Connor's Crush

Darien POV

Blake, Connor, and I sat on my couch, watching TV like we did together every few days. Since we all lived in the school, it was really easy to get together.

"That girl, Talim, is a babe," Connor says grabbing a handful of popcorn. "She looked so pretty tonight."

"Yea, I'm sure Darien agrees," Blake says. "I assume he does, since he was sucking face with her tonight."

"Oh shut up, Blake," I say. "We both were single and it was just one of those kinda things where it just happens." I looked at Connor. He looked at me, motionless. "Connor, are you okay?"

"Yea," he says, shaking his head. "Just, um, surprised. That's all."

"Cause honestly, I never thought we would, but we actually go together," I say, smiling. "It's like, she's wild and I'm quiet and I hear opposites attract. She can bring out the wild side in me, maybe."

"What I don't understand is, how are you getting all the girls? Every girl that we even know here...you've dated 'em or had something going on with them," Blake says.

"It might be just my great looks and blond hair," I joke. "And I'm hook'n with all the Elvish ladies now."

I punch Connor and Blake and I laugh a little. Connor doesn't make a noise. I look over at him. "Are you okay about me getting with Talim? I know that you think she's great..."

"It's okay!" Connor interrupts, too quickly and too loudly to seem natural. "If you guys don't mind, I've had enough talking and teli. I'm going on a walk."

I frown. "All right, see you later. Are you sure you're okay?"

He runs out before I can even finish.



Connor POV

I quickly walk out of Darien's room, looking down with my curly brown hair covering my face. I don't know why, but I was feeling so shitty. For some reason, Darien was extremely getting on my nerves. 'Ugh, does he think he's the hottest guy ever?' I thought.

I walked of the building and took a look around. Where was I going to go? My eyes wandered around till I saw a window on the second floor. I'd been in Emma's dorm before and I knew Emma's dorm was also...Talim's.

I went under the window and looked up at it for a moment. 'Maybe I should just walk by myself. Why am I here?' I thought. I glanced at my watch. 'Only twelve and it's Friday! They're probably gone.' I made up my mind to find out. I picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at their window. Nothing. I threw another one. Still nothing. I sighed and started to walk away, but as soon as I did, the window opened.

"Who is that?" Talim poked her head out of the window. At first I felt as if my heart jumped in my throat. For a moment I just stood there. "Hello?"

"Um, it's Connor. Is Emma there?"

"Yea," Emma poked her head out too. "Connor, what are you doing?"

"I was just walking and then wanted to see if you guys wanted to hit a club for an hour or so. It's Friday..."

"I'll go!" Talim says.

"Yea, me too! It'll take us about ten minutes to get ready. Come up, our door is unlocked.



Emma POV

In about TWENTY minutes, Talim was ready. I had BEEN ready, but I didn't look near as cute as she did. She was wearing a really pretty red flowery spaghetti strapped dress, whereas I was wearing my favorite jeans and a halter-top. Blake was smiling at Talim, his hands in his khaki pant pockets. He was such a cutie. Too bad he was so shy and insecure or maybe I'd have to like him!

I could tell just by the way he acted, he didn't think he was cute or really special in any way, but he was really smart and sweet...and a total hottie. He just needed to stop purposely hiding that face behind his hair.

"Okay, I'm ready," Talim says.

We get in Talim's car and ride around. "There's the Gimme Club! Why don't we check that out?"

"No!" Talim and I yell together.

"Long story," I say. "But that place is weird."

"A lot of the school was going to the Rio! Maybe they're still there!" I say.

"I'm sure they are. It's a Friday," Talim says.



Connor POV

We got into the club and instantly Emma and Talim started talking with people they knew...while I just stood around. The music was awesome and I just wanted to ask Talim to dance with me. She'd probably say no and even if she did say yes, what if Darien found out I took his girl to a club and tried to get her to booty dance? He'd kill me.

I glanced over at her. She was smiling this big cute smile while she was talking to a friend. They start laughing and she's laughing so hard, her teeth are showing and she just looks so cute. Her flippy short hair goes into her eyes on one side.

She looks at me, smiling, then take the hair out of her face. I quickly look away...I'm not sure why. I had trouble looking her straight in the face every time she talked. I had lots of girls into me when I was in Rohan a few years back, but they only wanted to lose their virginity, those sluts.

No girl had really cared too much about me and now it was hard for me to get close to a girl...especially when two years ago, Gina Withers, hottest girl in Rohanian High was supposedly into me, but as soon as her ex got jealous, she got back together with him.

'Fuck girls! They're jerks,' I thought. I hadn't had much experience with girls, but that experience was enough to make me want to be alone. 'You got to get over that, Connor. Not all girls are like Gina. Talim seems like such a fun, great girl...' I paused at that thought. Yea, and she had kissed my best friend. And why was I so crazy about her anyways? Was it just that she was gorgeous?

