Hey Romeo, Don't You Think You're Just a Tad Overrated?
Kisses in the Night
"Thank you Max," I smiled appreciatively as we slowly walked back to the school after dinner.
Max looked rather anxious. "Um, you're welcome. Sorry if it was kind of uh, plain and everything, you know, just a dinner and all but I enjoyed it and—"
I started laughing. "It's fine! I had a lot of fun too."
We were silent for a few minutes.
"Aurelie, have you ever had a boyfriend before?" he suddenly asked quietly.
I stopped walking in surprise and looked up at him. The soft light of the lamps illuminated his bright green eyes. Behind me was the fancy fountain that resided in the courtyard of the school. The porcelain naked lady with the huge bust seemed to be glowing, and the water trickling over her and landing in the pool beneath shimmered and murmured.
"N-no," I stammered, "well, there was this time in kindergarten when this boy gave me a chocolate heart and asked if I would be his valentine, but I don't think that really counts and—"
This time Max cut me off. "Will you be my girlfriend, Aurelie?" he suddenly asked.
I nearly froze. "Your g-girlfriend?"
Max stepped closer. "I know I've only known you for a few weeks, but I like you. You're sweet, kind, funny, and you're just different from most of the people here and I just…really like you," he finished, slowly closing the gap between us. "So will you?" he asked again. "Please be my girlfriend?"
I could feel my heart pounding against my ribcage. "Yes," I murmured
Max smiled, and his green eyes glittered. "Good," he whispered, completely closed the void and reached down and kissed me.
I've never been kissed before. I've always imagined what my first kiss would be like, very romantic and with an amazing boy. I thought I would be able to feel fireworks and maybe feel electric sparks and a fire in my stomach, but there was nothing.
It wasn't that Max was a terrible kisser. In fact, he was great. And I genuinely liked Max. He was one of the nicest and most sincere guys I've ever met, not to mention that he's absolutely adorable and is a complete gentleman. Yes, I really liked Max, but just not to that extent.
But still, he was my first boyfriend, my first kiss, and one of the first boys that I've really liked in awhile. So, I kissed him back. I could feel one arm tighten around my waist and one tangling into my hair, drawing me closer.
"What's going on here?" a hard voice sliced through the atmosphere.
Max and I broke apart at once, jumping apart. I quickly fixed my hair and Max wiped all of my lipgloss off his mouth.
I recognized the speaker. "C-Cam!" I said.
Cam blinked as he stepped into the half-light, recognizing us. "No inappropriate public displays of affection allowed on school grounds," he uttered, monotone. "Watch the curfew. Go back to your dorms." His gold prefect badge glittered, emphasizing the authority behind his words.
Next to me, Max looked frustrated. He glared at his friend. "Cam, it’s a Friday, lights out isn't until eleven," he said lividly.
Cam stayed cool, his arms crossed. "Really? I don't think the headmaster would really appreciate the fact that you and his daughter are hooking up in the middle of the school courtyard," he countered.
Max sneered and stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "What, Camaxtli? I can't even kiss my own girlfriend? What century do you come from anyway?"
I thought I saw Cam's eyes flash momentarily, but his expression remained stoic. "We have practice early tomorrow. Don't be late, Mr. Co-Captain, or else you'll be doing laps." He moved, his badge flashing gold, as he disappeared around the corner.
Max's arm tightened around my waist. "He's such a bastard sometimes," he muttered under his breath. "Come on, I'll walk you back."
His arm didn't leave its position. "I thought he was one of your best friends," I murmured.
Max sighed. "He is. But ever since his mother died, he's been completely acting like a complete ass." His eyes widened. "Sorry, I wasn't supposed to tell you that…"
I shook my head. "It's okay," I said quietly.
"But anyways, I know he's a good person on the inside," Max finished as we came to a stop in front of the McAllister house.
"Well, thanks for tonight," I smiled, placing a hand on the doorknob.
"Wait," Max said. I turned around, and he quickly met my lips with his in a brief kiss before pulling away, a grin on his face. "Good night, Aurelie."
