Status: Completed
I'll Never Say I Love You
16
The rest of the journey was taken in silence, other than Stan telling us he’d see us at ten to pick us up before speeding off. Kyle and I walked towards the gym silently. There were only a handful of other people at the dance when we got there, as it was still rather early. As we walked through the double doors to the school gym after giving the ‘bouncers’ our tickets, Kyle tentatively took my hand is his. I ducked my head so that he couldn’t see me blushing. The gym had really been dome up fancily for this dance. Pink and red streamers adorned the roof and the tops of the walls, as well as roses, balloons and various other decorative items. Lots of round tables, each capable of seating ten people, had been set up around the outside of the room. A temporary stage had been set up opposite the entrance, which held a lectern and a laptop, presumably controlling the music that filled the room, playing from the speakers that had been set up in the corners of the gym.
“Shall we?” Kyle asked with a small grin, walking me towards one of the tables. One of his jock friends was already sitting there. I’ve given up on trying to learn their names – they never talk to me, and I would never talk to them unprovoked, so it seems rather pointless.
“Thompson!” the guy called, reaching up to do the ridiculous handshake tradition things guys do, with the clapping and the first bumps and all that stuff. I’ve never gotten it.
“Hey, Jake,” Kyle said, grinning at his friend as he pulled out a seat for me.
I smiled at him and sat down, smoothing my dress out in my lap with my free hand. Kyle tightened the grip on my other hand, smiling at me ever the while. It was hard to believe the boy could look even more gorgeous than what he did at school, but he did tonight. My heart started doing backflips every time I looked at him.
The majority of students who were attending arrived shortly after we did. At times, the doors were blocked from the sheer amount of people trying to get in. Kate and Janice, both dateless, arrived together. I had a feeling that despite coming here single, they would be leaving as someone’s girlfriend. They waved furiously at me as soon as they saw me, and I waved back, equally as excited to see them. By that stage the table Kyle and I were at was filled with his friends and their dates, so Kate and Janice sat down at the table next to us. The three of us turned around so we could face each other.
“They’ve really done this place up, haven’t they?” Janice said with a low whistle, admiring the decorations.
“I know, they’re amazing,” Kate gushed. “Kinda makes me want to get involved with the special events committee.”
“Oh, we could all do that, it’s be fun!” Janice agreed. “What do you think, Tahara?”
I took my hand out of Kyle’s, not noticing him look to see why. ‘Art’s not really my thing,’ I signed.
Kate and Janice exchanged a glance. I felt triumphant because I knew that they knew that I was right. “You have a point,” she admitted unhappily.
‘It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,’ I suggested.
“You mean you’d be okay with us doing it without you?” Kate asked suspiciously.
I nodded, smiling.
“Sweet!” Kate exclaimed, high-fiving Janice. “That’s Monday’s task, then.”
“Tahara!” a voice called from across the gym. I looked in the direction and saw Alex walking towards me, wearing a red long-sleeved button down shirt, long black pants and a black top hat.
‘Looking suave,’ I complimented him.
Alex grinned as he reached me. “It’s what the ladies like,” he said smoothly. “Ladies,” he said, dipping his hat in Kate and Janice’s direction.
Both of them frowned in synchrony, but didn’t say anything mean to him out of respect for me.
“So,” Alex said, turning his attention back to me and dragging out the ‘o’. “Save me the last dance?”
‘Of course,’ I replied, beaming. Behind me, Kyle seethed. I turned and smiled warmly at him, giving his knee a slight squeeze before turning back to Alex.
“Relax, bro,” Alex said, holding his hands up in front of him. “I’ll see you later, Tarie.”
As he walked away, I turned and gave Kyle a questioning glance. I wondered why he had gotten so angry when I had agreed to save Alex the last dance. “Why did you agree to have your last dance with him?” Kyle asked quietly, deliberately, as though he was trying to restrain himself. I frowned.
“It’s what they do,” Kate said in a bored tone. “Every dance, they always have the last dance with one another. It’s just their thing.” She shrugged, not really understanding the reasoning behind it. Alex and I scarcely understood it either – it just seemed like the perfect cheesy thing that fit into our friendship.
Kyle let out a humph of annoyance but said nothing. He took my hand in his again, and I felt myself blushing as he smiled at me. “I have every other one though?” he asked in a soft, slightly pleading voice.