"Are you okay?" I look through my brown hair and move it out of my way. Talim looks up, really hard at me with a sympathetic frown. "You look so sad. Want to talk?" I looked hard right back at her. I liked her so much and it was more than just beauty. She was a spunky, fun person...but she really cared for people too. She wasn't a friend that would leave you when you were sad and was only around when you were fun...she was a real genuine person.

"No, I'm fine," I say, quickly making my face go to normal and I manage to smile a bit.

"Oh, good," she says with a smile. "Cause you can't just stand here! You have to dance! Come on!"

"You'd dance with me?"

"I'm not prejudice against brown haired boys! Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, the way I grew up, we didn't really dance with girls unless they were single or didn't like anyone and you..." I stopped. I wanted to say she liked my best friend, but something held me back.

"Well, in Mirkwood, girls dance with everyone!" she says. "You don't want to dance?"

"Oh, I wanna dance," I say. "And I am a wicked dancer."

She laughs and pulls me onto the dancing floor. Somehow my shyness seems to leave me and Talim dances around me. The music is perfect for dancing! She turns around so I can kinda dance along her back. We're pressed right against each other and though I have chills running up and down my spine, it feels so perfect. She runs her fingers on the sides of my thighs and I rest my hands on her little hips. All of the sudden, she stops and faces me, her face looking flushed. Whoa, that minute seemed to be like a perfect dream.

"I'm sorry," she says, not looking me in the eye. "I'm used to dancing like that with my ex-boyfriend...and, yea. I think I'm gonna go get a drink."

She walks off without looking up at me. She probably wasn't thinking before she started doing it. Great, now she was going to be too embarrassed to ever talk to me.

I watch Talim get something to drink and then sit down by herself. I chew on my lip nervously and then walk towards where she is. I sit across from her and try to think of something to say. "I'm sorry, Talim," I say. "I...I wasn't thinking either. I shouldn't have let you dance with me like that at all. I know you like Darien."

She looks a little surprised, then she goes back to normal. "Yea, you're his best friend. I would think you would know what happened with him and me tonight."

"Yea, well I know you guys kissed. That's all."

"That's all that there is to know besides that I like him a lot," she says. "Please don't tell him any of this. I'm not one of those partying, cheating girls and I don't want him to think I am. It's just the last boyfriend I had would dance with me like that and I have almost forgot any other way to dance. I realized how awkward it was."

I frowned a little. Awkward. That proved that we would never be, huh? If she found getting that close to me, awkward, I might just have to forget about my huge crush for her.

"I wont tell him," I promised.

"Hey guys," Emma comes up and slips in the seat right next to me. "This is kinda gay...why don't we just go to our room and watch a movie?"

"I agree," Talim says.

I try not to look bummed. I liked hanging out with them and I didn't want to go to bed yet.

"You can come too, Connor," Talim says, giving me a wink.

"Yea, we like you. You're cool," Emma says to me, smiling. "Want to?"

I smile a little too much. "Yea, sure!"



"Oh, I love this part!" Emma says, sort of jumping up and down on the small love seat. It's probably about three now and I'm really tired. I'm not used to staying up THIS late. I blink a few times, trying to wake up, but there's no use trying. If I sit her much longer, I'll fall asleep.



Talim POV

"Oh, this part is so cute!" I say. All of the sudden, Connor's head falls on my shoulder and he makes a funny noise.

I try not to burst out laughing at the awkwardness of him, passing out on my shoulder, and about to drool on my neck. I push him and then hold him straight up. His eyes open a tiny bit, but then he starts falling forward. Emma gets off the couch and I put his head on one side, when I lift his feet up and put him totally on the couch.

"Now, where do we sit?" Emma says. We are both standing and looking at him sprawled all over our little loveseat.

"On the floor, I guess."

"I love the bay bay bay..." he mutters.

"Bass?" Talim asks.

"Yea, that thingie."

Emma and I burst out laughing and sit down on the floor, going back to our movie.



Darien POV

"We've watched two movies!" Blake says. "And we're still bored. Why don't we go to Connor's room and make him go somewhere with us? I'm sure he's back from his little walk. He rarely ever sleeps a minute later than two and it's three."

"Yea, okay, let's go," I say, though I really don't understand why Blake wants to wake him up!

We go to his room and knock. "Who is it?" Earfalas, Connor's roommate comes pokes his head out. "What do you want?"

"Is Connor there?" Blake asks if it's the most obvious thing in the world that we want to see him.

"No, I haven't seen him since the dance," Earfalas snaps. "Thanks a lot for waking me up, punks!" He slams the door shut.

"That's weird," Blake says, still staring at the closed door. Then he looks at me. "Where could he be?"

I shrug. "He's not much of a club person...it doesn't make any sense!"