That Boy (36 page)

Around nine-thirty, Danny strolls out of his room, looking bleary eyed. It takes him a while to get going in the morning. His dark blonde hair is sticking up all over, there are pillow marks on the side of his face, and he's wearing nothing but a pair of baggy sweat shorts.

He looks adorable.

And happy.

“So what do you think? We pulled it off,” he grins, while sliding onto the couch next to me.

“We? How 'bout you and half the school? It was really amazing, Danny. I was thoroughly impressed.”

“So I'm actually getting married,” he says, as his stomach growls. “I don't suppose you'd make me a celebratory omelet, huh?”

I smile and close the textbook I'm reading. It really doesn't take much persuasion to get me to stop studying.

“Oh, I suppose,” I say like it's a big inconvenience.

He moves to a barstool and watches, while I get the ingredients out of the frig.

I crack three eggs into a bowl, whisk them and stir in some milk. I put a little butter in a pan and sauté some mushrooms. Then I pour in the omelet mixture.

It's amazing how good of a cook you become living with two hungry boys.

“Think she's the right girl?” he asks me, still rubbing his eyes.

“Don't you think it's a little
late
to be asking that question?”

“Nah, I could always call it off.”

“Yeah,” I say, as I am cooking the omelet. “And you would be a fool. Lori is perfect for you. It's weird because you are so different from her. You know, you and I
really
are a lot alike. I mean we both love to have fun, are wild, larger than life, always ready for the next challenge, the next adventure, the next dare. But on the down side, Danny, sometimes I think you and I could float around aimlessly. We're like kites. We just go wherever the wind blows us, even if it's not the best place to be. Lori is like a great kite flyer. She understands that you need enough string to go on your adventures. She even encourages it and helps you soar.” I smile at him, add some cheese to the top of the omelet and flip it onto a plate. Setting it in front of him, I add, “She also knows when you need to be brought back to earth. She grounds you, Danny. In a very good way.”

I need someone like that, I think.

He smiles and shoves a big bite of omelet into his mouth.

“Plus,” I remind him, “she's booking travel arrangements as we speak.”

“This is really good. Thanks,” he says and takes another bite.

In between chews he asks, “So are you and Phillip in?”

“I know I am. I haven't seen Phillip this morning, but I think we both know what his answer will be.”

“Jay,” he says, pausing to put another forkful in his mouth and chew. Then he waves his empty fork at me, “Why don't you just sleep with Phillip and get it over with?”

“What?”

“I
saw
you dancing together last night.” And he just shakes his head at me.

Phillip is at his last fraternity meeting, and Danny is out with Lori. I'm sitting home alone, lying on the couch in my PJs. I've been absent-mindedly spinning an empty beer bottle on the coffee table, while channel flipping between
16 and Pregnant
and
Gossip Girl,
and drinking a couple of beers.

Well, maybe more like four or five.

I think I may be slightly depressed and well, maybe getting slightly drunk too.

Phillip opens the front door. I take a good look at him. Lori is right. He is
so
handsome.

My heart literally flutters every time I see him.

He walks into the living room and scans my row of empties. I watch the sexy backside of him, as he walks to the kitchen, grabs a beer from the frig and then plops down on the couch beside me. He opens the bottle with Danny's bottle opener that plays the NU fight song. My mind swirls back to dancing with him last night.

Maybe.

“What's up with all the beer? Lose another boyfriend?”

I ignore his smart ass comment.

“Wanna play spin the bottle?” I surprise myself by asking.

“You know it's been awhile since I've played, but aren't there usually more than two players?” he squints his eyes at me, wondering what joke I'm trying to play.

“Yeah, stupid idea,” I sigh a little bigger than I should have.

What the
hell
was I thinking?

“Hey,” Phillip says, as he leans forward and holds both hands up in the air in front of his chest. “I said
nothing
about it being a stupid idea.” He gestures toward the bottle on the table, “Spin away. Hell, you don't even have to spin. I'll kiss you anyway. Do you
want
me to kiss you?”

“What about
Moaning
Monica?” I roll my eyes when I say her name. In case you can't tell, I don't particularly care for her.

That girl is always moaning about something.

Usually
me
.

“Uh, well.” I get the feeling he would like to ignore the question. “It seems she broke up with me today.”

“Why?”

He laughs. “Well, it might've had something to do with our wild dancing last night.”

“I didn't realize it was wild.”

“Yeah. Well, what's
worse
is that
I
didn't even realize she was there. She never crossed my mind. I was having too much fun with
you
.”

“What did she say?” I'm trying hard not to smile and show my happiness about his unfortunate break up.

Sorry, but, YAY! That girl was not nearly good enough for Phillip.

