No Strings Attached, Please?

The next morning was Saturday and it meant that there was no school. I was kind of a morning person, so I woke up early and then made my way downstairs to find my mom was already having a cuddle session with Mike.

Seriously? It was disgusting.

Mike was licking my Mom’s neck from the back while she was making some omelets, and in an instant, I made some disgusted faces before groaning aloud at them. Mike quickly pulled away and turned to me. I glared at him and then ignorantly walked to have a seat at the dining room table.

Mom encouraged me that I needed to respect Mike, and he was my soon to be Dad but I scoffed at him while he didn’t say anything. Well, he’s just being Mike. He never complained about how rude I was to him.

The morning didn’t go that fast and I needed to deal with Mike and Mom’s mushy problem. Cuddling on the loveseat, sharing tongue in the kitchen, hugging in front of me, and other millions of ways they could torture me with their adult affection were my morning watch.

And when I lost my sobriety balance, I decided to ditch spending the day inside the house. I think it was the best if I stayed away from their sick love. I took a seat on the bench on my porch lit up a cigarette to relieve my annoyance.

Some smoke was dancing around my nose as I pulled my feet up and then I started to think about Nat. What was he doing at the moment? Did he call Lynn? He’s a giddy young guy, and I supposed he couldn’t contain himself sometimes.

My eyes flickered to the driveway, only to find a familiar silver Honda parked there. A Honda that I usually rode in when Dante used to give me rides home two years ago. I closed my eyes briefly to inhale for a moment and then spread a smile when I opened my eyes again to find Dante was hopping out of his car.

“What’s he doing here?” I whispered and couldn’t help but smile when I found his gorgeous figure walked upon the porch. He noticed me and then shot a playful smile at me. And as he went up, he approached me and stood in my sight.

“Hey yourself,” he greeted me with his undeniable yet frustrating blinding gorgeous smile. As I heard his smooth voice, my heart leapt up and then I awkwardly smiled up at him.

“Hey to you too” I smiled back at him as I scooted over on the bench and patted the seat next to me with grin. Dante smiled and then gently sat next to me. He was staring at the stick on my fingers and sighed.

“You smoke again?” he asked while he looked a bit disappointed. I let out a low hum and then couldn’t help but play with the stick in my hand.

“Old habits keep coming back” I shrugged as I smiled awkwardly at him. I knew that Dante didn’t like to see me smoking although he smoked. Dante clicked his tongue and offered his hand to me. I shot him a questioning look with arched brows before he motioned the cigarette.

“Why?”

“It’s not good for you,” he simply replied with such demanding force. I pouted and sighed before giving in as I gave the stick to him. Dante quickly plucked the cigarette off and smiled crookedly at me.

I slightly argued with him about our bad habit, he was kind of stressed out because I was being stubborn about quitting my nicotine addiction. Heck, I didn’t accept it because Dante smoked too. But our debates ended once Dante chuckled at me and then stood up in front of me.

He told me his main purpose for being in my house was to take me out. I was stunned momentarily while I examined his figure. God. Did he just ask me out? I couldn’t help but show my silly smile and then slightly nodded to hide my eager excitement.



Dante took me to a bowling alley near downtown, he said he was up for warm ups with the bowling and so he took me there. He was stretched and then glided the ball toward the pins while I was tying my bowling shoes on the seat.

Dante didn’t get the strike but only spare and then he jogged to my table to get his Monster Energy drink, swallowing it and then in instant he got hyperactive out of nowhere, showing his cat grins. I chuckled at him and his ways, Dante who I knew usually would be so calm suddenly went bananas when he downed the energy drink.

It was fun to watch this side of him, I enjoyed seeing him jumping around when he got a strike. He giggled and then challenged me to bowl. I was not really a bowling person, but I did go to some bowling alleys with Kale and his skater friends when they were bored.

I picked the big white ball, slid my three fingers inside of it, and then started to glide the ball before Dante stopped me. He said I could get a stiff shoulder with that pose, so he leaned in my side and taught me how to form the right pose to glide the ball.

My chest was pounding so fast as I felt his breath dancing on my neck. I shuddered and I could tell some of the baby hairs on my neck stood up. His mint breath made me sway my legs as I swallowed the lump inside my throat.

