Dance to This Beat
A Better Kiss
“So you wanna watch Knocked Up?” Jon asked me, sitting down on his couch.
“Well, it would make me … uh … not a liar, so sure,” I laughed.
“Okay, it’s in the den, I’ll be right back.”
“Okie dokey.”
He came back a few minutes later. “I couldn’t find it.”
I laughed at his sad expression. “Damn. Well, what else do’ya have?”
“Star Wars is about it.”
“Star Wars is it.”
About ten minutes later, Jon and I were seated on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in between us and cups of water in front of us on the coffee table. The movie (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) was in the DVD player.
“So you like Star Wars, huh?” Jon asked as the movie trailers started rolling through.
“Yeah … why else would I agree to watch this?” I laughed.
“You’re one of the few girls that I know that’ll watch ‘em. Dawn’s never even seen one.”
“No way. You’re kiddin’.”
“I swear it’s the truth.”
“Well, you’ll find that us Southerners like way more stuff than these Vegas girls.”
He nodded in agreement. “I’m beginning to see that already.”
“Dun, dun, dun-dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun-dun, dun.”
We looked at each other and burst out laughing.
------
When the credits started rolling, Jon looked over to me.
“Hey. How ya doin’?” I joked.
“I’m great, you?”
“Super.”
“That’s good.”
Our faces were getting closer to each other’s.
“Thanks for, uh, letting me borrow your clothes.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Yeah, but still, thanks.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“It is to m--“
Jon’s lips crashed onto mine, stopping me mid-word.
He pulled away. “Sor--“
He was interrupted by my lips crashing onto his this time.
We kissed a few times and it quickly turned into passionately making out.
Somehow his hands were under my shirt on my back and I was laying down on his couch, with him on top of me.
“Whoa.” I pulled away, out of breath. “Stop. We can’t do this.”
He sat up.
“Your parents are right upstairs, and I’ve only known you for, like, three days. Besides, God, this is gonna sound so stupid, I’m saving myself for marriage.”
He nodded. “You’re right, we were just caught up in the moment.”
“I’m sor--“
“Don’t apologize. It’s my fault.”
I nodded slowly, trying to take in what just happened.
“Stuff’s gonna be so awkward between us now.”
“Not if we don’t let it.”
I gave him a weird look.
“Never mind.”
“Okay….”
He glanced at the clock, which read 11:11.
“Make a wish,” he told me.
I silently wished that Jon and I would be together some day.
“So…?”
“What?” I asked.
“It’s getting kind of late.”
“Yup.”
“You want me to show you where the guest room is?”
“I guess.”
I followed him up the stairs and to the Walker’s guest room.
He flipped the light on and I saw the room had a sand-colored shag carpet with soft blue walls. The bed was a white day bed with a light blue and light yellow comforter on it. There was a vanity in one corner and a dresser in the other. Next to the bed, there was a small, white bedside table.
“Goodnight,” Jon whispered in my ear. His breath was warm on the back of my neck.
I turned around. “Thanks again.”
He nodded sadly.
I leaned and hugged him goodnight.
He hugged me back tightly, like he never wanted to let me go.
------
I opened my eyes to the bright sun shining through the open window. I could hear a bird singing outside and someone mowing their lawn.
I could also hear Jon arguing with his parents downstairs.
“But dad, mom said it was okay. We just watched Star Wars then I showed her where the guest room was and she went to bed in there and I went to my room,” Jon argued.
“Bullshit. I heard you two last night.” he argued back. “This girl is our neighbor. Do you really want to do that to her?”
“Dad, if you heard us last night, you’ll know that nothing actually happened. Claire stopped it before anything went too far. So, yeah, go ahead and be mad at me, but just know that you have no reason to be mad at her.”
He stopped and thought for a minute. “Do you like her?”
“Yeah, dad, I do. I’ve only known her for about four days, but we click. She’s really cool, and we’re into the same stuff.”
Mr. Walker sighed deeply. “I’m done here. I have to get to the office. We’ll finish this later.”
After that I heard the door slam and a car start.
About five minutes later, I decided it was safe to go downstairs.
“G’mornin’,” I said cheerfully.
“Good morning, Claire.” Mrs. Walker greeted me with a smile on her face.
“Morning.” Jon smiled at me, but I could still see that he was angry.
“Here, dear, have some pancakes.”
I gladly took the plate. “Thank you, Mrs. Walker.”
“Oh please, call me Katrina.”
“Okay.”
“Syrup?” Jon asked me, holding up a carafe of warm maple syrup.
“Please,” I grinned.
------
*Jon’s POV*
“Clare seems nice,” mom said to me a little after she left.
“She is. The guys like her too. Everyone likes her but dad. Well, dad and Dawn,” I replied.
“Of course.”
“I mean, Dawn acts like I broke up with her for Claire. Well, I didn’t. She’s too uptight and clingy. I was going to break up with her anyway.”
Mom nodded in agreement. “She was too disrespectful to your father and me.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it was like she couldn’t let loose and have fun.”
“Jon,” mom said. “I’m really glad you’re happy with Claire. Even if your father doesn’t show it, he is, too.”
“That’s bull.”
“He is, Jonathan.”
“Okay, fine.”
Just then the phone rang. “I’ll get it.” I said, reaching for it.
“Hello?”
“Hey!”
“Bill!”
“Is mom there? I’d love to talk, but this is an issue involving me and her.”
“Yeah.” I handed the phone to mom.”
“Hello? … Oh.… Well, of course, another time…. Okay, we’ll see you for Jon’s birthday right? … No?! …”
I stopped paying attention to the conversation. Since when has either Bill or Mike missed my birthday? Never.
I guess there’s a first time for everything.
