"Would you like any more mashed potatoes, Sue?" Nancy asked as Sue stared off into space, twirling her fork around on her plate mindlessly as she thought about the searing kiss she shared earlier that day with Sean, who sat directly across from her at the dining room table at the Donahue's house. When she realized that her name was being called, she clumsily dropped her fork on the floor.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'll get that..." Sue scrambled to reach the fallen piece of silverware, banging her head loudly on the table in the process. Sean rose to his feet at once and Sue was surrounded by a group of concerned Donahues in a flash.
"Are you okay, dear?!" Nancy cried as she searched Sue's forehead for a sign of injury. Sue just shook her head and waved her off.
"I'm fine! Really, I'm fine! I think all of my clumsiness has given me a hard head." Sue laughed and everyone returned to their seats except for Nancy, who proceeded to plop another giant pile of potatoes on Sue's plate before sitting down.
"So, tell us again about the storm. You must have some story to tell after being that close!" Ron pleaded with anticipation. He had asked earlier during the meal about what happened but was cut off by his wife for hounding Sue and Sean so soon after a traumatic experience. She insisted that they at least needed to have a wholesome meal before they shared their ordeal with the family.
"Heh, you have no idea." Sean hinted as he glanced over at Sue. Sue began to feel flushed so she forced a huge heap of potatoes into her mouth so she wouldn't have to speak. Sean smiled at the sight and returned his attention to his father who was on the edge of his seat. "So there we were on the highway on our way home. We were somewhere near Pioneer Galaxy Mall. I don't know exactly. Anyway, we were minding our own business and then we both got storm alerts on our phones. Sure enough it was right behind us!" Sean said and Sue nodded in agreement.
"Wow. And your mom said you found shelter in some abandoned service station? How did you even get in there? I don't know what I would have done if I were in your shoes." Ron wondered.
"You're not going to believe this, but Sue kicked a whole right through the glass window!" Sean explained. Everyone turned to look at Sue in surprise and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I signed up for no-cut karate last semester..." Sue laughed.
"You always have been fond of all kinds of extra curricular activities." Nancy mused.
"So yeah. Then we went inside and...huddled together underneath a padded cover that we found...you know...to protect ourselves from debris. And then the storm passed and we..." Sean paused to look at Sue, who raised her eyebrows wondering if he was going to say what she thought he was going to say. He decided not to go into details. "we went back outside and that's where we saw mom." Sean finished. Sue felt a little disappointed that he didn't say anything, but at the same time she felt relieved because this was now the second time that they had kissed and not talked about it. She hoped that she would get a chance to say something once the rest of the Donahue clan left them alone.
"I am just so relieved that you two are okay. I was so worried." Nancy said. "By the way, Sue, I think your parents were pretty worried too! I packed up a container of leftovers for you to take home tonight." Nancy continued and Sue nodded.
"Thank you, Mrs. Donahue. Actually, I probably should be getting home. It's getting late and I was kind of supposed to help Brick with his campaign to keep Font Club as an activity at school. Something about budget cuts..." Sue rambled as she got up from her chair and gave Nancy a hug to thank her once again for the meal and the ride home. Sean scrambled to his feet and threw his napkin over his plate.
"I'll walk you home." Sean said abruptly and Nancy smiled.
"Oh, it's just across the street you don't have to..." Sue began to say but then realized what was happening. "Actually, sure, that would be nice since I have to take my overnight bag over there too." Sue explained. "Good night everyone, and thanks again!" Sue said as they all said their goodbyes.
Sean and Sue quietly walked across the street to the Heck's house and when they arrived, Sue sat down on the front step, setting her leftovers off to the side. Sean sat down next to her and placed her overnight bag near the front door. Sue let out a small sigh and rubbed her eyes with her hands.
"Is your head okay?" Sean asked as he moved a strand of hair away from her forehead so he could inspect it for himself. Sue was distracted by his touch and she turned to face him.
"My head?" Sue asked curiously.