Fuck. He even put his hand on my waist to hoist me up into the right position. In that awkward tension, I tried my hardest to concentrate on the bowling ball on my hand without even listening to his distracting smooth voice in my ear. I figured that Dante didn’t even realize that our faces and bodies were so close to each other, and he didn’t even realize that my body wanted him right at that moment. The truth was, his closeness turned me on.

Dante then pulled away and let me bowl after he finished giving me directions. I staggeringly glided down the bowling aisle toward the pins and unexpectedly got a strike on my first try.

I came to Dante and rapidly enveloped him in a tight hug. I was so happy that I scored the game and it made him awkwardly hug me back after some red flushed on his cheeks.

After we finished with our game, Dante and I got out of the bowling alley and into the parking lot where his Honda was parked. I skipped to the car making Dante laugh at my demeanor, saying that I didn’t act like a seventeen year old. I stuck my tongue out at him and giggled as I got inside of the car.

Dante started the engine and then drove his car to somewhere I didn’t really care about because at least I was with him. I didn’t know why but every time Dante was near me, he made me happy. He was like a mood booster for me after my nausea of my mom and Mike’s PDA this morning.

Dante took me into your usual restaurant that was located near the mall where I shopped for Nat. When we were out, Dante leaned on my side and put his hand around my shoulder. His strong hand wrapped me not so tight but in way where I felt comfortable.

As we got inside the restaurant, Dante picked the seat near the windows so we could enjoy cloudy sky outside. The waitress gave us the menu and then I started to browse through some yummy food to dig into. After we were ready to order, we told the waitress and then waited.

Despite sitting right in front of me, Dante picked a seat next to me. He was folding his fingers beneath his chin while he stared at me. I hid my bimbo giggles during the time he was keeping an eye on me.

He swiped the strands of my hair behind my ear as he smiled. It quickly paralyzed me when he touched me. I was sure the butterflies inside my stomach got into a war, their wings tickled my stomach when Dante’s face was near.

“I like your hair this red,” he stated with a hidden smile on the crook of his lips.

“I didn’t dye it, it comes naturally” I knew he always liked my natural color. I remembered the time I dyed my hair into auburn and light brown, he said it didn’t fit me. He wanted me to be his only redhead—well that’s when we were still dating.

“Well yes, I just love that red head of yours” he smirked and leaned into my side to put a kiss on my cheek. “You look really beautiful,”

I playfully slapped his side with my flushed cheeks, “Dante…” I whined childishly followed by Dante’s cackles.

“What? Did I flatter you?” Dante laughed pleasantly, making me blush more.

“You think?” I stuck out my tongue and then started to play with my doubled-fingered ring on my fingers. Dante still laughed as he ruffled my hair in such lovingly way.

A smile was hidden in between my lips when he leaned in.



“That was great,” Dante said breathlessly when we stopped in front of the McGregor’s house. I was planning to check Nat’s progress and purposely ran away from my home after I found out that Mike was going to stay for the night which was bothering me a lot.

Dante’s hand was gripping the wheel while we fell in a slight silence.

“Umm, yes it was,” I said referring to our kind of date. Well, what could I say? It felt like a date for real. “Thanks for driving me to the McGregor’s though” I smiled awkwardly at him. I knew he didn’t really like the fact that I was going to have a sleepover at the McGregor’s. Previously I had convinced him that I knew their sister. Heck, he already met Kat but he was still worried.

“Uhh, are you sure you’re going to stay at the McGregor’s? They’re boys and I mean, I have two vacant guest rooms at my house. And I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind. She’d be glad to see you again” Dante rambled as he scratched his nape and then drummed his fingers on the wheel. I found that he did that quite a bit when he was nervous.

“Dan, I’m gonna sleep in Kat’s room. And Nat needs my help with something, so yes…” I shrugged “It’s nice to know you offered a room, but I guess maybe next time?” I smiled weakly, biting my lip. I knew in the back of my head was squealing and jumping around to know he invited me to his house. I was wondering if he wanted me back… Like old times.

“Alright then” Dante slightly sighed, forcing smile. His eyes went ballistic when he looked somewhat nervous. I didn’t really know what was happening to him before I felt the most astonishing sensation on my lips.

