Contemporary Love

Chapter Four: Good Morning.

I woke up with a weight around my waist. I opened my eyes to see an arm. I jumped and pushed whoever it was off my bed and jumped out of my bed myself.

"What the f*ck?" The person said and stood up. It was Blake and he was holding his head.

"I am so sorry! But what are you still doing here?" I asked and walked over to inspect his head.

"I must have fallen asleep last night waiting for you to fall asleep." he said as I touched the forming goose egg on his head and he winced.

"Come on you big baby, I'll give you some ice for our head." I said and dragged him to the kitchen. I put some ice in a baggy and wrapped it in a towel and handed I to him.

"That should take some of the swelling down but you'll still have a bump for school. Now go sneak back through your window before your parents realize that you're missing." I said and he nodded.

"What about the ice?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Just throw it out your window and I'll grab the towel tonight when I get home from picking Danny up." I said and helped shove him out my window.

"Easy woman, you don't need to be so violent." he joked and I smiled.

"But that's my specialty. Enjoy it." I said and closed my blinds on him.

"That was mean!" he yelled through the curtain and I laughed.

"Another one of my specialties." I yelled back and he laughed. I walked into the bathroom and got ready for school. Fifteen minutes later, Blake and I were on our way to school.

“So tomorrow afternoon we can practice right?” he said and I nodded.

“Yeah, either at my house or yours, it doesn’t matter.” I said and it was his turn to nod. We went through the day and patiently waited for dance class. Once we got down there we started warming up.

“Blake what happened to your head?” Janie, one of our fellow dancers, and one of my semi-friends asked with we stretched. Blake looked at me and smirked.

“Macie pushed me out of bed this morning. Feisty firecracker she is.” He said and I couldn’t believe him. I was as red as a tomato and everyone was looking at me.

“Oh, we didn’t know you to were dating.” She said and he shrugged.

“We aren’t.” he said and I blushed even more. Everyone in our dance class now thought that I was a total whore. Thank you, Mr. Hemmingway. Not.

“Oh, Okay.” She said and awkwardly looked away, but not before I caught her look. I looked at Blake and glared.

“What?” he asked innocently and I looked away. I was irritated with him right now, and dancing was the only thing that was going to keep my mind off of the situation.

“Alright guys, we’re working out today, then practicing routines, and then you can have free time to work on your auditions. So line up for some laps, then push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, the works. Go!” our instructor said and I started running, leading the group. I was always one for running so whenever we ran for dance; everyone knew that I was the leader. After ten minutes of running and jogging we stopped for a water break, and then got into groups for the cardio workout. I was paired up with Blake, of course.

“Okay guys, three sets of 12, taking turns.” Autumn said and I nodded.

“Ladies first.” Blake said and I nodded and laid down on the mat. Blake held my feet as I did my first set. This went on until we were both finished with all of our sets. Everyone else was complaining by the end while I was enjoying it. I always loved a good workout.

“Alright, we’re going to do the Better Days routine, and the Iris routine. Then you can have your free time.” Autumn said and we all murmured in agreement. After going through the routines a few times each we were all released for some more water and our free time. I was still annoyed by Blake’s comment and I was glad that I was my turn to show him what I had in store for his dance. I was going to make him pay.

“You wanted feisty, so here it is.” I said to him and slapped some handcuffs on his wrists.

“Where did you get these?” he asked and held up his hands.

“Supply closet. Now shut up and follow what I do.” I said and showed him the dance for his audition. When I was finished I was breathing hard. You really had to use your leg muscles in the end of the dance, and all throughout basically.

“Where did you come up with that? It’s brilliant.” Blake said. He had followed me through the routine a few times so he was also breathing hard.

“I’m just really good at choreographing. It comes naturally to me.” I said and downed some water.

“I wish I was as good as you were.” He said and I shrugged.

“You’re good at it too. But I have to go now for work, just keep practicing that routine, and tomorrow we can finalize it for Friday’s audition.” I said.

“Are you going to drop me off again?” he asked and I shrugged.

“I guess, only if you don’t make a comment like that again. I would like to keep up my low profile here, and not be known as a whore.” I said and he nodded.

“I understand, but sex isn’t something to be ashamed of, you know that right?” he asked and I shrugged. I wouldn’t know actually, but I wasn’t going to tell Blake that.

“Oh, I understand, you still hold your v-card. Don’t you?” he asked and I shrugged again.

“I don’t believe that is any of your business.” I said and he laughed.

“Whatever you say Mac.” He said and we made our way to my car.

Work went smoothly and it was just before closing before our last party came in. And believe it or not it was Blake and a few others. I was hoping to get out a little early to pick up Danny, but that wasn’t happening because Joyce seated them in my section. I groaned and grabbed my pad to write orders on and dragged my aching feet to their table.

“Hello everyone, what can I get for you guys tonight?” I asked and grabbed my pen out of my apron pocket. The older man next to Blake ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad, the older woman ordered the grilled chicken salad, the youngest girl ordered the po-boy sandwich with a side salad, and Blake ordered the double-decker burger with fries. The older couple looked at him disapprovingly and the younger girl just looked at me.

