Status: Patience, young grasshopper, is a virtue.
Seize the Day
home
Kelly smiled. Allie wanted to cry at how pained it looked on him. She also wanted to punch him for being so goddamn stupid. And then hug him.
She did none of the above. He was still smiling at her and it was making her feel very…tingly. “I mean, if I drive home all by myself, who’s going to boost me through my fat ass through the window?” Her voice was so forced and broken that it didn’t even sound like an attempt at humor.
Allie wanted to tell him that she wouldn’t leave because she knew there’d be no chance of her getting any sleep without knowing that he was okay. She wanted to tell him that she’d gladly get in trouble if it meant sacrificing her time for one more second with him.
Allie stayed silent.
*
“I can’t fucking believe you. You’re such an—an idiot! He was like twice your size!” Allie vented as she helped Kelly back to the car. “I mean, seriously Kelly?! Two bruised ribs and a broken nose! I hope it was fucking worth it!”
She eased him into the passenger seat carefully and then slammed the car door shut. “Worst party ever…” she mumbled before getting in herself.
“And your car’s a piece of shit!” she screamed in frustration after it took several tries to start the engine. “I swear to God, Kelly, if we break down on the side of the road, I will end you.”
Kelly smiled serenely at her. The meds they had given him were kicking in, and they were kicking in good. “You’re so pretty when you’re a bitch.”
Allie glared at him. “Eat shit and die.”
He laughed. “Onward!”
She sneered at him and made the drive to his house. Obviously, there was no fucking way that he would be fit enough to drive himself home after dropping her off or even help her back through her bedroom window. Now Allie would have to find a way back into her house without her parents noticing. And probably find somewhere to hide the car, considering she very well couldn’t park it in the driveway.
Never again, Allie promised herself. She was done with college parties as a high-schooler—or at the very least, done with being Kelly’s plus one to an unfamiliar location.
This night was supposed to have gone very differently. She and Kelly would have spent the whole night together, meeting people and having fun.
The silence grated on her nerves even more. It reminded her of how late it was, and that every second she wasn’t home she had an even greater chance of getting caught. “I wish your stupid radio worked,” she muttered.
Kelly leaned forward and pressed the volume knob on the radio. Music started playing, just like that. She gaped at him. “Kelly, what the fuck? You liar! You told me it was broken.”
“CD,” he responded and grinned. Allie recognized Bob Marley’s voice floating through the car’s crappy speakers.
“Why didn’t you tell me your CD player worked?!”
Kelly shrugged. “So I can talk to you.”
She blinked in surprise and focused on the road ahead, but nearly swerving out of her lane. Whatever she had been expecting to hear from him, it hadn’t been that. She bit her lip to hold back a smile.
“And it distracts me when I’m driving,” he added.
Allie sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’re such a moment ruiner.”
“But mostly I just like talking to you.”
She laughed. “Just shut up now. Why don’t you go to sleep?”
Kelly just hummed in time to “Three Little Birds”. Allie smiled, and wanted nothing more than to grab his hand and hold it in hers.
*
Thirty minutes later she was back to hating Kelly’s stinkin’ guts. Not only would she have to find a way to sneak back into her room and pray profusely that her parents would be asleep, but she had parked his car way down the street, and was now forced to walk the rest of the way home.
She slipped off her excruciating heels and let them dangle in her hands. She tried to make up excuses of what she could possibly say on the likely chance of her getting caught—and she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She supposed “I needed to go for a walk” would have to do, even though it made absolutely no sense considering her wardrobe. But hey, that was a lot better than “I went to a college party but there was a fight so I had to take my friend to the hospital.”
Allie sighed in sweet relief with she saw that the house lights were off. That meant she could try and sneak through the front, thank God. She was kidding herself with thinking it was possible to scale the wall back into her room.
She lifted up the potted plant sitting on the porch and snatched the shiny little lifesaver, unlocking the house quickly and quietly before replacing the key. She tip-toed her way upstairs, but halted halfway when she heard her mom’s voice.
