Not Long At All

Chapter Twenty One

Sarah's POV:

      "Sweet or sour?"

      We laid on opposite ends of the couch facing each other, the TV quietly playing in the background. David held a beer in his lap, "Sweet. Cat or dog?"

      The game had started nearly an hour ago. I'd put aside looking for tickets once the pizza had arrived, and it wasn't much longer after that we'd decided nothing good was on TV. So the questions started. We learned fairly quickly to avoid questions about family or the past, David being unable to answer. So we stuck to easy ones.

      I squeezed a throw pillow to my chest, "Definitely dog. You?"

      He nodded, "Dog."

       I clicked my tongue, trying to think of another, "Okay, classical or rock?"

      David laughed, "Rock, the good stuff."

      He watched me and I smiled, "Your turn."

       "Oh! Okay..." He thought before stretching over to the coffee table, reaching for the open pizza box. After grabbing a slice, he grunted, using momentum to fling himself back onto the couch. I smiled, "Very attractive."

      He nodded, taking a bite, "Thank you."

      Crinkling my nose in mock disgust I shook my head, "It's still your turn dork."

      David sipped his beer, "Tap shoes or sneakers."

      I laughed, "Tap shoes. They're more original."

     He nodded into the bottle, "I see that. Hey," he looked up to me, "Are you sure you don't want one?"

      I'd already turned a beer down once, but not just because I was underage. Unlike a lot of kids at school, I'd never had a drink before and was worried I wouldn't like it. That wasn't an experience I wanted to have in front of him. I was sure he wouldn't care one way or another, but he made me nervous in a way Jareth hadn't. David seemed more grounded, there was a sort of mystifying maturity that Jareth had lacked.

      Shaking my head, I settled into my spot, "No, I'm good."

      He nodded, "Not into beer?"

      Of course. My luck hates me. I opened my mouth, unsure of how to answer. Should I lie and just say no? Was it even a big deal that I'd never had any? Maybe I should just say I'm a tequila drinker. Not wanting to dig a whole, I tentatively went with the truth, "I've... never had a drink."

      He laughed, smiling, "Seriously?"

      "What?" I kicked him, playfully defensive, "I'm only seventeen. It's not a requirement to illegally drink."

      He frowned, his smile confused, "Wait. How old are you?"

      "Seventeen." 

      I watched his smile drop, "Seventeen?"

      Hit with insecurity, I nodded, "Yeah. What did you think?"

      Blowing air from his lungs, David shrugged, "I thought you were like at least twenty."

      I raised my eyebrows, incredulous, "Twenty?"

      David raised a hand, "You bashed a guy's head in with a pipe. And then ran him over. I don't know, I guess it made you seem older."

      I nodded, eyes squinted, "I appreciate your criteria for a twenty year old."

      Laughing, he tossed the rest of his pizza into the box, "I just thought you were older."