Falling for the Badboy in Black

3. three

“I am not crazy!” I whined for what felt like the thousandth time as I stood in Brittany’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon, mixing together ingredients for cupcakes I was making for my debate club.

“You are!” She rolled her eyes while setting the little paper holders into the pan that would produce about twelve cupcakes, with so many more batches to go.

We had gotten an early start despite Brittany having a massive headache, so even though she was calling me crazy, I was proud of her for not letting me down, not that she ever did. Her idea of fun had more to do with walking around the mall which also involved quite a bit of shopping and staring into the windows of a tattoo parlor but I had done that with her yesterday, so it was her turn to compromise.

“I kissed a boy, I French kissed a boy last night!” I emphasized so she could hear me loud and clear and stop making me feel like I had made it all up.

I heard a throat being cleared just as I stopped talking, and I felt my cheeks heat up with so much embarrassment as her dad entered the kitchen.

“Uh Hi, Mr Allen” I smiled slightly as he briefly glanced my way while Britt couldn’t contain her laughter as her back was turned to him.

“As long as no French kissing is taking place in my home” He mused before kissing the side of Brittany’s head and she leaned into a brief hug.

I always admired how affectionate they were with another but maybe that had to do with the fact that they saw each other every day. “I’m off to the golf course, I will grab dinner on my way back. Don’t forget to clean up after you guys are done here…”

They had a lovely lady that came to clean at least once a week but that didn’t mean that he allowed us to laze around. I didn’t really mind the chore thing because I was all alone in my house most of the time so cleaning was my sort of therapy.

“Thanks, dad!” She called after him and I said a goodbye as well and once I heard the car take off I stared at my best friend.

“I thought your dad wasn’t home” I narrowed my eyes as part of me felt that the only reason she failed to believe me was because she wanted me to confess what had happened to me at the top of my lungs and be humiliated for her amusement.

“I said he wasn’t here, not that he left. He was out back doing some yard work, you know his Sunday routine by now. Its not my fault you felt like spilling lies so loudly” She teased.

“Britt…” I groaned in frustration and I heard her sigh before she extended her hand across the kitchen island.

“Okay, give me the bowl. I will pour while you sit and tell me every detail of your first time being tongue tied with a boy” She smiled.

“So, you can make fun of me again and call me a liar?” I pouted and folded my arms, not caring how immature I looked as I did it.

She shook her head as she focused on not spilling the mixture as she carefully filled up the little holders, “No, I just want to listen and let you have your moment. I didn’t want my dad walking in while you were in the middle of it. I mean you basically told him the entire subject but the story is in the details and I would prefer my dad not hear how turned on you were by a random guy”

My eyes widened, “I was not tur…”

“Story time!”

While I still felt that there was doubt I really wanted to hear what she thought about it and it wasn’t like I had anyone else to share my experience with. I sighed and even though I was not completely convinced, I detailed everything to her from the moment she had left my side at the party until we had reunited.

“It felt like it lasted forever but was over so quick. I don’t even know where he went because I left soon after and then I found you on the staircase looking for me” I shrugged.

She nodded as she turned on the timer before turning to give me her full attention, “I want to believe you and I mostly do but everyone who attended that party was wearing white and blue. You know what the theme was, I did not once see a guy in a black hoodie. What if it was a burglar and you almost died but your lips saved you?” She wavered as she paced the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance even though it hadn’t sounded like she was teasing me this time, “Okay, I’m done!”

She sighed and gave me a blank stare which meant she wanted me to realize that she was in fact giving the s********e serious thought and fact checking, “I am serious, G! I am actually concerned for you because you read so many books for hopeless romantics that maybe it has made you an easy target. You allowed yourself to kiss some random guy without even knowing his name. How do you know it was a boy and not a man? How do you know it wasn’t some stalker, who pretended to live there so you wouldn’t be able to trace him?”

I tried not to point out that she sounded more like a book nerd who had read too many books with plot twists.

“It wasn’t. You’re so annoying, is it that unbelievable that an actual boy our age would want to kiss me?” Even as I asked the question, I had my own sad answer to it. “Its not like I want to kiss any of the boys our age besides Tommy, but this guy was…”

“It was a blue and white themed party. No one wore black because they wouldn’t have been allowed inside if they did not follow the theme. It might be a high school party, but it was hosted by the cheerleaders, and we have very strict rules. It’s a sign of respect to follow the dress code… You can’t argue my reasoning” She continued.

I couldn’t really argue that fact because everything she said was fact, especially when it came to the popular kids. They were laid back and annoying, but when it came to something they enjoyed, they ensured it happened exactly the way they wanted to. They also loved having the power of turning kids away who showed up with a lack of respect for the dress code.

“Britt, can you stop being the annoying sister I never had and tell me what you really think?” I begged as all I had heard since I had blurted it out almost an hour ago at this point was her negativity for what had been a magical experience for me.

She stopped her pacing and finally noticed the defeated look on my face and walked around the island to pull me into her hug.

“Fine, I’m sorry. I am being a pain, but it's just weird. Anyway, you said that you were in his room..” She stated as she sat down beside me.

“That’s what he said” I shrugged as she had dismissed me so much that I actually almost believed her theories about it being a stranger.

“Which could have been a lie. Or maybe it was Tommy’s older brother who came home for the weekend” Her eyes widened with excitement as she felt like she had cracked the case.

“He is like four years older than us” I scrunched my nose, which caused the excitement to fade, and I was sure my face had looked the exact same way when she had failed to believe me.

“Didn’t you say and I quote ‘there was something so different about him, he wasn’t just another boy’ “ I placed my hands over her air quotes.

“These are the times I wish I had other friends” I shook my head, and we both knew I didn’t mean it, I just hated how much like a sister she could be sometimes. She loved the tough love approach, and maybe it was because life had been tough on her in many ways, but a little of her feeding my delusions would have been nice.

She smiled, “You’re stuck with me, but all jokes aside its more fun not knowing and having that one magical experience as you described it because once you get to know them, it kinda ruins things”

“It does?” I questioned as I caught the sincerity in her voice instead of the detective tone.

“Yeah that way you can just replay that moment over and over again without it being tainted but what if you were to find out he was one of the idiots making fun of you at school you know?” I realized then that was why she was so negative about it. She wouldn’t say it, but I knew she feared that I had been part of some prank.

“I guess you have a point” Was all I could manage as the fear that she hadn't spoken filled me as well.

“Now he can be anyone you want him to be, and you can picture him looking like whoever you want him to be. What if he looked like a troll?” She scoffed before she got up and walked over to the oven as the timer had gone off.

“Don’t be mean!” I giggled and was sure his looks weren’t anywhere near resembling a troll.

“Im not. Im just saying that it was dark and all you saw were lips”

“Lips says a lot. Besides, it's not always about looks, you know? There was chemistry” I half smiled as the feelings I had felt then found its way to my chest again.

“Oh my sweet Georgia. I hope you never meet him” I caught her staring at me with a small smirk.

“I probably will never know who he is, but he knew who I was, and it was like there was some familiarity there that I couldn’t place. I found it odd because no one really wants to know me”

“I want to know you, and so do other people” She stated in the stern voice she usually used when I tried to put myself down.

“That’s what you think” I smiled and stopped myself from saying that the only reason other people tried to know me was so they could be closer to her.