“Pete, stop!” followed by loud giggles.
Allie retched. All of her friends had happily divorced parents, and she supposed she was lucky—but her friends were kind of lucky too. They didn’t have to witness their parents flirting with each other at all hours. True, she wanted a love like that one day, but Allie swore that she’d spare her own child the sight. That shit should be strictly isolated.
Home free, she dashed the rest of the way up to her room and collapsed on her bed. She looked at her Spiderman alarm clock on her old great-grandmother’s nightstand and saw that it was only 12:32. What a night.
*
Pete watched his wife roll around in the sheets, laughing her ass off, with a big smile on his face. She was a very strong woman—but if you tickle her even the slightest, she’s softer than melted butter.
“You’re going to wake up Allie,” Adela said, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Me wake her up? You’re the one waking up the whole neighborhood,” he replied with a grin.
“You are so mean to me!” she retorted. She cuddled up close to him—which was perhaps Pete’s favorite feeling in the world—and began kissing his arms. He sighed in contentment. “Why spend so much time at the gym when you could be in bed with me?” Adela said, climbing on top of him.
Pete smirked. “Because, if I don’t spend so much time at the gym you hardly want to be in the same room as me.”
She laughed and kissed his chest. “Oh, hush. I loved you even when you were a scrawny sixteen-year-old. You made a good quarterback, honey, but you looked like you could hardly lift the ball.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “Look at me now. I guess your patience paid off, huh?”
Adela just smiled. “I don’t know what you mean. You’re just as beautiful now as you were the day I met you.”
His heart swelled. Sometimes he just loved her so much he didn’t know what to do with himself. It would be the most random things that would get his blood pumping—like catching a glimpse of the soft skin of her shoulder when they would be sitting at home, or the way she smiled when she knew she was right but held back a gloat, or even just remembering the smell of her when he was at work.
“That’s funny,” he said, “because you get more and more beautiful every time I blink.”
She did none of the above. He was still smiling at her and it was making her feel very…tingly. “I mean, if I drive home all by myself, who’s going to boost me through my fat ass through the window?” Her voice was so forced and broken that it didn’t even sound like an attempt at humor.
Allie wanted to tell him that she wouldn’t leave because she knew there’d be no chance of her getting any sleep without knowing that he was okay. She wanted to tell him that she’d gladly get in trouble if it meant sacrificing her time for one more second with him.
Allie stayed silent.
*
“I can’t fucking believe you. You’re such an—an idiot! He was like twice your size!” Allie vented as she helped Kelly back to the car. “I mean, seriously Kelly?! Two bruised ribs and a broken nose! I hope it was fucking worth it!”
She eased him into the passenger seat carefully and then slammed the car door shut. “Worst party ever…” she mumbled before getting in herself.
“And your car’s a piece of shit!” she screamed in frustration after it took several tries to start the engine. “I swear to God, Kelly, if we break down on the side of the road, I will end you.”
Kelly smiled serenely at her. The meds they had given him were kicking in, and they were kicking in good. “You’re so pretty when you’re a bitch.”
Allie glared at him. “Eat shit and die.”
He laughed. “Onward!”
She sneered at him and made the drive to his house. Obviously, there was no fucking way that he would be fit enough to drive himself home after dropping her off or even help her back through her bedroom window. Now Allie would have to find a way back into her house without her parents noticing. And probably find somewhere to hide the car, considering she very well couldn’t park it in the driveway.
Never again, Allie promised herself. She was done with college parties as a high-schooler—or at the very least, done with being Kelly’s plus one to an unfamiliar location.
This night was supposed to have gone very differently. She and Kelly would have spent the whole night together, meeting people and having fun.
The silence grated on her nerves even more. It reminded her of how late it was, and that every second she wasn’t home she had an even greater chance of getting caught. “I wish your stupid radio worked,” she muttered.
