Falling For The Nerd

The Beach!

           It is Monday. Four pm. I am supposed to be picking up Melissa right now. Instead, I'm in my parents bedroom, struggling to deal with a nasty bed head of mine. I had been sleeping the whole day, and now I regret it. "Derek! Aren't you getting late?"Mom called from downstairs. "Yeah I know! I'm leaving in a minute!" I screamed back. I opened random drawers and heaved a sigh of relief when I spotted my dad's hair gel. Now, I'm not that type of person who spends twelve hours a day styling their hair into the perfect mohawk and the other twelve hours maintaining it, but today was an emergency. I squeezed some into my hand and flattened my hair. Satisfied, I grinned at my reflection and ran to my car.

            As I drove I called Melissa. "Hey Lizzie. Just stand outside, I'll be there in a minute." I said before she coulde even say hello. "I'm already waiting D." Melissa said and she cut the call. I stopped by her driveway and she was standing there with the arms folded across her chest. I got out of the car and she said, "You're late. This will go on your permanent record, Mr.Fields." "Sorry Liz." I said and she smiled her beautiful smile. She wore a floral dress and her hair was pinned back, leaving it free to fly, but not hit her face. She stepped forward and I hugged her, burying my face in her neck. She smelt like roses and honey and everything nice. Somehow, that smell always calmed me down. "Okay. Derek, we are going to the park." Melissa said once I let go of her.

               At the park, Melissa took my hand and we walked in silence. It was comfortable, not saying anything, just being there in each others company. In the distance, I spotted Tony's stall and asked Melissa,"Wanna have a hotdog or something?" "Yeah. Let's go." Melissa said. Tony was a retired man who sold the best hotdogs and cotton candy in our town. He had one portable stall that he put up every morning at the same place in the park, so that he could watch children play. Melissa greeted him and ordered a hot dog. Tony looked at me and said, "The regular, Derek?" "Yeah, thanks." I said as he handed me a cotton candy with mustard sprinkled on top of it. I bring the team to Tony's after match, so you could say I was a regular and I always ordered the same thing. After paying him, Melissa and I sat on a bench facing the sandbox.

             "So Derek, Remy and Mike have invited me New York this weekend. Like a end-of-exams holiday." Melissa began hesitantly. "Okay." I said. "They want me to take my friends with me. We can't stay with them, obviously, but they are sponsoring our trip. We can go to the beach and shopping and they are paying for everything. Even hotel rooms. So I was wondering if you and the boys want to join us." Melissa said. "You already invited someone?" I asked. "Yeah. Gwen and Amber." Melissa replied. "Oh. Great! I'll call the boys right now."
I called Jake first. The moment he said hello, I said, "Dude, Melissa's folks want to send us to New York for the weekend. All expenses paid. There's Lizzie, me, Amber and Gwen. You in?" The line went silent for a while and I assumed that Jake was talking to his mom. After a couple of minutes Jake spoke, "I'm ready. Should I carry my swimming trunks?" "Yeah, I guess. Got to call Leo. Later." The call with Leo followed a similar pattern. Finally he too agreed to join us.
                "All done. So, this was like a pre-date?" I asked. Melissa just looked at me. "Like a preparation for an even better date." I explained. "Yeah. You can say that." She smiled. "I did not get a chance to plan anything more though. I was concentrating on breaking the news to you. So what do you wanna do now?" Melissa asked with the hint of a grin. "Hmm...we came in my car, so how about I drop you home now? It is getting dark young lady." I said with fake concern. "Yes. The light is fading fast!" Melissa said dramatically. "Let's go home then." I said and we both went back to the car.
              As per tradition, I dropped Melissa home and parked some distance ahead. I climbed up her balcony, pausing only to pluck a flower from her garden. "For you, madam." I handed her the flower, pulled her close and kissed her. We sat on her bed talking and I asked her, " You said Remy and Mike will be paying for the rooms and stuff. So how many rooms will be having?" "I'm not sure, perhaps two. Girls in one and boys in another." Melissa replied. "Tell them to make it three rooms, maybe? Three people in a room can get hard to adjust." I said. Melissa merely smiled as if she knew my intentions. Then again, maybe she did. "Maybe I will." Melissa smiled.
This trip was going to be awesome.