Dance With Me In the Pouring Rain

I woke up at eight the next morning. It was practically unheard of for me to get up this early, but I couldn't sleep anymore. Dressing in an old pair of faded blue jeans and a t-shirt, I slipped on my trainers and walked out the door. I didn't even wait until I got to the park to start running. By the time I got there, I was already out of breath, so I decided to sit down and take a break. I half-hoped I would bump into Tory. I was half-terrified of what would happen if I did.

But I didn't have to worry about that because I didn't see her. Half-relieved, half-disappointed, I jogged the park, my iPod blocking out any possible thoughts.

I spotted the ice cream van and smiled faintly, remembering the first time Tory and I had properly met. The smile vanished quickly and I turned away. Another lap was in order.

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I met the guys in town since we had planned to go to the cinema ages ago. I barely paid attention during the film; my mind was on other things. The couple sucking face in the next row was also very off-putting, and acted as a constant reminder of what was not going to happen between me and Tory. The guys must have picked up on my bad mood because they - wisely - said nothing more to me than "Do you want some popcorn?" Though, after two and a half hours in a darkened room, alone with my thoughts - so to speak - I felt much better. Better than after my run.

"That film was total crap," Kyle declared as we walked out of the cinema. "Want to go round the shops?"

I merely shrugged in reply. The others nodded so we set off. Our first stop was River Island, one of my favourite shops.

But as we were ascending the stairs to the men's section, I froze. The girl I had not been able to get out of my head all day was standing not ten feet in front of me.

"Anytime today would be nice," Kyle remarked sarcastically, prodding me in the back.

"You guys go on," I said quickly, jumping down from the stairs. "I'll catch you up."

They nodded and walked upstairs. I walked cautiously towards Tory. Her back was to me and she was holding up two tops, as if trying to choose between them. Another thing I noticed: she was all alone.

"The blue one," I said softly. "The orange one is hideous."

Tory's head whipped around and she stared at me in shock. "Fletch? What are you doing here?"

I shrugged as casually as I could. "Just passing through. You?"

"I'm out shopping with my friends," she replied.

I just nodded. It was a bad idea to come over here; my mouth was dry, my palms were sweaty and I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

"I should go," I whispered, unable to look her in the eye.

She bit her lip. "Wait. What you said yesterday... did you really mean it?"

I nodded resignedly. "Every word."

She just looked at me. I held her gaze until I couldn’t handle it any longer and looked away.

"Ally told me I was stupid," Tory said quietly. "For letting you go."

I tensed, unsure of what was coming next.

"And she was right," she whispered. "I was an idiot. Saying all this stuff about you being scared of rejection when it was really me..." She trailed off, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you cared that much about me."

"How could I not?" I replied simply.

She smiled shyly. "I love the way you do that. You make me feel special. I haven't felt special in a while."

I smiled back. "Tory, I'm going to try to do something I've been wanting to do for weeks, and this time I don't want you to stop me. Got it?"

She giggled self-consciously and nodded. I kissed her then, a long, lingering kiss that made up for all the times I hadn't been able to touch her.

Someone cleared their throat behind us. I turned to see Ally, her arms folded.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "I thought you two were never going to get together!"

Tory rolled her eyes at her, and then turned back to me. "So, can I officially call you my boyfriend now?"

I grinned mischievously. "Only if I get to call you my girlfriend."

She grinned back. "So, to cement our newfound relationship, how about we go on a date?"

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Don't know. I'm not doing anything tonight, though."

"Me neither." An idea occurred to me and I smiled. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"Where are we going?" she asked suspiciously.

I grinned mischievously. "You'll find out."

"So what do I wear?"

I rolled my eyes; typical girl. "Anything you want."

"Well, I guess I'll see you then," Tory replied shyly.

"Ahem," Ally said pointedly. "I'm afraid I have to break this up. We're meant to be meeting the others in Druckers in five minutes."

"Yeah, I should catch up with my mates," I said reluctantly. "See you."

I hugged her, but this wasn't an ordinary friend-to-friend hug. Something between us had changed, and we both knew it. She was my girlfriend now. That one word had never sounded so good.

I practically bounded upstairs to meet the guys. They frowned when they saw me.

"Spill," Kyle ordered.

"You were Mr. Grumpy before," Hassan explained at my blank look, "but now you're grinning like an idiot."

"You will not believe who I met downstairs," I beamed.