A/N: Hello everybody! A new chapter is up! Many of you have been wondering what would happen with Darren and Freckles now that they are couple... What would W do? Is the return of W now? Uh, it's been a while since W doesn't appear, right? But who cares? They're a couple now, screw W! (I may seem stupid writing this since I'm the writer of the story; but oh well.) No, really! The moment you've been waiting for so long finally came and now they're together; now we have to see how their new relationship develops, who is intrigued? Anybody? Okay, okay, I'll stop. I'm gonna thank each one of you for your lovely reviews, I really loved them! So, here I go...
alicegursk: "OH MY FUCKING DEAD WIZARD GOD" I truly loved this line! It reminded me of AVPM, so it made me laugh! I love how you were so excited and happy for them! Judging by your previous reviews, you've been waiting for this moment to happen since a LONG time ago! So you finally got it! I hope you enjoyed it, then!
caarolineboeira1: Your mom thinks you're crazy now? Geez, that is my fault, I feel kind of guilty now! But if it makes you feel better, my whole family thinks I'm crazy, it's good to be crazy sometimes, I guess! I understand you; whenever I read something, I also get into the character so I guess I know what you mean! Aww that line you chose! Yeah, I used to feel like that when I was younger! (I feel like I'm talking as if I were a granny or something!) Trust me, with time, you won't think that anymore; you'll see that you're just what you want to be and with time, somehow, you start being more self-confident and that is great, is really hard though, but not impossible! I'm so happy you liked the last chapter! I tried to do my best there, trying to remember how it felt to be in love for the very first time!
Mockingjay-Potterhead-9: I love that super power! I really didn't know I had it and aww, well, you made me grin like a fool while I was reading it! Sometimes it's just really hard to believe it! And this story may be the last one I'm gonna write, I don't know; but don't worry because this story is gonna be a really long one! Like, you're gonna get bored of it because you're gonna think... When is this gonna end? haha. No, really, if I write everything as I planned (I always change things, my plans almost never work), you'll spend the whole next year still reading this story, if you still like it of course! About what you said of Freckles not having a real name... Yes, I did it on purpose. When I decided to start writing fanfictions, I thought that it could be cool if I never write a real name so people would identify themselves with the character as you said. I never thought it could be so hard, because sometimes I feel like I need a name! And well, also because the whole story is fictional and their lives (of the people who read this story) aren't as the story says; like, the personal things of each character and stuff. (I don't know if I'm explaining myself properly, I kind of suck at explaining) But well, I decided that I won't ever write a real name. So it amazes me that you feel you could be Freckles, I mean, that is really awesome! I'm really glad for that!
Kaylacriss332: Now you're gonna be mentioned thrice! :) Aww, I'm really happy that you liked the last chapter! I really liked to write it too; like, yes, they had to be together once and for all! W! That bitch! haha. Yeah, I know it's been a while since the last time you read about W; but the return is not gonna be nice. I'm also intrigued to know what W will do to them as a couple! To be honest I already wrote it, but I'm not telling! ;). Maybe things will get better or maybe it's gonna be the opposite! But for sure, you'll know about W soon!
Sarah: Aww, thank you a lot Sarah! I tried to do my best, to write it as sweet as possible, because they're kind of sweet and cute! And it's first love, so it had to be special! Anyway, when I read it again, I thought I could have written it even sweeter, but maybe I'll leave it for later! Yeah, I know that feeling about cliffhangers! I read a lot of books with cliffhangers and I remember myself thinking: Oh damn, I need to read the next chapter to know what it happens! And thanks to that I spent a lot of nights barely sleeping only to the read the next and next chapter. So I understand what you meant when you said it's a little annoying because you have to wait, I'd feel the same way! But I just can't help it, those books I read made me be this evil! Blame it on the books! :P
LiesMiranda: I just love your analogies! They always make me laugh! Yes, I still have to work on that, of not being so wordy! It's really hard because there's a lot I want to write about and I just want to write it all and it ends up being a damn essay, monograph or will; as you prefer to call it! And also sometimes because I have troubles to write well what I want to write, so I use so many words to explain one simple thing. Maybe it's because I need to keep learning English and new ways to write those things I want. Commentarius, I didn't read it! I guess I need to; I want to read more things, especially all the fanfictions that you wrote and a lot of things, summing up! In three weeks I'm gonna be free because I start my vacations, so I'll start reading more! I know, I wasn't sure of writing what Freckles said, but well, it has a point; Freckles is a very insecure girl and I want to write how she grows with time while discovering new feelings and all. I know, it was weird not to write a cliffhanger that time! Yes, you're kind of right; things will change from now on and there's gonna be ups and downs and W will appear again, finally! I'd call it W reloaded. I also do think it's pretty cool that you were the 111th reviewer! As a kind of reward for it, I'll give you a sneak peak... A new hint of W appears in this chapter! Now you'll have to read it to find it out!
MerryCrissmas: Your review was simply moving for me; you made me feel really thrilled and I won't be ashamed to admit that you made me shed some tears of joy. When you wrote that Chain Letters changed your life for better and that you now find strength even in the darkest of times, I was like... Wow, did I really do that? What you said it's one of the best accomplishments I could ever get. I'm gonna admit you that in the past I've been hurt and felt alone and it was awful for me; it was hard for me to find the strength to move on; but eventually I got it. Since that time I proposed myself a goal: I was going to try to show people who feel like me in that time, all the things I had to learn by myself; so maybe that way people will feel that they have someone, that other people also felt the same and that it's possible to move on and to believe that life, despite everything, is beautiful. I could never find the way to do it and it frustrated me; so I thought that maybe I could write all the things I learned, to share my thoughts; that is when Chain Letters was written. So that is the reason why your words really moved me. Honestly, thank you for that. And I love your sense of humor, the things you wrote about being like Bellatrix after long night with Voldy and that the pains in your chest were Freckles and Darren's fault. About your first Ps.: I like the line you chose! You really got what I tried to show when I wrote it! And don't worry about having a dirty mind; I have a pretty dirty mind myself! Trust me, I don't know how I didn't write something really dirty yet! I'm surprised! About your Ps.2: I honestly never thought about it! But now that you mention it, it'd be really cool to give them a ship name! And, as you, I also prefer Dreckles because Farren totally reminds me of farts! But thinking about it, it'd be so of Darren to have a ship name that involves farts or shit, let's do not forget about Pigfarts! About your Ps.3: If this was an essay, I don't mind, I loved it! Thank you again for your words. Oh, by the way... MerryCrissmas? I totally love the name you used!
amanecerita83: I loved to read that the chapter brought you back to when you first fell in love and that you felt all that over again! And what you said about that the man you fell in love with is your husband made me smile! Don't ask me why, I found it really sweet! Like, yeah, that is like the proof that true love does exist! Aww, I don't know, it's so cute! I wish that you and your husband can feel always as same as when you fell in love for the very first time, that is one of the best feelings ever! :) And I do agree with you about the typical crapiness of Mondays and I'm glad and amazed that this story can nullify it!
A: Thank you a lot! :) I tried to do my best with that chapter and I'm really satisfied and happy for the reviews! Reading that you liked it as I liked writing it is really amazing! Well, you smiled like a fool while reading it and I smiled like a fool while writing it, so I think it's fair enough! Haha
Guest: Oh geez! Thank you very very much! I'm really amazed to know that you think that the story gets better and better! Sometimes I have these writer's block and I try to keep writing but I'm like... Whoa, I can't do it! So sometimes I think it sucks what I write! But well, as an inexperienced writer, I try to do my best! So thanks for your words, it means a lot! :) hahahaha the line you chose! I needed to write something funny, considering that Darren is a hilarious person and I was making him way too different than he actually is! Of course, I'd never be able to say (in this case write) hilarious things as Darren, but it's something!
