice our comedy skit for next week, so I better get going."
"Don't you usually practice with Dia?" Platina questioned.
"Well yes. But we also have to practice on our individual parts. Dia knows his lines but I need more practice on mine."
"I see," Platina said, extending the small talk. "Well good luck and I'll see you later."
"Bye Dia, Bye Platina" Pearl said as he scrambled out the door.
Truth be told, no-one was fooled by these pleasantries. Pearl knew that Dia and Platina needed some alone time to discuss the sensitive information that Platina had overheard. Sometimes it was fun to be coy, to speak with a sort of bombast that masked the seriousness of a situation, to pretend that a problem didn't exist, if only for a moment. Regardless, Dia's heart was pounding and his mind was racing. He knew he couldn't delay this any longer.
"So did you hear everything?" Dia candidly asked.
"Yes," Platina said, biting her lip, probably out of thoughtfulness rather than nervousness but Dia couldn't be sure.
"Well, I have a huge crush on you." Dia said flatly. "I've liked you for a while now but I never had the courage to say anything."
Platina looked at Dia straight in the eyes, her hazel eyes connecting with his blue ones, the sun's rays colliding with the ocean, a stare that seemed like it lasted for hours but was probably no more than ten seconds long.
"Did you really mean all of those nice things you said about me?" Platina said. "Do you really think I'm funny, smart and gorgeous?"
"I do," Dia insisted. "You are absolutely amazing, the perfect girl, but I don't deserve you. I don't want you to take less than you deserve and I am definitely less than you deserve."
"That's not true," Platina said. "You are the funniest, nicest and most handsome guy I know. Any girl would be out of their mind to turn down a guy like you."
"Platina you're just way out of my league. I really like you but I don't want you to feel pressured to settle for a guy like me.
"I like you Dia." Platina sweetly responded.
"What about your parents? Don't they want you to date a rich guy?"
"They might be overbearing but they want me to find true love."
"Are you sure you don't like me out of pity? I don't want you to feel like you have to go out with me just because we are friends."
Platina bristled, "Are you calling me a liar Dia?"
Dia, absolutely startled, was shocked to see an angry Platina, a complete turnaround from only a moment ago.
"Are you saying that I am lying about liking you?"
"No, Platina," Dia said. "I just want what's best for you."
"I see," Platina quickly responded. "So what you are really saying is that I don't know what's best for me. You must think I'm a naïve girl who can't handle her own love life."
"You're twisting my words," an exasperated Dia said. "I just want what's best for you."
Platina stood up, grabbed her oversized white purse, and opened the door; all while making a feeble attempt to wipe away what looked like tears from her eyes.
"What's wrong," Dia sputtered, nonplussed because of Platina's sudden change in behavior. After all, he was just trying to protect her.
"I don't need you then," Platina sniffled, using her arm to wipe the tears off her face, the sadness in her voice so overwhelming that it made Dia cringe.
"Platina wait," Dia cried out. "I'm sorry. Please just tell me what I did wrong."
"You can figure that out by yourself." Platina coldly remarked. "See you around Dia."
If there was ever a time in Dia's life where he was astonished, if there was ever a time where he wished he had a re-do button, if there was ever a time he wished that he knew the perfect thing to say, then now was definitely that time. Platina, the girl of his dreams, one of his best friends, was walking out the door because of him.
"Platina," Dia begged, chasing after the distraught girl, catching her in the hallway, blocking her path by extending his arms horizontally.
"I have another engagement," Platina said, almost perfunctorily. "Please move out of my way."
"I'm really, really sorry. I don't think you're naïve or stupid. I think you are funny, smart, gorgeous and fabulous."
Dia couldn't be sure but he thought Platina almost smiled at the mention of fabulous.
"Just come back to my room and let me apologize."
Platina glared daggers at the boy but nevertheless she followed him back to his room, at a distance of course, not even bothering to close the door even though she came in last. She sat down on the bed, clutching her purse, while Dia pulled out a chair and sat down.
