As he approached her front door, he took in a few deep breaths. He quietly
knocked on the door, so he wouldn't wake up her room mate. After about 3
minutes, and Ephram getting extremely paranoid that this had all been a
hoax, Madison came to the door. She gave him a hug. And man, did she look
hot. She was wearing a pair of pink striped pajama pants, a hot pink tank
top, and fuzzy pink slippers. All Ephram wanted to do was kiss her, but
then he remembered what she had said to him only a few hours earlier.
"Hey, Eph. Come inside, please. I want to - no, need to - speak to you."
Ephram loved when Madison called her Eph. The way she said it made him feel like Jell-O. Besides, she was the only one he let call her that. Like an obedient puppy, Ephram obeyed her and followed her inside. As they sat down in front of the warm fire, Ephram was nervous beyond words. It was impossible to tell, but she was just as nervous, if not more. She had no idea what she was doing. But she honestly felt that once the time came, the words would flow from her heart.
"Ephram please let me get this off my chest and then I swear you can say whatever you want." Madison had a pleading look in her eyes. It was looking for support so badly, Ephram couldn't say no. He couldn't speak. It was a combination of nerves, love, and exhaustion. So he nodded for her to continue.
"You are 16, and I am 20. That's four years. I know it doesn't seem like a lot to you, but it is. I know you must think that I think of you as the brother of a child that I am babysitting. That you have just a crush on me, and that I don't care about you. But you're wrong, Eph. When I think about you, I think about the way your whole body becomes and flows with the music when you play. The way you smile when Delia hugs you. The way your whole face lights up when you laugh. The way your eyes twinkle from a combination of anger, sadness, love, and longing when you see a picture of your mother. The fury when you think about Amy, and what she did to your friendship. But most of all, I think of how hurt you looked when I turned you away. You looked as if a part of you had vanished; as if someone had snapped their fingers and all the good in you had been sucked out. Your face looked gray and ashen. All I could think about was that I had done this to you. Me. No one else. It was me alone that had made you looked more depressed then ever, and that's saying a lot." She looked at him, teasing.
But all Ephram could do was try his best to swallow the lump in his throat. Not because he was embarrassed for loving her, and not because he was angry. Because he wasn't. He was trying his best not to cry, because she was right. After she had rejected him, that was the way he felt. Like nothing could ever be colorful again. All he saw was gray, and he felt it too. Ephram sensed she wasn't finished, but he didn't know what to do. Was she just teasing him about how she thought about him? If she was, it was an awful joke.
"Ephram, you don't know how guilty I felt for that. Not because I had made you feel bad about yourself or embarrassed or whatever. But because I had lied to you, Ephram."
At this, Ephram felt his heart skip a beat, and looked at her, confused.
"Ephram, I want to be with you. I want 'us'. I want to be able to call you without a reason. To kiss you whenever I want, and to introduce you as 'Ephram, my boyfriend.' I want to be able to tell other girls hitting on you to fuck off, because your mine!'" She looked at Ephram with a hopeful smile on her face.
Ephram was so surprised he had no idea what to do. The lump in his throat was almost gone, but he still had no idea what to say.
"Well you know, telling other girls to fuck off might suggest a problem. You don't want all my girlfriends getting mad at me, do you?" Ephram shot back with his usual sarcasm.
"Oh, of course not!" Madison replied, laughing. Now it was Ephram's turn to speak his mind.
"Madison, what you said to me hurt me. A real hurt the kind that pierces your heart. After that whole 'episode', I felt as if daylight should die. Or I should. Or you should. I was sad, Madison, and not only for you. It was as if our conversation had woken up my old emotions. I was sad for Amy, for Colin, for my mom, for my family. Mostly, I was sad for myself. But now that I know this about you, I don't ever want to be that sad again. I'm glad that you told me how you feel. Really glad." Ephram felt a weight lift off his chest and the lump in his throat dissolved.
"I'm glad too, Ephram." Madison was ecstatic. She couldn't believe he was this honest with her. And so mature! This age thing would definitely not be a problem, she thought to her self.
"What now, Mads?" Madison loved when Ephram called her Mads. The way he said it made her feel like Jell-O. Besides, he was the only one she let call her that.
"Well, Ephram, if you're not too angry I would love it if you would take me out sometime." Madison said, winking.
And with that, Ephram kissed Madison so warmly and passionately, Madison honestly felt she was going to melt. He gently nibbled her bottom lip and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She followed his tongue and she could feel his mouth turn into a smile. She did the same. Giggling like school children, they fell gently onto the couch, still kissing. Ephram pulled away.
"Madison, before we go and do who knows what, I want you to make sure this is what you really want to do. Remember that I'm only 16, and you have to be okay with that. Promise me, Madison, that if we break up, it's not because of age difference. That it's for something a little less superficial than that."
"And you promise me, that if we break up it's for something less superficial than me being 4 years older than you."
They smiled at each other.
"Eph lets go upstairs where it's a little more comfortable." Ephram took her hand as she led him up the stairs.
"You know, Mads, that it makes me so horny when you say Eph." Ephram said as they entered her bedroom.
"Oh, really? Well then, I better keep on saying it!"
"Well, you don't want to overuse it and take all the horniness out of it!" Ephram joked.
Madison smiled and rolled her eyes. There was nothing virginal about this kiss. He started kissing her neck as she unbuttoned his pants. They fell onto the bed and finished undressing. This time it was Madison who pulled away.