Oh man! That was really long! Sorry for that, but I need to thank you all! So now, without further ado, I'll let you read this new chapter. Enjoy and until next Saturday! Lots of love for each one of you! Warm fuzzies!
TEENAGE DREAM
Chapter 20
You give me something
Next day you woke up with a slight headache, smelling a very enthralling scent. You were feeling warmer than normal and you were very comfortable, unlike the last few days. Something has changed, something wasn't as usual, and there was something else, something new. But you were feeling way too comfortable to open your eyes, you were very relaxed and you didn't want to get up yet. And there was something else you were feeling, something as if it was the most wonderful day of your life, everything seemed happier and brighter; suddenly there was nothing wrong, everything was great; there was an odd and extraordinary happiness in your heart. What has changed? Then you felt it; you felt how someone next to you wrapped an arm around your waist and placed the head above your shoulder, grazing the nose across your neck. You recognized that soft skin, you recognized that firm hand on your waist, and you recognized that distinctive smell: Darren was right there, sleeping next to you. As a flashback, everything that happened the night before popped in your mind. Oh geez, you were sleeping with your... sort of boyfriend? Darren Criss, the guy who always drove you crazy, was there next to you...The same guy confessed you the night before that he was in love with you, as you've been since years ago. You opened your eyes slowly, just to check if it was indeed like that. Oh dear, this was real. Darren was peacefully sleeping next to you, so very close to you, and with an extraordinary warm smile on his face. How could he be so damn beautiful while sleeping? How come all of this happened? You still were like daydreaming; this was too good to be true, this was so chimerical. You looked at him for a long time before you ran your fingers through his curls; oh, you loved his hair. Anyway, you were feeling weird because now Darren was your best friend, he was no longer that mysterious guy you fell in love with; he was your best friend but you kissed him several times and you still had that need to kiss him; he was your best friend but the night before both of you admitted the fact that you were in love. That was strange. You never had a boyfriend before. How the hell were you supposed to proceed after what happened last night? This was uncharted territory for you, you didn't know what you were supposed to do or say, you didn't know how you should greet him after he wakes up... Should you greet him with a simple good morning; with a kiss on his cheek or with a kiss on his lips? Should you mention something about what happened last night or not? Should you be tender and loving or would that be so hasty for now? Should you keep calling him by his name or should you find like a pet name for him? Oh, so many questions and doubts. Oh well, being in love wasn't an easy thing as everybody used to say; actually, it was more like painful because of the uncertainties and insecurities; but for sure, it was a good feeling. Come on, you wanted to jump and yell of happiness. Okay, you needed to stop overthinking and you needed to focus on enjoying what was happening, this new thing of having a sort of romance with someone, not with some random dude but with the guy you were in love with. You let him sleep a bit more, and you decided to take a shower; feeling so very positive as never before.
"I love you." You whispered before taking that shower, right in front of his lips before you peck them very slightly, so you wouldn't wake him.
At the time you finished taking the shower; Darren was still sleeping, but now hugging the pillow. It was very funny to see that and you had to make a big effort to keep from laughing. Should you wake him now or not? Oh, but he looked so peaceful and cute that you didn't want to disturb him. Well, maybe you could make breakfast and read something until he wakes up. Yes, that would be the best. When you walked to the kitchen, Jen and Chuck were already there, both of them silent and just staring at nowhere in particular; both of them drinking a coffee. Oh yes, you knew why the climax was like this: the famous hangover. Fortunately, you haven't drunk too much, so you were feeling moderately good; besides, you had a plus that was what happened last night.
"Good morning, guys." You greeted cheerfully and kinda amused, looking at them. Neither of them looked up at you.
"Morning." Chuck answered hoarsely; completely deadbeat.
"Morning, F." Jen greeted also hoarsely; trying to smile, but holding her head and making a painful grimace.
"Let me guess... Hangover!" You asked with a playful smile.
"No shit Sherlock." Chuck replied still hoarsely, propping his head on his hands.
"I didn't know what a hangover was until now. Someone please kill me." Jen exclaimed with the same grimace of pain.
"Well, I know about something that can make you feel better, maybe." You said shrugging and still amused, seeing how they were looking at you almost imploring for some help. "Scrambled eggs, it does work."
"Oh my god, why are you yelling?" Chuck asked in a whisper with almost the same pain grimace than Jen.
"I think if I eat those scrambled eggs, I'll throw up. I can't eat anything at all." Jen said with a grimace of disgust now.
"Trust me, if you eat that, you'll feel better." You assured, now looking at them serious.
"Since when are you an expert? I thought you never had a hangover." Chuck asked again in a whisper and you just giggled.
"Well, the fact that I never had a hangover doesn't mean that I don't know how to recover after a long night of alcohol and stuff." You responded, still chuckling, now shrugging.
"I trust you, you're the smart one. Gimme that shit to eat, please." Chuck implored and Jen nodded energetically in agreement.
You walked to the kitchen counter to start making those scrambled eggs for them, smiling joyfully. Why couldn't you stop smiling? It was as though someone was forcing you to smile, only that no one was forcing you, you were smiling naturally and genuinely.
"By the way... Congratulations, Freckles!" Chuck yelled from the table and you turned to look at him curious.
"Why?" You asked.
"Congratulations on you and my bro! Man, about time to get that shit done. You two were like those supposed friends who are all the time flirting, exchanging furtive and intense looks, flattering each other, insinuating that the two of you were dying to kiss but always with that shit of 'hey, I'm scared, hey no, it's not right, we're friends' Friends my ass! I've never seen a guy and a girl wanting to be together so badly. Man, seriously, about time." Chuck exclaimed raising his eyebrows and Jen, next to him, chuckled softly.
"Yeah, really, about time. Darren was all the freaking time talking about you, telling me he was confused and shit that he didn't want to lose you and whatever. And I was all the time like...'Oh yeah, Darren, you have to think about it' but inside I was thinking... 'For god's sake, Darren! Go and just kiss her!' And fortunately he did so; it took him a really long time to do so, but he finally did." Jen said also raising eyebrows, nodding slightly and giggling along with Chuck. In the meantime, you were blushing hard. How would they know about Darren and you?
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." You stuttered, trying to focus on the scrambled eggs again. Geez, this was embarrassing.
"Yeah, sure!" Chuck exclaimed ironically, laughing out loud. "Nothing has happened but I can't stop smiling like a goofy girl in love with my hypothetical best friend." Chuck laughed and Jen burst out laughing.
"Oh, man! The fuck? You woke me up with your boisterous laughter!" Darren finally exclaimed, popping into the kitchen, with his hair completely disheveled and a sleepy face.
Oh gosh, now it was time to decide how you'd act with Darren. Oh gosh, oh gosh... Should you kiss him on the mouth or should you just kiss him on the cheek? Oh, damn, you were so nervous. Shit, no one ever told you that starting a love affair would be so complicated. But then he looked at you and smiled so warmly in the distance that you melted; oh please, he was gorgeous.
"Oh, I feel so good. Hmm, yeah...Maybe I could move a little closer. Yes, yes, right like this. Oh man, she truly drives me nuts. Hmm, this smell, oh, I love it. Dude, I'm sleeping with her! I wish I could do this more often, I just feel so good... I'm just gonna pretend I'm sleeping, I really don't want to get up." I thought in my mind while I was holding Freckles in my arms, resting my head over her shoulder and grazing my nose across her neck, just to feel her skin and smell her fragrance.
