7 Minutes in a Coffin: Anne Marie and Gerard
I held my breath as I reached into the box and pulled out an expensive clay eraser. I bit my lip to keep from smiling; that had to belong to Gee. I stood up as he rose to his feet. I saw my brother wink at Gerard. That little bastard.
I walked into the closet, mind racing as I thought of all the things we could do in seven minutes. Well, I thought bitterly, all the things that two people could do in seven minutes, but not us… I had known Gee since we were in diapers, and I knew him well enough to know that there was no chance of anything happening. Even if I wanted it to, which I still wasn't sure about (read: I still wouldn't admit. I was more than sure).
As he shut the door behind him, he said "So." What a brilliant opening line, Gerard, I'll have to remember that one, I thought. I just stared at him and sat down. He stood awkwardly for a minute before joining me on the closet floor. I had a sudden mental image of Gerard as a walrus and burst out laughing. "What?" he questioned.
"Nothing, just imagining you as a walrus," I replied as though it were the most normal thing in the world. He looked slightly confused, but knew by now to ignore my bouts of randomness. I had been infected with randomness as a young child, and I regret to inform you that it's terminal.
He inhaled sharply and reached out. His cold, precise artist's fingers gently placed a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I was taken aback, mind suddenly whirring with what that could mean. I didn't even make a rude comment about how cliché that was.
"Anne Marie, I don't really know how to say this," he started. I interrupted him, "You could start by opening your mouth and using your tongue and vocal chords to make sounds that we commonly call words." Damn it! He was about to say something, but then you said that and now he's probably reconsidering whatever he was going to say! But I'm way too stubborn to apologize or anything, so I just sat back and looked at him expectantly. After a brief pause he continued, "I really like you."
My breath caught in my throat and my fingers were crossed behind my back, but I would never let him see my hopes rising. So I went back to being a smartass. "Yeah, I like you too. Why else do you think I've put up with you for all these years? We're still friends, yes?" He rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "why do I bother" under his breath.
"Damn it, Anne Marie! Could you be any more irritating?"
"Yeah, probably. I could work on it for you," I responded quickly. See, this is what happens when you get your hopes up. Keep your feet on the ground, stupid!
"Maybe I actually wanted to say something. Did you think of that? Maybe it was more important than your goddamn joking around!"
"Ok, then say it!"
"Anne Marie, I really like you. I like you more than just a friend." Shit, did he just say that? After I was such an obnoxious bitch? Wait, I'm always an obnoxious bitch, it's part of my charm. I leaned in and pressed our lips together. Just as he started to respond, I pulled back.
"That enough of an answer for you?" I never did like talking about my feelings, maybe because my best friend had always been my twin brother. He nodded and went back to kissing me. Our lips crashed together and my hands reached up to tangle in his long black hair. He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer as he nibbled on my lower lip. I made him wait a moment longer, but then opened my lips and gave him full access. Our tongues danced together, battling for control, before we heard a loud "Here goes nothing!" from the other side of the door.
We sprang apart, but not too far, as Nikki opened the door. We followed the others back to the circle. I hesitated when we got there, unsure whether I should go back to Nikki, Carissa, and Jen or if I should follow Gerard. That decision was made very easy by Gerard's unwillingness to relinquish my hand. I followed him to the other side of the circle amid whistles and catcalls and sat down to see what my brother would draw from the box.