“I don't know.” He runs his hand back through his hair, leans back into the couch and takes a pull off his beer. “It was something like, when she saw you and I dancing, she just knew what she has always suspected, and I have always denied, was true.”

“And what's that?”

“That you and I have, and I quote,” he says, while making quote marks in the air, “a
thing
going on.”

“A thing?” I laugh.

“Yeah, a thing.”

“That's ridiculous,” I shrug. “We're just friends, have been for a long time. I mean, God, somewhere there are pictures of us as naked babies together. And we're just, you know, comfortable around each other. We're able to hang out and have fun
without
having things happen.”

Then I stop and realize it's not the first time I've heard this.

“Why does everyone think that?” I ask him seriously, as I rest my chin on my fist. “I mean, I've done way more with Danny, how come no one
ever
accuses us of having a thing? I don't get it.”

“Um, well, could it be the fact that I always seem to run out on my dates to rescue you, and he never does?”

“You've never done that,
have you
?”

“Princess…”

“No, I'm serious.” I put my hand on my chest. “I always take care of myself. I never needed to be rescued.”

“Oh, really?” Phillip chuckles. “What about all the times you've had flat tires? Who has come and changed them? What about when you hit the deer, or the time you ditched Richie Rich at winter formal, or the time you had the huge fever and I had to take you to the hospital?”

He pauses, giving me his eat shit grin. “Shall I continue?”

Okay, so he might be right.

And there is nothing I hate more than not being exactly right.

In fact, I'm getting a bit irritated right now.

“You didn't
have
to come and do those things. I could have figured it out on my own. And I didn't know you like, left dates to do them. You didn't have to do that. You could've been like Danny and said to just call Triple A or whatever.”

“I know I didn't
have
to do it. I
wanted
to. I guess,” he states, looking at me sweetly with his adorable brown eyes, “like you,” he pauses and stares intently at me, “I haven't met anyone that made me want to stay with them, more than I wanted to go and rescue you. What can I say,” he rolls his eyes at me, “you made me play your knight in shining armor for so long, I just can't seem to get it out of my system.”

God, he is adorable.

He laughs lightly and looks at me. I can tell by the intensity in his eyes what he is about to say is important. He puts his hand on my knee and leans towards me. “Seriously, you are kinda special to me.” Then he adds sneakily, “Now, speaking of spin the bottle, should I start?”

“Would you really kiss me, Phillip?” I ask, scrunching up my nose.

“I think I might be able to be persuaded.” He grins, grabs my arm and throws it up over his shoulder. “Wanna try to persuade me?”

My face is so close to his. I could easily start kissing him. I'd only have to lean forward just a bit.

“No, I mean
really
? What if we kissed, and then we dated, and then you got mad at me and ended up hating me like most of my other boyfriends? I couldn't stand to lose my best friend.”

“I'm going to bed,” I decide suddenly, getting up off the couch and walking quickly toward my room.

“So you want to play the game in there, huh?” Phillip asks with laughter in his voice, as he tilts his head toward my bedroom.

“No!”

Then I hear him chuckling behind me and it makes me mad because that boy knows all
too well
how to get under my skin.

This morning, Phillip brings me coffee in bed.

It's 6:30am.

Way
early for me, but for Phillip, it's the perfect time to get your day started.

He and Lori are both the kind of people who sign up for 8am classes. Danny and I try to never start ours until at least ten or eleven.

“Thanks,” I say, taking the cup from him. “Coffee in bed. You must want something.”

“I do.” He looks squarely at me.

He is sitting on the edge of my bed. I fight the temptation to just grab him and pull him in with me.

“So, what do you want?”

“You.”

“What?”

“I want
you
,” he repeats. “Go out with me for real, Princess.”

“I can't.”

“Really? So what was last night all about?”

“Oh, nothing really. Well, Lori and I had been talking. She just asked if you and I ever, you know, dated or kissed or anything. I told her not since eighth grade. Remember spin the bottle?”

“Yeah, so you thought you might want to play it with me again?” His head is cocked slightly sideways, like a puppy that is trying to understand me.

I hope he can. I'm not sure I do.

I shake my head sideways. “Maybe. Yes,”

“Well, at least that's progress,” he laughs.

“Progress? What kind of progress?”

“Don't tell me you can't see it. God, Princess, I swear everyone sees it but you.” He shakes his head at me like I'm completely clueless.

I may be. But in this case, I know exactly what he is talking about it.

“I see it Phillip. I even
feel
it, but I
choose
not to cross the line. I care too much about you to throw our friendship away on a fling.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, indicating that my word on this is final.

“Who said anything about a
fling
? And you crossed WAY over that line with Danny, and you guys are still friends.” He is sort of muttering to himself now, “Of course you would've never lasted anyway. You're too much alike, think way outside the box, hate to be told what to do. Always right, even when you're wrong.”