Dante pressed his lips on mine gently, swallowing them for a moment and then quickly moving his lips to the corner of my lips before pulling away. That surprised me which lead me into drowning in a bubbly world. I was blessed to feel his lips again, and they’re still amazing.

“Shit, Did I scare you?” Dante muttered guiltily as I found his cheeks turned deep red.

I quickly snapped my thoughts and realized that he might think he scared me by kissing me this suddenly.

“I’m just…surprised” I replied a matter-of-factly.

Dante swallowed hard, “I couldn’t hide this anymore. I’ve been wanting to do that this whole day without scaring you. I know we’re not dating and stuff, but I just want you to know that I missed you a helluva lot,” Dante admitted without even making eye contact with me. Abruptly, the butterflies in my stomach grew more wild as my stomach flipped.

My chest was beating so fast when he confessed that. I could feel my inner middle-school girl wanting to be unleashed. I wanted to tell him the same, but my tongue was numb, I didn’t know why, but I was sure it was called being speechless. I was so excited to find that Dante actually still wanted me. My worry about his faded feelings disappeared in a moment.

“Dante, I…”

“It’s okay, I’m not going to ask you out…” he said. His voice suddenly broke down my hope wall and it made my face fall. He noticed this and swallowed hard.

“Well, Sava-ave. I’m not going to lie but I still want you… And I want to ask if we… we could take it slow? Y’know… Look… I’m not good at this, but we could start again and you know… And…and… If we made this official, I’m afraid it wouldn’t work out. I want to make this relaxed… and yeah…” he fidgeted with his hands nervously.

I instantly put my hand above his and gave it a light squeeze, “Dante, you know that I still want you too…” I smiled a bit. “I guess it’s the best way if we took it real slow from the start, see how it goes”

Then, we ended it with light hug as we agreed to bring our relationship in such a term. I climbed out of his car and said my goodbye to him, before watching his Honda drive away from the McGregor’s driveway.

A childish smile played upon my lips when I met Carlton on the front door step when he opened the door. He looked at me weirdly and I just said that it was nothing. I met Mr. and Mrs. McGregor in the kitchen, they were having a supper while Mr. McGregor was reading a business magazine.

I politely greeted them and I was glad to know that they were fine with having me stay for the night, in Kat’s room, of course. But sadly, Kat wasn’t there at the moment, Carlton said something about Kat having a sleepover at her friend’s house, a girly sleepover.

Carlton led me to the room he shared with Nat where I spotted Nat having a fun time with the new of Call of Duty. Some gummy bears were hanging from his lips as he was in serious mode. He didn’t even recognize my presence there.

I gently shoved myself on one of the beds, not knowing whose it was. Either it was Nat’s or Carlton’s. I laid myself in between the puffy pillows as I took a cookie from the jar that sat on the nightstand next to me.

Moments later, finally Nat ended the game and switched it with Carlton. Oh boys will be boys, I guess. He turned his gaze on me and bloated his eyes out when he saw me. A smile played upon his lips and then he approached me.

“It’s good to see you’re here! I thought about calling you to help me” Nat grinned like a child and then sat on the end of bed.

“Help?”

“I have yet to call Lynn. And it’s already 9 PM” he bit his lip and gulped.

“Then just turn on your cellphone. You kept it off this whole day, didn’t you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously as he replied to me with a nod. He chucked down his hand into his jeans’ pocket and pulled out his cellphone, giving it to me.

“Good boy” I smiled, “Now, turn it on” I ordered while my mouth was chewing on cookies.

Nat looked at his cellphone hesitantly for a moment while he examined my features. He slowly turned his cellphone on. Meanwhile I was watching him and hoping Lynn would buy this and leave a message at least or else I would be hopeless and forced to face the fact that Lynn was hard to get.

A nice melody came out from Nat’s cellphone to inform that it was booting the system. After a minute, Nat stared hopefully at the screen and voila, a grin came across his face.

Three voice messages.

I quickly snatched his cellphone and then played the entire voice message, hoping that one of them would be from Lynn.

First message was at eight in the morning “Hey Nat, I’m sorry I was sleeping so I couldn’t pick the call because my cellphone was in silent mode. What’s wrong? Hehehe” There was a slew of giggles at the end of the message. I couldn’t help but chuckle at this. Well it seemed that Lynn took the bait.

