Chapter 3: Remember When

Hardbeck (17:45) Quickly before Alo gets here.

Violetsaregrace (17:49) What's going on?

Hardbeck (17:50) I need uh practice for the date but kind of without Alo.

Violetsaregrace (17:50) are you willingly asking for my help?!

Hardbeck (17:50) Grace…

Violetsaregrace (17:51) Yippee, of course! You can come over tomorrow night XXX

Hardbeck (17:52) Great. And I'm already regretting it.

(Alosexgod has joined the conversation)

Alosexgod (17:54) can't believe she fucking said yes.

Violetsaregrace (17:55) Shhh…

Alosexgod (17:56) Nah man, I'm kind of emotional about it all. You're growing up. I mean remember when everyone thought you were gay?

Violetsaregrace (17:57) Including his Mum. Hee hee

Hardbeck (17:57) Well remember when Grace dated a homosexual?

Alosexgod (17:58) LOL that was the best

Violetsaregrace (17:58) Hey boys!

Alosexgod (17:58) Or when she thought you were a girl!

Violetsaregrace (17:59) I was 10 and it was your hair. Can you stop picking on me now, please!

Alosexgod (18:01) Yeah instead let's give Richaroo all the sex tips we can.

Hardbeck (18:02) Yes, because you're such an expert yourself.

Violetsaregrace (18:02) I don't want to be a part of this

Hardbeck (18:04) Remember when Alo was an annoying dick? Oh wait…

(alosexgod has left the conversation)

Violetsaregrace (18:05) Rich! Not again!

Do you think it would be appropriate to translate Shakespeare into French for the title of my first French project about my life? Actually, no, it wouldn't. I just attempted to translate, 'Though she be but little, she is fierce,' and I really don't think I know enough French to do it justice. Oh, well, to the interwebs I go (for a professional version of it and then I can simply pretend I did the translation on my tod… OOOH perhaps my French teacher is not even acquainted with Shakespeare so she really would be mega impressed with my knowledge).

"Grace," I hear my Dad call to me and instead of getting up and walking the short distance to his office where he would inevitably be at this hour, I sit still and wearily shout back,

"Daddy?"

Silence.

How predictable of him! I sigh, standing up from my desk, wondering what he could possibly want. Maybe it's another lecture about chewing gum or my friends or my extracurricular activities or just a general check-up session where he asks me all about what I've gotten up to lately. As I turn around, I see my Dad pushing open my door.

"Knock, knock," He says with a little tap on the door. I giggle slightly before giving the expected answer.

"Who's there?"

"Broken pencil." I'm pretty sure he's already told me this one before.

"Broken pencil who?"

"Oh, never mind it's pointless!" He lets out a little amused laugh at himself and I continue to giggle even though I definitely have heard that one before.

"Are you getting on with your homework?" I give a furtive nod, indicating to my desk which he inspects suspiciously himself.

"Of course, Daddy! I'm working on an interesting French project where I have to write about myself, but from the viewpoint of those around me. Kind of like a biography but from myself." I say in a truly enthused voice. This is not true at all, because all I have to do is write a single page about my life (family, pets, school, friends etc.), but the more intellectual I make it sound, the happier my Dad will be. I add on, "It's fascinating!"

He furrows his eyebrows slightly before giving a small nod.

"How was your singing lesson today?" Ah, yes, my singing lesson with the little old man, Mr. Taylor, who always falls asleep during at least one of my solo performances. I only returned from the class about half an hour ago, so this is really why my Dad hasn't had a chance to ask me about it yet.

"Fabulous, I'm apparently making great strides in my pieces!" I say with a broad smile, anticipating the next question. We are still standing opposite each other, as my Dad doesn't tend to hug me until the end of our conversations, but that doesn't bother me.

"Good, good. I think this year you will tremendously busy. And you've got to aim for A's remember? So when you're not busy, you should still be studying, not gallivanting with your… friends."

And just by magical coincidence, the doorbell rings at that exact moment and I know who it is. My Dad looks around his shoulder, obviously puzzled as to whom it might be and I wonder whether to say I already know who it is or act confused as well.

"Expecting anyone, Gracey?" I scrunch up my face as I shake my head, hoping the confusion is obvious in my face.

"Should I answer it?"

"No, your Mother will." We stand in awkward silence for a moment as I am simply waiting for my Mum to say it's for me.

"Gracey, it's Richard!" Right on cue!

My Dad makes a little grunt of disapproval as I give him my most innocent smile and skip past him to hurry down the stairs. I am greeted with the ever so tall Rich towering over my Mum who is describing in great detail what we'll be having for dinner today.

"Are you sure you can't stay for dinner? Really, the peas are wonderful." I stop on the forth step up, watching as Rich nervously shuffles and undoubtedly tries to turn her down on the dinner invite for the fifth time in the last minute.

"Mummy, Rich can only stay to go over our History homework and then he has to meet his parents for dinner." They finally both look up and Rich throws me an appreciative smile. He despises dinners with my family mostly because my Dad will take any opportunity he can to make him feel uncomfortable. He does it with Alo too, but I think Alo remains oblivious to most things. The way my Dad asks questions you would think I was dating them or something! Both of them! In a mutually agreed threeway relationship! EWW, imagine that (or not)!

"I thought you were doing a French project, Grace?" Yes, of course my Dad has followed me downstairs, but it still doesn't stop me slightly cringing at the unexpectedness of the question. I try to handle it in a very collective and sophisticated manner. I've got to try make the great Audrey Hepburn proud with my people handling skills, after all.

"But Daddy, Rich doesn't study French so I can't do that now!" I say with a small laugh, as if to say he's currently being a silly billy.

