Kids In Love

"Honestly, i didn't think you would come." TJ shrugged as he and Marlaina sat side by side beneath the blossoming tree, in an ocean of perfectly pink petals.

"I was the one who told you to meet me here," Marlaina laughed bumping TJ with her shoulder in a flirtatious manner. "Of course i was gonna come."

"So..." TJ broke the silence after a few awkward minuets of silence besides the chatter of people walking around them in the warm evening. TJ looked over at the girl on his right, taking in her natural beauty and the radiance of her face as the last rays of sun departed leaving a bright streak across her face. "I think I like you."

Giggling, Marlaina turned away to hide her blush, her fingers playing with the band of the bracelet on her left hand. She bit her lip quickly assessing what to say next.

"I thought you liked Alisa," She paused after a moment of pondering, "A lot."

"I think I'm just realizing now that she isn't interested in me in the least," TJ confessed resting his arms on his bent knees.

"Yeah, well, she's not really into relationships at the moment." Marlaina explained starring at him from the corner of her eye taking in his grey t-shit, cargo shorts, lean arms and perfect blond hair.

"Sounds like Jon," TJ smiled thinking of his good friend. "He isn't into girls." He added making Marlaina's eyes grow wide.

"Not like that!" TJ quickly recovered, "He just thinks they are a distraction."

"Oh, well then i guess that was kind of a lost cause." Marlaina shrugged pulling on the grass beneath her, "Liking him, I mean."

"You know what won't be a lost cause?" TJ asked with a sparkle in his eye, almost as if a secret was about to spill out of his ocean eyes.

"What?" Marlaina tentatively asked, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"Liking me." TJ stated puffing out his chest proudly. Marlaina let out a surprised guffaw making TJ blush.

"Oh really?" Marlaina asked, "Liking you is worth it?"

"Oh, i guarantee it." TJ grinned wrapping his arm around her shoulders pulling her lips into his.

*

"You eat," Alisa paused searching her extensive vocabulary to describe Jon's eating habit, "a lot." She concluded deciding it was the only word that could truly do justice to the large amount of food on Jon's plate.

"I play hockey," He shrugged taking a gulp of his milkshake, "Athletes eat a lot."

Alisa blushed upon hearing Jon state he was a hockey player and recalling her words from a few days back, something along the lines of Hockey players are doofs.

"What?" Jon asked seeing the pink tint to her cheeks, "Why are you blushing?"

"Nothing." She quickly said busying herself with her burger.

"Tell me," Jon pleaded nudging her foot underneath the table.

"Its just the other day I told Laina I thought all hockey players were doofs," She whispered sipping on her drink.

"Doofs, huh?" Jon smiled leaning closer to her, "I happen to be the total opposite of a doof. I'm smart."

"And oh, so humble." Alisa quipped with a smile.

"Seriously, I'm not a doof." Jon said pointing a finger at her.

"Oh yeah? Prove it hockey boy." Alisa said sitting back in the booth they were sharing at the diner down the road from campus.

"Je suis tres intelligent, je ne suis pas bête. Tu as tort, mademoiselle." Jon rambled out making Alisa's eyes grow as wide as saucers.

"You never told me you spoke French."

"You never asked," He pointed out taking a monstrous bite of his burger.

After a few more moments passed of comfortable conversation about Jon and his French speaking abilities along with his life back in Winnipeg, they had finished their dinner and decided to head back to campus.

"Its getting pretty late," Jon commented as they walked through the brisk night back to Alisa's dorm.

"Yeah its almost midnight." Alisa laughed lightly looping her arm through Jon's.

"Looks like they are having fun," Jon chuckled looking over to their right where a couple was seen making out beneath a cherry blossom tree.

"Shit!" Alisa exclaimed walking ahead of Jon.

"Wait up!" Jon called jogging to keep up with her, "What's your deal?"

"That was Marlaina!" Alisa hissed running into her dormitory building, "If she sees me with you she will kill me!"

"Why?" Jon stupidly asked.

"She likes you!"

"Um, i don't think so..." Jon trailed off making Alisa remember that moments ago she had witnessed her friend locking lips with another guy.

"Oh," Alisa paused walking up to her room. "I wonder who that was."

"Anyway," Jon laughed, "Can we do this again?" He hopefully asked.

"I don't know," Alisa shrugged opening her door.

"Will i see you tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Alisa replied once again stepping into her room.

"Can I at least get a kiss goodnight?"

Alisa turned and smiled at Jon standing in her dorm's doorway. He was a large contrast to the small pink room, with his tall, lean figure and broad shoulders. She stood in front of him basking in the manly scent radiating off of him. Reaching up she placed her palm against the golden, smooth skin of his cheek, reveling in its softness. He leaned down closer so their foreheads were almost touching; his heart beating erratically.

"No," She breathed out, "I have rules."

"What kind of rules?" Jon whispered and she felt his warm breath against her forehead.

"I don't kiss on a first date." She smiled.

"Rules are meant to be broken." He propositioned raising his eyebrows at her.

"Not mine," She said tapping his cheek with her hand shooing him out the door. She smiled to herself thinking of how happy he had made her that evening. Jon smiled to himself shaking his head as he left the building. He had enjoyed that date more than he would have liked.

He just couldn't imagine what he was going to tell TJ if he ever found out.