“Hey Nat, it’s me again. Lynn. I was wondering why you haven’t responded back? I thought you needed me for something so you called me? Let me know and call me soon, kay?” the next message was at two in the afternoon.

“Hello, I’m sorry if the messages started to bug you but I’m kinda worried as to why you haven’t called me back. I hope it’s nothing to do with you being kinda mad at me, because honestly I don’t know if I have bothered you with my bitchy attitude again (chuckles) I’m sorry. I just want to catch up with you, just call me when you get a chance” and the last message from Lynn was at six in the afternoon. I laughed my head off when I heard the message. Surely, Lynn was attracted to Nat and she desperately wanted to catch up with him.

“Well, look who’s desperate” I teased him and he blushed. Nat was throwing a pillow childishly as his phone trembled on the side of bed. There was a new incoming call. Nat quickly grabbed his cellphone and gasped, seeing it was from Lynn.

“Fuck, she’s calling”

“Just pick it up, you douche!” I glared to him. Carlton who was on the carpet suddenly paused his game and joined us on the bed. He was watching his identical brother with amusement and then grinned at me.

“What the fuck am I supposed to say?”

“Just be natural, Nat” I told him. Nat was swallowing hard and then sighed when he picked up Lynn’s call. I took the phone and set it to loudspeaker, so we three could listen to the conversation.

“Hello?” Nat greeted first with a terrified look.

“Nat? Oh thank God, finally you’re there. I tried to call you a million times but your phone was off” she replied.

“Uhh.. sorry. My phone was… was dead uhm..” he was thinking of the right excuse “It had low battery”

“Oh okay then.. So, why did you call me past midnight?” Lynn let out her girly chuckles.

“Sorry again. I guess… I… I just.. I just wanted to make sure that…. That… it’s really your number. I was afraid that I mistook your number…”

I covered my mouth with my palm to hide my giggles. I knew it, she’s going to fall for it real soon without her even noticing it.

“Oh alright, so you know it’s really my number now,” she said while I could picture her smiling face.

“Uhh yeah, so…what’s up?” Nat asked groggily and made weird noises with his tongue. He turned his head to me and begged for something. I changed glances with Carlton as Carlton shrugged his shoulder.

“Well, I’m talking on the phone with you, what about you?”

“Uhh.. sure” Nat laughed and jittered. Carlton mouthed something to me but I didn’t get him because we tried our best to make sure Lynn didn’t listen to our presence. “Well.. err…” Nat shot me a demanding look.

Carlton grabbed something inside of the drawer on the nightstand and wrote out a note.

“Uhm, actually, I’m just sitting on my bed in my room…alone” he explained as he heard Lynn erupt with giggles.

“Nathaniel, are you trying to hint something?” Lynn let out her playful yet flirtatious giggles that I hated most. I never liked listening to weird giggles coming from women, especially a girl like Lynn. Geez.

“What? No! I..I’m I’m not hinting anything. Why would you assume that?” Nat interjected too eagerly.

Lynn laughed aloud, “Nat, you’re so cute. I was just joking, okay?”

As Lynn called him cute, Nat’s face suddenly turned red in sheer embarrassment. He scratched his nape nervously and then face palmed himself with stupid grimace planted upon his face.

“So, you’re not going somewhere?” Lynn randomly asked with her deep yet flirtatious voice.

“Uh.. not really, why?”

“Why?? I thought you’d be on a date with that chick on a Saturday night” there was a miff tone she hinted through the line. I only rolled my eyes at this while I saw Carlton was scribbling down something on his note.

Nat was nervous, “Savannah? Oh she’s…” he glared at me and demanded some good reason for it. I motioned something with my body language by tapping my forehead and rolled my eyes round and round hoping he could get my message saying I was ‘sick’.

“She’s sick at home,” Nat smoothly answered as I put my thumbs at him.

“Sick?? Seriously?” Lynn asked in high pitch “Well, I believe that the chick is lying to you, I saw her at Hunter’s Restaurant this afternoon. She was with her ex, you know, Dante”

I was jolted by the fact Lynn rolled out. Nat narrowed his eyes at me confusingly.