I opened the door and stepped into the foyer. "I'm home!" I pronounced.
Rachel came from the kitchen, holding a mug of hot cocoa. "How was your date?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face.
"It was good," I said vaguely. She looked at me. "Okay, okay, he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes!" I announced.
"I knew it," Rachel said, laughing, as we both sat down on the comfortable couches.
"Maximillian Austerlitz?" David suddenly appeared in the living room. "Isn't he the one who always gets into trouble?" he thought aloud.
I groaned. Here we go again.
"I like him," Rachel defended for me. "He seems like a sweet boy. He was the one that won the science fair with Cam Gallagher last year, remember?"
"Well, I guess he's alright," David mused. "As long as he doesn't do anything bad..."
"David!" Rachel and I said at the same time, then burst into laughter.
"I'm going to bed," I said, standing up. "Goodnight."
Rachel smiled. "Goodnight, Aurelie."
David grunted his reply and flicked on the TV.
I sped up the stairs, preparing to tell my good news to my friends.
___________________
Reagan Dorm for Boys, Room #245, 10:34PM
"What the hell was that?" Max exploded as he burst into Cam's room. "'Watch the curfew. Go back to your dorms,'" he mimicked in a high pitched voice. Max scowled. "You did that on purpose!"
Cam leaned back into his pillows, and ignored his friend, focusing on reading The Crucible. "It's my job," he muttered.
"Job, my ass," Max snorted, straddling Cam's desk chair so that he faced the other boy. "What's wrong with you? Are you jealous or something, just because I have a girlfriend?"
Cam snapped his book shut and threw it onto the bedspread. "Jealous? Look who's talking Max!" he retorted, suddenly angry.
Max sighed, getting up. "You know what Cam?" He opened his mouth, but closed it again, shaking his head. "I'll help you with the game plan tomorrow," he finally muttered, exiting his room and closing the door gently behind him.
Cam tried to pretend nothing ever happened and picked up The Crucible again, but somehow he couldn't get into the book and he kept reading the same line over and over again.
" I cannot sleep for dreamin'; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I'd find you comin' through some door… "
Max looked rather anxious. "Um, you're welcome. Sorry if it was kind of uh, plain and everything, you know, just a dinner and all but I enjoyed it and—"
I started laughing. "It's fine! I had a lot of fun too."
We were silent for a few minutes.
"Aurelie, have you ever had a boyfriend before?" he suddenly asked quietly.
I stopped walking in surprise and looked up at him. The soft light of the lamps illuminated his bright green eyes. Behind me was the fancy fountain that resided in the courtyard of the school. The porcelain naked lady with the huge bust seemed to be glowing, and the water trickling over her and landing in the pool beneath shimmered and murmured.
"N-no," I stammered, "well, there was this time in kindergarten when this boy gave me a chocolate heart and asked if I would be his valentine, but I don't think that really counts and—"
This time Max cut me off. "Will you be my girlfriend, Aurelie?" he suddenly asked.
I nearly froze. "Your g-girlfriend?"
Max stepped closer. "I know I've only known you for a few weeks, but I like you. You're sweet, kind, funny, and you're just different from most of the people here and I just…really like you," he finished, slowly closing the gap between us. "So will you?" he asked again. "Please be my girlfriend?"
I could feel my heart pounding against my ribcage. "Yes," I murmured
Max smiled, and his green eyes glittered. "Good," he whispered, completely closed the void and reached down and kissed me.
I've never been kissed before. I've always imagined what my first kiss would be like, very romantic and with an amazing boy. I thought I would be able to feel fireworks and maybe feel electric sparks and a fire in my stomach, but there was nothing.
It wasn't that Max was a terrible kisser. In fact, he was great. And I genuinely liked Max. He was one of the nicest and most sincere guys I've ever met, not to mention that he's absolutely adorable and is a complete gentleman. Yes, I really liked Max, but just not to that extent.
But still, he was my first boyfriend, my first kiss, and one of the first boys that I've really liked in awhile. So, I kissed him back. I could feel one arm tighten around my waist and one tangling into my hair, drawing me closer.
