Live While We're Young

Chapter 7: Movies

Leo: I could hear her hitting the volleyball around. I never was a big fan of volleyball. At least until I saw her play. Sure, you might say its creepy, but I haven’t missed a single on of Taylor’s games. Partly because it made her smile when I showed up, because her parents never really made it, and partly because she just looked so good doing it. I liked being able to witness both her happiness and, well, her at the same time. She loved volleyball. Well, really she liked anything with a ball but that wasn’t the point.

Anyway, so I could hear her spiking the ball onto her driveway, hearing the ball fall to a thud on the ground. I could go over, make it so we were competing. I wasn’t great at volleyball. But I wasn’t bad either. She would definitely kick my butt though. Or I could stay here and let her play, so she didn’t think I was stalking her or anything. Or I could just go over and watch, but then she would say I was lazy and just start throwing the ball at me. Choices choices.

What do I do? I walk over. “Hey,” I said as I appeared in her driveway.

“Hey,” she said, hitting the ball at the garage another time.

“So, um, I was wondering,” I started, although I didn’t know where I was going with it until it came out of my mouth, “If you wanted to come over and watch a movie with me.”

Taylor stopped hitting, catching the ball and turned to face me. She glanced up and down at me, as though my physical appearance had something to do with me wanting to watch a movie with her. Then she spoke.

“What time?”

“Six-ish?” I answered, although my voice was hesitant.

“Sounds good,” Taylor said, turning to hit the ball again. I turned and headed back to the house, although I didn’t have a clue what I had just done.

Taylor: My mind was spinning. Did he want this to be, like, a date? Did he want it to be something special. Or was it not? My mind spun, like a top on a merry-go-round. Don’t try that, I never have. But still. I stopped playing volleyball, because I couldn’t concentrate on my ball anyway.

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I was standing in front of my mirror. My room was painted dark red with posters of all sorts of people acting almost as wallpaper. On my closet door, I could see my mini basketball hoop, and just slightly off that a guitar my mom gave me one year for my birthday, even though I had never shown the slightest interest in it.

I had gotten dressed into a comfy outfit and tied my hair into a neat ponytail. I had also put on just a bit of makeup, not too obvious but it was there. I didn’t know what his plan was really. Well, movies sure, but was there anything else. Some underlying cause. No I told myself for the billionth time today Guys don’t have underlying reasons. He’s inviting you over to watch a movie. That’s it. Still, I questioned it.

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I stood at his door. I took a deep breath, then knocked. A second later, maybe less, the door opened. Leo smiled. “Come on in,” he said.

“Taylor,” Louis said, smiling broadly, “I didn’t know you were coming over!”

“Yeah,” I said, “Leo and I were just going to watch a movie.” If he had bigger plans, would he have said something about it?

“Yeah, dad, so we’ll be downstairs,” Leo said.

“You don’t want a slice of pizza first?” Sarah asked, “I just brought it out of the oven.”

“I’d love a slice,” I said, smiling. I walked across to the kitchen, were one of those frozen pizza’s sat, now warm and steaming. I grabbed a slice, the oozing cheese protesting the release of the pizza. I took a bite. Leo grabbed a piece also. Then we each took a plate and a second piece and went downstairs.

Down in the Tomlinson basement, there was a room devoted to movies. On one wall there was a bookshelf filled with all sorts of movies. Next to it stood an old fashioned popcorn cart, with little boxes to put your popcorn in. On another wall towered a stereo worthy of a concert venue. Next to that was a huge plasma screen TV hanging over a fireplace. I sat down on the poofy leather couch. Leo unhooked his mom’s professional grade video camera from the TV. Then he walked over to the movies. “Any requests?” he asked.

“I don’t care. You know me,” I said, chewing my second slice of pizza. He chuckled a little to himself.

“Is Avengers good?” he asked, holding up a movie. Leo and I had always had a thing for those Marvel superheroes from my parents day in age. Avengers was our favorite. I nodded and Leo popped it in.

The movie started and we watched intently. Leo sat back on the couch next to me. I couldn’t help the feeling that I wanted something to happen.

The movie was nearing the end and I snuck a peek over at Leo. His arm was draped over the back of the couch, behind me. My breath caught. He had his arm around me. Kind of. I felt like such a girlie girl, spazzing out over a boy. But he was so close. I could smell his cologne he always wore, mixed with a scent of mint and grass. Calm Taylor I thought. I took a deep breath and focused my attention back to the movie.

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The movie finished. I was about to walk back to my place, my flip flops on. Leo and I stood talking. “Hey,” I said, finding an awkward in during the conversation.

“Yeah?” Leo said.

“This was just a movie right?” I asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Leo said, looking down at his socks. I nodded, looking up to see Louis standing at the top of the stairs.

“Um, I better get going. I, um, have some work to do,” I said. Leo nodded, not saying anything and I walked out the door.

Leo: I heard my dad chuckling to himself. I didn’t even know he was there. “What?” I asked.

“You are clueless, my son,” my dad said.

“How?” I asked.

“She asked you if this was supposed to be something. She wanted it to be,” my dad said.

“How would you know?” I asked.

“Ask your mother,” my dad said, walking away.

I looked at the door. I opened it and ran out. Taylor was almost to her house. “TAYLOR!” I called. She stopped and looked. I ran up to her. Then, without a single regret, I lifted her chin with one finger and put my mouth on her. I felt everything. The way her body felt so close, the way the warm breeze teased us.

The way she was kissing me back.