Goody, Like Two Shoes

It was half six, and Frank and Linda hadn't turned up.

My eyes had been darting to and from the clock on my bedside table for god knows how long. Now I was just getting paranoid.
Frank was never late; something was up.

I got up from the bed, my feet dragging across the carpet as I walked to the grab the phone from the dresser, dialling in Frank's number once I'd picked it up.

"Hey, this is Frank. Obviously I can't get to he phone right now, so leave me a message and I'll give you a buzz."

A light breeze blew across the back of my neck, in from the open window.
"Frankie, it's me. Just wondering where you are and if you're okay? You're, like, a half hour late, and I'm a getting a bit worried. Call me back, okay? Later."

I set the phone back down on its base, bending down to pick up a stray green sock for the laundry.

Once back in an upright position, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist and I let out a scream, dropping the sock back to the floor.

The person turned me around to face them.

"Frank, you twat!" I breathed out, "I thought you were a rapist or something!"

Frank grinned, "Well, don't leave your window open then. It's, like, an open invitation for dirty-minded boys - like myself - to sneak up on you."

"Buttwipe!" I shook my head, putting my hands on his shoulders and shoving him backwards.

Frank grabbed my upper arms, pulling me with him as he tumbled back onto my bed.
"Well, well..."

After a moment of silence and looking into each other's eyes, Frank rolled us over, smirking down at me.

His eyes shifted from mine, glancing down at my lips that were parted a little, and his tongue flicked out to moisten his own.
"Do you mind if I kiss you?"

"No, not at all."

He surveyed me for a moment, hesitant, before his warm, soft lips pressed against mine, moving, experienced, against my novice ones.

He pulled away after his tongue gently prodded my bottom lip, and he propped himself up on his hands, his eyes glazed, "I like you."

"Frank, I like you, too." I whimpered, "But get back here and kiss me. Please."

"'My extreme pleasure." came his deep-voiced reply, and he lowered himself back down, eyes closing as his right hand trailed south, sliding along the duvet before making its way back up my leg, stopping on the bare skin of my thigh, fingertips rubbing.
"You should wear skirts more often."

BANG!

I sprang upright, glancing around the room for Frank, my eyes landing on my clock in the process; 5:55.

"Fuck." I muttered lowly, "Please don't tell me that that was a dream! Please, please, please!"

The banging noise continued, and then a voice was added into the racket.
"Sasha! Are you alive in there?! It's Frank; and I demand that you get your ass down here! Sasha!"

I blinked a few times, grabbing my jacket from beside me and hopping up with shaky legs.

Damn, that really had been a good dream. Quite realistic, too, if I might add.
If Frank knew what he'd actually done - even if it was just a dream - I was sure he'd be proud of himself.

I was half way down the stairs when Frank pounded on the front door again, "Sasha?! If you're dead in there, I'll never forgive myself for letting you leave this morni--!"

I opened the door and saw that Frank had his hand raised to give the door another battering.

"Oh," he said, stepping back and grinning at me, "You are alive then. I was getting fucking paranoid that you were dead in there."

I nodded, "Yeah. I heard."

"Only just alive, huh?" he smirked, his hand moving to fiddle with his lip ring instead, and I glanced up at him from locking the door.

"'s that supposed to mean, Iero?" I pocketed my keys and began my way down the steps, Frank at my side.

"You look like - I don't know - you've just had several shagging sessions in the space of ten minutes; I mean, your hair is like woah, and you're all red!"

I lost my balance and squawked loudly, almost falling but Frank grabbed my wrist, hauling me upright.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked coyly, winking.

"Sh'up, Frank. I was sleeping." I tried to swat his hands away from fixing my hair.

"Good dreams?" he asked, cackling, "Hugh Grant modelling Calvin Klein kid-size undies?"

"No, if you must know." I blushed.

"Was he good? Big package?"

I shoved Frank so hard that he nearly toppled into the hedge, and he grinned at me as he plucked a leaf from his hair, "Duuuude, I totally hit a nerve there! Who's the lucky guy then, if it's not my old chum, Hugh?"

Linda wound the window down, "Hurry up, you two."

Frank tugged my hand, walking towards the car a little quicker, "I demand details later, honey. And you're staying over at my place tonight, just so you know you can't wriggle your way out of our salacious conversation."

I didn't even get to reply, because he'd opened the car door and shoved me in next to Mikey.

"Heeeey, Sash!" Julie chimed from Mikey's other side, leaning across her boyfriend to hug me.

"Hey." I smiled, hugging back before settling against my seat and buckling my seatbelt as Linda began to drive.

Mikey glanced at me, pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked, "What's with the sex hair?"

"Urrrgh, shut up!" I whined, slapping his arm half-heartedly.

Frank turned around in his seat, peering over the headrest, "She was making babies with someone in dreamland."

