Babysitter or Boyfriend?

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"You're lying!" I cried, swatting Conner's leg.

"I'm not," he shook his head with a grin.

"You got pantsed on prom night?" at his nod, I burst out laughing-unable to hold it in a second longer. "And people think girls are evil! Something like that would've scarred me for the rest of my life. I'd never go to school again."

Conner nodded. "Yeah, for awhile everyone knew me as 'that guy that got pantsed at prom,' but I just had to laugh about it. My friends knew no boundaries when it came to pulling pranks."

"No kidding," I shook my head, then sighed grudgingly. "Okay, okay, you're right. Your most embarrassing moment definitely tops mine."

"Told ya," Conner smirked at me.

I smiled. "Hey, I happen to be a rather accident-prone, klutzy person, so let's compare notes again in a year," I nudged him gently with my elbow, and he nudged back.

I had no idea what time it was, but guessed somewhere around two o'clock in the morning. The date had, more or less, officially ended around midnight, when Brooke dragged Alex off to who even knew where. Probably some secret lair of evilness.

After the world's most awkward question, in what should have been an innocent game between friends, I would say my membership in Brooke's fan club had officially expired. That is, if there was even a membership to begin with.

Anyway, instead of calling it a night when the other couple bailed, Conner and I ended up sitting on the front step of his apartment. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but I was getting used to that with Conner. He warmed up after a few minutes, and now, at least two hours later, we were chatting like old friends.

Old friends that just might be flirting with each other. A lot.

"What's your biggest fear?" Conner asked suddenly.

I considered the question. I was afraid of spiders and really deep water, and absolutely petrified of heights, but the answer that came out was much more profound than any of those things. "Failure," I said simply.

Conner studied my face, willing me to explain.

"I have a lot of goals in life," I finally said, a little shyly. "And yet sometimes I take on more responsibility than I think is really...I don't know, healthy, I guess. I'm afraid one day I'm going to fail at something, and then before I know it the rest of my life will be in pieces. Does that make any sense whatsoever?"

Conner smiled, but it was a tiny one that faded quickly. "Yeah, it makes a lot more sense than you think."

A moment of silence fell between us, and then I turned my head to look at him and said, "Okay, now you know my weakness. Your turn."

Conner chuckled. "My biggest fear...probably disappointing the people I care about most," he murmured. "I know that makes me seem like I'm really hard on myself, but like you, I've always taken on quite a bit of responsibility. My siblings look up to me, my parents expect me to be really successful in school and in my career...I don't know, I guess I'm afraid I won't live up to that."

My heart went out to him. Conner was a good person, and I had a feeling he couldn't become a disappointment even if he tried.

Another heavy silence fell upon us, and surprisingly, Conner was the first to break it. "Then again, my fear of being eaten by a shark is pretty up there."

I burst out laughing, and after a moment he joined in.

It was official. Becca Reynolds was the luckiest girl in the world.