Could we just stay like this all day long? I loved feeling her so close to me... No, I also wanted to show her my best, so she would agree to be called my girlfriend soon; I wanted to talk to her, I loved talking to her. But this... it was pretty awesome too. At one point I sensed how she ran her fingers through my curls, oh so good, it was relaxing and stimulating at the same time. And then I heard her voice saying something that made my heart skip a beat.
"I love you." She said before pecking my lips. Please, I wanted to kiss her back, but no, I wanted to keep pretending I was sleeping to be more time like this with her.
Oh no, what the fuck was she doing? Oh no, no, no, why was she going away? No, Freckles, come back to me, let's sleep together a little more! But I couldn't really say those things out loud. I glanced at her covertly and I could see she was going to the bathroom; then I heard the sound of the shower. I sat in bed, feeling a bit sleepy, a bit painful because of the headache and absolutely happy. What the hell? Oh no, shit! What the actual fuck? A boner? Really, man? Yeah, it was the morning and well, it was obvious... But hell, I was sleeping with Freckles and we were so close. Oh man, please, I hoped she didn't notice this. So fucking embarrassing, man. Come on, Darren, think about something gross, think, think. Alright, yeah, catching my bro having sex with someone; yes, it's working... Is that Freckles talking in the shower? Oh, she's right there, taking a shower... How would she look like? What? No, fuck! Darren, what's wrong with you? Oh no, no, now I can't take Freckles off of my mind. Screw everything! No, I need to solve this little business. Alright, Darren, focus on the gross thing... Yes, definitely that is Freckles talking in the shower. What is she saying? I got up to walk very silently to the door. I placed my ear against the door and I heard her: she wasn't talking, she was singing...
You want to stay with me in the morning
You only hold me when I sleep
I was meant to tread the water
Now I've gotten in too deep
For every piece of me that wants you
Another piece backs away
'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart
You only waited up for hours
Just to spend a little time alone with me
And I can say I've never bought you flowers
I can't work out what they mean
I never thought that I'd love someone
That was someone else's dream
'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might call you from my heart
But it might be a second too late
And the words that I could never say
Gonna come out anyway
'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something
'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart
Know my heart, know my heart, know my heart.
She finished singing and then I noticed she already came out from the shower. Oh damn, oh damn, I still have this stupid hard-on. What should I do? What? Yes, I need to come back to bed and pretend I'm sleeping, yes. I ran to the bed and I covered my body with the quilt, hugging the pillow, just to cover the hard-on. Not many seconds later, she came out of the bathroom. Phew! It was so close. I could sense she was still in the bedroom... Oh please, she needed to go so I could solve this problem; but at the same time I really wanted to lie down in bed with her again. So then I heard how she left the bedroom. Well, I was alone now, so I opened my eyes again. What was that song about? Did she really mean that song? Was she referring to us? Well, if it was like that, I couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing; most likely a good thing, but I would have to try harder to prove her that I was willing to give her everything and not just something. How could I make her feel that? Oh well, well, is that Chuck telling Freckles something about us? What? Jen? Why are you telling Freckles my secrets? Well, it wasn't a secret anymore, but still... Is that so, Jen? All this time telling me that I should think about it and you never told me what you really thought? Oh good to know, you sneaky devil! Wait a minute... How on earth did they know about me and Freckles? I didn't tell them anything at all; how would they know that I finally talked to Freckles about my feelings? Oh yeah, right! They have surely been spying us! Boy, that was so inappropriate! Poor Freckles, how would she be feeling now? She didn't want to tell anybody about us yet. I needed to save her from that uncomfortable situation for her; so I just got up and walked to the kitchen.
"Oh man! The fuck? You woke me up with your boisterous laughter!" I exclaimed while I popped into the kitchen, pretending to be still sleepy.
Chuck and Jen shuddered when I talked, because obviously, they weren't expecting me to be there and because they knew they were talking about stuff they shouldn't. It was kind of funny to see them like that, but then my gaze, inevitably, drifted to Freckles. I couldn't help smiling widely and warmly when I saw her. Geez, that girl over there was my girl now; I was such a lucky guy. I forgot that Chuck and Jen were there and I just walked towards Freckles, who seemed to be nervous, probably because of the things they were saying. She was very focused cooking something. I stood behind her and I enfolded my arms around her waist, by her back. I rested my chin on her shoulder and I tried to look into her eyes. Man, she was really nervous.
"Good morning, baby." I whispered in her ear and smiled brightly at her before I leaned to peck her lips.
She smiled slightly in front of my lips but I knew she was still nervous, because she looked behind me to check if Jen and Chuck were looking at us. I had to make her feel more comfortable.
"You didn't wake me up." I said pouting, still resting my chin on her shoulder and wrapping my arms around her as she smiled sweetly at me.
"Yes, I'm sorry... It's just that you seemed so peaceful when sleeping that I didn't want to bug you." She replied cutely and geez, I just died of sweetness.
"Oh, baby, you'll never bug me." I whispered, hugging her tightly, this time kissing her cheek because I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable again.
"Alright, I'll keep it in mind next time." She responded with a wide grin, placing her hands above mine. Man, this was odd but so great. "Do you want something for breakfast? I'm making some scrambled eggs for Chuck and Jen, do you want some? Or do you prefer something else? Maybe a coffee?" She asked slurring her words and I giggled softly.
"A coffee is fine for me." I said before I kissed her forehead. Gosh, I couldn't stop kissing her. "Do you want me to help you? I don't know how to do this kind of stuff, but you can teach me. I don't want you to make it all alone."
"No, it's fine, really. Go and sit, I'll bring you a coffee in a couple of minutes." She answered softly, smiling slightly. Oh wow, I've never seen her smiling so much like this; that was extraordinary.
"But I don't want to let you do it alone, let me help you." I insisted, looking deeply into her eyes.
"Dare, really. You don't have to help me, it's fine, and it's only a coffee and scrambled eggs, not big deal." She said shrugging and making those scrambled eggs again.
"Come on, teach me. I want to spoil you today, let me do that, please?" I asked now looking at her with my famous puppy dog eyes; yeah, that could work maybe.
"You know?" She asked frowning after she looked at me for a while and I shrugged playing fool, a bit amused. "I hate that look of you, that kind of puppy eyes you pull out when you want something." She huffed and I couldn't help but to laugh out loud. "Fine, I'll teach you, but next time I tell you I don't need any help, do not look me that way, deal?"
"Deal!" I exclaimed excited and I stood next to her now.
I leaned to kiss her lips quickly and slightly. This time, she smiled and shook her head while chuckling and that was a good sign. I was so ready to start this day spoiling her, spoiling my girlfriend; because yes, she was my girlfriend in spite of the fact that she didn't want to be called like that in public yet. Man, I had a freaking girlfriend and it was Freckles! Whoa, so crazy! I grabbed a spoon and the bowl where the eggs were and I stared at it. What the hell should I do now? I couldn't believe I didn't know anything at all about cooking; I'd never be able to surprise her with a breakfast, a lunch or a dinner. Shame on me. Well, maybe I could buy one of those stupid books of cooking someday so that I could cook for her something sometime, I'd like that; but ugh, I really hated cooking, it just made no sense to me. Freckles surely noticed my face of 'What the hell is this?' because she was chuckling next to me; I saw her and I chuckled along with her, her laughter was very catchy. She guided me how to do it and, slowly and like a fool doing disasters, I got the way I had to do that. Hey, it wasn't so hard.
"Darren, seriously? Are you cooking?" Chuck suddenly asked in disbelief behind me. Oh yeah, I knew him so well, now he was going to make fun of me; duh, the only times he saw me with a spoon was to eat not to cook.
