Hannah could barely sleep that night. Anticipation over what Dwayne had written in that note was eating her away, and she did not taste good with Barbecue sauce. What a horrible dream that was.

Anyways, it was now Saturday morning and she was free to read the note, but she wanted to savor the feeling so she waited until her mom and dad both went off to work before she dared read it. She waited until she heard the engine in her mothers car start before she flew from the kitchen table and almost tripped over the hall rug as she threw herself on her bed and thrust her hand between her bed and the wall and groped around for the note. She had hidden it last night, just incase, because her mother was a serious snoop.

She sat up on her bed once it was in her hand and slowly opened it, her nerves creeping up on her as anticipation grew. She read down the letter that was in his hieroglyphic handwriting. It said…

Dearest Hannah,

It seems like only yesterday that we met, or maybe it was… But the point I'm trying to make is that no matter the time, I have always loved you. I love you and always have. And the best moment of my life has to be the night when the stars twinkled in your eyes and you said that you loved me too.

The truth is that you have saved me from myself and I don't know how I could ever repay you for that. I know I shouldn't be asking you for anything more since you've already given me so much, but there is one thing I would like to know. If you love me enough to give me a chance? If you do, I think that we would be a good match. Something that's a double edge sword because if were wrong, its going to hurt and if were right I don't know if I can stand Seth bellowing I Told You So over the course of 3 to 6 months. He even made an I Told You So dance that he's just dying to revel, or so he told me.

Even though I'm afraid of what Seth might be provoked to do, let's give it a whirl anyway. What I'm getting at is, Will You Go Steady With Me? For some reason I feel better now that the words are out, even if they are out in the form of a bad 50's movie. Well, let me know what you want to do. You know where to find me, and just to let you know that you can take your time because you will always have a place in my heart.

Love,

Dwayne

She held Dwayne's note in her hand, she was trembling with excitement. She laid it carefully on the table before sprinting towards nearest the phone. She was so gettery that it took her a few tries before she got the right number dialed. Even though she had only called Dwayne once, she knew his number by heart.

She waited impatiently as the phone rang and rang. She hoped Dwayne wasn't home alone because she knew he wouldn't answer the phone. Just before she was about to hang up she heard Sheryl's out of breath voice breath mutter hello? She must have been busy.

"Hi, is Dwayne there?" she asked.

"Hello Hannah. You know he's still not talking right…" Sheryl asked curiously.

"Yes, I just need to tell him something."

"Just a second." Then she heard Sheryl yell for Dwayne. A few second passed and then she heard three taps on the other end of the line. That was Dwayne's way of saying that he was listening.

"Yes," was all she said.

There was a quiet moment on the other end of the line before she heard the static buzz that let her know he had hung up.

She put the phone back in its cradle and went into the living room and put in her most girly mix of music and hit play. She sat down on the couch as the stereo started blazing Cindy Lauper. She picked up one of her mothers Vogue's and started flipping threw it when she heard the doorbell ring.

She tossed the magazine onto the coffee table and went to the door. When she opened it she saw Dwayne standing there, breathing heavily, sweat glistening on his forehead, but he had the biggest smile on his face, bigger than she had ever seen him smile before.

"Took you long enough," Hannah teased. His smile grew wider as he laughed, even though she didn't see how it could. He was brimming from ear to ear with excitement. She was sure he was just a mirror image of her own wild smile.

"Don't just stand there all day, come in." He followed her inside obediently and stood just inside smiling widely and surveying the room. When he finally caught her eye he blushed deeply and looked at the ground.

I like your toes, it's a pretty color.

Dwayne was referring to the sparkly light blue color of her toes. Hannah smiled lightly before she said, "Shut up and just kiss me already."

Dwayne didn't need to be told twice and leaned down and kissed her. She heard a thump behind her as Dwayne tossed his notepad on the coffee table so he could wrap his arms freely around her. It didn't take long before Dwayne wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted her off the ground, making it easier on him, so he didn't have to lean over.

Hannah always liked Dwayne's height, but it would make it hard if she wanted to kiss him, because she had to stand on her toes to reach him. She wasn't much shorter than Dwayne but just enough to make a difference.

When the kiss finally broke Dwayne set her back on the ground and they gazed into each others eyes that were misted with lust. They somehow found there way to the couch where they sat for the next hour kissing passionately.

Hannah pulled away finally, out of breath to check the clock because her mother always came home for lunch. She wondered what her mother would say is she walked threw the door ready to make herself a ham and cheese sandwich and saw a strange boy with his tongue down her daughters throat.

Hannah was curled up on Dwayne's lap as she cranked her head around to glimpse the clock on the mantle behind her. Dwayne was breathing hard too as he nuzzled his face close to hers and kissed her cheek.

Her mother would come home in roughly hour and a half. She guessed they had been glued together by there lips longer than she thought.