I laughed and nodded in response. The night passed quicker than I had expected it to, a flurry of dancing with Kyle, dancing with my girls, eating and drinking. As I had predicted, Janice was now sitting on the other side of the gym with a guy she introduced to us as Lachlan. Kate was dancing with a lot of guys, but she didn’t appear to have become attached to any of them yet. There was fifteen minutes left before the dance ended when the DJ announced that the last song would start in a minute. I was already sitting at my table, so I started looking around for Alex. He arrived by my side almost instantaneously.
“Milady?” he offered, extending his hand.
I giggled and placed my hand in his. Ignoring the reproachful looks I was sure I was getting from Kyle and Kate, who seemed to be getting along well, I allowed Alex to lead me onto the dance floor. The music slowed down. I put my arms around Alex’s neck as he put his around my waist. We smiled at each other. Anyone else would think we were two lovers sharing a dance, but we were more than that. We swayed together to the beat of the music, just smiling at each other and trying to ignore the fact that I had been genetically damned with two left feet.
Suddenly Alex leant his face towards my right ear. My heart nearly skipped a beat at his close proximity. “While I have your hands otherwise occupied so that you can’t argue with me about this,” he began softly, still keeping a tight grip on me and swaying in time to the music, “I would just like to let you know that you look extremely beautiful tonight.”
I smiled and blushed at his words. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, but to move my hands would ruin the dance and he knew this. Gosh darn him.
“Also,” he continued, a slightly playful tone to his voice now, “Kyle is watching us right now and looks like water at ninety-nine degrees Celsius. If he asks you what I was saying, I think you should tell him that I was reciting you a love poem.”
Even though I knew he couldn’t see it, I rolled my eyes.
“I know you just rolled your eyes, you’re too predictable Tarie,” he whispered. He pulled away and twirled me one last time, then rested his hands on my hips. “I guess I’ll be seeing you on the beach tomorrow,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
I nodded, beaming at him.
“See you, Tarie,” he whispered, taking my hand in his and gently kissing it.
He turned and walked away, leaving me breathless. After a moment I turned and walked back to Kyle who was, as Alex had said, seething. I tried to wipe the smile off my face but I just couldn’t get it to leave.
“Did you have fun?” he forced out, though he looked strained.
I nodded, and took his hand in mine as a sort of peace offering.
It seemed to work because he sighed in what appeared to be a mixture of relief and contentment, and managed to smile at me. “Just so long as you’re my girl,” he said.
I nodded and smiled at him, but mentally I was biting my lip with nervousness. Could I be with Kyle when Alex made me crazy for him the way he did? With Alex, the effects he had on me were familiar and comfortable, and it damn near killed me to hide it from him. Kyle had some effects on me, and with him everything was new and daring and I didn’t have to hide what I felt for him.
Well, a change is a good as a holiday. And I guess variety is the spice of life. Maybe I should pay attention to those weird old sayings.
My feelings were confirmed when I felt Kyle press his lips against mine. Obviously I had been so deep in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed him leaning towards me, and I felt immediately guilty. I had ignored my boyfriend leaning in for our first kiss because I was too busy worrying about whether or not I loved my best friend. I made it up to him by kissing him back softly, reaching up to curl my hand around his neck. My fingers had just touched the back of his neck when he pulled away.
“Glad you’re with me now, cutie,” he said with a laugh, tapping my nose. “C’mon, my dad will be here soon and he’ll get pissy if we’re not out there at exactly ten.”
I waved goodbye to Kate and Janice, both now sitting at their original table. They waved back at me with smiles that said ‘we are discussing this as soon as you finish work tomorrow’. Kyle took my hand in his and led me out of the gym. The cool night air hit me, and I shivered involuntarily. In the little light the nearby lampposts offered, I saw Kyle smile.
“I had a really great time tonight, Tahara,” he said, taking both my hands in his. He smiled down at me, our eyes meeting. He looked at me hopefully, expectantly. Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked eventually.
I twisted my hands in his.
Kyle laughed. “Right, sorry, I forgot,” he said. He released my hands.
‘I had fun too,’ I told him, smiling.
Kyle smiled at me, then took my face in his hands and kissed me again. Unsure of what I should do with my hands while he was in this position (I am new to this whole dating/kissing thing, remember!), I simply kissed him back. After a few more moments Kyle pulled away, taking my hands in his once again.
“That would have been a far better first kiss than the one we had,” he said with a laugh.