"Was it Hugh Grant?!" Julie piped up, leaning forward to look at me.

"She told me it wasn't." Frank giggled, shrugging, "So I don't know who it could be."

"Hugh Grant is quite hunky." Linda said randomly, "He could impregnate me any day."

Frank stared at the three of us in the backseat before he turned to look at his mother, horrified, "Mom! That's the most downright, filthy thing I've ever heard! I hope you're going to pay for my therapy! I-I-I'm disgusted with you, Linda!"

"Wouldn't you like an English baby brother or sister?" Linda laughed, taking her eyes off the road for a second to survey Frank.

"No!" Frank snapped, "No, I would not! The sooner you hit menopause the better! Crankiness would be so much better than broodiness."

When we reached Kearny, after a pretty uneventful car ride, the sun was just setting and the funfair was lit up brightly.

Little game stalls and food and candy booths were set up on either side of a grass walkway , and the rides were set up where the stalls ended; a large Ferris wheel standing out against the orangey-purple sky.

Linda had given us ten dollars each, and I felt a little guilty for taking it, seeing that she and Frank weren't too well off, and that Linda had just recently got a second job; working a three hour shift in a coffee shop before her 12 - 9 shift up at the hospital.

As we made our way around - Mikey and Julie a few paces in front of Frank and I, holding hands and acting plain cute and in love - Frank gently slid his arm around my waist, smiling at me, and it suddenly hit me just how handsome he looked in his short-sleeved black top and tight black jeans.
He'd also smudged some eyeliner under his eyes; and I never thought I'd find it attractive, but I did. It made his eyes seem more mesmerising than they already were.

"So, what are you going to do when we get our break in December?" Frank asked, sticking his hand into the recently purchased bag of yellow cotton candy, pulling out a huge clump and handing half of it to me.

"Well, it's meant for studying; so that's what I'm going to do." I replied, shrugging, "How about you?"

"Same, I guess. Though I usually go visiting family with mom. Don't have any proper plans up to now, though. Maybe we could spend some time together, huh?"

"Of course we can! I didn't mean I'd be studying so much that you wouldn't see me for two whole weeks!" I laughed, leaning into his side.

He smiled widely, "Good. Because I'd miss you. Maybe we could, you know, study together, too?"

"Sure." I smiled, "Whatever you'd like."

Mikey and Julie turned to face us, both of them stammering over words, "We're just, eh, going to, uhm, find the, huh, toilets... We think."
Then they both ran off.

"What the hell was that about?" I looked up at Frank, confused.

Frank laughed loudly, tightening his arm around me, "I think they meant they were going to go find some secluded place and, uh, make out or something."

"Oh, right..."

"So it's just you and me, honeybunch." Frank smiled, handing me another piece of cotton candy and then popping some in his mouth.

"So it would seem." I smiled back, "Want to go try our luck on some game stalls?"

"Best idea I've heard all day." came his reply, and we stopped at a stall where you had to throw darts.

"Okay." Frank began, reading the instructions that were written on a piece of pink card, ""$1 for ten darts. The closer to the bulls eye, the bigger the prize". Sounds okay to me, anyway!"

With that, we both placed $1 on the counter, getting ten darts each.

My first throw went a bit haywire and Frank sidled away from me, "You're not safe with those things."
I pouted and he stood behind, lifting my right arm and showing me how to aim, "A bit more like this, okay?"

When Frank's darts were used up, he'd ended up winning a little Hello Kitty stuffed toy and he'd instantly smiled at me and tucked it in my jacket pocket, saying "It'll match your bra".

I'd laughed, my darts ending up everywhere but on the board ... until I threw my last dart and it hit the bulls eye.
Frank whooped, telling me to choose the huge Hello Kitty toy, and then he began to do a little dance, ignoring the passers-by who laughed and pointed at him.
When he turned back to face me, I shoved a large panda, holding a guitar, towards him.

It was safe to say that his dancing became even more erratic.

Once he'd calmed down,we got some snacks and walked, with the panda between us, in the direction of the rides.

"You wanna go on the Ferris wheel?"

'Sure.'

Fuck the fact that I'm scared shitless of heights.

Once we were settled in the little pod, with the safety bar over our laps, Frank scooted closer to me, smiling.
He touched my cheek gently, and I could've sworn that he was going to kiss me.
But he didn't.
He just rested his head in the crook of my neck with his arm around my waist and his hand rubbing my side, my own hand snaking onto his knee and giving it the briefest of caresses.

At the gesture, Frank smiled up at me, his hair in his eyes, looking as gorgeous as ever; and that was when I realised that I was going to tell him that I not only liked him, but loved him.
I wasn't going to tell him right then, I was going to wait for a perfect moment.
And hopefully that moment would come soon.
I doubted that I could keep my feelings back much longer.