"...the table?" Sean asked with a smile.
"OH! Right. No it's not that. I'm just..." Sue began to say when the front door suddenly swung open. Axl crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.
"Well look what we have here. I thought I heard voices but imagine my disappointment to find out it's just the dork. Didn't I tell you enough times to leave my friends alone?" Axl demanded in his usual selfish demeanor. Sue pouted in response and wondered if Sean really did just see her as Axl's little sister. That kiss HAD to have meant something though.
"Actually, Ax-man, Suzy Q. and I were just on our way to go get some ice cream but stopped by here first to drop off some leftovers from my mom." Sean said and he bent over to retrieve the container of food. Axl quickly grabbed it out of his hands and pried open the lid, taking a big whiff.
"Ooooooo...come to papa!" Axl said. He dipped his finger into the mashed potatoes and licked it clean. Frankie came into view and pulled the container out of Axl's hands.
"Is this from the Donahue's? Mmmmmmmm it's been too long. Oh...hi Sean!" Frankie said while admiring the food. Sean gave her a quick wave and she disappeared back into the house.
"Hey! That's mine!" Axl shouted at Frankie. He slammed the door shut and chased after her. Sean laughed and Sue felt slightly embarrassed that her family acted like a bunch of animals even though Sean already knew everything there was to know about the Hecks.
"So, how about it?" Sean asked.
"Hmm?" Sue responded, confused.
"The ice cream. I am already full from dinner but I could really go for some...and I'd love it if you would come with me." Sean said. Sue smiled.
"You know how much I LOVE ice cream. Doesn't EVERYBODY LOVE ice cream? I can't think of a single person who doesn't love ice cream." Sue nervously blabbered and Sean laughed.
"Soooo...I take that as a yes?" Sean asked.
"YES! Let's go!" Sue shouted. Since neither of them had their cars at the moment, they opted for their bicycles that were safely stored at their respective houses and made their way toward the business district. "Hey! Where are you going? The ice cream place is this way!" Sue shouted when she noticed Sean taking a turn toward the local park. It was dusk and the streets were mostly empty aside from an occasional passing car.
"I just thought we could take a little detour. Is that okay, Suzy Q.?" Sean asked, continuing to bike in the direction of the park. Sue followed closely. She wondered if the backpack he carried with him had something to do with this detour.
"Sure! But can you tell me where we are going at least?" Sue asked. Sean shook his head.
"You'll see soon enough." He teased. It wasn't long before they arrived at the familiar park. Sue had been to the park a thousand times when she was growing up, partly because she loved the outdoors and also because it was the only public park in Orson. It was also the location of the annual 4th of July fireworks display for the town. Sean and Sue made their way to a secluded area surrounded by mature trees and newly blossomed summer flowers. It was dark but the moon was nearly full that night and it provided just enough light so that they could see their surroundings. They leaned their bikes against the trees and Sue leaned to stretch her back. It had been a while since she took a bike ride and her body wasn't used to it.
"I don't think we are supposed to be here, Sean. Doesn't the park close at dusk? What time is 'dusk' even?" Sue wondered.
"Don't worry, Suzy Q. We'll be fine. I used to come here all the time when I was growing up and needed to get away from my family for a little bit." Sean explained. Sue was surprised that a Donahue would not only break the rules, but would need time away from family. It made sense though. His parents had a tendency of smothering the children and for a moment, Sue was thankful for her own parents 'hands off' style of parenting. Sue watched as Sean dug into his backpack and pulled out a thin blanket. He shook it a few times and spread it across the freshly cut grass. He pulled out a second folded blanket and set it on top. He sat down on the blanket and patted the area next to him, signaling for Sue to take a seat next to him. Sue let out a deep breath and looked up at the stars. Considering the stormy weather they had encountered earlier that day, she was surprised how clear the sky was that night.
"So what are we doing here? We probably shouldn't stay too long because I think the ice cream place closes soon." Sue said. Not that she particularly cared about the ice cream. She was so happy to just have some time alone with Sean. It sure felt like a date even though that word was never mentioned.