"Ephram, I don't want to have sex with you yet. We just got together, and I want there to be something to look forward to."
Ephram completely understood. They didn't do anything past kissing. They just lay in her bed, naked, holding each other.
"Hey, Eph. Come inside, please. I want to - no, need to - speak to you."
Ephram loved when Madison called her Eph. The way she said it made him feel like Jell-O. Besides, she was the only one he let call her that. Like an obedient puppy, Ephram obeyed her and followed her inside. As they sat down in front of the warm fire, Ephram was nervous beyond words. It was impossible to tell, but she was just as nervous, if not more. She had no idea what she was doing. But she honestly felt that once the time came, the words would flow from her heart.
"Ephram please let me get this off my chest and then I swear you can say whatever you want." Madison had a pleading look in her eyes. It was looking for support so badly, Ephram couldn't say no. He couldn't speak. It was a combination of nerves, love, and exhaustion. So he nodded for her to continue.
"You are 16, and I am 20. That's four years. I know it doesn't seem like a lot to you, but it is. I know you must think that I think of you as the brother of a child that I am babysitting. That you have just a crush on me, and that I don't care about you. But you're wrong, Eph. When I think about you, I think about the way your whole body becomes and flows with the music when you play. The way you smile when Delia hugs you. The way your whole face lights up when you laugh. The way your eyes twinkle from a combination of anger, sadness, love, and longing when you see a picture of your mother. The fury when you think about Amy, and what she did to your friendship. But most of all, I think of how hurt you looked when I turned you away. You looked as if a part of you had vanished; as if someone had snapped their fingers and all the good in you had been sucked out. Your face looked gray and ashen. All I could think about was that I had done this to you. Me. No one else. It was me alone that had made you looked more depressed then ever, and that's saying a lot." She looked at him, teasing.
But all Ephram could do was try his best to swallow the lump in his throat. Not because he was embarrassed for loving her, and not because he was angry. Because he wasn't. He was trying his best not to cry, because she was right. After she had rejected him, that was the way he felt. Like nothing could ever be colorful again. All he saw was gray, and he felt it too. Ephram sensed she wasn't finished, but he didn't know what to do. Was she just teasing him about how she thought about him? If she was, it was an awful joke.
"Ephram, you don't know how guilty I felt for that. Not because I had made you feel bad about yourself or embarrassed or whatever. But because I had lied to you, Ephram."
At this, Ephram felt his heart skip a beat, and looked at her, confused.
"Ephram, I want to be with you. I want 'us'. I want to be able to call you without a reason. To kiss you whenever I want, and to introduce you as 'Ephram, my boyfriend.' I want to be able to tell other girls hitting on you to fuck off, because your mine!'" She looked at Ephram with a hopeful smile on her face.
Ephram was so surprised he had no idea what to do. The lump in his throat was almost gone, but he still had no idea what to say.
"Well you know, telling other girls to fuck off might suggest a problem. You don't want all my girlfriends getting mad at me, do you?" Ephram shot back with his usual sarcasm.
"Oh, of course not!" Madison replied, laughing. Now it was Ephram's turn to speak his mind.
"Madison, what you said to me hurt me. A real hurt the kind that pierces your heart. After that whole 'episode', I felt as if daylight should die. Or I should. Or you should. I was sad, Madison, and not only for you. It was as if our conversation had woken up my old emotions. I was sad for Amy, for Colin, for my mom, for my family. Mostly, I was sad for myself. But now that I know this about you, I don't ever want to be that sad again. I'm glad that you told me how you feel. Really glad." Ephram felt a weight lift off his chest and the lump in his throat dissolved.
"I'm glad too, Ephram." Madison was ecstatic. She couldn't believe he was this honest with her. And so mature! This age thing would definitely not be a problem, she thought to her self.
"What now, Mads?" Madison loved when Ephram called her Mads. The way he said it made her feel like Jell-O. Besides, he was the only one she let call her that.
"Well, Ephram, if you're not too angry I would love it if you would take me out sometime." Madison said, winking.
And with that, Ephram kissed Madison so warmly and passionately, Madison honestly felt she was going to melt. He gently nibbled her bottom lip and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She followed his tongue and she could feel his mouth turn into a smile. She did the same. Giggling like school children, they fell gently onto the couch, still kissing. Ephram pulled away.
"Madison, before we go and do who knows what, I want you to make sure this is what you really want to do. Remember that I'm only 16, and you have to be okay with that. Promise me, Madison, that if we break up, it's not because of age difference. That it's for something a little less superficial than that."
"And you promise me, that if we break up it's for something less superficial than me being 4 years older than you."
They smiled at each other.
"Eph lets go upstairs where it's a little more comfortable." Ephram took her hand as she led him up the stairs.
"You know, Mads, that it makes me so horny when you say Eph." Ephram said as they entered her bedroom.
"Oh, really? Well then, I better keep on saying it!"
"Well, you don't want to overuse it and take all the horniness out of it!" Ephram joked.
Madison smiled and rolled her eyes. There was nothing virginal about this kiss. He started kissing her neck as she unbuttoned his pants. They fell onto the bed and finished undressing. This time it was Madison who pulled away.
"Ephram, I don't want to have sex with you yet. We just got together, and I want there to be something to look forward to."
Ephram completely understood. They didn't do anything past kissing. They just lay in her bed, naked, holding each other.