"What's going on here?" a hard voice sliced through the atmosphere.
Max and I broke apart at once, jumping apart. I quickly fixed my hair and Max wiped all of my lipgloss off his mouth.
I recognized the speaker. "C-Cam!" I said.
Cam blinked as he stepped into the half-light, recognizing us. "No inappropriate public displays of affection allowed on school grounds," he uttered, monotone. "Watch the curfew. Go back to your dorms." His gold prefect badge glittered, emphasizing the authority behind his words.
Next to me, Max looked frustrated. He glared at his friend. "Cam, it’s a Friday, lights out isn't until eleven," he said lividly.
Cam stayed cool, his arms crossed. "Really? I don't think the headmaster would really appreciate the fact that you and his daughter are hooking up in the middle of the school courtyard," he countered.
Max sneered and stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "What, Camaxtli? I can't even kiss my own girlfriend? What century do you come from anyway?"
I thought I saw Cam's eyes flash momentarily, but his expression remained stoic. "We have practice early tomorrow. Don't be late, Mr. Co-Captain, or else you'll be doing laps." He moved, his badge flashing gold, as he disappeared around the corner.
Max's arm tightened around my waist. "He's such a bastard sometimes," he muttered under his breath. "Come on, I'll walk you back."
His arm didn't leave its position. "I thought he was one of your best friends," I murmured.
Max sighed. "He is. But ever since his mother died, he's been completely acting like a complete ass." His eyes widened. "Sorry, I wasn't supposed to tell you that…"
I shook my head. "It's okay," I said quietly.
"But anyways, I know he's a good person on the inside," Max finished as we came to a stop in front of the McAllister house.
"Well, thanks for tonight," I smiled, placing a hand on the doorknob.
"Wait," Max said. I turned around, and he quickly met my lips with his in a brief kiss before pulling away, a grin on his face. "Good night, Aurelie."
I opened the door and stepped into the foyer. "I'm home!" I pronounced.
Rachel came from the kitchen, holding a mug of hot cocoa. "How was your date?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face.
"It was good," I said vaguely. She looked at me. "Okay, okay, he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes!" I announced.
"I knew it," Rachel said, laughing, as we both sat down on the comfortable couches.
"Maximillian Austerlitz?" David suddenly appeared in the living room. "Isn't he the one who always gets into trouble?" he thought aloud.
I groaned. Here we go again.
"I like him," Rachel defended for me. "He seems like a sweet boy. He was the one that won the science fair with Cam Gallagher last year, remember?"
"Well, I guess he's alright," David mused. "As long as he doesn't do anything bad..."
"David!" Rachel and I said at the same time, then burst into laughter.
"I'm going to bed," I said, standing up. "Goodnight."
Rachel smiled. "Goodnight, Aurelie."
David grunted his reply and flicked on the TV.
I sped up the stairs, preparing to tell my good news to my friends.
___________________
Reagan Dorm for Boys, Room #245, 10:34PM
"What the hell was that?" Max exploded as he burst into Cam's room. "'Watch the curfew. Go back to your dorms,'" he mimicked in a high pitched voice. Max scowled. "You did that on purpose!"
Cam leaned back into his pillows, and ignored his friend, focusing on reading The Crucible. "It's my job," he muttered.
"Job, my ass," Max snorted, straddling Cam's desk chair so that he faced the other boy. "What's wrong with you? Are you jealous or something, just because I have a girlfriend?"
Cam snapped his book shut and threw it onto the bedspread. "Jealous? Look who's talking Max!" he retorted, suddenly angry.
Max sighed, getting up. "You know what Cam?" He opened his mouth, but closed it again, shaking his head. "I'll help you with the game plan tomorrow," he finally muttered, exiting his room and closing the door gently behind him.
Cam tried to pretend nothing ever happened and picked up The Crucible again, but somehow he couldn't get into the book and he kept reading the same line over and over again.
" I cannot sleep for dreamin'; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I'd find you comin' through some door… "