"Oh no, now we all are gonna die intoxicated." Jen exclaimed a bit serious and a bit amused. Oh great, Jen was going to make fun of me too.
"Don't worry guys, I'll check if he's doing it right, I wouldn't want you to die because of this." Freckles suddenly said laughing softly.
"What? Are you also gonna make fun of me, Freckles? Unbelievable!" I exclaimed loudly in disbelief.
"Really, Darren, this is so unreal, bro. You've never grabbed a damn spoon and now that your girlfriend is cooking, you are suddenly interested in cooking? Bro, she has you so fucking pussy whipped." Chuck laughed out loud and Jen laughed along with him. Freckles, next to me, smiled amused on the sly. Oh, what? "Hey, Freckles, you know? Darren is making a great effort, trust me. I think you should thank him in a very cool way."
"Yes, maybe I'd give him a plus on this breakfast." She replied amused, raising an eyebrow. I looked at her frowning, with lips parted; I didn't know why it sounded so sexy.
"Come on, Freckles, just kiss him; we know you want to do so and Darren is like drooling when he stares at your lips." Jen persuaded insistently and both, Freckles and I, looked at her with eyes wide open, bewildered. Was that Jen?
"Jen!" I exclaimed loudly, still bewildered.
"What, Darren?" Jen shrugged and frowned. "Please, as if it wasn't obvious." Jen excused herself when I looked at her serious.
"Jen is right, bro. Just kiss, goddammit." Chuck insisted exasperated. "You've been making out all night long, what's the difference of doing it now?"
"How... How do you know that, eh?" I asked frowning, really curious and suspicious.
"Oh, we didn't know it yet, we only suspected so and you just confirmed it." Jen said chuckling amused and shrugging, and then she looked at Chuck. "You're a genius, Chuck. High five!" Jen laughed and Chuck laughed along with her.
I looked at them a bit upset and a bit ashamed of myself, dammit; I fell into their trap like a real idiot. I looked at Freckles alarmed, trying to apologize or something, but she was looking at me amused and then she shrugged. Immediately afterwards, and not giving me the time to figure out what that expression on her face meant, she leaned and kissed me on the mouth, she kissed me in front of Jen and Chuck, and this time it wasn't part of a game. Oh wow, that was so very good. I kissed her back of course, smiling during the kiss. I slowly deepened the kiss, placing my hands on her jaw, brushing my thumbs across her cheeks, rubbing my lips back and forth against hers, and, after a while, we broke the kiss. I looked into her eyes very deeply as she was looking at me with a pair of bright eyes, and such was the wide smile on her face that made her face light up. This was too good to be true but it was true and that... that was totally awesome.
"That's what we're talking about!" Chuck exclaimed loudly and cheerfully. "This is a good reason to celebrate, man! Jen, we got it! We got it!"
"Yay! I can't believe it worked! About time!" Jen exclaimed just as excited as Chuck. Freckles chortled joyfully but I looked at them suspiciously.
"Excuse me? It worked what? You got what?" I asked in suspicion; I knew there was something they weren't saying, I knew both of them very well.
"Well, Chuck and I had a plan, duh." Jen replied amused, shrugging.
"A plan? Really?" I asked raising an eyebrow and Freckles now looked at them curious and frowning, but still smiling slightly.
"Listen, we knew you wouldn't do anything at all, none of you. You were like taking baby steps and it was ridiculous seeing from the outside how the two of you wanted to be together but neither of you dared to take the initiative. And I said..." Chuck started explaining and looked at Jen amused, who giggled softly.
"Jen, we have to do something." Jen said imitating Chuck's voice and the two of them laughed. "And I agreed. Of course, first we made sure that you two wanted to be together, despite it was obvious. So yeah, we planned to try to encourage you, to pair you." Jen shrugged quietly. "We couldn't stay idly. Seriously, it was almost exasperating to see you suffering because you were thinking that the other didn't want to be with the other one when it was anything but."
"Yeah, man. I've never seen something like this, like... What the fuck are you doing, man? Just go for her, goddamn!" Chuck exclaimed exaggeratedly.
"Yes, or like... What the hell are you doing, girl? Just screw everything and go for the guy!" Jen exclaimed just as exaggeratedly as Chuck. "So...our plan..." Jen started saying while looking at Chuck.
"Yeah, our plan... We planned to go to the beach last night; we planned to play a game like spin the bottle..." Chuck said quietly.
"Exactly, and when Freckles said she never played the spin the bottle game, things got even easier." Jen said nodding.
"Damn right! We, somehow, needed to make the bottle point at the two of you." Chuck said.
"So then, when you, Darren, spun the bottle; well, it pointed between me and Freckles and I, surreptitiously, moved away, so then it seemed that the bottle was pointing only at Freckles." Jen added, smiling mischievously.
"Yeah... that was awesome, man. Well done, Jenny!" Chuck congratulated Jen and she smiled proudly. "What we haven't planned is the sister thing. We didn't know about her and it really annoyed us when she tried to stop you when you were kissing. However, things got a bit harder after the kiss, when Freckles sang that song and then she and her sister went away. We thought it was everything fucked up."
"Right, right. And then you stood up, because you wanted to walk or whatever. I know you, Criss; and so does your brother. We knew that you were going for Freckles." Jen said smiling with her usual 'Ha! I caught you!' smile.
"So we thought that the best would be to leave you alone, with hopes that you were going to talk. And when you texted me that you were coming back home..." Chuck said smiling mischievously as well as Jen.
"We knew that you were returning to be with Freckles. And we thought... This is gonna be the night, it has to be the night." Jen said raising an eyebrow and Chuck nodded amused. "And, no sooner said than done, it was the night."
"Yeah, man. Of course when we arrived home we went to your bedroom, Darren; and when we didn't see you there..." Chuck said looking at me and then at Jen.
"We said... Freckles' room! And it was like that. We opened the door very silently so that you wouldn't hear us; and the two of you were there. But you were already asleep; so we didn't know if something had happened or not." Jen added.
"And when Freckles woke up this morning, we saw a huge smile on her face, and Jen and I exchanged a look. Something must have happened, so we started asking her some questions... But she was like on the defensive all the time." Chuck stated, looking at Freckles amused. I looked at her and noticed she was looking at my bro with a weird face. "Hey, don't look at me that way! You can't deny you were on the defensive, it was like that."
"Yeah, it was like that indeed." Jen giggled amused. "So, when you, Darren, woke up... Well, we knew you were like easier prey... We knew that sooner or later you were going to speak; you always do, you're such a hip-shooter, therefore, you're an expert in screwing things up." Jen and Chuck laughed out loud and I frowned pretending to be offended, but she was right.
"All in all... That's why we're saying that we got it." Chuck shrugged, smiling mischievously. "Hope you don't get mad, guys."
"I can't believe this shit... I just... Oh my god." I exclaimed, still bewildered. Chuck and Jen laughed out loud, even Freckles chuckled softly. I looked at her in disbelief. "Are you really laughing?"
"What? It's kind of funny." Freckles replied shrugging and laughing louder this time. I smiled amused this time, knowing that this was funny for her and not something uncomfortable. "We're babies, Darren." She laughed.
"Hell yeah, we are." I laughed this time.
I took Freckles by the waist to pull her closer and pull her into a kiss. She let me do so; it was as though now she didn't mind to show our thing in public, at least not in front of Jen and my brother. Yeah, great way to start the morning. We had a good breakfast all together and then, Jen and Chuck went to the living room to watch a movie. Freckles was about to join them but I stopped her.
"Wait, what if we skip the movie?" I asked looking at her kind of seductively. Yep, it felt great to be able to look at her seductively without thinking it was wrong.
