La Vie En Rose

“Is John nice?” Cole asked in his cute, little innocent voice as he sat on my bed with a Transformers toy in his hand, “Is he mean?”

I looked at Cole from the bathroom with a mascara wand in my hand and laughed, “No, Cole, he’s really nice! You’re gonna have a lot of fun!”

“Does he like transformers?” Cole questioned, swinging his legs back and forth.

“Probably.” I gave Cole a reassuring smile before I answered, “Now, be a good boy and get into your Pajamas. John will be here soon.”

He sighed and hopped off my bed, “Okay.”

Friday evening came a lot faster than I anticipated. I went through a series of emotions throughout the day: Excitement, worry, apprehensive, scared, agitated. The text messages I received from Garrett and Lola weren’t helping the nerves either.

New Text Message: Garrett
Make me proud, G-spot. Make that waiter your BITCH!

New Text Message: Lola
I put a condom in your clutch. Go big or go home. Love you! x

I was about ready to throw my Blackberry across the room after reading Lola’s text. There was no way in hell I would have sex on a first date. I made a quick mental note to discuss priorities with Lola at some point before I go back to New York.

I was just about finished with my make up when the doorbell rang. I remember telling John to come to the house ten minutes before Richie was due to arrive.

“Someone’s here!” I heard Cole yell as he bounded down the stairs.

“Cole, get the door! It’s probably John!” I called back, “I’ll be down in a second!”

I did one more spritz of hairspray on my long, wavy brown hair and pushed it to the side before stepping back and checking out my outfit one last time. I decided to wear a black, strapless sweetheart dress with an elastic belt at the waist, matching it with my sparkly red heels and clutch. I was even wearing red lipstick. Just keeping it classy, ladies.

“Giiiiigiiii!” I heard Cole’s voice call loudly from downstairs, “Where are you!?”

“One second!” I yelled back as I ran around the room, picking up my phone, wallet and perfume and dropping it in my clutch. Once I was ready, I put my hand on the handle of bedroom door, took a deep breath and made my way for the stairs.

When I made my way down the stairs, Cole and John were standing in the foyer. Cole was trying to explain to John why his pajamas had Spiderman printed all over them. I put my hand on the banister as I carefully stepped down. The last thing I wanted to do was trip over these heels and break my neck.

Cole was the first to spot me, “Wow sissy!”

John turned around and looked at me, his mouth slightly ajar. I bit my lip and smiled at him. He didn’t say anything, making my heart leap in my chest.

I swallowed back my nerves and spoke, “How do I look? Is it too much?”

He closed his mouth and shook his head quickly, “Not at all! You look great.”

“Thanks” I grinned at him. I noticed that even in four inch heels, John still managed to be taller than me and I wasn’t even that short. Amazing, “Cole, why don’t you go pick out a movie that you can watch with John?”

Cole’s eyes lit up with excitement before he nodded vigorously, “Okay!” He ran into the living room and started leafing through the DVD collection. I rolled my eyes and looked at John.

“Thanks again for doing this.” I said, “I promise he’s not a rowdy kid. I guarantee you he’ll fall asleep sometime during the movie. If he does, you can leave him there. I can put him to bed when I get back.”

“Don’t worry, Gigi.” John said, “I got this. Trust me.”

And I did. I trusted him so much. I knew he would be great with Cole. Would it be weird to admit that I was a little jealous that Cole got to hang out with John and I didn’t? Because that’s how I was feeling. Seeing John here in my house, made me want to cancel my plans, change into my jeans and a slouchy shirt and make popcorn before watching a movie.

The loud car horn outside my house, however, brought me back to reality. A girl can dream...

“I guess thats him.” I sighed before noticing John looking at the door with a disgusted facial expression, “What? What’s wrong?”

“He’s not going to ring the doorbell and meet you at your front door?” John asked, venom practically dripping off his words, “He’s just going to beep his car horn and expect you to go out and meet him? What kind of guy is this?”

I was completely taken aback by the sudden tone of malevolence in his voice. This was a side I’ve never seen before. He was just being a good friend, I realized, just being a protective friend.

“He probably just doesn’t want to be late for our reservations. It’s fine.” I made a quick excuse as I opened up the front door. I turned around and looked at John, “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

His jaw looked constrained as he glared daggers (no, daggers would be an understatement. Let’s go with Viking swords.) towards the black mustang parked outside. John glanced at me and nodded slowly.

“Right.” I mumbled, “I’ll um...I’ll see you later.”

Oh my God. This is a disaster.

This was all I could think of as I starred at Richie across the table, astonished by the fact that he wasn’t aware that he was chewing with his mouth open. Wide. Open. It was so hard to hide my disgust as I could see literally everything in his mouth. I didn’t even want to eat my entree.

