It's 2' O clock Pm on Thursday, and I won't stop pacing my room.
I'm already dressed in a maroon dress, the skirt flowing smoothly below my knees with a pink cardigan on top of my shoulders to make it look a bit more casual, and my black flats are beside the door, ready to wear. I leave my hair falling loose to my shoulders, its waves free from the hairband I'd used on it almost everyday.
"Would you chill? It's not like it's your first date with a boy." Lacey lays upside down on my bed. "Or is it?"
"It's not. Last date with a boy was just before this vacation."
"How'd it go?"
"We were in a fancy restaurant. He left for the restroom halfway into our meal and never came back."
"At least he paid the bill before he left." I give her a look. "Oh, he didn't."
"I just want tonight to be perfect, but I'm scared I'm going to mess things up."
"Relax. I'm sure Noah's as nervous as you are right now."
"You think I make him nervous?"
"Yeah."
I stop in front of our mirror, examining my thin structure and bony face, then shake my head. "I doubt it."
"It's true you might need to add some flesh to those bones." Lacey hops off from the bed to stand beside me in the mirror. "But I think you're beautiful nonetheless."
I see my cheeks redden in the mirror when I remember the night at the private room. "He told me I'm beautiful that night. He never says that. Quite the opposite actually."
The faint knock at the door has me nervously looking in that direction, then back at Lacey as she mouths me a You got this and pats me on the back.
Grabbing my small purse from the table, I slip on my flats behind the door and close my eyes, allowing myself to take a deep steady breath to fill my lungs with air. I swing the door open, and the air is totally knocked back out of my lungs.
Noah's on black pants with a light Pink hoodie that seems so casual. He looks absolutely stunning, even if his hair is left in its usual not-messy mess.
"You look great in Pink." My voice pulls him out of his own reverie as his gaze leaves my body and travels up to meet my eyes.
"So do you." He smiles, slowly outstretching a box to me.
"Chocolates?" I look inside.
"Yes. The flower shops ran out of supplies, so I got chocolates instead." Noah looks over my shoulders. "Hey, Lacey."
"Thought I was going to get unnoticed." She strolls lazily towards us and rests on the doorframe, staring at Noah straight in the eye. "Bring her back by 9."
Noah and I exchange looks at how dead serious Lacey sounds, then she bursts out laughing. "Sorry. I wanted to know how it feels like anytime my Mom says that."
Noah merely does an eye-roll. "Meet me outside." He tells me and walks off.
"I'll take those." I make no protest when Lacey collects the box of chocolates from my grip. "Have fun. And you might need these." She reaches into her back pockets and holds out six rows of familiar looking sachets.
"Condoms? Are you fucking kidding me? What am I supposed to do with those?"
"For spermicidal chewing gum, you dipshit. He got a boner just looking at you. I can tell he wants to hit that shit again."
Baffled, I stare at her in silence, then snatch the sachets from her hands with an exasperated groan as she smiles sweetly at me. "What would you ever do without me?"
"I shudder to think," I wryly answer.
He's waiting for me inside the truck when I reach downstairs and I slide into the front seat. Noah starts the engine immediately as the vehicle moves at a medium pace under his control.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"It's a theater. A collaborative event from performing art clubs around town." He smiles proudly. "Jane's going to be playing the Piano."
"So, Miss Renee's going to be there?"
"Yeah. Got a problem with her."
"What? No. Miss Renee's the best. I can't wait to meet the rest of your family."
His eyes leave the road to stare at me. "Are you serious? My family is insane."
"No they're not."
"My mom used to make me wear skirts."
I press my mouth into a thin line to stop myself from laughing. Obviously, I fail, cackling like a Donkey as his eyes watch me with amusement. "Honestly, when I saw that photo at Miss Renee's house, first thought that popped into my head was Holy shit! Noah's transgender. I began to doubt if you had an actual dick."
"Well, that doubt has been cleared. Hasn't it?"
I immediately stop laughing, my face heating up as I look away from him. It's his own turn to start laughing.
In less than fifteen minutes, he pulls up in a parking lot and unbuckles his seatbelt. I do the same. The theater's already crowded when we walk into one of the auditoriums. People are already filling the seats as it looks like the event's about to start. Noah grabs my hands when one of the male performers smiles at me and gives a half-bow that's completely natural and respectful. I smile back as Noah pulls me a little closer to his side in one of those gestures guys use to signal other men that they are edging into personal territory.
We finally settle down in the front row when the lights slowly dims. It starts with an opening orchestral performance by young kids, leaving the whole auditorium in complete awe.
"Where's Miss Renee? I don't see her anywhere." I look around.
"Over there." Noah points behind us and I see her with a big smile on her face, looking like she's about to tear up as Jane comes out next to perform.
Looking so tiny on the huge stage, Jane's eyes scans the crowd in search for us. Her grin spreads when she spots Noah in the front row and proceeds to sit behind the Piano. The song of her solo Piano piece is so sad that I almost tear up.
Her little fingers continue to dance around the piano, slowly and beautifully. I recognize the song as Natalie Taylor's Surrender when she hits the first verse. I feel my eyes closing, playing the lyrics in my head along with her tune that plays like a lullaby.
When she hits the last note, I stand up with the rest of the audience for a standing ovation as she blushes and bows, then disappears backstage for the next performance.