"What's on your mind?" She asked raising an eyebrow and smiling amused.
"Nothing, actually. I want to spend more time alone with you." I answered placing my hands on her hips, resting my forehead on hers and smiling in front of her lips. "Besides, I want to show you something, remember?"
"Yes, I do remember." She smiled back at me, placing her hands on my chest. I thought that I'd never stop having this ticklish sensation throughout my whole body whenever she touched me. As a reaction, I kissed her lips; not swiftly but not fiercely either.
"Come with me, then. It's upstairs, in my bedroom." I said hoarsely when we broke the kiss.
"In your bedroom?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Oh man, maybe it sounded wrong.
"Yes, yes, in my bedroom. But don't worry, I swear I have no bad intentions; it's something harmless." I said looking into her eyes, trying to change the way it sounded before.
"Well, I don't know what you think I thought..." She said smiling amused.
"Uh... Nothing at all." I answered awkwardly; maybe I was the only one who had this kind of kinky mind. "Just... Let's go, okay?"
"Okay." She answered while chuckling as I shook my head, also giggling.
I held her hand, intertwining my fingers with hers, to go straight to my bedroom upstairs. Fortunately, this time my bedroom wasn't a big mess like before, otherwise it would have been very uncomfortable. When we entered my room, Freckles looked all over, like in the first time; but this time she had an amused smile and her clothes weren't wet.
"Seems that someone has been cleaning the room." She giggled softly and I looked at her amused.
"Hey, the first time, you came here in a very inopportune moment. Normally my room is clean and tidy; I don't know what happened when you came here, surely it was my dragon Ted the one who messed up this room." I lied laughing, making it obvious that I was being sarcastic.
"Yeah, sure... Poor Ted, blaming it on him when he isn't around." She giggled amused, shaking her head. Oh my God, I loved her; I loved when she was this funny, playing along to me.
"Actually, Ted is invisible and right now he's whispering me to say this and blame it on him, to make me look good." I smiled amused, looking at her intensely.
"Oh, is Ted here? Hi, Ted! What's up, buddy?" Freckles voiced, waving her hand at some random point and I couldn't help laughing out loud. Geez, she was awesome.
"Ah, you're adorable." I whispered smiling sweetly at her, while placing my hands on her jaw to pull her into a deep kiss. "Sorry, Ted told me to kiss you, you know?"
"Oh, so Ted is a sneaky dragon. Well played, Ted." She said amused, winking at the same point where she waved.
"Yeah, he likes you. Right now he's telling me that you're the prettiest girl he's ever seen around here; that I'm the luckiest guy to have you with me." I said smiling fondly and looking at her deeply into the eyes.
"Really?" She asked, smiling amused, raising an eyebrow and swaying. "And what else is he telling you, huh?"
"Well, he's telling me that he's happy that you're my...girlfriend now. He's telling me that if I let you go, I'll be a total jerk, because you're the best I have. You know, he can feel what I feel, it's like we're connected or something, so he's telling me that you're the one for me, because he never felt such love in my heart for someone." I said almost in a whisper, looking at her vividly while she was looking at me with bright eyes and a loving smile.
"Well, tell Ted that I feel the same way." She smiled and fondled my cheek very softly, while she stood on tiptoe to peck my lips.
"Will do." I replied after the kiss, enfolding my arms around her waist. "And... Ted is telling me that I should show you the surprise."
"Oh, I'm excited to know what that is about." She replied with a genuine grin, swaying again. How cute, man!
"Alright, alright. Mmm..." I said excited and pecked her lips several times while smiling; she was so cute that I couldn't stop kissing her. Then I held her hand and led her to my bed. "Sit over here and...Wait for me, just a second." I said turning around to walk right to where my guitar was. "Do not move!" I yelled while I was giving her my back, and I heard how she laughed.
"I won't, I won't!" She exclaimed still laughing. Wow, she was laughing a lot lately and it was so amazing.
Then I grabbed my guitar and I turned around to walk to where she was, smiling widely when I saw her huge smile. I kneeled next to her on the floor and then I sat cross-legged, starting to play my guitar, just to tune it. After I got it, I looked up at her and she was looking at me very intently.
"Well... After we talked yesterday and after you told me you weren't ready to be called my girlfriend in public because you didn't know how to be someone's girlfriend... I honestly didn't know how to say all I was feeling, all I wanted to tell you. Words simply wouldn't come out from my mouth; I couldn't find the proper words." I said quietly as she was still looking at me very intently. "So, I remember what I told you once: when words aren't enough, there is music, because music can express what words can't. So yeah, this song is for you, baby." I said looking deeply into her eyes before I looked at my guitar to start playing the song. I was relaxed, she could make me feel comfortable and I really liked to sing to her.
Take a little time to hold yourself
Take a little time to feel around
Before it's gone
You won't let go
But you still keep on falling down
Remember how you saved me now
From all of my wrongs, yeah
I looked at her and I smiled faintly, just to let her know that I really meant what I was singing. Yeah, she kinda saved me, she made me trust on someone in a such a way that it was impressive, she made me feel love again and she taught me how to be strong and smile even in those times when everything was a real shit. With her, I truly learned how bad is to judge a book by its cover, because appearances are deceiving. And, though she taught me a lot of things, she was still thinking that she did nothing, that she was still nobody. I looked even more intensely into her eyes, what I was about to sing to her now was what I truly wanted to let her know, knowing that she was still afraid to feel love.
And if there's love, just feel it
And if there's life, we'll see it
This is no time to be alone, alone, yeah
I won't let you go, oh, no
Say those words
Say those words like there's nothing else
Close your eyes and you might believe
That there is some way out, yeah
Open up
Open up your heart to me now
Let it all come pouring out
There's nothing I can't take.
I sang, looking deeply into her eyes; I really wished she could open her heart to me, that she could let it all come pouring out; I really wished she could really know that I was gonna be with her no matter what and what I felt for her was real, that I wouldn't let her go, even if she was still unsure of being my girlfriend. I honestly didn't care about the label of a couple, what I really cared about was to be with her, sharing everything together.
And if there's love, just feel it
And if there's life, we'll see it
This is no time to be alone, alone, yeah
I won't let you go, oh, no
If your sky is falling
Just take my hand and hold it
You don't have to be alone, alone, yeah
I won't let you go
And if you feel the fading of the light
And you're too weak to carry on the fight
And all your friends that you count on have disappeared
I'll be here night going, forever holding on, oh
I kept singing, this time looking at her kinda sad because I remembered how her only friends, Peter and Alexandra, betrayed her, leaving her alone at that time; remembering all the horrible things they told her and all the terrible things they have done to her. I remembered exactly how she felt the first time that Alexandra and Peter told her that they didn't want to be near her anymore, that day when Freckles and I weren't friends yet; I remembered exactly how she felt when she found out that Peter was part of the team and game of W which goal was to make her feel alone and bad, really bad. Whoa, I really never noticed how hard this surely was for her… But I was there to let her know that I wouldn't leave her alone.
And if there's love, just feel it
And if there's life, we'll see it
This is no time to be alone, alone, yeah
I won't let you go, oh, no
If your sky is falling
Just take my hand and hold it
And you don't have to be alone, alone, yeah
I won't let you go, no, no, yeah
I won't let you go, no, I won't let
I won't let you go, no, I won't let
I won't let you go, no
Won't let you go.
I finished singing almost in a whisper, looking at my guitar. When I looked up at her, she was shedding some tears in silence, but those weren't tears of weakness or sadness, they were more like tears of joy. She was looking at me with the sweetest face and before I could do or say something, she pounced on me to give me a tight clinch. There was a space between us, so I could put my guitar aside; when I did so, she kinda sat on my lap, shortening the distance between us. I hugged her back just as tightly and she buried her face on my shoulder. We really didn't have to say anything, everything was already said with the song, our looks and that embrace. I could feel what she was trying to tell me and I asserted it when she tried to speak with brittle voice.