Kelly leaned forward and pressed the volume knob on the radio. Music started playing, just like that. She gaped at him. “Kelly, what the fuck? You liar! You told me it was broken.”
“CD,” he responded and grinned. Allie recognized Bob Marley’s voice floating through the car’s crappy speakers.
“Why didn’t you tell me your CD player worked?!”
Kelly shrugged. “So I can talk to you.”
She blinked in surprise and focused on the road ahead, but nearly swerving out of her lane. Whatever she had been expecting to hear from him, it hadn’t been that. She bit her lip to hold back a smile.
“And it distracts me when I’m driving,” he added.
Allie sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’re such a moment ruiner.”
“But mostly I just like talking to you.”
She laughed. “Just shut up now. Why don’t you go to sleep?”
Kelly just hummed in time to “Three Little Birds”. Allie smiled, and wanted nothing more than to grab his hand and hold it in hers.
*
Thirty minutes later she was back to hating Kelly’s stinkin’ guts. Not only would she have to find a way to sneak back into her room and pray profusely that her parents would be asleep, but she had parked his car way down the street, and was now forced to walk the rest of the way home.
She slipped off her excruciating heels and let them dangle in her hands. She tried to make up excuses of what she could possibly say on the likely chance of her getting caught—and she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She supposed “I needed to go for a walk” would have to do, even though it made absolutely no sense considering her wardrobe. But hey, that was a lot better than “I went to a college party but there was a fight so I had to take my friend to the hospital.”
Allie sighed in sweet relief with she saw that the house lights were off. That meant she could try and sneak through the front, thank God. She was kidding herself with thinking it was possible to scale the wall back into her room.
She lifted up the potted plant sitting on the porch and snatched the shiny little lifesaver, unlocking the house quickly and quietly before replacing the key. She tip-toed her way upstairs, but halted halfway when she heard her mom’s voice.
“Pete, stop!” followed by loud giggles.
Allie retched. All of her friends had happily divorced parents, and she supposed she was lucky—but her friends were kind of lucky too. They didn’t have to witness their parents flirting with each other at all hours. True, she wanted a love like that one day, but Allie swore that she’d spare her own child the sight. That shit should be strictly isolated.
Home free, she dashed the rest of the way up to her room and collapsed on her bed. She looked at her Spiderman alarm clock on her old great-grandmother’s nightstand and saw that it was only 12:32. What a night.
*
Pete watched his wife roll around in the sheets, laughing her ass off, with a big smile on his face. She was a very strong woman—but if you tickle her even the slightest, she’s softer than melted butter.
“You’re going to wake up Allie,” Adela said, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Me wake her up? You’re the one waking up the whole neighborhood,” he replied with a grin.
“You are so mean to me!” she retorted. She cuddled up close to him—which was perhaps Pete’s favorite feeling in the world—and began kissing his arms. He sighed in contentment. “Why spend so much time at the gym when you could be in bed with me?” Adela said, climbing on top of him.
Pete smirked. “Because, if I don’t spend so much time at the gym you hardly want to be in the same room as me.”
She laughed and kissed his chest. “Oh, hush. I loved you even when you were a scrawny sixteen-year-old. You made a good quarterback, honey, but you looked like you could hardly lift the ball.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “Look at me now. I guess your patience paid off, huh?”
Adela just smiled. “I don’t know what you mean. You’re just as beautiful now as you were the day I met you.”
His heart swelled. Sometimes he just loved her so much he didn’t know what to do with himself. It would be the most random things that would get his blood pumping—like catching a glimpse of the soft skin of her shoulder when they would be sitting at home, or the way she smiled when she knew she was right but held back a gloat, or even just remembering the smell of her when he was at work.
“That’s funny,” he said, “because you get more and more beautiful every time I blink.”
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm thinking about renaming to the story to Carpe Diem. What do you think? It means 'Sieze the day' in Latin, if you didn't know. Thoughts? Objections?Oh, by the way, I got my first commenter. Step right up, captain k'nuckles, and claim your gif!!
