"Hmm," Noel said biting into a thick cut fry, "What is your favorite day of the week?"
"Monday," I said with a laugh throwing a fry into my mouth with a laugh.
"Really? Why?" Noel crinkled his nose in distaste.
"Because poor Monday is always hated on," I said with sympathetic puppy dog eyes. Noel gave me a steady look that made me laugh and throw a fry at his face. "Fine, fine... I like Wednesday."
"Why?" Noel said seriously.
"Because it's humpday," I cackled with a grin.
"Today is Wednesday," he said with a wink. "Fine. Don't answer my question seriously," he stuck his tongue out at me. "You're question."
I half smiled, to myself, and tapped my chin. "How many girlfriends have you had?"
"Pass."
"Nah-uh! You can't just pass I want to know," I whined.
"I will never tell. Moihahaha!" Noel gave his signiture smirk and tapped his long fingers together.
"Okay, don't tell me. I will just ask Aud I'm sure she'd be more then willing to dish the dirt," I cleverly retorted, quite pleased to find his face loose a shade of color.
Noel threw a fry at me. "Cheater!"
"Ha-ha. You're calling me a cheater? You're the one who won't even answer the question," I sniffed a tad dramatically.
"Okay but if I don't get a pass then neither do you," he raised an eyebrow in that irritating way of his that I tried, hopelessly, to imitate.
"So? I wasn't planning on passing. Unlike you I don't keep secrets. I'm an open book," I made a bowing motion. "Ask away."
"Fine. Two. Are you a virgin?" he said all in one breath.
"Two?!? I don't believe you. There's no way," I protested dodging the question with a gasp of surprise.
"Answer the question, Kat."
"Pass."
"Oh no! You're so not getting away with that. If you don't tell me I'll assume the worst," he said.
"Yes."
Noel raised an eyebrow but didn't question any further.
"Okay, my question," I mumbled thoughtfully and then broke out into a wide spread grin. "What guy would you go gay for?"
"Hmm I've put a lot of thought into this," he said seriously sending me into a fit of giggles. "Orlando Bloom 'cause girl he's just fine." The two of us collapsed against the table top in laughter.
My phone buzzed in her pocket. "It's Ryan," I said, feeling almost sad at the thought, looking up from my text. "I'm meeting him. I'm really sorry, it has been great hanging out with you."
Noel opened his mouth like he was about to say something and then closed it. "Oh I almost forgot," I said hurrying back to the table. "Here's a twenty for the bill, uh, keep the change or leave it as a tip or something. Wouldn't want people to mistake this as a date now would we?" I winked in hopes he knew I was talking about the cute waitress whose uniform zipper had grown increasingly lower every time she came to check up on us.
Ryan had an amazing date planned, so he claimed at least. He met me outside the local Community Centre. Inside was a huge room filled with ramps and bars and other things that looked really fun and dangerous all at once. Aside from that, at nine in the evening, it was empty.
"What are we doing here?" I asked with a laugh as Ryan buckled a helmet under my chin.
"I think that's rather obvious," he grinned back at me.
We spent two hours in a corny-montage-type setting. He showed off his bike tricks and tought me a few, acted as my safety cushion when I tried out the roller blades, and tought me how to slide my skateboard along the rails. And, despite all the sweat, he gave me a kiss at the end of the night when we'd climbed the highest ramp and laid there looking at the light flicker on and off overhead.
"You're more then I ever expected you to be," Ryan said refusing to look away from the ceiling.
"I'm going to assume," I said rolling onto my stomach to look at his face, "that was meant to be a compliment."
The corners of his mouth twitched up for a second. "It was indeed. You're a special girl, Kat, so full of life and humor. I-I'm sorry for what I said to you in the parking lot that day. I've been feeling awful that all you got was me harassing you in the school hallway. You deserve a guy better then me." He blinked for a second and I just watched him, unsure of what to say or if I should say anything at all for that matter. "You," he said after a long while, "deserve a guy like Noel."
I would've protested but honestly I felt like some cosmic foot had just descended for the sole purpose of kicking me in the stomach and knocking the wind out of my lungs. "Look," he said a little sadly, "even you can't argue it. The way he stood up for you that day... isn't that what all girls are looking for? That knight in shining armor? He was that for you, he came and rescued you and instead of kissing you like he really wanted to," was it obvious to everyone but me?!?, "he did the whole chilvary thing and refused because that was your wish. I guess what I'm trying to say is: If you have an amazing guy like him waiting in the wings then... why choose me?"
"Because you made a mistake, yes but you got down on your knee the next day and apologized to me for it. That is chivalry. I have never heard the words 'I'm sorry' come out of Noel's mouth. Yes, he is an amazing guy but so are you. You are each unique though and, therefore, incomparable."
His phone buzzed in his jacket pocket and he snatched it out from where it was balled under his head. "What?" he asked rather harshly. "Uh-huh, I guess. Okay. I'll be there soon. Bye," he glanced over at my and I must have looked curious because he nodded his mouth in a grim line, "My mom calling. She needs me home, like now. I'm so sorry for it interrupting all this." He bent down and kissed me quickly. "I'll go put the stuff in the other room and then we'll head out, okay?"
"Sure," I nodded not willing to get up from this very comfy ramp. Ryan slid down the ramp and began loading the bikes in the back of the room off this one. I was sure if his phone hadn't gone off he would've told me that he loved me. The word was on the tip of his tongue and I was almost certain I loved him.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and I grabbed it and flipped it open. "Hey, Elsie," I said cheerily using his mom's first name.
"Who the hell is Elsie? Who, for that matter," the voice on the other end snapped, "are you?"
"Um, I'm Kat, Ryan's girlfriend."
"OMG not you again did you like steal his phone?" the voice, which I know recognized as Rhianna, asked.
"No, I didn't actually I'm the one dating him and that makes you the stalker ex," I said trying not to let my voice show how much she intimidated me.
She let out a quick laugh. "Is that what he told you? Whatever, tell him that me and the twins are getting cold so he better hurry it up if he wants to do this." Then she hung up with a quick click.