"Thank you." She whispered in my ear and then she broke the hug only to look into my eyes; however, she was still sitting on my lap.
"You don't have..." I started saying, placing my hands firmly on her waist to hold her.
"No, wait... I want to tell you something." She interrupted me, but not in a harsh way, she was gentle and kind. I looked at her curious because she rarely interrupted me, so, perhaps, this was very important to her. "I love you." She whispered and her eyes twinkled. She said that in such a beautiful and fond way that my heart skipped a beat and a cheesy grin automatically spread across my face. I was about to answer her, but she kept talking. "I could never tell you this, because you know I'm not good at talking, you know it's hard for me to believe that someone really cares about what I say, and because I'm not self-confident, so I'm all the time thinking that whatever I say is useless and awkward. But you make me feel the opposite, somehow. And this song? It meant a lot to me; you made me feel weird, you really made me feel loved; because, you know, not many people would be willing to wait for me, understand me, tell me that they won't let me go in spite of my insecurities and my difficulties to express what I feel. But you do; and it's a strange feeling because nobody has ever done something like that for me without expecting something in return; only you." She confessed, her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. Even my eyes filled with tears just by hearing what she was saying and the way she was looking at me. I never knew that being in love could make me feel this sentimental; but whatever, this was the best feeling I've ever had. "And I could never tell you how thankful I am for all you do for me. Sometimes I wonder why it is so hard for me to tell you a simple thanks and I think of all the times I wanted to thank you and I simply couldn't, because, I don't know, I felt very shy. So now I'm telling you that I really appreciate all you've done since the first time we met: the first time we talked, when you gave me that cotton for my nose, when we were just strangers, that was the first nice gesture that someone showed me; when I had that crappy day when Peter and Alexandra brought me down and you and Jen were the only ones who talked to me even when I was still that geek girl for you, I really appreciate that; all the times we spent together in Marin Headlands, when we shared a lot of things, things I've never told anyone, gosh, we shared a lot of things. When you tried to help me when you found out about W; you helped me even when you were aware that W was going to mess with you after this, you helped me and no one had helped me before and that... that was the nicest thing someone has ever done for me. When I lost my memory and I treated you like crap, you were still there to be right next to me whenever I needed you, you forgave all my mistakes; I'm very thankful for that, you have no idea how much." She said with choked voice, now shedding the tears and looking at me fixedly. Oh man, I wanted to hug her, I wanted to reassure her, to comfort her, I didn't like seeing her shedding tears; I just wanted to see her smile. "But the main reason I want to thank you for is for always being there for me, for never giving up on me, for all the times you take time to listen to me, for being this caring person, for being this person who is always trying to understand my craziness, my insecurities and my childish and sometimes whimsical behavior. I want to thank you for all that and also for being my best friend and my love." She said still shedding tears but looking at me in a very affectionate way, smiling fondly. Oh yeah, I was definitely madly in love with her. "And I won't deny it, I'm still scared of this entire new thing we have now, but at the same time, I'm sure of saying that I've never felt better. I feel so awkward to be saying this... but... I've been in love with you since a long time ago and I always hid it; therefore, to know that this feeling is mutual is just...crazy. So I came to the conclusion that maybe I have no fear of being together, but I have fear of realizing someday that maybe this is just an illusion, because what is happening right now between us, for me, is just too good to be true."
She finished talking with the same choked voice and I really couldn't answer her because I was really moved by what she said. It was as though she, little by little, was opening up her heart to me to pour her feelings and thoughts out; and, like the song, she was letting me see her true colors. I completely understood that something like this was hard for her, but she was trying to do it for me, and that was the main reason that made me feel moved. Besides, she told me the real reason why she was scared; all this time I thought it was because maybe she was thinking I wasn't good enough for her, but it was the opposite. Whoa, I was totally fascinated with the girl sitting on my lap, looking at me with her big bright eyes. I placed firmly but softly my hands on her waist and I rested my forehead against hers, smiling fondly at her.
"This is only proving that good things can happen because, you know, this is true." I whispered and then I gave her a small and sweet buss on the forehead. I looked at her deeply into her eyes and I placed both of my hands on her cheeks. "I think that everything in our minds is a big mess because we really don't know what to say or do, but despite everything we know that this is what we want, just being like this; and we really don't need anything else. So, summing up, I do think that we're just two scared and silly guys trying to find out how it's like to be in love."
"Maybe, but here I have a disadvantage. At least you know how it feels like to be in love, because you felt it before. Instead, this is something completely new for me, this is the first time I feel this unlike you." She whispered looking at me with those big and scary eyes.
"Oh no, trust me, this is the first time I feel something like this, it's weird. I know what you meant, though, but I can tell you that I never got to love Jen or Karen like this. Yeah, I felt something for them in that time, but now I know that I wasn't in love with them... Because if so... Then, how would I call this I feel for you now?" I said affectionately, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs. "Trust me, Freckles, when I say that the love I feel for you is hard to express with words, it's something very deep and intense that I'm feeling for the very first time, so I guess this must be how it's like to be in love. In view of this, this is new for the two of us and I'm very happy it's like that, I'm happy it's with you with whom I'm gonna find out how it's like to be the boyfriend of the person I'm in love with. Wouldn't you like to find it out too now that you know this is true?" I asked looking into her eyes and she looked down, apparently thoughtful; but then she looked up at me again.
"Yes, I guess I would like it." She said shyly and shrugging, but with a cute smile. I smiled widely and then I leaned to kiss her lips very kindly.
"Yeah, I definitely like this." I whispered chuckling softly in front of her lips.
"Darren! Slow down, I'm serious!" You yelled scared. "Ahhhhhhh! I'm gonna crash! Darren, I'm gonna crash!"
Then you felt it, you felt your head hitting the sidewalk, now you were lying on the sidewalk tangled in the bike, feeling pain in your entire body. You heard how another bike stopped beside you.
"Oh my fucking God! What the hell have you done?" You heard Darren's worried voice.
It was the same Sunday afternoon and Darren suggested you to go out to enjoy the sunny day, so he convinced you to go for a bike ride. You liked riding a bike, but you liked riding your bike, not someone else's bike; not because you were capricious, but because your bike was like special, considering you were short. Darren lend you Chuck's bike and the saddle was high, even if Darren tried to shorten the seatpost as much as possible. So it was really hard for you to ride that bike because your feet could barely reach the pedals and your arms could barely reach the handlebar. Plus, the place where you were cycling was very steep and Darren, apparently, liked cycling at high speed and you couldn't reach him; you were scared and you really didn't feel safe with that bike. So yeah, all of those factors contributed to the fact that you crashed into the sidewalk.
"Baby, are you okay?" Darren asked concerned, helping you to move the bike away, which was on top of you.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." You answered with trembling voice owing to the fear of having crashed into the sidewalk. But really, you were fine, it was nothing.
"Oh, you've torn your jeans. You have a scrape on your knee and on your elbow, does it hurt? Do you want to come back?" Darren asked, blowing on the wound to try to ease the pain.
"No, it's nothing, it doesn't hurt." You answered, shivering while he was blowing on the wound, it was making it worse, so you tried to stop him. "I told you I'm too short and too clumsy to ride this bike." Now you said giggling softly and he looked up at you, also giggling softly.
"Yeah, I guess I should listen to you more often. I shouldn't have brought you to this place; it's only for experts like me." He said making fun of you when he was sure you were fine.
