Flipping Coins

My left foot unsurely planted itself upon the nappy floor covering of Brendon’s room, while my right followed in close suet. My eyes scanned the enclosed vicinity, complete with its oddly vacant, plain baby blue walls to its unblemished, yet vital, furniture.

The bare minimum amount of bedroom furniture was there: bed, dresser, closet, and desk. Then there were the extra goodies such as a semi-modern computer, a worn, dented acoustic guitar, and a few pictures lining the far left wall. Other than that, I must say that it was one sad looking sight.

Hearing the floor creak slightly from behind me, I knew that Brendon had joined me in scrutinizing the pitiful excuse of a bedroom.

Smirking to myself, I asked in sarcasm, “Man. Are we not in Kansas anymore because it looks like one hell of a tornado raped this joint.”

Brendon scoffed, his brief exhale of breath blowing some strands of my hair askew. “Oh, har har har! Laugh it up as much as you want. I don’t care, because the next time you walk in here, it will be a rock star sanctuary.”

“Really? Well, I’m picturing it in my head and--honestly, Sparky--I just ain’t seeing it.”

“Well here. Let me help your malfunctioning imagination,” Brendon remarked from behind me.

With that said, he pushed me slightly as he moved forward to stand in the middle of the depressing room. Using many hand gestures, he began to point to various places along the room and explain, “Here will go a nice, expensive piano I bought from Tarpy’s Instruments last month. And this dresser will be gone to be replaced by a big ass synthesizer. Oh! And here? Here will be this sick, rare Fender I bought from this idiot on eBay---”

“Brendon,” I interrupted, giving him a serious look. “I hate to break it to you, but that spot you’re planning on placing the sick, rare Fender? Well, it’s kind of occupied already with--um--your bed, which pretty much makes a bedroom a bedroom in the first place.”

Giving me a ‘spare me’ look, Brendon snorted. “I know that, Emie. Thanks for wasting 30 seconds of my life. But I won’t need the bed. I’ve already got one at my place in town. See, I’m gonna make this room my music room.”

Making a face, I repeated, “Your music room?”

“Hell yeah! This whole room is surrounded by soundproof walls! Where else am I going to find such a convenient place to practice my awesome music skills?” Brendon rhetorically questioned, smiling a successful and proud smile.

I let the words sink into my brain (it took time to comprehend these things considering Brendon shoots out his words faster than a paranoid crack head) and then replied, “Well you just have it all figured out, huh? Strum a few strings while mom brings you milk and cookies whenever you want? God. You’re a fucking genius, Brendon.”

Brendon shot me a huge grin and laughed. “I know, right?! Jeez, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell everyone for years now! Finally! Someone gets it through their thick skull.” He beamed at me, placing his hands on his prominent hips.

“You making fun of the durability of my skull, Einstein?” I inquired, placing my own hands on my hips as well as taking an intimidating step forward.

Scoffing again, Brendon casted on a playfully challenging expression, eyebrows arching downward with a ghost of a smile lit upon his lips. Imitating me, he took a giant step forward, now so close to me that he offered his dark eyes as the only option for my pupils’ attention.

“Yeah,” Brendon whispered, looking down so that our visions were locked on each others. “Yeah, maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it, Brooks?”

As he had uttered these words, he steadily got more in my face. Each and every tiny exhale he gave off I could now feel beating against my skin. It smelled good, too. Like bubblegum.

We were closer than we had been in a very long time. (Minus that one time Brendon practically raped my back. But that doesn’t count because he was unconscious.) And ‘a very long time’ meant that one remarkable, yet sinful, night at the after party. It should have been awkward, invading each others personal space like we were doing just then, but it didn’t feel in the least bit negative. In fact, it was actually the polar opposite.

Every electron in that room must have been gravitating toward us. The overwhelming sparks of energy resulting from the electric currents that twisted themselves into an indestructible bridge between Brendon and me made this whole affair seem surreal. It was like we had captured magic in its purist form.

And there wasn’t a more perfect time for a kiss to be shared in the history of history.

What was I going to do about it? I thought to myself. That’s what he had asked.

Well, I’ll show him what I was going to do about it.

I was ready for it. I was going to do it. No regrets; just living in and for the moment.

My heels lifted off of the ground to transfer my body weight to the support of my tippy toes. It was just the extra boost I needed to get to Brendon’s plush lips, which were dangling all-too temptingly just beyond my reach. My eyes began to close, savoring the ready, excited expression that I could have sworn I had seen in Brendon’s suddenly light, carefree eyes. My eyes closed, my lips parted, and….

“DINNER IS READY!!!”

Jerking forward out of fright, my head collided straight into Brendon’s, resulting in a sheer amount of inexplicable pain to erupt throughout my forehead. Brendon shouted in vain, eyes clenched shut while he held his forehead with both of his hands, probably undergoing the same discomforting aching I was.

We both continued this process of cursing and clenching until the pain subsided to a more tolerable sting surging across our heads. Wincing slightly, I peered behind me at Brendon, who was looking back at me with the same squinty expression.

We both instantly broke into smiles, muttering apologies that we both felt the other deserved.

Brendon laughed. “Ok, let’s just agree that it was my sister’s fault so we can eat already. My stomach is seriously sending a code red alert by threatening to make me pass out if I don’t give it something to chew on, like, right now.”

Trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice, I laughed and agreed, “I concur.”

With that, we both went to the door that led back out to the hallway, never to speak of what could have just happened for the rest of the day.