"I thought it would be nice to get away from our families for a little bit. When we're anywhere near our houses it's like we can't get 5 seconds alone. I mean...I hope it's okay with you, that I wanted to have some time alone...with you. A-aand to be honest...I don't really care about the ice cream." Sean said. He turned to gauge her reaction. She gasped excitedly in typical Sue fashion, but she covered her mouth to try to stifle herself.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say this seems a lot like a..." Sue started to say.
"A date?" Sean finished her sentence with a smile. Sue nodded shyly. "Well...what if it is?" He asked.
"Well then I would say the only thing missing is some champagne to celebrate!" Sue joked. She was never a big drinker, but she did enjoy an occasional glass of bubbly. Sean smiled and quickly darted to his backpack, revealing a bottle of champagne and two paper cups. Sue clapped cheerfully and laughed. "Where did you even get that?" She looked around, admiring their surroundings and feeling touched that he had thought of everything.
"Oh Suzy Q. If only you knew how long I've pined after you. I've wanted to tell you for so long, especially after what happened on Christmas...but this afternoon was just...wow. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I feel like an idiot for waiting so long to tell you. I only hope you feel the same way. I mean, I am pretty sure I know the answer now but I really need to hear the words." Sean pleaded. He sat back down on the blanket and popped open the bottle of champagne. He carefully filled the two paper cups and offered one to Sue.
"Sean." She stared at him straight in the eyes. "I REALLY like you! Like, I REALLY REALLY like you and I REALLY liked our kiss and I really can't wait to do that again." Sue rambled on. She took the cup that was offered to her and quickly downed it's contents. She felt a sense of relief that she was finally able to get things off of her chest after waiting for so long. Sean couldn't help but chuckle at her declaration and he topped of her champagne cup. She was about to take another sip, but Sean motioned with his finger for her to wait. He raised his own cup in the air and smiled.
"To us?" He asked, offering a toast. Sue raised her own cup.
"To us!" She cheerfully replied and they 'clinked' the cups together. After they each took a sip, they paused to look at each other, both unsure of what to do now that the truth was out. The moon sparkled in Sean's eyes and his smile made Sue's heart flutter in excitement. Sean nervously looked down at his cup and lazily circled the rim with his finger. He looked back up at Sue and noticed that she was still watching him. Her smile was enough to rebuild his confidence and he leaned in to softly kiss her on the lips, feeling the same spark that he had felt earlier that day, but this time he knew that it was leading somewhere. Sue kissed him back gently at first before parting her lips slightly against his mouth. This kiss quickly deepened as they let out all of the tension that was building that night. Sue leaned back to rest her head on the still neatly folded blanket and pulled Sean down with her so that she was nestled underneath his strong body. They made out feverishly in the park, almost forgetting where they were, neither of them really caring about anything other than each other. Sean reluctantly broke the kiss, leaning down one last time to give Sue a quick peck on the lips before he sat up. Both of them were breathing pretty heavily and Sue worried that she did something wrong. She sat up next to Sean and took a second to smooth out her shirt, smiling when she realized that it was wrinkled from Sean's hands caressing the bare skin under her shirt.
"Is everything okay?" She asked quietly when she caught her breath.
"Everything is great, Suzy Q." Sean said and he turned to face her. "I just...want to take you on a proper date first. Are you free tomorrow?" He asked with a smile.
"OMG YES!" She shouted louder than anticipated and playfully pushed him for worrying her. Sean laid back down on the blanket and Sue curled up against his shoulder. They laid there in comfortable silence looking up at the stars and Sue realized her eyes were starting to feel pretty heavy. It had been one heck of a day. She knew that she should sit up and go home before her family thought she had disappeared, but she felt so comfortable next to Sean that she couldn't move. She slowly drifted off to sleep under the stars. Unbeknownst to her, Sean had fallen asleep himself.