Not only that, but we weren’t seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. I loved fashion, he loved picking up whatever clothes were on his bedroom floor, sniffing them and then wearing them for that day. I thrived to be a successful fashion designer, he thrived to play at least five to six hours of World Of Warcraft everyday. I liked meat, he was vegetarian. I liked Kid Cudi, he despised Kid Cudi.

At this point, I had given up trying to relate to anything. So, while we patiently waited for dessert, I pretended to listen to his ‘engrossing’ story about how he got the job at Johnny Rockets. In reality, I couldn’t wait until this date was over. My thoughts drifted over to John and Cole. I wondered what they were doing? I almost wanted to text John, just to see if everything was ok even though I knew the answer. They were more than okay. Ugh, get me out of here.

It was around ten-thirty at night by the time we left the restaurant. The minute that door was opened, I was about ready to drop on my knees and kiss the ground yelling ‘FREEDOM!’. The past three and a half hours of my life could be equivalent to torture. No, I’m not exaggerating. Not one bit.

The drive home was completely silent, minus the strange music he was playing on the radio. ‘Animal Collective’ he explained. I tried blocking it out, hoping my ears wouldn’t start bleeding right there and then.

Richie parked his car in my empty driveway, fifteen minutes later. Lola’s car was still gone, indicating she was still with her cheerleading squad. Richie turned off the engine and dimmed the lights before looking at me. Oh Jesus...

“I had a really great time tonight, Gigi.” He said, smiling at me, his eyes darting towards my lips and then back at my eyes.

I didn’t.

“Me too.” I gave him a strained smile, “Thanks for the dinner.”

And for making me pay the tip, you asshole.

Before I knew it, Richie started leaning across the brake with his eyes closed. I cringed and moved my face slightly, letting him kiss my cheek.

He pulled back, pretending like it was no big deal. I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Richie stated as I got out of the car.

Please don’t.

“Okay. Bye!” I slammed the door shut and walked towards the house. I noticed that he was already reversing out of my driveway and driving away before I even got to the door. He didn’t even have the common curtesy to wait until I got into the house safely. Pftt, good riddance.

When I walked into the house, the first thing I heard was Michael Buble’s voice singing softly from the living room. I raised an eyebrow curiously as I dropped my clutch on the side table and slowly walked into the living room.

I stopped in the doorway and starred. I just stood there and starred, not believing what I was seeing.

John was hunched over the coffee-table, with a can of cleaning spray and a paper towel, wiping down the surface in a circular motion. I looked around the room and noticed it was...sparkling. My living room was sparkling.

John looked up and finally noticed me in the doorway and smiled, “Hey! You’re back!”

“John...” I trailed off, walking into the room. Even the pillows were sitting perfectly on the couches, “You..you’re..why are you cleaning!?”

“Oh this?” He stood up, “It’s nothing. I just put Cole to bed and I thought I’d clean up the place a bi-”
“You-you put Cole to bed?” I asked, disbelief washing over me.

He nodded like it was no big deal, “Yeah. About thirty minutes ago. We watched A Bugs Life, I gave him a glass of milk and brought him upstairs and read him a story. He was passed out in minutes.”

My heart swelled up with tenderness as I looked at John. That was probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard. The fact that he did all that for my little brother was making me see John in a whole new light. Well not particularly a new..but my god, was John shining right now.

Listen to me. I’ve gone crazy. I think I need to sit down.

I slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. John watched me with concern.

“Is everything alright?” He asked.

“No.” I replied before looking up at him, “You’re way too nice. You need to stop being so nice.”

He laughed and sat next to me on the couch, “Do you want me to go start up a fight with someone? Hit someone’s mailbox with a bat? Key someone’s car?”

I looked at John and nodded, “Yeah, that could work. Actually, I have a baseball bat in the closet if you want to borrow it?”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. I smiled. He had such an innocent laugh. It was adorable. I wish it wasn’t frowned upon to pinch cheeks...or straight up rip clothes off a man’s body. Oh my God. I mentally cringed, realizing the train of thoughts that were currently cruising through my mind. Maybe I should use that baseball bat to whack some sense into my hormones. They were going wild.

“So, how was the date?” John asked, sobering up now.

I threw my head back and groaned, “John, it was awful! A complete and utter disaster. He chews with his mouth open, hates normal music and he was completely obnoxious. He even made me pay for the tip.”

“You paid the tip...” John looked at me with disbelief, “What kind of jerk takes a girl out on a date and makes her pay tip? I’m sorry Gigi, but I am not a fan of this guy.”

I nervously started picking at my nail polish, “Believe me, I’m not a fan either. Possibly the worst date I’ve ever been on. He definitely takes the cake.”

“Well,” John said, “I’m sorry you had a rough night.”

I was still fuming over the night’s events. I was so frustrated, in fact, that I threw my hands down on the couch, “He didn’t even mention anything about how I looked! Oh, I’m sorry, he must of been too caught up on deciding what shirt to wear from the bedroom floor. I’ll have you know I thoroughly went through my closet to find the perfect dress for this date! I even fixed up the hemline so it would fit me better! Oh, God forbid he noticed.”

