You Belong With Me
You Belong with Me
Dusk had come. The inside of the car glowed a rich shade of amber. Ellis Washington’s thumb tapped a rhythm on Nadine Childress’s upper arm that she didn’t recognize. She giggled and kissed him sweetly.
“I don’t know this one.” She said. He smiled.
“You Belong with Me. Taylor Swift.” He answered, tapping the rhythm on her arm again.
“Ohhhh, I got it now!”
“I think you’re getting worse at this game the more we play.” Ellis teased. Nadine toyed with the strap of her navy blue camisole. They had dressed themselves back up into the bare essentials, boxer shorts, and underclothing.
“Yeah, well, I’m getting sleepy.” Nadine admitted. She and Ellis were spooning in his backseat, crickets and bullfrogs echoed outside the open windows. Ellis kissed her neck.
“You’ve had a long day.” He pointed out. “Do you want me to take you home?”
The first time she had even thought about home in hours, she shook her head vigorously.
“No,” She answered, “not yet, anyway.”
“Good. I don’t want to leave yet either.” And they fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.
“I can’t believe what just happened,” Nadine admitted quietly. “In the parking lot of our high school…” She giggled and facepalmed herself. Ellis even let out a small chuckle.
“Who would have thought it?” He asked.
“Definitely not me.” She replied. “But I couldn’t be happier.”
“Me neither.”
On any other day, Nadine would have followed this up with the question ‘soo, where does that leave us?’ But she didn’t. This wasn’t a time for questions. This was just Ellis and Nadine time. Time to exist. No secrets. Instead, just so many things that could be left unsaid. Even if just for the time being. And Nadine was ok with that.
She twisted around and cuddled into Ellis’s chest and began tapping a beat.
“Your turn to guess.”
But instead of playing along, Ellis just gazed dotingly into Nadine’s eyes, as if entranced. “You wanna know a secret?”
“Oh, sure,” Nadine answered, surprised. “What is it?”
Ellis shifted in the seat so that he could easily shift his gaze between the setting Sun and Nadine’s dazzling features in the fading light. “I feel like I belong here. In this school, on the football team, all of it. It just feels so right.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Nadine replied thoughtfully. Ellis just shrugged.
“It can be. But... What if that means I won’t belong anywhere else? What if I won’t belong in the real world, and i’ll just be another one of those guys who try to relive their high school glory for the rest of their lives,” his voice was barely above a whisper now, and his eyes glazed over as if he was seeing a scene unfold far, far in the future. “I don’t want that. I want to belong out there, more than in here.”
Nadine had never seen this side of Ellis, so open and vulnerable. She felt overwhelmingly compelled to bring her hand to his scruffy cheek and kiss him gently on the lips.
“Ellis, I firmly believe you’ll be fine anywhere you go in life. You’re confident and likable, fun and kind-hearted as they come. I consider myself lucky that I get to spend this kind of precious time with you- It’s true!” She insisted when he rolled his eyes, though a smile formed a couple sweet dimples on his cheeks. “You’ll belong anywhere and everywhere. But most of all, you belong with me.”
“I don’t know this one.” She said. He smiled.
“You Belong with Me. Taylor Swift.” He answered, tapping the rhythm on her arm again.
“Ohhhh, I got it now!”
“I think you’re getting worse at this game the more we play.” Ellis teased. Nadine toyed with the strap of her navy blue camisole. They had dressed themselves back up into the bare essentials, boxer shorts, and underclothing.
“Yeah, well, I’m getting sleepy.” Nadine admitted. She and Ellis were spooning in his backseat, crickets and bullfrogs echoed outside the open windows. Ellis kissed her neck.
“You’ve had a long day.” He pointed out. “Do you want me to take you home?”
The first time she had even thought about home in hours, she shook her head vigorously.
“No,” She answered, “not yet, anyway.”
“Good. I don’t want to leave yet either.” And they fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.
“I can’t believe what just happened,” Nadine admitted quietly. “In the parking lot of our high school…” She giggled and facepalmed herself. Ellis even let out a small chuckle.
“Who would have thought it?” He asked.
“Definitely not me.” She replied. “But I couldn’t be happier.”
“Me neither.”
On any other day, Nadine would have followed this up with the question ‘soo, where does that leave us?’ But she didn’t. This wasn’t a time for questions. This was just Ellis and Nadine time. Time to exist. No secrets. Instead, just so many things that could be left unsaid. Even if just for the time being. And Nadine was ok with that.
She twisted around and cuddled into Ellis’s chest and began tapping a beat.
“Your turn to guess.”
But instead of playing along, Ellis just gazed dotingly into Nadine’s eyes, as if entranced. “You wanna know a secret?”
“Oh, sure,” Nadine answered, surprised. “What is it?”
Ellis shifted in the seat so that he could easily shift his gaze between the setting Sun and Nadine’s dazzling features in the fading light. “I feel like I belong here. In this school, on the football team, all of it. It just feels so right.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Nadine replied thoughtfully. Ellis just shrugged.
“It can be. But... What if that means I won’t belong anywhere else? What if I won’t belong in the real world, and i’ll just be another one of those guys who try to relive their high school glory for the rest of their lives,” his voice was barely above a whisper now, and his eyes glazed over as if he was seeing a scene unfold far, far in the future. “I don’t want that. I want to belong out there, more than in here.”
Nadine had never seen this side of Ellis, so open and vulnerable. She felt overwhelmingly compelled to bring her hand to his scruffy cheek and kiss him gently on the lips.
“Ellis, I firmly believe you’ll be fine anywhere you go in life. You’re confident and likable, fun and kind-hearted as they come. I consider myself lucky that I get to spend this kind of precious time with you- It’s true!” She insisted when he rolled his eyes, though a smile formed a couple sweet dimples on his cheeks. “You’ll belong anywhere and everywhere. But most of all, you belong with me.”