Status: Complete
Turning A Page
-28-
Frozen. As soon as the sound escaped him we were both frozen. Well obviously not literally, but it sure felt like it. I couldn't even hear my heart beating, but I'm sure it must have been.
Do I open my eyes? Should I just back away calmly? How about pretending nothing happened? I think it's a bit too late for that last option. Johnny's hands still gripped my waist like a vice, holding me in place. Bugger, that just leaves opening my eyes. I did so hesitantly, unsure of what I would find, hoping that the horror scene playing out in my head where Johnny suddenly turned into a hideous monster of death wouldn't become my reality.
It was only when our eyes locked, when the shock, regret and dazed confusion interlaced, that my brain started functioning with helpfulhints like 'take your lips off his'. How stupid must I be if I'm still standing there with his lip between my teeth, tongue gently rubbing against it? How stupid am I for kissing my best friend in the first place? What the hell was I thinking?
"Well, that was... unexpected," Johnny forced out nervously once we had separated. His hands loosened their grip but stayed in place, thumbs rubbing somewhat comforting circles across the fabric of my t-shirt.
Shaking my head, reconfirming over and over in my head what an idiot I am, I tried to avoid his curious gaze. I could tell I was blushing; it didn't take much to turn me red. "You can say that again JC."
It took all I had to not burst out laughing as he repeated himself, goofy grin spread wide as he crouched a bit trying to look into my eyes. Damn him for knowing I can't avoid them for long. Still, I smacked his chest before pulling him into a hug. We stood there for minutes, swaying gently, just letting the tension ease itself away. Things were obviously going to be awkward for a while, there's no way they couldn't be, but for us hugging always helped whatever situation we were going through.
x
After showering and changing my mind was still racing with the events of the morning. Lying on my bed staring at the ceiling wasn't doing anything to help my thinking, just like staring out the window into the backyard hadn't. I could hear Johnny playing his bass, I'm guessing most probably in his bedroom from the volume. It had a sort of calming effect for him, just zoning off into a world where only the music existed. I definitely wasn't going to complain, listening to music could always bring me out of whatever bad mood I found myself in. Hearing Johnny play for me over phone lines had helped me through times when his voice wasn't quite enough.
Deciding I needed to get out of the house for a while was probably my best thought of the day, not that it had much competition. But where do I feel like going? The beach would be great, but it's too far away to walk and I don't feel like driving anywhere. Zacky's is close, but I really can't deal with him right now. Matt and Val's place was a couple of miles away, with Brian and Michelle's not far from them. That just left Jimmy and Eve if I wanted company, assuming they were home of course.
Central Park was another option, but I couldn't remember how to get there from here, so that was quickly struck off my insanely short list. Basically I was down to walking around aimlessly or knocking on a door hoping for someone to answer.
Making my decision I pulled on some shoes, grabbed a hoodie because the clouds were rolling in and the temperature was dropping, then let Johnny know my plans.
Pushing his door open my suspicions were confirmed as I saw him on the edge of his bed, hunched over his instrument. Tapping his shoulder caused him to turn his head as he kept playing. "I'm going for a walk, might see if Eve and Jimbob are home. I'll see you later." A small smile was my only response as I left the room with a wave.
Do I open my eyes? Should I just back away calmly? How about pretending nothing happened? I think it's a bit too late for that last option. Johnny's hands still gripped my waist like a vice, holding me in place. Bugger, that just leaves opening my eyes. I did so hesitantly, unsure of what I would find, hoping that the horror scene playing out in my head where Johnny suddenly turned into a hideous monster of death wouldn't become my reality.
It was only when our eyes locked, when the shock, regret and dazed confusion interlaced, that my brain started functioning with helpfulhints like 'take your lips off his'. How stupid must I be if I'm still standing there with his lip between my teeth, tongue gently rubbing against it? How stupid am I for kissing my best friend in the first place? What the hell was I thinking?
"Well, that was... unexpected," Johnny forced out nervously once we had separated. His hands loosened their grip but stayed in place, thumbs rubbing somewhat comforting circles across the fabric of my t-shirt.
Shaking my head, reconfirming over and over in my head what an idiot I am, I tried to avoid his curious gaze. I could tell I was blushing; it didn't take much to turn me red. "You can say that again JC."
It took all I had to not burst out laughing as he repeated himself, goofy grin spread wide as he crouched a bit trying to look into my eyes. Damn him for knowing I can't avoid them for long. Still, I smacked his chest before pulling him into a hug. We stood there for minutes, swaying gently, just letting the tension ease itself away. Things were obviously going to be awkward for a while, there's no way they couldn't be, but for us hugging always helped whatever situation we were going through.
x
After showering and changing my mind was still racing with the events of the morning. Lying on my bed staring at the ceiling wasn't doing anything to help my thinking, just like staring out the window into the backyard hadn't. I could hear Johnny playing his bass, I'm guessing most probably in his bedroom from the volume. It had a sort of calming effect for him, just zoning off into a world where only the music existed. I definitely wasn't going to complain, listening to music could always bring me out of whatever bad mood I found myself in. Hearing Johnny play for me over phone lines had helped me through times when his voice wasn't quite enough.
Deciding I needed to get out of the house for a while was probably my best thought of the day, not that it had much competition. But where do I feel like going? The beach would be great, but it's too far away to walk and I don't feel like driving anywhere. Zacky's is close, but I really can't deal with him right now. Matt and Val's place was a couple of miles away, with Brian and Michelle's not far from them. That just left Jimmy and Eve if I wanted company, assuming they were home of course.
Central Park was another option, but I couldn't remember how to get there from here, so that was quickly struck off my insanely short list. Basically I was down to walking around aimlessly or knocking on a door hoping for someone to answer.
Making my decision I pulled on some shoes, grabbed a hoodie because the clouds were rolling in and the temperature was dropping, then let Johnny know my plans.
Pushing his door open my suspicions were confirmed as I saw him on the edge of his bed, hunched over his instrument. Tapping his shoulder caused him to turn his head as he kept playing. "I'm going for a walk, might see if Eve and Jimbob are home. I'll see you later." A small smile was my only response as I left the room with a wave.