"Are we going to do anything else today besides this?" She asked smiling at him. He looked so cute with his hair practically standing on end because her hands had been running threw it for quite a long time. He leaned forward and grabbed his pad off the table. It was quite a stretch considering that she was squashing him and that he was determined not to drop her on the floor or have her move even an inch.

Why, I kind of like this game.

As soon as he wrote the words he pulled her close and started kissing her again. She hated to break such a sweet kiss, but she had to. She quickly filled him in on her mother's lunch routine.

So, we still have an hour and a half.

He wrote this and when to kiss her again. She giggled as she turned her head this way and that trying to avoid him. But he eventually caught her lips by holding her head still with his hands. After another five minutes she finally got her head back in check and pushed him away again.

"Wouldn't you like to do something else for awhile?" He shook his head no. "Come on, I want to do something else." She said poking him in the chest. He pushed out his bottom lip and gave her the puppy dog eyes. "You know that's not going to make me change my mind." She said with great difficulty because it was working, and well. She tried to turn away and get up, but as soon as she was on her feet he pulled her back into his lap and tried to kiss her again. Again she struggled against him, so he started kissing her neck instead. She stopped struggling and wrapped her arms around him. He let his tongue trace her neck as he laid her down on the couch.

He stopped and looked into her eyes as if to say 'That's Better' and started kissing her lips again hungrily. She let him kiss her for another ten minutes before she pushed him back again and told him that it was time to look busy for her mother.

Fine, he wrote swiftly on his pad and helped her off the couch.

"So, is there anything you want to do?" Dwayne thought for a moment and then quickly scribbled a response.

How about water balloon fight in the living room? Turn the living room into a water park.

"I'm pretty sure my mother would freak out more about me running her furniture with water than about catching me kissing you."

Then let's kiss, that sounds like a great new thing to do.

"I don't think so. Do you have anything else on your mind except kissing today?"

No, except I have this really strange craving for Chili dogs. I have no idea why.

"How about let's play a board game."

Sure.

"Any preferences?" Hannah asked as she walked towards her bedroom.

No, not really. Anything but Candy Land. Olive forces me into playing that with her like every night.

"Where do you think your going?" Hannah said turning around once she got to her door.

To your bedroom to get a game?

"I don't think so. Your not going in my room."

What?

"A girls bedroom is private."

You've been in my bedroom before!

"You're a guy, you don't care about privacy. Plus you might go looking threw my things and who know what kind of stuff you'd find that I don't want you to see."

Hey, I deserve privacy just as much as you! And you've gone threw some of my stuff before. And what kind of stuff do you not want me to see?

He wrote this and stuffed it into her hand as he tried to budge her out of the door frame. He had only gotten his hand wrapped around the doorknob when Hannah tugged at his arms and squeezed herself between him and the door.

What kind of stuff don't you want me to see?

"None of your business." She said pushing at his chest as hard as she could but might as well have been putting all her strength into trying to move a concrete wall.

Tell me and I'll leave it alone.

"No!" She cried as tears started slipping from her eyes.

Please don't cry. I'll leave it alone. You don't have to tell me. I'm going to the living room watch me.

Hannah barely read a word of what he wrote but as soon as he started backing away from her she wailed even harder and threw her arms around him. Dwayne held her lovingly and rubbed her back trying to calm her.

Hannah got a hold of herself within a few minutes and she pulled herself away from Dwayne and whipped the tears from her eyes.

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I love you, and I would never hurt you. I'm

Hannah stopped him from writing any more and said, "you didn't do anything wrong. It's not you… It's… my parents." Dwayne raised an eyebrow and looked down at her curiously. "Last night I heard my parents fighting. I was sitting just on the other side of this door listening to it all. I… I think there getting a divorce. My mom kept yelling about how she wantes my dad to leave. But the thing I hate the most is the morning after the fighting when they act all cheery around each other, like I couldn't hear the yelling the night before. I know it all just an act for me. I hate those strained smiles."

I know how you feel. I have to deal with the same thing with Sheryl and Richard. It doesn't up end me too much because I hate Richard, but I feel bad for Olive. She's too young to understand, but I can see it bothers her.

"I'm sorry for dumping this on you. Just when were getting close too." Hannah said wiping her eyes again.

Don't worry about it. I think it brings us closer anyway. Don't ever think your going to bother me by telling me how you feel.

"And that right there is why I love you, and why it didn't work out with Ricky. I can talk to you, trust you with things. Ricky didn't really care about what I had to say, he was more concerned about getting in my pants."

Well, you do have nice pants, but I like you more.

Dwayne leaned down and gently kissed her.

I'd say I'm sorry things didn't work out with Ricky but I'm not. I want you way too much to watch you be happy with someone else. I'm selfish that way.

"Your anything but selfish. Which is why you're the only one I love. Now I'm going to get the game. Does Stratigo sound okay?"

Sure, I'll wait in the living room.

"And Dwayne," Hannah called after Dwayne. He stopped. "You might want to consider fixing your hair. It's a right mess. There's a mirror down the hall."