"Oh my god! I can't believe it, Criss! You know? I'm better than you when it comes to riding bikes, you just give me my bike and I'll beat you." You said challenging and amused.
"I'm sorry, baby, but no one can beat me. I'm a crack on this." He answered playfully, with a cocky and amused smirk on his face.
"You'd be surprised at how many things I can beat you. You had an advantage in this competition, so it's not fair." You said pouting amused and you saw how his eyes brightened, with his sassy smile.
"Yeah? I wonder what else you are good at." He said looking at you mischievously and seductively, raising an eyebrow and with the same sassy smile. Oh well, well, he wanted to play this game? You were going to play it as well.
"You have no idea, Criss." You responded with a seductive whisper in front of his lips.
It was funny to play to be sexy, even if you were probably the less sexy person on earth; but with him, somehow, you weren't ashamed of pretending to be sexy and seductive. Of course his gaze shifted straight to your lips and now he was looking at you dumbfounded and his lips were parted. Well, that was a good start. Then you wondered how far you could go with this game, it'd be interesting to find it out.
"Show me." He requested hoarsely after a while, without taking his eyes off your lips.
"Are you sure? You'd be playing a dangerous game, darling." You whispered seductively in front of his lips again, brushing your lips with his, very slightly. Oh wow, this wasn't you, but it was fun.
"I'm willing to take the risk." He replied hoarsely again, now looking at you in an intense and mischievous way.
"Alright, then don't tell me I didn't warn you." You whispered in front of his lips and you nibbled them slightly before you parted to look at him. Yeah, that was working, he was looking at your lips in a bewitched way and he was agape. He tried to lean and kiss you, but you moved your face away so that he wouldn't reach your lips, then you gave him a mischievous smile. "Oh no, Criss... This is my game."
"Oh, damn." He moaned, trying to lean again to kiss you, but you placed your hand on his chest to keep distance between you and him.
As never before, you took the initiative; you were going to manage this. It was crazy, but you were feeling as though you could do this. It was weird, with him you felt more self-confident. So you leaned to trail kisses all over his jaw, from his chin to his earlobe, very slowly. He did nothing to stop you, you glanced at him and you could see that he had his eyes closed now. You smiled to yourself when you saw this; maybe you were doing it right. Thanks god you watched a lot of romantic movies, so you had a slight idea of how to do this. Perhaps you could go a little further, after all, there was no one around; it seemed to be a desert neighborhood. Therefore, you sat on his lap, placing your legs on his sides; placing your hands underneath his shirt. He half-opened his eyes and you saw his amazement on them; you looked at him intensely into his eyes, with a seductive smirk and he looked back at you, dumbfounded and in a fierce way. You leaned in and you started sucking his earlobe very softly, noticing how he closed his eyes and how he, automatically, placed his hands on your hips. He moaned softly when you nibbled his earlobe and you smiled amused. After that, you started kissing his neck and he moaned a bit louder; thrusting his hip up, instinctively. You dared to go a little further, thus you licked his neck while rubbing his chest underneath his shirt; in response to this action, he groaned again, pulling you closer to him, now placing his hands on your lower back, underneath your shirt. Geez, this definitely wasn't you, but at the same time, you were enjoying this, this didn't seem to be wrong, not with him. Hence, you started sucking his neck on a particular spot, now running a finger from his chest to his belly button, and he shivered and thrust his hip up again, this time more abruptly, groaning louder. You felt something weird when he thrust his hip against you; something hard, like a finger, but bigger poked your thigh... it was something new... Oh geez, was he...? You glanced down his crotch on the sly. Yes, he was. You felt a little shy but at the same time you were feeling adrenaline and a weird tingly in between your legs. You noticed how you got moist in between your legs and you couldn't understand why something like that happened; you never felt such a thing before. When he thrust his hips up again, his hard-on poked in between your legs and it sent this tingling sensation straight to your pussy; it made you squirm in his lap, trying to control the overwhelming sensations, feeling the tingling moving from your pussy deep inside you to your spine, wrapping itself around your body; you felt wet and you felt yourself dripping. And, oddly enough, it felt incredible and very pleasant. It was like the same adrenaline rush you get from a roller coaster, as if you were climbing a steep incline anticipating the moment you get to the peak, and then... Boom! Craziness charging down. From that moment, you acted instinctively, getting carried away: You placed your hands on his V made by his chiseled lower abs and hip flexors, now sucking his neck even harder, almost fiercely as he moaned loudly. But then, all of a sudden, he placed both of his hands on your shoulders, softly moving you away. You looked at him frowning and confused and he was looking at you with his lips parted and with a look of pleasure.
"Please, stop it." Darren requested hoarsely and weakly.
You suddenly felt very shy and embarrassed. He had to stop you because you were crossing the line. Oh god, it was so embarrassing to be stopped by a man; you acted like a floozy. Usually, judging by the movies, it was always the woman the one to stop the man, and this was the opposite. What have you done? You started blushing and you quickly sat away from him. You even had to look away because of the shame. He was surely thinking you were a floozy, and it wasn't like that; you just didn't know what happened to you in that moment; it was as though you were out of control and you acted just instinctively.
"I'm sorry." You whispered shyly, still looking away.
"Why?" Darren suddenly asked but you didn't look at him.
"Because... you know. I shouldn't have done it, I know it was inappropriate and you... I'm not a floozy, I swear, I didn't want... Oh shit." You exclaimed even more embarrassed, blushing harder.
"What are you talking about?" Darren asked again, and over again, you didn't look at him.
"You didn't want to... you know, I don't know what happened to me... I'm sorry, I didn't want to push you into something you didn't want and you didn't like... you had to stop me... and, geez, I'm sorry, this is so embarrassing." You whispered, wanting to disappear. You were still looking away and then you felt how Darren's arms wrapped around you.
"Hey, no. If I stopped you, it's because I loved what you were doing way too much and I was getting carried away. And well, you know, in guys it's more evident... and well, I was really feeling aroused and it'd have been really awkward if we'd kept going on and on. I... I don't know if you know what I mean... That thing guys get... Whoa! This is awkward to explain." Darren tried to explain, apparently feeling just as embarrassed as you. You finally looked up at him to find an ashamed Darren looking at you, also blushing; you started chuckling softly. "Why are you laughing?" He suddenly asked curious and a bit amused now.
"Nothing, it's just funny to see you embarrassed. I only saw you really ashamed twice: this time and the first day I went to your bedroom and I saw those condoms..." You said giggling louder this time and he looked down, shaking his head, and also giggling.
"Oh man, I must be the most awkward person on earth." He commented still laughing.
"Well, maybe that's why we get along. We both are really awkward." You joked and he looked at you with bright eyes.
"Yeah, I second that." He said amused and then he leaned to kiss your lips very sweetly.
"Darren?" Suddenly a woman's voice asked in the distance, when you were still kissing. You and he broke the kiss abruptly to look at the direction where the voice came. You recognized the girl, you saw her a couple of times; she was one of Darren's friends with another girl of school.
"Karen? Hi, what are you doing here?" Darren greeted kind of confused and apparently not so happy to have seen her.
"Nothing, I was just walking with Susan. She lives near here." Karen answered in the distance. Why didn't they greet with a hug or a kiss or something, as they were used to do? That was weird. Anyway, no one greeted you, so you stayed silent.
"Yeah, right. Hi, Susan." Darren greeted politely from where he was.
"Hi, Darren." The girl with long, blond, wavy hair and amber eyes answered just as politely.