I smiled weakly. But in my mind, I was determined. Kyle and I had a serious chance at something special. I vowed that tonight would be the last time my feelings for Alex would keep me from being with Kyle the way a boyfriend and girlfriend should. I had waited for Alex for three years now, waiting for him to realise that it should be him and I. Now, I had someone to show me that it didn’t have to be that way. He was giving me the romantic affection I knew I deserved.
From now on, Alex would be nothing more than a friend to me.
“Shall we?” Kyle asked with a small grin, walking me towards one of the tables. One of his jock friends was already sitting there. I’ve given up on trying to learn their names – they never talk to me, and I would never talk to them unprovoked, so it seems rather pointless.
“Thompson!” the guy called, reaching up to do the ridiculous handshake tradition things guys do, with the clapping and the first bumps and all that stuff. I’ve never gotten it.
“Hey, Jake,” Kyle said, grinning at his friend as he pulled out a seat for me.
I smiled at him and sat down, smoothing my dress out in my lap with my free hand. Kyle tightened the grip on my other hand, smiling at me ever the while. It was hard to believe the boy could look even more gorgeous than what he did at school, but he did tonight. My heart started doing backflips every time I looked at him.
The majority of students who were attending arrived shortly after we did. At times, the doors were blocked from the sheer amount of people trying to get in. Kate and Janice, both dateless, arrived together. I had a feeling that despite coming here single, they would be leaving as someone’s girlfriend. They waved furiously at me as soon as they saw me, and I waved back, equally as excited to see them. By that stage the table Kyle and I were at was filled with his friends and their dates, so Kate and Janice sat down at the table next to us. The three of us turned around so we could face each other.
“They’ve really done this place up, haven’t they?” Janice said with a low whistle, admiring the decorations.
“I know, they’re amazing,” Kate gushed. “Kinda makes me want to get involved with the special events committee.”
“Oh, we could all do that, it’s be fun!” Janice agreed. “What do you think, Tahara?”
I took my hand out of Kyle’s, not noticing him look to see why. ‘Art’s not really my thing,’ I signed.
Kate and Janice exchanged a glance. I felt triumphant because I knew that they knew that I was right. “You have a point,” she admitted unhappily.
‘It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,’ I suggested.
“You mean you’d be okay with us doing it without you?” Kate asked suspiciously.
I nodded, smiling.
“Sweet!” Kate exclaimed, high-fiving Janice. “That’s Monday’s task, then.”
“Tahara!” a voice called from across the gym. I looked in the direction and saw Alex walking towards me, wearing a red long-sleeved button down shirt, long black pants and a black top hat.
‘Looking suave,’ I complimented him.
Alex grinned as he reached me. “It’s what the ladies like,” he said smoothly. “Ladies,” he said, dipping his hat in Kate and Janice’s direction.
Both of them frowned in synchrony, but didn’t say anything mean to him out of respect for me.
“So,” Alex said, turning his attention back to me and dragging out the ‘o’. “Save me the last dance?”
‘Of course,’ I replied, beaming. Behind me, Kyle seethed. I turned and smiled warmly at him, giving his knee a slight squeeze before turning back to Alex.
“Relax, bro,” Alex said, holding his hands up in front of him. “I’ll see you later, Tarie.”
As he walked away, I turned and gave Kyle a questioning glance. I wondered why he had gotten so angry when I had agreed to save Alex the last dance. “Why did you agree to have your last dance with him?” Kyle asked quietly, deliberately, as though he was trying to restrain himself. I frowned.
“It’s what they do,” Kate said in a bored tone. “Every dance, they always have the last dance with one another. It’s just their thing.” She shrugged, not really understanding the reasoning behind it. Alex and I scarcely understood it either – it just seemed like the perfect cheesy thing that fit into our friendship.
Kyle let out a humph of annoyance but said nothing. He took my hand in his again, and I felt myself blushing as he smiled at me. “I have every other one though?” he asked in a soft, slightly pleading voice.
I laughed and nodded in response. The night passed quicker than I had expected it to, a flurry of dancing with Kyle, dancing with my girls, eating and drinking. As I had predicted, Janice was now sitting on the other side of the gym with a guy she introduced to us as Lachlan. Kate was dancing with a lot of guys, but she didn’t appear to have become attached to any of them yet. There was fifteen minutes left before the dance ended when the DJ announced that the last song would start in a minute. I was already sitting at my table, so I started looking around for Alex. He arrived by my side almost instantaneously.