“Uhh really? She didn’t mention that”

“Nat, the bitch is lying to you. She’s such a horrible girlfriend,” Lynn snorted while I fisted my hand into ball. She had no right to be judging me like that! How dare she?

“Uhh, sorry she’s not a bitch. She’s still my girlfriend, but I’ll try to catch up with her later. Thanks for informing me though” Nat stuttered while he shrugged his shoulders towards me. I only muttered a low thanks to him for standing up to Lynn calling me out.

Abruptly, Carlton showed his note to Nat and it read, ‘Ask her out tomorrow’. My eyes widened and then I nodded enthusiastically at Nat. Nat glared at Carlton and shook his head. He mouthed something about being too forward.

“I’m sorry, I just, you know that my term with her isn’t really well,” she chuckled. “Well, I’m glad I told you about this though,” she said.

Carlton mouthed, “Come on man, take your chance!”

“I can’t, what if I creep her out?” Nat mouthed back silently.

“Fucking loser”Carlton still mouthed.

“Nathan? You there?” Lynn sounded impatient after the long pause Nat gave her.

“Uhh, yeah sure. Sorry, I spaced out a bit”

“Spaced out? You’re so silly yet cute,”

Nat blushed again, “Y-yeah. You know, sometimes I could be clumsy and weird,”

“I know! Haha, just kidding. Anyway, I was wondering if you’re busy tomorrow,”

Nat’s eyes jumped out from their sockets and he muttered excited profanities as he got the hint.

“N-no.. Not at all!” he replied too fast and too eager which made Lynn let out her hyena laugh again. “Uhh..what about we hang out somewhere tomorrow?” Nat grinned at me and Carlton as Carlton raised his thumb up to him.

“Gosh, that was I wanted to ask before,” she giggled again, this time being way more flirtatious as I only rolled my eyes annoyingly.

“Haha really?” he laughed intensely. “Well, that’s fine—I mean we could go as friends! Nothing more, I promise”

“Fine, it would be fun. And by the way, I wouldn’t mind if we could go out as more-than-friends. Well if only you’re not snatched by that woman though” Lynn explained. I could see stars were sparkling on Nat’s eyes and he was on the verge of screaming in victory when he heard Lynn. But I told him to keep it down, and told him to stay cool.

Another five minutes, finally, Lynn ended the conversation and they agreed to hang out tomorrow after they shared their plans. Nat was throwing his fist up and woohoo-ing aloud as Carlton gave a high-five to Nat. When he turned to me, he enveloped me in a bear hug and thanked me as if I just saved his life.

Another few minutes passed and then Carlton excused himself to have a cold shower, since it was already half past eight at night. I too told them that I might be staying for the night because I was too annoyed to function at my own house because Mike was there for the night.

The twins knew how much I hated Mike and I know how much Nat knew about my ignorant biological father.

When Carlton walked out from the room to get into the shower, Nat silently laid himself on his bed as I finally figured out whose it was. We were in a moment of silence before Nat asked me about Dante.

I told him the truth, that I was asked to hang out with Dante today, and he looked a bit weird about it. Then he said something about it being inappropriate and not convincing if someone especially Lynn found out that I went out with another boy. He said something about me ruining the disguise.

I didn’t object to him, he was right. Our plans could be ruined. Maybe some other time, I could meet Dante in secrecy out of sight of my schoolmates especially Lynn.

We fell in another silence while Nat grabbed his iPod and set it on the standing speaker on his nightstand. He played a good old rock song and then lied silently next to me. Meanwhile, I grabbed a magazine that was hidden under the bed, grateful it wasn’t a porn magazine that I usually found in boys’ room, but it was Rocksound Magazine.

I flipped each page and solemnly read the issues.

Nat cleared his throat that quickly snapped my serious reading. It was obvious that he was trying to get my attention because I didn’t realize that he had been staring at me. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion then arched them to demand what was going on with him.

“There’s something…” he began while he scathed his lip.

“What?”

“I’m going out with her tomorrow…and…”

“I know…?”

“You know that I’m not good with this. I mean I’m an awkward person, I couldn’t handle conversations too long with the girl I like and I know I’m not the best guy out there”

“What’s your point here?” I became impatient.