"You said you weren't expecting anyone though." My Dad is still standing behind me, but it sounds like he is still moving down the stairs and the look on Rich's face confirms this as he is looking more tense by the second. I turn around, shaking my head as if I am now being a silly billy.

"I completely forgot that he asked me for some help on our History homework!" I turn back to Rich and widen my eyes with a quick head gesture upstairs so he knows now is the time to escape. "We better get on with that right this instant!"

"Hardbeck," My Dad says as a way of greeting as Rich comes face to face with him on the stairs.

"Mr. Blood," Rich says in an equally curt manner. I can't wait to get back to my room without this kind of tension. Why can't my Dad just get along with my friends? They're good enough people, I just don't get it.

"Mummy… Daddy." Rich says in an attempt of an imitation of me as soon as we're far enough up the stairs to not be heard by either of my parents.

"Shhh…" I say, not being able to think of any witty response to that.

"And like I would ever need your help in History." Rich says, sounding particularly outraged by this and I turn my head slightly to see him shaking his head a little.

"Sure, Rich." I say, putting my years of second-hand experiences of sarcasm to good use.

Ten minutes later and we are discussing the topic of dates as this is the real reason why Rich has visited me alone today. Sometimes we meet alone but more often than not we'll have either Alo or Franky with us.

So yes, Rich's attempts to make the metal princess fall for him were successful (YAY) and now he's left with the much more difficult task of spending a whole evening with her at the Rhubarb Tavern (I did suggest he do something else besides this but he seemed confused by the notion that you can do more than one thing on a date, so we'll see what happens on that front) and so I have to once again turn to my notes on girls and dates. I even had to bring up a previous date I went on and point out all the good things and bad things about it.

Rich is doing well though, so I say he's just got a classic case of big old nerves.

"Dates are where you share your passions. Like I would share my love of cats, ballet, music, penny collecting, Disney and, of course, Harry Potter." I say, which he nods along to as he obviously knows all my passions due to our years of friendship.

"And I would share my passion of metal music." He states, his hands nervously wringing together in his lap.

"Yes, and you try to find out all about her passions in life too." He briefly smiles and nods at me before muttering 'Shit' to himself. I finally place my hand over his shaking hands in an attempt to calm him down.

"Don't be nervous, Rich. The date's going to be fine. I know it will." He looks from our hands to my face, staring blankly before he blinks and exhales deeply.

"How come you always say everything I do related to a girl is going to be fine?" He asks his question in such a bemused manner that I don't know whether it's rhetorical or not.

"Because I'm a girl and you're sometimes nice to me." We both laugh then and fall into a comfortable silence. That is until a trace of worry appears in his eyes once more and he gets up off my bed so that he ends up brushing my hands off him. I feel like shaking him now, because… Well, just how can one teenage boy freak out over a date with the girl of his dreams THIS MUCH?! I don't get up and start to shake him though; instead I fold my hands in my lap and look up at him, waiting expectantly for the next question.

"What about at the end of the date?"

"Tell her you'll call her and then actually call her." He nods once more, before freezing. It feels like this next question is what this whole meeting has been leading up to, like he's been scared to ask it before and has only just now finally gotten the courage to ask it.

"What if she kisses me?" The unsettling feeling in my stomach comes once more. I guess it returns because I wish I had someone to kiss as well, but I never realized I was feeling that lonely. I am ignoring him for a moment as I try to focus on the matter on the hand than my own sudden, overwhelming sense of loneliness.

"Then… kiss her back." Rich is pacing. I have an urge to pace with him, but I have to be the voice of reason here.

"Stop pacing. Look when you kiss the right person then it all just comes naturally to you." I've never really had a kiss come naturally to me, but then again I've only kissed two people and they were definitely not my destined Prince Charming. One of them being gay, and the other one happening when I was about ten.

"I've never kissed someone before." He states it blankly, because it really is that simple.

"I know." I return his words with my own blank expression and simplicity which seems to finally calm him down. I pat the space next to me on my bed and he slowly returns to sit next to me. My mouth seems to be forming words before my brain has really thought it through as my next question is, "I could help you?"

I have no idea what I even mean by that. He looks up from his lap, where our hands were just entangled, with furrowed eyebrows. I know what his next question will be, so I need to think of what I meant. What did I mean? Brain, a little help here!

"How?"

"By kissing you." My brain is arguing with my entire being, because that cannot be what I meant. I don't want to kiss him, but I do want to help him. Logically… would that help him? Possibly.

"Oh, right."

"Just as a guide so you know how to do it next time." I am not processing how Rich looks about this proposal or what he is even saying, because all I am thinking is that I am about to kiss my best friend.

"That seems smart."

I tilt my head to the left and he does the same.

"Tilt your head in the opposite direction to mine." He laughs awkwardly and I return it with a soft smile. I edge a little closer and when I'm just a few centimeters away from his own lips, I say,

"Just keep leaning closer." I stare into his eyes, my best friend's eyes, just as my lips are about to touch his.

"And close your eyes."

I don't need to tell him anything else then. Our lips touch and my toes tingle.

I figured this would be a very quantifiable process, but I couldn't tell you if we kissed for seconds or hours. All I know is that it was beautiful and for that time, however long it was, I was floating.

The words I had just said a few moments before we kissed are now ringing in my head; 'When you kiss the right person then it all just comes naturally to you.' I am now going to have to rethink that entire statement, because yes, that was the most amazing, natural process of my life, but no, this is most definitely the wrong person.

"Okay."

Well, what a kerfuffle.

A/N: TA DA! And yes the song that is totally playing when they kiss is;;; I Guess I'm Floating – M83. Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter, it's making me beyond happy so please keep letting me know if you're enjoying the direction this is heading in!

This is dedicated to Stef, because it's her birthday and she once mentioned she liked this fic so yah this is for you.

Next chapter is in Rich's POV