Talk about yourself why don't you. Dwayne wrote and then pointed to her hair. Hannah stuck her tongue out at him and then disappeared inside her room.

Dwayne wasn't all that wrong. Her hair was in a right state, so she ran a brush threw it before she returned to the living room with the game under her arm.

Roughly an hour later Hannah and Dwayne were busy making cookies in the kitchen. There innocent game of war ended with them throwing the pieces at each other, which began when Hannah got angry when she lost. So they decided to do something less dangerous, like bake.

You know I don't really like cookies.

"Just you wait until you've tried these." Hannah said stirring the dough in a large bowl. "These delicious." Hannah said licking some dough off the spatula and then putting it back in the bowl.

Well, I don't want any now. It's got your spit in it.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with my germs earlier." Dwayne frowned and stuck his tongue out at her. "There's no use in arguing with me. You're going to try one."

At that moment the front door opened and her mother walked in. "Hannah!" She called out.

"I'm in the kitchen Mom!" Before her mother walked into the kitchen she saw Dwayne standing there and stopped in her tracks.

"Oh yeah, Mom, this is Dwayne. He's my new boyfriend. I invited him over. I hope you don't mind." Hannah said trying to look innocent.

"Hello, Dwayne is it." she said stepping into the kitchen after regaining her motor skills. "You look familiar, have I seen you before?"

"You've met him before Mom. We took him to that party remember."

It is nice to see you again Mrs. Eve.

"Oh, I remember now. You're the quite one. Well, I'll leave you kids to it then." She said getting in the refrigerator and taking out an already prepared sandwich and a bottle of water and as she left the room she said, "Try not to burn down the kitchen."

As soon as they heard her bedroom door shut and a TV turn on somewhere in the house, they looked at each other and laughed. Hannah turned back to the dough and started scooping dollops of it onto the cookie sheet.

"You know I really want to see that movie that's coming out soon. What's it called? The one where the people are being attacked by the chainsaw guy. It's in Texas."

Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

"Yeah, that's the one." Dwayne shook his head as he laughed. Hannah opened the oven and slid the sheet in and then proceeded to turn some dials. "And they will be done in roughly 25 minutes."

You know what I really want to see? You try and make me eat one of those deadly cookies.

"Your going to eat one. The worst that could happen would be that you gain .002 pounds. But then again you don't need to gain any weight, pudgy."

Don't call me that.

"I'm only joking." Hannah said as she went and hugged him. "You know I love your baby fat." Dwayne tried to push her away as if he was offended but she held on tighter and he didn't object. When she pulled away she quickly pinched his cheek before she turned to clean up there mess. But Dwayne needed to settle the score for that last one. Hannah jumped a little as Dwayne thrust his notepad under her nose.

You know you look sexy in that apron covered in flour.

Hannah knew he was being sarcastic because he was laughing silently next to her. "Hey!" Hannah grabbed the flour jar and yanked it open and grabbed a fistful and threw it at Dwayne. Dwayne coughed as a second fistful it him in the face. Hannah laughed at how ridiculous he looked with a white face and white dusting over his black hair.

He shook his head violently to get the majority of the flour off. When he could finally see he came at her and yanked the jar away from her and managed to dump its contents on her head while she screamed playfully. He quickly deposited the jar on the counter and then picked her up and swung her in a circle before putting her back on firm ground and kissing her powdered face.

She smiled up into his flour covered face where his brown eyes glowed with happiness. She kissed him again quickly and then turned back to the dishes while Dwayne tried to dust himself off.

"Yay, there done." Hannah squealed when the timer dinged. She slid on an oven mitt and took the sheet out of the oven. "Don't they smell delicious." She picked one up with a spatula and blew on it tying to cool it off quickly. When she was sure it wouldn't burn her she picked it up and took a bite. "Mmm… now that is heaven." She said with her mouth full.

Dwayne stood next to her with his arms folded across his chest. "Now, you're not going to write your way out of it. Eat!" She said holding out her half eaten cookie. Dwayne shook his head. "I didn't poison it, I promise. Please." She proceeded to push out her bottom lip giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Dwayne sighed and took the cookie and ate it. "Mmm…" He moaned, actually enjoying it.

"I know." Hannah said boasting. "I told you you'd like it." Hannah picked up another with the spatula but Dwayne just grabbed one off the sheet and then quickly dropping it to suck on his burnt fingers. "Did I need to warn you that a metal sheet straight from the oven might be a little hot?"

Ha Ha

Just then Hannah's mother appeared in the kitchen once more digging in her purse looking for her keys. "Well, I'm headed back to work. You kids be good." When she looked up and saw that her kitchen floor was covered in flour she gasped. "Well, bye Hannah." She said kissing her daughter on the forehead and trying hard not to yell at her in front of Dwayne.

"Bye Mummy."

"I'll be back at five." She said walking towards the door. "I expect the kitchen to be spotless by then." And then as an afterthought, "and stay out of the bedrooms!"

As soon as the door shut behind her Hannah and Dwayne burst out laughing.