During the course of a month, Gerard completely intoxicated me. I was only interested in what was going on with our 'relationship.' I had become one of those girls I absolutely hated. Like Annabelle with Mikey, I was almost obsessed with Gerard and everything to do with him. He called me every day, and when he did I felt completely elated. We spent every moment together we could, and when we hung out with everyone else, we exchanged glances and snatched kisses when no one was looking. Hiding our relationship made me feel like I was carrying a glowing talisman inside my chest. I could smile blandly in Annabelle's face when she confessed her guilt at abusing Mikey's chest yet another time. When she demanded why Gerard and I weren't together yet, I could hardly suppress my smirks.
I was brushing my hair carefully, in preparation for Gerard's secret visit on that particular mundane Saturday afternoon. As usual, my mind dwelt on our last meeting, and the electricity that always coursed between us, the way that we seemed to thrive off of each other. When we kissed, it was like fireworks.
Just thinking about it for a few moments left me astoundingly short of breath, and I grinned at my reflection. I quickly flicked my eyes down to my watch, and my grin grew impossibly wider as I realised that Gerard would be flicking stones at my window in 10 minutes.
My phone vibrated joyfully on my dressing table, and I snatched it up so quickly that it was still vibrating in my hand.
'Hey C, on way now, G xxx,'
Even seeing his name on my phone led to my stomach doing wild somersaults. How could I feel so much for him after such a short time? I didn't believe in people being made for each other, but Gerard was starting to change my mind.
They say that when you are in love you just know, and at that moment I just knew. It hit me like a lightning bolt and nearly knocked me down with shock. It made sense, but I was in a more precarious position than ever. If Gerard chose to knock me back, I had a long way to fall.
Just then, the stones that I had forgotten I was anticipating began to hit my window. Automatically, I skipped down the stairs and let Gerard in through the back door. Seeing him in the flesh after just thinking about him was surreal. If possible, he was even more perfect in real form than he was in my wildest dreams. I unexpectedly threw my arms around him, and he responded by stroking my hair and planting a luscious kiss on my lips.
"Where's your mom?" he whispered,
"She went out shopping," I replied, starting to lead him upstairs,
"And you still didn't let me come around the front," he joked,
"She'll be back any minute!" I told him, and I felt a pleasurable thrill with shock as he wrapped his arms around my waist as we walked up the stairs.
As soon as the door was closed, he kissed me passionately, and I ran my fingers fondly through his hair.
"How are you?" I asked, taking a bit of time to regain my breath.
"Now I'm really great," he said, sitting down next to me on the bed,
"Me too," I replied happily, resting my head on his shoulder.
"It's been a month already you know," said Gerard thoughtfully. As if I hadn't realised that already!
"I know," I said contentedly.
"It's been a great month," commented Gerard, and I felt myself glow.
"It really has,"
"I think so far it's my most successful relationship," he said, and I raised my eyebrows,
"Really?" I asked, and he looked sardonically amused,
"Why so surprised, is it not going so well for you?"
"No, it's my best relationship so far too," I replied,
It was true. I had never been in love before. Gerard had my heart, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't put it into words. Instead, when he kissed me I completely succumbed.
Everything felt perfect, it was right, it felt right. 'Is this right?' I asked myself a thousand times, and the positive answer was the same each time.
It was inevitable that it was going to happen, I just didn't think that it would happen so soon.
We had only been together a month, and we hadn't known each other that much longer. It should have felt so wrong. It was never how I intended it to happen.
It was flawless though, and laying in his arms afterwards I knew it had been the right thing...
"I'm sorry," said Gerard softly, and black tendrils of his hair invaded my vision. He was leaning tenderly over me.
"Why are you sorry?" I asked, sitting up in bed, holding up the sheet at the same time, in order to cover my modesty.
"Because that wasn't the way it's supposed to happen the first time," confessed Gerard, "there should have been candles and rose petals and romance,"
"The candles and rose petals may have been absent, but the romance was there in abundance," I said, kissing him. It would have been the perfect time to tell him I loved him, but I didn't feel that there was any need.
We shared a look that communicated a million things I could never decipher, and he wrapped his arms around me contentedly.
"Connie, I..." he started to say, but then we heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
We both jumped and looked, terrified, at each other.
