Lovingly Loving Me

Chapter two: First Kisses and Something Suspicious

As night recedes, it opens the door to a crisp Saturday morning. Obviously, I slept in because HELLO! Saturday! When I do wake up, it's because my friend calls me. 

"Hello?" I say all groggily.

"HI!" Joycelene squeaked through the phone. "Just calling to see if you're up AND remind you that you're late!"

"Wait, late?? ...For what?" I replied worriedly.

"You do realize you work part-time at a coffee shop, right?"

"I'll be there in ten, bye." Then I hang up my phone, got ready, ate breakfast, and headed for work. I got there just before eleven thirty, where I find my boss not happy.

"You're late." He says coldly.

"I know, I forgot I worked on Saturdays and must not have set my alarm," I said, avoiding eye contact. When I do, I see he's wasn't mad, just concerned.

"I won't let it happen again, sir," I say. He just smiles and walks away, so I can start working.

My job wasn't special, all I had to do was clean stuff. That's right clean tables, the bathroom, you name it I cleaned it. However, it paid pretty well, and it was basically the only job I could get since I'm thirteen, either way, it was boring. The day lagged on, it seemed like the world stopped, but everything will fall back into speed when my shift was over. After that, I knew today was gonna be a good day (today is my B-day! Shh, it's a surprise); all my friends texted me to meet them at a secret location. They'd probably planned some wild goose chase with hidden clues on where to go next, either way, I was excited. 

Finally, my shift ends and I can head home to see what my friends have planned. I arrive and grab my phone to check my messages. I get ready to head out to the mall (where I'm going to meet Joycelene) when I hear a knock at the door! I look through the keyhole to see who's there, to my surprise, he's a kid a bit older than I am wearing a red jacket over his otherwise colorless outfit. I decide to open the door and greet him.

"Hi," I say in my friendliest voice, he stares at me for a second then greets me back.

"Hi, my name is Jaden and I'm here to escort you to the mall, my lady," He says with a bow. I decide to play along and bow too.

"Why thank you, kind gentleman, I'd be ever so grateful for your kindness- Shall we go?" "Indeed, we shall, my lady," He says as he takes my hand and guides me down the front steps. We didn't talk much after that and though we spend an hour and thirty minutes riding a bus, it takes the entirety of the trip for me to notice we're still holding hands. 

A slight blush creeps across my face until my friends come and rip us apart. "Thank you!" was all I could muster as I'm quickly pulled through the mall doors.

"What's the rush, girls?" I say while slowing them down with my stubbornness.

"Because he's been waiting forev...oops." Ava smacks Linda upside the head for accidentally spilling the beans. Well at least I know it's a person I think to myself. They drag me to the food court where I see who "he" is.

"Oh no, uh... I think that's my cue! I'm going, see y'all later, byyyyyee."

"Nope, you're staying here." Joy replies.

"But...AHHH!!" I say as they push me towards him. My friends make shoving gestures with their hands, urging me onward. I wave them off as I walk to the table where Yusei was sitting. Oh gosh, I'm nervous.

"Oh, hey Elena, what's up?" He asks with a smile.

"Uh nothing, my friends just... (OMG they left me!)... Anyway, what's up with you?"

"I got a text from a friend who said it was your birthday." He says as he stands up to meet my gaze. Oh geez, this boy is gonna be the death of me. I blush at our close proximity; I turn my head hoping he didn't notice it. 

He turns my head back, grazes his hand down my cheek and looks deep into my eyes. Then it happens, his lips touch mine and it's like magic pixies dancing around me, in a way that can only be described with one word: Wow. It felt better than any birthday gift my friends could buy me. When we finally pull back I'm completely speechless; happy birthday to me.

Soon enough I'm snapped back to reality by my friends' obvious squealing.

"Hey, maybe we can hang out sometime tomorrow?" He asks me with a smile that makes my heart flutter.

"Sure, I'd like that," I say with a dreamy look. We say our goodbyes, then he walks off into the crowd leaving me to deal with my friends. They all dance around me like I'm a celebrity, I hate it when they do that. I can tell they were hoping to get some information because when I walked away they were mega bummed. 

I walk outside and spot a bench to sit on, and I don't know what it is with me and benches, but I dozed off. When I wake up I'm lying on my bed in my PJs...

Wait what the heck!? Panicked, I check my phone and find out it's the next day!! How is that possible, I try (and fail) at remembering what could have happened last night.

"Well, can't figure that out sittin' on my bed all day..." I say to myself. So, I get dressed and head downstairs for some breakfast.

Afterward, I go out to jog a bit to help me think. As I walk, I feel like I'm being watched, so I quicken my pace. Then, I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder and turn around.

"Uh, hi," I say to break the silence between us.

"Hey, you mind if I walk with you?" He asks kindly.

"Sure, it was pretty boring anyway," I reply.

"The name's Daniel but you can call me Danny,"

"Elena, nice to meet you, Danny." Somehow, I feel like I've seen him before.

"So, you live near here?" I ask.

"Yeah, not too far from here, up in Midtown, so..." He replies.

"You go to like a brick and mortar school?" I ask.

"Yeah, isn't that what pretty obvious?"

"Cool! Not always, I mean, I've been homeschooled pretty much all of my life," I reply.

"Really? That's cool yo." Somehow, I felt comfortable around Danny, maybe he'd make a good friend soon.

"Hey, you wanna go to Starbucks?" I say, pointing to its location.

"Sure! I gotta go meet some friends there anyway, they'll love you!" He says gleefully. As we made our way there I was nervous, though kind of excited, to meet Danny's friends. Who knows what's gonna happen when I go through those doors?