1981
Brookline, Massachusetts
The day prom was scheduled to happen, Conan was busy. He had decided not to go, and his father asked him to buy some manure for the garden. It was okay, it did stink a lot, but he went to the store and stacked those bags in the back of the truck. Now he was stinking as well. Great. But it was okay, since he would be home soon. He was calmly driving back to his house when he stopped at a sign. He noticed a very shiny limo stopped right next to him. He looked inside.
June? She looked amazing. God, she looked gorgeous, like an angel. Who was she with? Johnny? She was going to prom with Johnny? I mean, Johnny wasn't that bad, but Conan would never guess June was going to prom with him. At this point he didn't know why he cared. She was distracted talking to Johnny, and she had a smile, until she turned around and locked eyes with Conan. She looked at him, all messy and a bit dirty, then looked down, and they drove off. Conan didn't function for a couple of seconds.
He felt so stupid. She asked him if he was going to prom. And he said no. She clearly wanted to go with him. Conan didn't want to admit how jealous it made him feel. He decided it was a waste of time, but seeing June with someone else... he sighed. He drove home, feeling like he was on automatic pilot for most of the trip. That image of her wearing a beautiful black dress and the curls of her long brown hair, with those red lips wouldn't leave his head soon.
Conan parked the truck and entered home to meet the frown of his siblings. Maybe he was stinking more than he thought he was. He immediately went on to take a shower, images of June popping up in his head. He tried to convince himself that he had made the right decision on not going to the prom, but as the water ran down his body, he regretted treating the subject the way he did. He even remembered she seemed a bit sad when he said he thought prom was stupid.
Conan ended up acknowledging that if June had asked, he would do it in a heartbeat. But he didn't know, and he didn't notice the clues. He stepped out of the shower, and went to his bedroom to put on some comfy pajamas. He deserved it after carrying bags of shit around for most of the afternoon. By the time he finished, everybody had left. He didn't feel like going out and he pretty much wanted to watch Star Wars by himself in the living room. He prepared some popcorn, he burned some few little corns, but it turned out more than fine.
He had just rented the VHS for The Empire Strikes Back, and he decided to watch it with a copy of the original Star Wars he already had. He had the house to himself after all, so he made himself comfortable and grabbed a good amount of junk food from the kitchen, including some chips, cookies, and a bottle of soda. He would eat his frustration away, apparently. He popped the movie in, and a bit after the plan to blow up the Death Star was explained by the rebel forces, someone knocked on the door.
Conan frowned. He had hoped he would be alone for at least three hours. He got up to open the door and there she was. June. Her tiny fist was still up to knock on the door one more time when their eyes met the second time that day. She was looking way better than he realized. Looking at her from afar didn't make her any justice. She was breathtaking. Her smell was delicious, her lips looking so kissable, and he knew that as he realized it, he got redder, and he felt himself blushing, but he couldn't help it. They stared at each other for a while. June shyly smiled at him.
Conan's hair was wet, and he had that pleasantly fresh smell of someone who just got out of the shower. He was in pajamas, so adorably cute that she couldn't help but smile. He ended up smiling to her as well, as she entered his house. She was supposed to be at prom, and he knew it, but he didn't have the courage to ask her why she wasn't there anymore.
"I'm sorry." June said. "I didn't want to bother."
He shook his head. "No, it's... okay. It's okay. I was just..."
She remained silent. "I was just watching Star Wars."
"Oh." she said. "I... I was at..."
She decided not to go into it. "May I... stay here?"
He nodded, feeling a bit nervous. "Yes, yes. Of course."
Both sat on the couch, and Conan proceeded to share the food with her. She made herself comfortable, to the point she was leaning against him, her face against his shoulder, next to his neck. His arm went around her to the bowl of popcorn and it stayed there for the rest of the first movie. They had two pauses for bathroom breaks, and Conan eventually asked June why she wasn't at prom.
"Johnny... I went with Johnny." she began. "But he wasn't really interested, and we aren't that close. I started to feel bored and I just wanted..."
Her voice faded. "It wasn't fun there."
'But it feels fun when you're around', she wanted to say. Conan understood this feeling, and it was the same feeling he had when June traveled and spent time away. He never complained, he thought he would be perceived as clingy, but things were infinitely more interesting and fun when she was with him. He smiled at her, realizing that she left to be with him and he never felt more flattered. Suddenly, not going to the prom wasn't the worst thing ever after all.
"You look amazing." he said. It sounded more like a whisper, they were so close now and Conan couldn't hold it any longer. He felt himself blushing after he said it, not sure of what her reaction would be. She blushed as well, not expecting it, and not expecting to feel so warm inside. Her heart started to beat so fast, but she tried to keep her cool.
She approached his face and kissed him on the cheek, something that she had done previously, but not in this context. He felt her warm lips on his face, and he felt as she left a bit of her lipstick on his skin. A perfectly shaped red smooch. She had her eyes closed while kissing him, and he slowly closed his, enjoying the moment. She opened her eyes to look at the bright red lip shaped mark on his cheek, and she couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between the lipstick and his pale skin.
While giggling, she proceeded to kiss him delicately, until the left side of his face was covered with gorgeous red kisses. They both giggled as it happened, and Conan felt something... that he had never felt before. He started to consider the possibility that yes, he did like June. And that he wanted more than kisses on the cheek.
At that exact moment, Kate came home, to find Conan and June dangerously close to each other, while her friendly neighbor covered her brother's face in kisses. Both Conan and June were startled and Kate started to giggle, while June left the house, a bit embarrassed. Conan ran to the bathroom to get rid of those very public displays of affection, but not before looking in the mirror and admiring those lipstick kisses for a bit.