“Milady?” he offered, extending his hand.
I giggled and placed my hand in his. Ignoring the reproachful looks I was sure I was getting from Kyle and Kate, who seemed to be getting along well, I allowed Alex to lead me onto the dance floor. The music slowed down. I put my arms around Alex’s neck as he put his around my waist. We smiled at each other. Anyone else would think we were two lovers sharing a dance, but we were more than that. We swayed together to the beat of the music, just smiling at each other and trying to ignore the fact that I had been genetically damned with two left feet.
Suddenly Alex leant his face towards my right ear. My heart nearly skipped a beat at his close proximity. “While I have your hands otherwise occupied so that you can’t argue with me about this,” he began softly, still keeping a tight grip on me and swaying in time to the music, “I would just like to let you know that you look extremely beautiful tonight.”
I smiled and blushed at his words. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, but to move my hands would ruin the dance and he knew this. Gosh darn him.
“Also,” he continued, a slightly playful tone to his voice now, “Kyle is watching us right now and looks like water at ninety-nine degrees Celsius. If he asks you what I was saying, I think you should tell him that I was reciting you a love poem.”
Even though I knew he couldn’t see it, I rolled my eyes.
“I know you just rolled your eyes, you’re too predictable Tarie,” he whispered. He pulled away and twirled me one last time, then rested his hands on my hips. “I guess I’ll be seeing you on the beach tomorrow,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
I nodded, beaming at him.
“See you, Tarie,” he whispered, taking my hand in his and gently kissing it.
He turned and walked away, leaving me breathless. After a moment I turned and walked back to Kyle who was, as Alex had said, seething. I tried to wipe the smile off my face but I just couldn’t get it to leave.
“Did you have fun?” he forced out, though he looked strained.
I nodded, and took his hand in mine as a sort of peace offering.
It seemed to work because he sighed in what appeared to be a mixture of relief and contentment, and managed to smile at me. “Just so long as you’re my girl,” he said.
I nodded and smiled at him, but mentally I was biting my lip with nervousness. Could I be with Kyle when Alex made me crazy for him the way he did? With Alex, the effects he had on me were familiar and comfortable, and it damn near killed me to hide it from him. Kyle had some effects on me, and with him everything was new and daring and I didn’t have to hide what I felt for him.
Well, a change is a good as a holiday. And I guess variety is the spice of life. Maybe I should pay attention to those weird old sayings.
My feelings were confirmed when I felt Kyle press his lips against mine. Obviously I had been so deep in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed him leaning towards me, and I felt immediately guilty. I had ignored my boyfriend leaning in for our first kiss because I was too busy worrying about whether or not I loved my best friend. I made it up to him by kissing him back softly, reaching up to curl my hand around his neck. My fingers had just touched the back of his neck when he pulled away.
“Glad you’re with me now, cutie,” he said with a laugh, tapping my nose. “C’mon, my dad will be here soon and he’ll get pissy if we’re not out there at exactly ten.”
I waved goodbye to Kate and Janice, both now sitting at their original table. They waved back at me with smiles that said ‘we are discussing this as soon as you finish work tomorrow’. Kyle took my hand in his and led me out of the gym. The cool night air hit me, and I shivered involuntarily. In the little light the nearby lampposts offered, I saw Kyle smile.
“I had a really great time tonight, Tahara,” he said, taking both my hands in his. He smiled down at me, our eyes meeting. He looked at me hopefully, expectantly. Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked eventually.
I twisted my hands in his.
Kyle laughed. “Right, sorry, I forgot,” he said. He released my hands.
‘I had fun too,’ I told him, smiling.
Kyle smiled at me, then took my face in his hands and kissed me again. Unsure of what I should do with my hands while he was in this position (I am new to this whole dating/kissing thing, remember!), I simply kissed him back. After a few more moments Kyle pulled away, taking my hands in his once again.
“That would have been a far better first kiss than the one we had,” he said with a laugh.
I smiled weakly. But in my mind, I was determined. Kyle and I had a serious chance at something special. I vowed that tonight would be the last time my feelings for Alex would keep me from being with Kyle the way a boyfriend and girlfriend should. I had waited for Alex for three years now, waiting for him to realise that it should be him and I. Now, I had someone to show me that it didn’t have to be that way. He was giving me the romantic affection I knew I deserved.
From now on, Alex would be nothing more than a friend to me.