But this was the most important birthday, I was turning eighteen….
“Well, it would make me … uh … not a liar, so sure,” I laughed.
“Okay, it’s in the den, I’ll be right back.”
“Okie dokey.”
He came back a few minutes later. “I couldn’t find it.”
I laughed at his sad expression. “Damn. Well, what else do’ya have?”
“Star Wars is about it.”
“Star Wars is it.”
About ten minutes later, Jon and I were seated on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in between us and cups of water in front of us on the coffee table. The movie (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) was in the DVD player.
“So you like Star Wars, huh?” Jon asked as the movie trailers started rolling through.
“Yeah … why else would I agree to watch this?” I laughed.
“You’re one of the few girls that I know that’ll watch ‘em. Dawn’s never even seen one.”
“No way. You’re kiddin’.”
“I swear it’s the truth.”
“Well, you’ll find that us Southerners like way more stuff than these Vegas girls.”
He nodded in agreement. “I’m beginning to see that already.”
“Dun, dun, dun-dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun-dun, dun.”
We looked at each other and burst out laughing.
------
When the credits started rolling, Jon looked over to me.
“Hey. How ya doin’?” I joked.
“I’m great, you?”
“Super.”
“That’s good.”
Our faces were getting closer to each other’s.
“Thanks for, uh, letting me borrow your clothes.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Yeah, but still, thanks.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“It is to m--“
Jon’s lips crashed onto mine, stopping me mid-word.
He pulled away. “Sor--“
He was interrupted by my lips crashing onto his this time.
We kissed a few times and it quickly turned into passionately making out.
Somehow his hands were under my shirt on my back and I was laying down on his couch, with him on top of me.
“Whoa.” I pulled away, out of breath. “Stop. We can’t do this.”
He sat up.
“Your parents are right upstairs, and I’ve only known you for, like, three days. Besides, God, this is gonna sound so stupid, I’m saving myself for marriage.”
He nodded. “You’re right, we were just caught up in the moment.”
“I’m sor--“
“Don’t apologize. It’s my fault.”
I nodded slowly, trying to take in what just happened.
“Stuff’s gonna be so awkward between us now.”
“Not if we don’t let it.”
I gave him a weird look.
“Never mind.”
“Okay….”
He glanced at the clock, which read 11:11.
“Make a wish,” he told me.
I silently wished that Jon and I would be together some day.
“So…?”
“What?” I asked.
“It’s getting kind of late.”
“Yup.”
“You want me to show you where the guest room is?”
“I guess.”
I followed him up the stairs and to the Walker’s guest room.
He flipped the light on and I saw the room had a sand-colored shag carpet with soft blue walls. The bed was a white day bed with a light blue and light yellow comforter on it. There was a vanity in one corner and a dresser in the other. Next to the bed, there was a small, white bedside table.
“Goodnight,” Jon whispered in my ear. His breath was warm on the back of my neck.
I turned around. “Thanks again.”
He nodded sadly.
I leaned and hugged him goodnight.
He hugged me back tightly, like he never wanted to let me go.
------
I opened my eyes to the bright sun shining through the open window. I could hear a bird singing outside and someone mowing their lawn.
I could also hear Jon arguing with his parents downstairs.
“But dad, mom said it was okay. We just watched Star Wars then I showed her where the guest room was and she went to bed in there and I went to my room,” Jon argued.
“Bullshit. I heard you two last night.” he argued back. “This girl is our neighbor. Do you really want to do that to her?”
“Dad, if you heard us last night, you’ll know that nothing actually happened. Claire stopped it before anything went too far. So, yeah, go ahead and be mad at me, but just know that you have no reason to be mad at her.”
He stopped and thought for a minute. “Do you like her?”
“Yeah, dad, I do. I’ve only known her for about four days, but we click. She’s really cool, and we’re into the same stuff.”
Mr. Walker sighed deeply. “I’m done here. I have to get to the office. We’ll finish this later.”
After that I heard the door slam and a car start.
About five minutes later, I decided it was safe to go downstairs.
“G’mornin’,” I said cheerfully.
“Good morning, Claire.” Mrs. Walker greeted me with a smile on her face.
“Morning.” Jon smiled at me, but I could still see that he was angry.
“Here, dear, have some pancakes.”
I gladly took the plate. “Thank you, Mrs. Walker.”
“Oh please, call me Katrina.”
“Okay.”
“Syrup?” Jon asked me, holding up a carafe of warm maple syrup.
“Please,” I grinned.
------
*Jon’s POV*
“Clare seems nice,” mom said to me a little after she left.
“She is. The guys like her too. Everyone likes her but dad. Well, dad and Dawn,” I replied.
“Of course.”
“I mean, Dawn acts like I broke up with her for Claire. Well, I didn’t. She’s too uptight and clingy. I was going to break up with her anyway.”
Mom nodded in agreement. “She was too disrespectful to your father and me.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it was like she couldn’t let loose and have fun.”
“Jon,” mom said. “I’m really glad you’re happy with Claire. Even if your father doesn’t show it, he is, too.”
“That’s bull.”
“He is, Jonathan.”
“Okay, fine.”
Just then the phone rang. “I’ll get it.” I said, reaching for it.
“Hello?”
“Hey!”
“Bill!”
“Is mom there? I’d love to talk, but this is an issue involving me and her.”
“Yeah.” I handed the phone to mom.”
“Hello? … Oh.… Well, of course, another time…. Okay, we’ll see you for Jon’s birthday right? … No?! …”
I stopped paying attention to the conversation. Since when has either Bill or Mike missed my birthday? Never.
I guess there’s a first time for everything.
But this was the most important birthday, I was turning eighteen….