Again, no one greeted you; it was as if you were invisible to them. And then an uncomfortable and profound silence engulfed all of you. Something was happening here, this was way too odd; Darren was never like this and less with one of his friends. Darren was now looking away and you noticed how Karen glanced at you, yet she didn't greet you, even if she knew you; oh well, maybe she was ashamed of being near you as everybody in school.
"And you? What were you doing?" Karen asked after a while, now looking at Darren again.
"Nothing, just enjoying the afternoon. We decided to go for a bike ride and right now we are taking a break. Right, baby?" Darren asked and you who were looking down now looked at him astonished; not only because he mentioned you in the conversation all of a sudden, but also because he called you baby in front of other people. It sounded weird.
"Yes." You answered shyly, looking down again and blushing; aware that everybody was looking at you. Yet, over again, no one greeted you.
"Baby?" Karen sneered with a bitter laugh and you blushed even harder, feeling uncomfortable.
"Yes, baby." Darren assured firmly and coldly, holding your hand. "Let's go somewhere else, baby. I still have to show you that place." Darren said and you knew he was looking at you, but you were feeling way too uncomfortable to look at him.
He noticed that, so he stood up and he helped you to stand up next to him, then he grabbed his bike and Chuck's bike for you; everything in silence, while you were still looking down. You grabbed Chuck's bike and then, finally, you looked up at him very shyly and he smiled kindly at you. He sat on his bike in silence and when he was about to start riding it, Karen spoke.
"Wait, Darren." She said quickly and Darren looked at her, apparently moody. "I was thinking that maybe we could talk."
"Yeah, sure. Tell me." He replied curtly right from where he was, with no intentions to go to where she was.
"Susan, would you give me a minute?" Karen requested and Susan nodded, now walking to the square that was next to where they were. You didn't know what to do and Darren was just looking at Karen in the same moody way, very serious. What was happening? "Would you leave us alone?" Karen asked and when you looked up, you noticed she was looking at you, so you started babbling nervously.
"No, she's staying, Karen. Whatever you have to tell me, you can tell me in front of her." Darren answered quickly and you felt even more uncomfortable.
"But Darren, it's something private." Karen started complaining, nervously.
"Whatever, she's staying; I don't have secrets with her, so just tell me or, otherwise, I'm going." Darren replied curtly.
"Darren, it's alright, I'll just leave you alone." You whispered shyly and Darren looked at you frowning.
"No, stay here. She can say whatever she has to say in front of you; if not, well then, she won't say anything at all." Darren answered loudly and you felt nervous. Oh gosh, what should you do?
"Please, Darren." Karen begged in the distance.
"No..." He started saying and then you held his hand.
"Dare, I'll leave you alone, okay? I'll be right there, in the square; so you can have a quiet conversation." You started saying firmly even if you were still uncomfortable. When Darren was about to complain, you interrupted him. "It seems she has something important to tell you, Dare, and it seems to be private. I don't have to know absolutely everything; I do understand that this is something only between you and her, so I have nothing to do in here. Talk to her alone, I'll be there, fine?"
"Fine, just... don't go so far, okay?" He replied softening his voice.
"Okay." You smiled slightly and then you let out his hand to walk away; but first, he kissed the corner of your mouth only because you moved your face so that he wouldn't kiss your mouth. You knew it was wrong and more when you saw his sad eyes, but you were still feeling uncomfortable of doing this in public.
"Thank you." You heard Karen saying and you only looked at her and smiled slightly.
You walked to the square and you sat on one of the benches there, just looking at the grass. You glanced at Darren and Karen and you wondered what they had to talk about, but you didn't want to meddle; you knew that you shouldn't have to know everything because, if you were going to be Darren's girlfriend, you wouldn't want to be one of those girls who were controlling all that the boyfriend was doing or saying, because you thought it wasn't going to be good for either of you. You were so intrigued looking at them that you didn't notice that the Susan girl was now sitting next to you; so when you saw her, you jumped kinda scared.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you." She said apologetically.
"It's fine, stupid me." You said giggling nervously, as you always did when you jumped scared for something really silly.
"You're intrigued to know what they're talking about, aren't you?" She asked looking at them and you looked at her frowning.
"No... I mean, well, just a little, but I wouldn't want to know it. I guess it's something private." You answered shrugging, looking at them again.
"Yeah, same happens to me. The only thing I know is that they've been kind of distant lately." She answered and you looked at her curious. Was this true? You didn't know anything about it.
"Really? Why? They used to be good friends." You asked expectant to get some kind of answer.
"I don't know so well. I think it's because of someone else's fault. But I don't know." She answered, now looking deeply at you. Why was she looking at you that way? That was uncomfortable... Could that someone be you? But you haven't done anything; at least that was what you thought. "So... Are you his girlfriend or something?" She asked and you looked at her suspiciously. You didn't know her, so you didn't know if you should answer her.
"I don't know." You answered shrugging and looking away.
"You don't know?" She asked laughing sarcastically and you looked at her a bit upset. "How come you don't know?"
"I just don't know." You answered coldly, looking away again.
"Oh, I get it... This is the first time you have a relationship, isn't it?" She asked and you didn't answer. "Well, it happens the first time; you never know when you're someone's girlfriend or not." She said softly and then you looked at her.
Maybe you overreacted when you got a bit upset; maybe she wasn't laughing in a derogatory way. You should stop being on guard all the time thinking that everybody wanted to hurt you. Maybe it was time to admit you were his girlfriend; after all, you loved that idea of being called his girlfriend.
"Yes, I guess that is so. Well, yes... He's my boyfriend, but it's something recent." You answered trying to sound self-confident; you needed to start enjoying all the good things you had with no feelings of guilt or shame.
"Really?" She exclaimed amazed and laughing. "Oh my god! Who would think that a girl like you could be his girlfriend? Not that Darren is the sexiest or coolest boy in school...but you? Oh girl, Darren was surely blind when he got interested in you."
"Excuse me?" You asked in disbelief, looking at her frowning and feeling very upset and kind of hurt. How could she say something like that? That was so cruel.
"I thought he had a good sense when it came to picking a girlfriend. I mean, first it was Jen, then Karen and then Mandy... They are pretty girls... but then he picked you. What is wrong with him?" She asked more to herself, laughing coldly. You couldn't say anything; this was hurting your feelings. "Darren is dating the geek girl in school, the fat ass and pimple face girl, unbelievable! Stupid Darren; Darren is a stupid guy, I always knew it."
You looked at her really hurt and really mad now. And then you started remembering some things that happened in the first days of school, when the whole bullying thing started. This Susan girl called you geek, fat ass and pimple face. You remembered the poster of you in school and the first text messages from W.
"Remember you're the crap and we're the strong ones, so don't mess with us and don't act as if you were the badass girl, you fucking fat ass. You're gonna lose and we'll hunt you down until you have to wallow in shit, begging down on your knees for forgiveness. Watch your back, pimples. –W-"
"Listen, pimple face with fat ass. If you tell someone how you feel waiting for any kind of help, we're gonna beat you to death; not only you but also all the people who attempt to help you. Would you let them suffer what only you should be suffering? Are you that kind of selfish bitch? We're watching you. -W-"
"Things would get really bad if that stupid guy follows you. We're gonna be watching you. -W-"
You looked at Susan really scared and aghast. She used the same words that W used to use in the text messages. Oh damn shit, could she be W? Could it be? Your whole body started trembling and you didn't know if you should stay silent, if you should yell for help, if you should face her or if you should be sure of this first.
"Sorry, how did you call me?" It was the only thing you asked and she looked at you archly.
"What? Geek? Fat ass? Pimple face? Everybody thinks that about you, stupid bitch." She answered archly and you started feeling bad, really bad and completely scared. Maybe you were now in front of W.