“I’m not as experienced as Kale when it comes to kissing girls. Well, I did kiss some girls a while back. The last was with Stella Greenberg and it’s been so long, you know. I just…”

I gasped. Stella Greenberg? I heard her name a couple times. Carlton sometimes mocked Nat about Stella. She was in the twins’ science class in 6th grade. That was a long time ago! I couldn’t grasp why Nat remained unkissed by any girls since 6th grade.

“I want to be prepared,” he added.

“What are you talking about, Nat?” I put down the magazine on my lap.

“I want to be prepared just in case my first outing with Lynn would lead me to kiss her. I don’t want to be awkward and I don’t want to be called a fish-kisser. I want her to enjoy kissing me, when it comes” he paused while I still didn’t get what he meant. “Will you train me?”

My breath hitched in my throat suddenly making me cough loudly.

“Excuse me???” I was so shocked Nat would ask such thing like that.

“It’s not like that, Sav. We could just… I mean you can train me. Because we all know that I’m not a good kisser” his face turned deep red. “I don’t want Lynn to know that I’m a bad kisser. I want her to know that I’m trained enough, you know”

“That’s stupid, Nat” I chuckled, “But okay then. You’re such a girl,” I rolled my eyes and laughed at him.

“Really? Wow, you’re so nice to me, Saves” he grinned from ear to ear. I stretched my back and then straightened my sitting form, facing him Indian style.

“One thing you need to know is, there are some girls who like the rough kisses, the simple kisses, the passionate kisses, and tender kisses. You need to figure it out what Lynn likes,” I explained to him like a love expert and he nodded.

“The key is you need to treat her right. No hurry, no rough times, just take it slowly if she’s a tender kisser”

“Okay, gotta put it on a note” he grabbed at his end table and took a couple of papers and put down some notes. I laughed hard at him when I saw what he was doing.

“You’re such a geek, Nat” I took a step forward and leaned into him, as our face came nearer, “Listen love-nerd, you just need to take it slowly and let it flow. It’s going to be your nature, trust me…” I said to him before I involuntary grabbed his nape and pressed my lips on his. Nat was shocked and paralyzed when I kissed him, he shut his eyes awkwardly and his stiff shoulders suddenly relaxed.

We swallowed each other’s lips slowly, in sync and tenderly, when he started to kiss me back.

I couldn’t believe that I just gave him a kissing tutorial. My lips were holding onto his trembled lips, I knew he was nervous because it was me he was kissing, not Lynn but he knew that I gave him a stupid tutorial. I slowly slipped out my tongue and traced his lips just to beg for an entrance to his mouth.

I thought he learned, so he let my tongue observe his mouth while on the other hand his tongue was on mine too. I pulled his nape closer so our bodies were bumped right up against each other. He then unexpectedly cupped my cheek and rubbed it making me let out some low moan as his tongue hit my tonsil.

I was startled when his other hand was on my waist and he traced the skin under my t-shirt. His cold yet nervous hand drew a circle on it as it became his nature. His lips never left mine as he kept slowly devouring my mouth. I wasn’t going to lie and say that it didn’t feel good. He was kind of an awkward kisser, but he wasn’t a bad kisser. He knew my spot. I knew that Lynn might like to kiss him all the time.

I pulled away from his mouth, making a loud pop sound from our mouths. He stared at me with a confused look and then I slowly kissed his collarbone, tracing my lips on his neck and then the beginning of his jaw. I nipped his neck and licked. It made a quick jolt on his face as he stumbled off from the bed making a loud thump on the floor.

“What was that?!” he called out while his hand was on his neck, more precisely the spot where I kissed him.

“It’s called making out, you douche,” I laughed dryly.

He was stared at me with his big eyes and then he swallowed hard. “It instantly made me hard, geez,” he told me. Then when I peeked at him, to see his pants, there was a slight tent near his arousal.

I laughed aloud when I spotted his boner poking out. I had just found his weak spot, the spot that instantly made him get aroused.

“That’s actually how I gave the boys boners” I told him and then got up from his bed. He didn’t say anything only watched me with a shocked look. “I’m gonna hit the sack. See you in the morning, douche” I smiled at him before I left his room to go up to Kat’s room.

What I was confused about was, I could still feel his lips lingering on mine instead of Dante’s when I was about to sleep.