Balcony Confessions Are So Overrated

After about three more drinks for me and seven more for Ainsley; we were both thoroughly tipsy.

“We should play a game!” Ainsley decided. I saw him through a haze of alcohol. I watched as Ainsley’s face scrunched up in thought about what game that we should play.

“Truth or dare! With no excuses as to not doing or saying something.” I exclaimed deciding on the game.

“Oh, wow, when did we turn back time and become thirteen years old?”

“Shut up, you love truth or dare and you know it. But, who’s going to go first?”

“We shall flip the bottle cap,” Ainsley proclaimed putting on a British accent for some reason.

“We shall!” I replied putting on a British accent as well. Ainsley retrieved the bottle cap.

“Call it in the air, Fair Maiden.” Still speaking in the British accent.

“Top!” I called as he flipped the cap and caught it in his open palm. The bottom was pointing up. I groaned and muttered about it being rigged.

“Okay, Doll, truth or dare?” I thought about it for a moment.

“Truth!”

His face scrunched up again, “What do you do for a living?” I raised my eyebrow at him. “I couldn’t think of a better question, okay? Just answer it.”

“Whatever, I work at a small restaurant called Sandy’s Diner, although it’s not really a diner. I’m a waitress but I also clear tables and act as hostess. It doesn’t pay that great but I get a lot of tips. Although, my real love is acting, you know, ‘O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo!’ My turn now! Truth or dare?”

Ainsley thought about it long and hard, I went over to the fridge and took out the iced tea I always kept there, I’d had enough alcohol for one night.

“Truth,” he decided.

“Tell me about your most recent girlfriend,” I stated.

“My most recent girlfriend… that would be Katarina. She was this aspiring singer, she was really quite good. But, she was so… intense, I couldn’t handle it.” He looked really thoughtful and heartbroken, like he was under a spell, “She had the most amazing smile and laugh, and it was like a small gurgling fountain in the middle of a silent valley. We broke up about ten months ago.” The spell broke and he looked at me.

“Sounded like ‘a small gurgling fountain’? Could you sound like more of a cliché?” I laughed at Ainsley.

“Yeah, it sounded better in my head. Okay! My turn!”

So, it continued that way. Each of us choosing truth repeatedly and doling out random facts about ourselves. In the hours we spent telling each other truths we learned more about each other than most people find out in years, let alone three days.

“Okay, Doll, truth… or dare?” The dramatic pause in the middle of the sentence made me laugh.

“Dare.” I watched as his face contorted in thought.

“I dare you to sing me the song ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles.”

“Alright, I will sing ‘Hey Jude’, if you tell me why I have to sing that song.”

“My mom used to sing it to me when I was younger… she died when I was eight.” His eyes glazed over again, and he looked down at my green comforter.

“That’s so cute… How does that one start again, other than the whole ‘Hey Jude…’ part?”

He sang gently, “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better.”

“Oh right. Okay,” I cleared my throat abruptly, “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song, and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better.” Ainsley looked up at me and smiled, I saw the tears that he’d been trying to hide. He moved in closer. I continued singing softly, “Hey Jude, don’t be afraid…” He leaned in even closer and I trailed off.

“Please keep singing, you have such a beautiful voice. You’re better than Katarina could have ever dreamed to be.” I could smell the alcohol on his breath but it mingled with his natural scent of trees and cologne.

“You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, you can begin...” He pressed his lips to mine. We kissed softly at first, slowly moving our lips in harmony. But soon I parted my lips and felt around his mouth with my tongue. He gently eased me back on the bed and supported his weight as he kissed me. His lips danced across my neck and I twirled his black hair around my fingers. I felt him breathing on my shoulder blade.

“To make it better.” I ended the song there, breathing heavily. We welded our lips together again and continued making out until I had a sudden realization.

I pushed him off of me. He rolled off the bed putting his fingers to his lips.

“We can’t do this. Oh, we can’t do this.” I repeated this over and over like a mantra.

“We seemed to be doing it just fine before you shoved me off as if you were a bulldozer,” Ainsley snapped at me.

“I’m sorry, I know. It’s just… I broke up with my boyfriend less than 12 hours ago. I would hate for you to think you were a rebound. I do like you, but I barely even know you.”

“I’ve known you for -what? - three days, and I can already tell that you are just one of those people that never wants to let something good in. You don’t want to let yourself be happy.”

“What? I am-” I started.

“No. That’s just it, you aren’t happy. You might have convinced yourself that you loved that Joel guy. But, if you really loved him would you really be making out with me less than twelve hours later?! Eve, I don’t know you. But I’m trying to get to know you, yet for some reason you’ve been a bitch to me since the very moment I met you. Just let yourself enjoy something, for once.”

The tears that were streaming down my face now had nothing to do with my recent break up. I realized that this boy that I’d met less than 72 hours ago knew me better than anyone I’d ever met, or ever known. How he had managed to peg my personality so perfectly was beyond me.

“How did you do that?” I asked, burning with curiosity.

“Do what?” he replied confusedly. His slightly oversized nose crinkled at the bridge in the most adorable way when he was confused.

“You managed to figure me out completely in less than 72 hours. How did you do that?” He was still sitting on the ground with his elbows placed on his knees. I outstretched my arm to help him back up onto the bed.

He took my hand warily and pulled himself up while explaining, “Well, when I was growing up, my dad used to always bring home new girlfriends. I would have to figure out their personalities pretty quick in order to find out what to do and what not to do around them. They all thought they were pretty much my mom, so I figured out early how to get rid of them. My dad never realized it though. I guess I just have a knack for understanding peoples’ personalities. Everyone has a talent, I guess mine is this.”

“Huh.” It was all I could manage. Here was this gorgeous guy that understood me like no other and I was rejecting him because I didn’t want him to feel like the rebound guy.

I watched as he settled himself next to me on the bed. Once he was comfortable I scooted closer to him and rested my head and arm on his chest. I breathed deeply for what I was going to say next.

“You know what, Ainsley?” I said looking up at him.

“What’s that, Doll?” He asked, looking down at me.

“I think I do want to be happy.” And with that I sat up, swung my leg over his pelvis, straddling him, and leaned forward to press my lips against his. I kissed him more passionately than I’d kissed anyone in my nineteen years.