"Quick!" I hissed, "Hide!"
"Where?" he demanded, gathering up his clothes,
"Under the bed!" I said frantically, pulling my own clothes on as fast as I could.
A knock sounded on my door.
I performed a quick, panicked scan of the room, but as the knock sounded again I had no choice but to open it. I was decent, at least.
To my great relief, a diminutive Frank was standing in the doorway rather than my slightly domineering mother.
"Hey Frank!" I said in a high pitched voice,
"Hey," he said slowly, walking into my room with a suspicious look on his face, "you sound weird, what's up?"
"Nothing," I lied, my voice still coming out extremely high pitched.
"You're lying," he said accusingly,
"I'm not," I denied unconvincingly,
He narrowed his eyes at me, "I'm your cousin, C, I can tell," he said,
He scanned the room and I studied his face carefully. His eyes spontaneously widened and he returned his gaze to me with an expression on his face half of shock, half of triumph.
"Oh my God, I never thought I'd see the day! You've had a guy in here!" he had a sly grin on his face now,
"I haven't," I lied resolutely,
"Then why is your bed all messed up?" he asked, pointing to my bed,
My brain buzzed as I sifted through it frantically looking or a suitable lie to tell, "I was having a nap," I said in mock disdain, "a guy in here? Ridiculous!"
"If you haven't been up to...eew," he said, making a face before continuing, "then how come your t shirt is inside out, and back to front,"
I looked down, blushing as I realised that he was, in fact, totally right. Crap.
"I just put it on randomly," I said, "like I said, I'm just hanging out, napping...alone,"
He raised his eyebrows as I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot,
"Ok, then why is your bra on that chair over there," his bright eyes were now eagerly searching the room for ways to catch me out,
"It's dirty," I said desperately, snatching it up, "Its been there for days!"
He laughed, "I know you better than you know yourself," he commented, "and you never leave dirty underwear out,"
I was trying to come up with a suitable rebuttal, but he gasped so loudly that I was distracted.
Gerard had left his t shirt on the other side of my room, draped over a pink chair. Frank was holding it up gleefully, "and what is this?" he asked,
"I sleep in it," I said dubiously, "don't worry about it,"
"I'm not worried," he said with a smirk. Sometimes Frank could be such an annoying brother-figure.
The smirk slid off his face though, as he examined the t shirt more closely.
"I recognise this shirt!" he said, and I couldn't work out why his voice sounded so angry.
"You do?" I asked, my eyebrows creasing,
"How could you do this Connie!" Frank demanded, brandishing the shirt like a weapon,
"Do what?" I asked bemusedly,
Now I was the one being kept in the dark.
"I know that their relationship is in a difficult place, but that doesn't justify doing this!" he said, still looking deadly angry.
I still didn't understand, so I just stood looking completely blank.
"How could you do that to Annabelle!" Frank demanded,
I frowned, "do what to Annabelle?" I demanded,
"You can't sleep with Mikey, it's just plain wrong," Frank hissed as loudly as he dared. I assumed my mother was now back in the house.
There was nothing for it, I had to come clean; I couldn't let Frank think such a terrible thing about me.
I sighed, resigned to my fate, "You can come out now," I said quietly, and Frank looked around wildly.
When Gerard shuffled out from under my bed, looking sheepish and holding his clothes in a bundle, Frank's expression cleared.
"You two got together!" he said happily, "I'm so happy for you guys!"
Gerard and I grinned at each other, and he put an arm around me.
"Aw, aren't you cute!" he chuckled, but then his expression clouded over. "Hey, Gee," he said, looking warily at Gerard, "you better be serious about my cousin," he said warningly, "if you ever break her heart, I'll kill you,"
We couldn't help but burst into torrents of laughter. The idea of tiny, 5'4" Frank killing anyone was too comical to bear.
In bed that night, I contemplated my day. Frank finding out had been instrumental for Gerard and I. He had told Mikey that evening, and I was due to break the news to everyone else on Monday. Finally I felt like we were in a proper relationship. I had to wait a moment for the swoops in my stomach to subside before I could think clearly again. This had to be the best feeling in the world. All I need now was for Gerard to be in love with me too...