Meanwhile, Dia was thinking about the situation. Platina seemed extremely offended but he was just covering all the bases, protecting her. But maybe Platina didn't need protection. Even when he and Pearl were her "bodyguards", it seemed like she was saving them just as often as they were saving her. Platina was a competent young woman who could make her own decisions. Moreover, who was he trying to save her from? Was he, the only person who could make her laugh when she was sad, the only person that she trusted with her most precious dreams and secrets, the person that she cared about most, really unfit to be her boyfriend. No, it was madness! There wasn't anyone on the planet that understood her, respected her and loved her like he did. She was absolutely right and he been a total jerk, hurting his friend in some misguided attempt to protect her.
"Platina," Dia began, breathing the type of breath that usually signaled a long speech.
"I've been a total jerk."
"Thank you captain obvious," Platina replied.
"I deserve that and more," Dia acknowledged. "I really don't know what came over me tonight. I just have been getting so jealous over those guys you have been dating recently. I didn't feel like I could compete with them."
"I told you that my parents forced me to go out with those guys, more likely than not out of misplaced fears of having their only daughter become an old maid, even though she is only 19. Anyway, those guys might have money and looks but they are generally boring, perverted or both. One guy spent half the date trying to explain to me what a derivative was and the guy I went out with tonight asked to see my melons.
"Lucas really said that," Dia asked incredulously, remembering the amorous football captain trying to flirt with Platina back in high school. "What did you do?"
"Well to be honest, I was about to laugh at the word melons. But he did ask to see my breasts on the first date, so I felt obligated to throw a glass of water on him and call him a pervert."
"So that's why you came over here so early," Dia mused, the sentence more of a statement than a question.
Platina answered anyway, her voice softening. "More or less."
"I am so sorry Platina," Dia began, climbing on his bed to join the girl. "I haven't been thinking about your feelings. I fell into the grass-is-always-greener trap. I was convinced your life is perfect because you're rich and beautiful."
"Well it's not. But it would be a whole lot better if a certain boy would take me out Friday night."
"Of course," Dia responded, smiling as Platina coyly touched his arm and quickly retracted her hand.
"You just touched my arm again. You always do that and pretend that you didn't."
"Well maybe if somebody wasn't so naïve and could take a hint, I wouldn't have to," Platina said, the smile on her face morphing into a cheeky raspberry.
Dia was ever so slightly offended by the remark. He would show her who the real naïve one was.
"I think something is wrong with your tongue?" Dia whispered, staring at her as if she was the carrier of a potent flu virus.
"What do you mean," Platina stammered, retracting her raspberry, clearly unnerved by Dia's sudden seriousness.
"There is no time to waste. Stick out your tongue and close your eyes."
"Just tell me what is wrong."
"You are going to have to trust me on this. Please stick out your tongue."
Platina complied, reluctantly, but nevertheless she complied. She closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
Dia felt tingles surge throughout his body, his mind anticipating the pleasure of what he would do next. He put his arms around her, compelling her tongue to retreat back into her mouth, causing her to open her beautiful hazel eyes. Dia's tongue followed hers, chasing her tongue back into her mouth, both tongues dancing rhythmically, as if they had practiced intensely for this moment, lips nibbling each other, soft moans escaping Platina's lips, convincing the girl to close her eyes again, coercing her to lie down on the bed and pull Dia down with her, Platina reflexively throwing her leg over Dia's shoulder, sucking every last ounce of pleasure out of Dia's mouth.
Their first kiss was almost feral, lasting a couple of minutes, both Dia and Platina unashamedly putting their hands all over each other's bodies, delighting in the fresh tactile sensation, unconcerned with anything except extending a wonderful feeling. Ultimately, both parties were left with disheveled hair, furrowed clothing and astonishment over their gratuitous self-indulgence.
"That was awesome," Dia said sheepishly, staring at Platina.
"It was incredible," Platina added, gazing into Dia's soft blue eyes, wondering why Dia's tongue made her so ill-mannered.
"You forgot to mention fabulous," a third voice, namely Pearl's, mentioned from the doorway, the same door that Platina forgot to shut earlier.
Dia smiled sheepishly at Pearl, who was smiling coyly, his cheeky expression saying more than words could. If tonight was any indication of things to come, then Dia needed to start closing his door.
And perhaps he needed to invest in a lock as well.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is always welcomed because it helps me become a better writer and, of course, I love compliments as well. I hope you guys enjoyed this story.
See you next time.