“Anything else I can get you?” I asked and finished writing down their orders.

“Nope, that’s all Mac. Thanks.” Blake said and I smiled.

“It will be about fifteen minutes, in the mean time we have the juke box if you would like to pick out some music, with the mini dancing area right by it.” I said and walked back to the kitchen to give the chef my order.

“No funky names for the order this time Miss. Macie?” he asked and I shrugged.

“I’m too tired to come up with one right now.” I said and walked back out to the waitress stand to grab my drink. All I wanted to do was pick up Danny. I normally wasn’t away from him over night, so I know if it was hard for me, then it was definitely hard for him. I headed over to the juke box while I waited for the Blake’s order to finish cooking and flipped through the songs on the machine. I picked a few and waited for them to come on. Feet shuffled behind me and I looked over my shoulder. It was Blake.

“Are you okay Macie?” he asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

“Yeah, I just was hoping to go pick up Danny soon, but Joyce put you guys in my section.” I said and swayed to the music that came through the speakers. Blake grabbed my hands and placed them on his shoulders and then wrapped his hands around my waist. We swayed to the music, oblivious to our surroundings.

“I’m sorry. I tried to get them to come earlier, but they didn’t listen to me. Once they decide on something they stick to it. I’ll try to get them to eat fast.” He said and twirled me around the mini-dance floor.

“It’s okay. Danny knows that I sometimes get out of work late. He’s usually asleep by the time I pick him up anyways. I’ll just have to make it up to him with breakfast tomorrow. Chocolate chip pancakes should do the trick.” I said with a smile which Blake returned as the song ended.

“I’m going to go talk to my family and ask if we could get the food to go.” Blake said and walked back over to his table and sat down. After a few minutes he gave me a thumbs up and I smiled, silently thanking whoever was helping me with luck for once ‘up there’ and put all of the dinners in to to-go boxes and took them to the table with a few take out bags. I offered them a small smile as I set their food down.

“I’m sorry to be such a horrible waitress. I just have never been away from my brother this long, and he’s probably really worried. I’m sorry again, and I gave you guys a ten percent discount and I hope that you come back soon, and please don’t let this experience doubt this diner, we’re really a great place.” I said and waved as they left to go back home. I quickly cleared the table, split the tips with the other waitresses and walked out to my car, excited to go pick up Danny. I peeled out of the parking lot and made my way to Mrs. Jones’s house. I knocked on the door once I arrived and impatiently waited for Mrs. Jones to open the door. She smiled when she saw me and allowed me to come in.

“He just fell asleep. I’m sure that you could wake him up.” She said and I shook my head.

“No, he needs his sleep. I’m just going to place him in his car seat.” I said and picked Danny up bridal style and walked back out to my car. I paid Mrs. Jones much to her protest and drove home. When I got home it was ten after ten and I was exhausted. I carried Danny into his room, removed his shoes and covered him up. I turned on his Scooby-doo night light and walked back out to my car to grab my back pack and locked the front door on the way back in. I walked into my room and threw my bag onto my bed and turned my radio on low. I walked into my bathroom, changed into my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and walked back out to start on my Calculus home work. I worked until eleven when I heard a knock on my window. I turned from my homework to see Blake there. I nodded for him to come in and he opened up my window and shimmied in through the narrow opening.

“What’s up?” I asked as I returned to calculus. I was on my last problem and I just wanted to go to bed.

“I’m just making sure that you’re okay. You seemed pretty upset at the restaurant.” He said and plopped down on my bed. I circled my answer and shut my book. I shrugged my shoulders and got up to put my things into my book bag.

“I’m fine now that Danny is back. I’m just tired and I wish my mother was here to take some of this load off of my back. I’m seventeen, not twenty-seven; I think I deserve to live a little.” I said and plopped down on my bed too. Blake turned on his side, putting his head on his hand.

“I think you do too. Tell you what. Vacation is coming up soon. How about you, Danny, Natalie, and I go to the amusement park when it comes about?” Blake asked and I nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds fun. Danny will love that, he hasn’t been there since he was three. I’m sure he doesn’t remember much at all.” I said and smiled.

“Natalie and I go every year, it’s like our brother and sister bonding time I guess.” He said and I nodded.

“Danny and I spend so much time together as it is that we have all the bonding time that we need.” I said and he offered me a smile.

“You’re his role model.” He said and it was my turn to smile.

“When he was little, he used to call me ‘mommy’, and Ruth was pissed. She made it very clear that she was ‘mommy’ and I was Macie.” I said and he laughed.

“You’re more like his mom than anything.” He said and I nodded. We talked for a little while more and he left. I was falling asleep as it was so he knew it was time to leave.

“See you later Mac.” He said and I offered him a half awake-half asleep smile.

“G’night Blake.” I said with a yawn. He closed my window behind him as I pulled my covers over my body and snuggled into my bed. It was warm from Blake’s body. I fell asleep to the scent of Driven cologne on my pillows.