John smiled as he sat silently and just watched me vent ferociously. I realized I must of looked like a crazy women, so I stopped abruptly and blushed. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.

“Sorry.” I laughed it off, “I’m just so mad.”

“It’s fine.” He grinned, his emerald-colored eyes gleaming with amusement, “I quite like watching you get all flustered. It’s kinda cute.”

My heart instantly stopped beating. Just like that. Did I hear him correctly? Did he just call me cute? Am I imagining things? Did I accidentally fall asleep dream up this whole scenario? Someone pinch me pronto, this is not happening.

But it was. This wasn’t a dream in the slightest. I could feel every inch of my body heating up, my cheeks turning a bright red (this happens a lot when I’m around John, apparently) and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I had no idea how to respond to that. “You’re cute too”? No, that was cringe-worthy for sure. Ugh, what do I do! He’s still looking at me.

~~ Me And Mrs.Jones
(Editor’s note: Trust me, listen to the song, it goes along nicely with the scene x)

Before I even had a chance to respond, he suddenly stood up and looked down at me, “Come on.”

I looked at him with confusion, “Huh?”

“Let’s dance.” He smiled, offering me his hand.

Um.....WHAT!?

I started panicking. I had no idea how to dance!

“I can’t really dance...” I trailed off.

He rolled his eyes and smiled, “Come on, it’s not that hard. Don’t make me beg, Gigi King. Please dance with me?”

I bit my lip, hesitating at first before I eventually took his offered hand and stood up. The song ‘Me And Mrs. Jones’ by Michael Buble was playing softly from the radio as he pulled me in the empty spot right in front of the fireplace. He twirled me around once, making me giggle (I actually giggled. This is bad. This is very, very bad.), before putting his free hand softly on my waist. I smiled at this and put my hand on his shoulder. I cannot believe this is happening.

“If I step on your foot, I apologize beforehand.” I said softly as we started to dance to the song, “I have two left feet. There’s a reason why I didn’t go to my junior prom.”

He laughed again, “Don’t be rash, you’re doing quite well if I say so myself.”

I smiled at this and looked up at him, “Well, I must say, I’m quite impressed by your dance skills.”

“My mom taught me how to properly dance when I was thirteen.” John explained as he twirled me around again, “She told me the only way I can ‘woo’ the ladies is by knowing two things: manners and dancing.”

“Your mother is a very smart woman.” I commented.

“Is it working yet?” John asked, “Am I ‘wooing’ you over?”

“Still deciding.”

He cracked up with laughter as he shook his head in amusement. I couldn’t help but smile. I was so content with this very moment. If you were to tell me this morning that I would be dancing to a Michael Buble song in my living room with John O’Callaghan, I would of laughed and called you crazy. Yet, here we were.

John started singing along with the song as he twirled me around again, pulling me into him once more. He sang the lyrics perfectly as he would lean over slightly with his eyes closed. I would lean back slightly and laugh loudly, finding this entirely too entertaining. He was hitting the notes perfectly; it was making my body feel numb. His voice was perfect.

Just as the song was almost over, the front door suddenly banged open, making John and I jump apart instantly. Lola walked into the living room suddenly, wearing her cheerleading outfit with mascara running down her face and blood-shot eyes. She looked at us, fuming.

I widened my eyes and walked over to her, “Lola? What happened? What’s wrong?”

“I hate everyone!” She exclaimed, bursting into tears, “GIRLS ARE FUCKING BITCHES!”

Before I could get another word in, she turned on her heel and ran up the stairs crying. I called after her but all that did was make her cry harder. I watched her with complete shock. Did that just happen?

I massaged my temples and turned around to look at John, “Sorry about that.”

“No it’s uh-fine.” He nervously scratched the back of his neck, “I should get going. It’s getting kind of late.”

“Okay.” I tried hiding the disappointment in my voice. I didn’t want him to leave.

I walked John into the foyer and picked up my clutch, “So, how much do I owe you?”

“Not a dime.” He simply replied.

“Oh no, no, no! You HAVE to take the money!” I looked at him in shock, “You did babysit, after all!”

“I don’t want anything.” He shook his head, “I just wanted to help you out.”

I gave him an exasperated look, “I have to do give you something! I feel so bad...”

“Fine, let’s make a deal,” He started, “how about you buy me lunch sometime?”

“Deal.” I reluctantly agreed, still feeling a tad guilty.

A faint noise of a door slamming could be heard from upstairs. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, “She’s such a drama queen.”

He chuckled that oh so beautiful chuckle of his, “It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later.”

He pulled me into a hug - I was practically numb at this point - and gave me one last smile before heading home.

The minute I closed the front door, I leaned against it, placing a hand on my chest. I wasn’t quite sure how to explain what happened this evening but I did know one thing’s for sure: I have developed feelings for John O’Callaghan. Strong, fervid feelings indeed.