28 Things Guys Don't Know

Secret #1: Sometimes I look cold just so you'll hold me

“I still can’t believe you’re going out with Jett Daniels,” Kelsey exclaimed as she and Siri walked to the school parking lot. It had been a few days since Jett had asked Siri out, but both girls were still in shock of his sudden change of heart.

“Neither can I,” Siri mumbled, shielding her eyes from the bright autumn sunshine as they stepped outside. She reached into her bag and pulled out her favorite pair of black sunglasses, slipping them over her blue eyes.

“So why’d you say yes?” Kelsey wanted to know.
Siri shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess it was because he seemed so genuine, y’know? And when I turned him down the first time, he seemed so sad. I just… I don’t know. Just something about the way his voice sounded made me say yes.”

Kelsey giggled, “Well, I’m glad you said yes. ‘Cause, Siri, I love you to death, but you haven’t had a boyfriend in forever. I mean, you can’t keep waiting for that perfect prince charming to come along. Sometimes, you just got to take a chance, and just go for it.”

“I guess you’re right,” Siri laughed softly, and the two walked in an amiable silence until they reached Siri’s car. Siri sighed as she unlocked her car door and hugged her friend goodbye. “I have to go, but I’ll call you tonight after I get back from the date, ‘kay?”

“Okay,” Kelsey smiled. “Good luck tonight. And have fun.”

“Thanks,” Siri grinned back. She hopped into her car and drove off while Kelsey searched the parking lot for her carpool.

Siri sped all the way home, her mind on her date with Jett tonight. It wasn’t for a few hours, but she still didn’t know what to wear. He’d told her it wasn’t anything fancy and to just dress like she usually did, but she was still undecided. When she got home, she ran down a flight of stairs to the bottom floor of the house, where her room was. She locked her door behind her and tossed her backpack in the corner of her room. She stuck her iPod into its dock and pressed shuffle, sending music blasting through her room. She needed a bit of time to unwind from a long week of school before her date.

Two hours later, she was stepping into her bathroom to take a shower before she went out. After twenty minutes under the hot water, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel. She still had no idea what to wear. She walked out of her bathroom and onto the plush carpet of her room. She strode over to her closet and rummaged through it, hoping to find something cute to wear.

She settled on the pair of jean shorts that she’d bought a couple of weeks ago and a royal blue graphic tee. She slipped on her black hoodie and zipped it halfway up. She padded back over to her bathroom and studied her appearance. She sighed and grabbed her hairdryer to blow her hair dry before she straightened it. She loved the way her hair looked when it was wet, falling in big curls past her shoulders, but when it was dry, it was a nightmare. So, she blew her hair dry and quickly straightened it so it fell gracefully by her face. She quickly applied some eyeliner and mascara around her eyes, making her blue irises glow.

Siri returned to her bedroom and slipped on a pair of thick-soled flip-flops, grabbing her cell phone along the way. She stuck it in her pocket and slipped out of her room. Just as she was walking up the stairs to the main floor of the house, she heard the doorbell ring. She heard her mother open it and all too cheerily greet who was at the door. Siri ran up the remainder of the steps two at a time, dashing to the door before her mother had much of a chance to embarrass her.

Siri expertly slipped by her mother and halfway out the door, flashing a cheesy smile to her mother. “Bye, mom,” she called.

“Bye, honey,” her mother called back, “Have fun. And don’t forget your curfew.”

“I know, I know,” Siri replied, pulling the door shut and letting out a sigh of relief. After a brief moment of silence, she looked at who was standing before her and greeted, “Hey, Jett.”

“Hey, Siri,” he smiled, taking half a step closer to her as if to hug her.

Siri put up a hand, “Don’t. If I know my mom, she’s probably spying on us right now through the kitchen window. And trust me, I do not need her poking into my social life more than she already has.”

“Okay, then,” Jett chuckled as the two walked towards his car. He held the door open for Siri to get in the passenger side, asking “So, guess where we’re going tonight.”

“Um,” Siri thought for a second, “That cute little Chinese dim sum place?”

“Nope,” Jett grinned.

“How about… Flipper’s?” Siri guessed again.

Jett shook his head.

Siri exaggerated a sigh, “I don’t know. I can’t think of anywhere else to go in this tiny little town. Where are we going?”

“I can’t tell you,” Jett said nonchalantly, “It’s a surprise.”

Siri’s eyes widened and she hit him playfully, “Jerk!”

Jett laughed, “What?”

“If you were never going to tell me in the first place, then why’d you make me guess?”

Jett shrugged, “Just for fun.”

Siri rolled her eyes and looked out the window, the town becoming a blur as Jett accelerated. She grew confused as they passed the few restaurants the town had and continued driving. She shot Jett a questioning look, but he ignored it. She rolled her eyes at him again.

Soon, though, they slowed to a stop, and Siri’s eyes widened when she saw where they were. Jett parked his car by the beach that was about thirty minutes away from Siri’s house. The setting sun cast a warm glow on the soft sand and glinted off of the water in a beautiful sparkle. The beach was completely empty, as everyone was at home at this time of the day, and a cool breeze was blowing through the air.

“The beach?” Siri wondered.

Jett grinned, “Yup. We’re having a picnic.”

He got out of the car and walked to the back to get something out of the trunk of the car. Siri got out of the car and shut the door behind her, watching him grab a picnic basket and a blanket out of the trunk.

“But why the beach?” Siri asked. “We could’ve just gone to the park.”

“Yes, but this is more romantic,” Jett said, winking at her.

Siri rolled her eyes, but followed him onto the sand, glad that she’d chosen to wear flip-flops
instead of flats or sneakers. He spread out the blanket on the sand and placed the basket on it. He turned to face Siri with a smile on his face. Siri smiled back, though it was more of a matter of facial muscles than emotion. She looked over at the setting sun, shivering involuntarily from the chilly breeze.

Jett walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her from behind her, asking, “Are you cold?”

Siri’s heart jumped from such close contact to Jett and she fought the urge to shake his arms off of her and slap him. She had to be nice. Thiswasa date after all. As much as she disliked Jett, she had to make a decent effort to be courteous. As politely as she could, she shrugged his arms off and turned to face him.

“Not particularly,” she said, “But that does bring me to secret number one.”

“Which is…?”

“Sometimes, a girl will pretend to be cold, just so you’ll hold her close,” Siri grinned. Her smile immediately collapsed and she added, “But in case you were wondering, that wasn’t the case here.”

Jett chuckled at her statement, “You really hate me don’t you?”

Siri shook her head, “I don’t hate you. I hardly ever say I hate anyone. Hate’s such a strong word. But I can’t say I don’t dislike you.”

Siri grinned and kicked off her flip-flops, running along the soft sand like a carefree child. She heard Jett laugh lightheartedly at the way she was acting. She looked over her shoulder to find his shoulders shaking with laughter and a charming smile on his face. Siri bit her lip. Did she really just think that? Did she really think that anything about him wascharming? She shook her head, pushing that thought out of her head. She walked back over to where the picnic blanket was set up and sat down, watching Jett pull some food out of the basket.

“I really hope you like this,” Jett said. “I made it myself.”

“You made this stuff?” Siri asked incredulously. She was a terrible cook, and she’d never expected him to be a very good one either. She raised an eyebrow. Maybe there really was more to Jett than she’d imagined.