"That was lovely," I say, beaming up at Noah who just stares at me with an unreadable expression.
"Can I tell you something?"
"What?"
"You give me premature ventricular contractions."
I give him a weird look. "I'm assuming that's a good thing?"
"You make my heart skip a beat."
My expression morphs into understanding, then admiration, rendering me speechless.
What am I supposed to say?
"Hi, can I borrow your friend for a bit?" The male performer from earlier appears before us, directing his question to Noah before taking me by the hand and leading me to the stage.
"Nothing to fear. I'm only using you for a few of my magic tricks," he whispers in my ears. His accent shouted 'French!' "How would you like to float on air?"
Minutes into his performance, and I really did float on air. It leaves the audience(and even me) bewildered. After that, he does a card trick, a hat trick where he removes the hat that has been laying on his head and pulls out a white rabbit inside, a pillow, a hammer, pairs of socks, and a bra. There is never a moment with him on the stage where I feel bored.
When it's all over, he walks me back to my seat. With a snap of his finger, a single Rose flower appears in his hands and he offers it to me.
"You were amazing tonight," I grin. I hold out my hand to shake hands with him, but the French dude instead carries my hand to his lips and kisses it.
With a groan, Noah reaches out and frees my hand from his grip. "Cut it out. She's taken."
"So am I, monsieur," he murmurs. "I am not, however, unappreciative."
"I'm glad. Now go appreciate someone else."
He nods slowly and I chuckle, watching him walk away. "Frenchmen kiss hands. They don't mean anything by it."
"Bullshit. He's a guy, isn't he? He means something by it."
"You'd know that from experience?"
"Oh, yeah." Noah takes my hand himself. "Damn Frenchmen kiss everything they can. There's no telling where his lips have been."
"Does that mean I should boil my hand to get rid of the germs?"
"No, but if he kisses you again, I'll boil his lips."
I laugh softly, leaning against his arm. It's around 5 o'clock that we head back to the hotel in the truck after a few more performances and chit-chat with Miss Renee.
As we bump along the access road, I stretch out luxuriously on the passenger's seat. "Do you want to stop for food?"
"It depends. Are you hungry?"
"I'm not sure. I'm craving Ice cream."
"They have that at the hotel," he says. "I can get that and bring it to your room."
"And one of your hoodies?"
"You can have the one I'm wearing."
I trail a finger up his thigh. "Can you spend the night?"
"I'll work something out." He hisses through his teeth when my fingers streaks up.
"Or at least stay till I fall asleep."
"Well, that's a given. Pancakes in the morning?"
Inspired, I struggle out of my cardigan.
"Too warm?" Automatically, he reaches down to adjust the heater.
"It's going to be," I say, tugging my cardigan over my head.
"What are you doing?" Shock makes him nearly run off the road. "Put that back on."
"Pull over." I flick the front hook of my bra.
"It's a public road. It's broad daylight."
I reach over, tug down his zipper, find him hard and ready. "And your point is?"
"You're out of your mind. Anybody could come along and... Jesus, Allie," he manages as I slide my head under his arm and clamp my mouth on his. "I'll kill us."
"Pull over," I repeat.
The truck rocks, the wheels spins, but he manages to get to the side of the road without flipping us over. He jerks on the brake, fights himself free of the seat belt. In one move he has me one my back, all but folded on the seat while I struggle with his jeans.
"We'll be arrested," he pants.
"I'll risk it."
"We— oh, God." His hands dig under my skirt. "No underwear?"
"I must be psychic." I grope my purse and open it, toss it aside, and let the trail of condoms spill out.
He blinks, clears his throat. "I don't know whether to be afraid or flattered."
I let out a laugh as he covers my mouth with his, then arch up. My moan comes deep and throaty and melds with his as he rams himself into me.
There's only gasps and groans and pants. The windows steams, the seat squeaks, and we come almost in unison in less than a dozen thrusts.
"Good God." He would've collapsed on me if there'd been room. "I must be crazy."
Someone's cellphone rings. I'm not sure whose is it but Noah picks a phone where both of ours rests, presses it to his ear. "This better be an emergency because I'm kind of in the middle of something..." he frowns. "...oh... really?... Yeah we can do that... Cool."
"Who was that?" I ask when he ends the call.
"Tom's just down by the road and wants us to pick him up."
"Couldn't he take a bus?" I begin to hook back my bra.
"He got robbed. No available cash on him."
Scrambling into the backseat, I tug my cardigan on, trying to arrange my hair at the same time. "And uh... you got lipstick on your face."
"No shit."
Tom's silhouette slowly comes in view when we continue to drive down the road. Noah pulls over again and gets off the driver's seat. I see them exchange pleasantries, Noah throws him the truck keys and slides into the front seat, allowing Tom drive us back to the hotel.
Nothing is said between us for the first five minutes, until Tom raises his eyes to stare at me in the rear-view mirror. "So... you and Noah, huh? Did he... did he do you yet?"
I stick a tongue inside my cheek, glance over at Noah then back at him. "Yes. Five minutes ago. Right where you're sitting."
Tom's expression immediately turns sour and I hear Noah's low chuckle. He doesn't say anything else, probably in fear of what he might find out next(like the fact that he's sitting on a used condom). And the stupid goofy smile wouldn't leave my face.