We've been laying here a few hours, just listening to the radio, enjoying each other's company. Lauren's at wrestling camp and Finn's at a football camp. Why didn't I go you ask? Well, see I'm trying to raise my grades this year because my ma would kick my ass personally for the REST of my life if I didn't follow Rae to New York and make sure she didn't fall off like a building or something (What? Ma loves, like seriously loves, Rae). Anyways they're away for the summer, leaving Rae and I to fend for ourselves. Being as close as we are, we wound up spending it together, and normally that wouldn't be bad, I mean she is my partner in crime, but see here's the thing, I've been in love with her as long as she's BEEN my partner in crime. Believe me. It's a long time.
Sure we hit a couple of bad patches but I'm obviously blessed by Jew God because she's forgiven me for the past and moved on, becoming my one and only Rae-Rae again, Rae for short. Like any time I bring it up she just gets all doe-eyed and comes up and kisses me on the cheek promising me it's been forgotten since I've thoroughly made up for it through my musical capabilities and being there to be her big nice shoulder to lean on, her words not mine.
So I'm still here with her, still in love with her (again, what? I love her, I don't say it to anyone but Ma and Sara, shit's awesome to say, even if it's just in my head) and I can't do anything about it because she's still hung up and with Finn. Why can't she see just how much of a major douchebag he is, seriously? I know what you're thinking. I'm in love with Lauren, or so it seems, so I can't be in love with Rae. Well, see Lauren, while she's awesome is a distraction. I know, not proving to be non-douchy myself, shit's cool Ren's in on it. She understands how hard it is to won't someone but not be able to have them so she volunteered for the spot of badass girlfriend who treats me like dirt in order to have Rae see how bad I had it. Plan backfired but Ren is so cool with it we're pretty much just best friends, no benefits. Everything's for show till I can follow Rae to New York where her precious Finn is sure not to follow and talk some sense into her. If I can wait that long, shit's getting hard.
So Rae and I are curled up in her bed, listening to music after the movie night, just being there and being close when a John Mayer song comes on and before I know what I'm doing I've gotten up, pulling Rae off the bed with me and straight into my arms, pulling her close and spinning in a circle slow dancing in her small little bedroom. At first I'm like 'holy crap what am I doing' that is until she does something I never expected, she buries her face in my neck as one arm reaches up to cling onto my shoulder and the other is captured by mine against my chest. And there we stayed.
"Noe" she mumbles against my neck.
"Yea Babe?" Oh, shit. Did I just call her babe? Oh I'm dead, she's gonna shove out of her room and tell me never to talk to her again. What? I never said she wasn't dramatic.
"This song fits a relationship" she mumbles instead.
"Well, yea I think that's what this Mayer dude was going for." I manage as I let out a breath of relief.
"No I mean it fits people we know, Noe."
"Oh yea, who's that?" I ask as my curiosity gets the best of me.
"Us." She mumbles, so soft I'm not even sure I hear her right. But somehow I know I did and that one little two letter word brings my whole world down.
"Babe, I don't understand, what are you saying? Ya gotta tell me what you mean." I plead, panic beginning to set in.
"Well, this is what I'm talking about. This thing, it's gonna end in catastrophe as long as we belong to other people." I begin to pull away as the words she just spoke hit me like a ton of bricks, the only thought running through my head being that the thing that has held me together since my father left is now gone from my grips and ripping through me like paper. I freeze when I feel something much more unexpected than her dancing with me, she grips my shoulder, pulling me closer to her while her other tiny little hand grabs as much fabric on my shirt and she can get around the hand encasing hers still.
"Noe" she says but it feels like home from her and that tiny little hand gripping my shirt is the only thing holding me together right now.
"Hmmm?" I respond. Too busy getting lost in her hair and the feel and smell of it before I lose the one light left in my life.
"I didn't say I wanted you to let go." And with that she nuzzles her way back into my neck and chest.
"So where does that leave us?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me once again.
"Stuck Noah, stuck where we don't wanna be with other people we don't love." She mumbles against me, her voice becoming almost a whisper.
"Well, there's some….. wait, love?" I say, my voice cracking on the word (What? I'm scared to say it ok?) "You don't love that big idiot?"
"No, my Noe. I love you." She whispers, her voice dropping on the last of it. "Forever and always I will, Noe. Unless you don't love me back in which case I'll just-"
"Baby I've loved you since the moment you kissed my cheek when we were 7 for saving you from Karofsky and helping you climb the monkey bars." I whisper against her, words coming out raspy as relief has taken them from me.
"So what now?" She sounds tense so I kiss her hair, relieving the worries and fears I know are filling her head.
"We stay together." I state, knowing in my heart I won't let her go again. "We stay together and when summer ends we tell our significant others to stuff it and become the two hot Jew force we were meant to be. And then one day when I'm out in New York becoming the budding rockstar bad boy we know the press will make me and you're rocking the shit outta Broadway, we'll start on making our hot little Jew family that will have your hair and voice and my eyes and badassness." Her eyes grow wide at the fact that I've basically just proposed to her.
"You mean that Noe?" She whispers, tears filling her eyes.
"Course I do. You're my hot little Jewish-American princess. I'd follow you to the end of the world if it meant I got to be your prince."
The thousand watt smile she saves for her "Noe-Noe" as she affectionately calls me lights up her face and before I can take it in, her lips are glued to mine, dancing, trying to re-memorize the way they fit together perfectly. We stay that way for awhile before she pulls back and begins to turn us in a circle again. My hand catching hers against my chest as it slips from my shoulder, enjoying memorizing the warmth and love we've always had together.
"My dear we're slow dancing in a burning room." I sing into against her ear as another song pauses before starting, enjoying the feel of her, finally and forever from now, in my arms.
Needless to say, Finn and Lauren were totally and completely forgotten when summer ended. Ren and I are cool, she looked at me and smiled the first day back, gave me a thumbs up and a kiss on the cheek goodbye before storming down the hall, looking for someone's candy to steal. Finn was not as okay with it. But I was never prouder of my Rae as I was the moment I got to see her giving Finn a verbal smackdown after trashing my name. That shit's awesome. It got better when seconds later Karofsky was stumbling down the hall whimpering after my girl nailed him for slushying us, needless to say, we did NOT get slushied after that. Yea. That shit. Most definitely awesome. Knew my baby was a badass. I just knew it.
FOUR YEARS LATER
So I got the girl, already figured that one out didn't ya dumbshits. And of course I followed her to New York. As hard as I tried, two years in I was still playing only bar gigs and getting nowhere. Not wanting Rae to have to foot all of our bills, I changed my plans. Two years and several odd jobs and night school classes later, I am now working for the NYFD and it's more awesome than I could have ever imagined, plus the fact that my girl? Yea she's fresh out of school and has a rep as, get this shit, Broadway's "Starchild" as she begins her two year contract as Elphalba in Wicked, the only role she had a dream to get. Yea my hot little Jewish-American princes made it, BIG time. I know what you're wondering, what about my dream? It came true. My dream will always be Rae.
My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room.
CRAP! Where is that stupid phone? Oh ok I got it! Sorry guys I stay and tell you more about my "Star" but you can just Google it if you want to know more.
"Hey Rae-Rae, how's rehearsals going baby?"