I Will Not Kiss You
Chapter 22
Mikey answered the front door. He saw me and stifled a fit of the giggles. I wondered what was so funny. I didn’t look funny. So why was he laughing. He just stood aside and let me in. I cautiously stepped into the hall and turned to face him while he shut the door.
“What’s so funny?” I asked “Why are you laughing at me?”
“I’m not.” He sniggered.
I was dressed like I always do so he couldn’t be laughing at my clothes. Nothing was different but he was still trying not to laugh. I just stared at him.
“Oh Frankie please stop that,” He said “You look like a little kid who’s just had their favourite teddy stolen from them!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s just the idea of you and Gerard.”
“What about it?”
“My best friend dating my brother-“
“We’re not dating.”
“Yet.”
I rolled my eyes. I know that when he says ‘Yet’ he means he thinks we will be dating. But I won’t date Gerard because he’s just a friend I like a lot. Mikey was still trying not to laugh at me and I didn’t like it so I said ‘Please stop laughing at me’ and he said ‘Sorry. Ok, I’ll stop now’ which made me feel a little happier.
“You do realise that it is a date you’re going on, don’t you?”
“For the last time, we are not going on a date, Mikey.”
Then someone else said “Yeah, Mikey.”
And Gerard skipped down the stairs, jumping the last three, and standing beside me. I smiled at him for some strange reason. He smiled back and turned to Mikey.
“For your information, we’re going on a not-date!”
“Oh ok.” Mikey laughed.
I wondered if he was making fun. Because I didn’t know and I didn’t understand their facial expressions, I made myself negligible and just stared at a crack in the high corner. But my eyes weren’t focused.
“Are you ok, Frank?”
I blinked and looked back at them both. Gerard and Mikey were staring at me with their eyebrows crossed a little. I nodded, looking at them both in turn. They both smiled. So I smiled too because it’s polite to smile back if someone smiles at you; unless they’re sneering or being horrible to you.
“D’you wanna’ get going?” Gerard asked.
“Ok.” I shrugged.
“You wanna’ come, Mikes?” He asked, looking at Mikey.
“And ruin your date? Never.”
“Not-date, Mikey, not-date.”
He just raised his eyebrows at Gerard and winked. Then he saw me staring and laughed slightly. He said he was gonna’ touch me and slowly put his arm round my shoulders. I smiled again because he was.
“You have fun, yeah?” He grinned “Just make sure he doesn’t drink too much and I want him home by a sensible time!”
I laughed because I know that he was joking around. This is funny because that’s usually what a girl’s Dad says to her date when he is taking her out for the first time in a movie. But then I said ‘We’re not going on a date, though’ in case he’d forgotten. He laughed and said ‘I know’ then he added ‘only a matter of time though’. I know he that means he thinks Gerard and I will start dating soon. But we won’t because we’re just friends. He said so. And I asked if we were just hanging out as friends and he said ‘Yeah. If you want’ which means it’s not a date and he doesn’t want to date me otherwise he would have said he wanted it to be a date.
“What’s so funny?” I asked “Why are you laughing at me?”
“I’m not.” He sniggered.
I was dressed like I always do so he couldn’t be laughing at my clothes. Nothing was different but he was still trying not to laugh. I just stared at him.
“Oh Frankie please stop that,” He said “You look like a little kid who’s just had their favourite teddy stolen from them!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s just the idea of you and Gerard.”
“What about it?”
“My best friend dating my brother-“
“We’re not dating.”
“Yet.”
I rolled my eyes. I know that when he says ‘Yet’ he means he thinks we will be dating. But I won’t date Gerard because he’s just a friend I like a lot. Mikey was still trying not to laugh at me and I didn’t like it so I said ‘Please stop laughing at me’ and he said ‘Sorry. Ok, I’ll stop now’ which made me feel a little happier.
“You do realise that it is a date you’re going on, don’t you?”
“For the last time, we are not going on a date, Mikey.”
Then someone else said “Yeah, Mikey.”
And Gerard skipped down the stairs, jumping the last three, and standing beside me. I smiled at him for some strange reason. He smiled back and turned to Mikey.
“For your information, we’re going on a not-date!”
“Oh ok.” Mikey laughed.
I wondered if he was making fun. Because I didn’t know and I didn’t understand their facial expressions, I made myself negligible and just stared at a crack in the high corner. But my eyes weren’t focused.
“Are you ok, Frank?”
I blinked and looked back at them both. Gerard and Mikey were staring at me with their eyebrows crossed a little. I nodded, looking at them both in turn. They both smiled. So I smiled too because it’s polite to smile back if someone smiles at you; unless they’re sneering or being horrible to you.
“D’you wanna’ get going?” Gerard asked.
“Ok.” I shrugged.
“You wanna’ come, Mikes?” He asked, looking at Mikey.
“And ruin your date? Never.”
“Not-date, Mikey, not-date.”
He just raised his eyebrows at Gerard and winked. Then he saw me staring and laughed slightly. He said he was gonna’ touch me and slowly put his arm round my shoulders. I smiled again because he was.
“You have fun, yeah?” He grinned “Just make sure he doesn’t drink too much and I want him home by a sensible time!”
I laughed because I know that he was joking around. This is funny because that’s usually what a girl’s Dad says to her date when he is taking her out for the first time in a movie. But then I said ‘We’re not going on a date, though’ in case he’d forgotten. He laughed and said ‘I know’ then he added ‘only a matter of time though’. I know he that means he thinks Gerard and I will start dating soon. But we won’t because we’re just friends. He said so. And I asked if we were just hanging out as friends and he said ‘Yeah. If you want’ which means it’s not a date and he doesn’t want to date me otherwise he would have said he wanted it to be a date.