Shot in the Dark

Brushing my teeth took a lot longer than usual due to me stopping to think about last night and smiling my mouth off. I could still taste him when I woke up the next morning. The strawberries were right there on the tip of my tongue– he was right there on the tip of my tongue.

Leah was picking me up soon to bring me over to her house and our flight was leaving in about three hours. My suitcase was packed, zipped tight and ready to be put on a plane and sent to Orlando. I was getting pretty stoked about it. I grabbed my book and shoved it into my bag along with my phone charger and headphones. Just as I was putting my sneakers on, Leah’s horn beeped outside and I quickly grabbed my bags, making sure everything was locked. I already cleaned out the fridge and pantry; there wasn’t anything that would go bad within the next few days.

We both cheered when I got in the car, putting my suitcase in her backseat. Brian and Connor were lounging on the sofa when we got to her house and I sat next to Brian, kissing his cheek lightly.

Craig was out of town for the rest of the month. Brian didn’t really tell me much beside that he was in New York for Thanksgiving. I didn’t press any further.

We all sat in the living room, watching Fight Club since it was one of Connor’s favorite movies. Brian had his arm over my neck since I was lying on my back and leaning my head against him. Nate then popped into my head.

I poked Brian’s arm around me and looked up at him. “Where’s Nate?”

“Taking his nap,” he jutted his thumb over his shoulder. “I should probably wake him up now though.” He began to get up, but I stopped him.

“I’ll do it.” I sat up and headed upstairs to Leah and Connor’s bedroom. Opening the closed door, I saw Nate lying on his stomach in the middle of the bed. My elbows came down on the comforter and I brushed his hair to wake him up, whispering his name. “Hey, sleepy.” He picked up his head, showing me the imprints on his right cheek. I stood on my feet and waited for him to fully awake. He was so cute when he yawned. His little thin arms wrapped around my neck when I picked him up and he laid his head on my shoulder. It seemed like he fell asleep as I descended the stairs, but he popped his head up right as we entered the living room.

I kissed his head with both of my arms around him when I sat back down and he put his arms out for Brian a few minutes later.

Nate hated saying goodbye to me when it was time for Leah and I to go. I laughed a little, bouncing him up and down in my arms while I stood on the walkway. His head was on my shoulder again and I straightened his green t-shirt on his back. “I gotta go, handsome. I’ll see you when I get back, okay?”

He rubbed his teary eyes and gave me a little nod. Brian took him back and I smiled a little before hugging him. I kissed Nate’s forehead then walked to Leah’s car where she was putting her suitcase in and saying goodbye to Connor. We both waved as she pulled away toward the airport and we arrived ten minutes later.

The line to hand over our bags was really long, so I decided to set my bag down and sit on top of it. My eyes wandered off to the people around me and I laughed at Leah when I realized she took a picture of me slumping from a few feet away. The line started moving again and I stood, rolling my suitcase behind me. We had about an hour before our flight would be boarding. The woman behind the counter smiled sweetly at us and we placed our bags on the scale, thanking her when we were finished. Leah and I slightly danced in the line for security check and I laughed when we got a few weird looks. We were just being ourselves.

I pulled my sneakers back on and texted Mindy while waiting for Leah. Thirty minutes left. We skipped down the large corridor toward our gate, tickets in hand. She was in hysterics when we stopped running. We were hyped up, ready to be in Orlando now.

Eric says he misses you I read from John, smiling as I typed back.

Tell him I don’t miss him.

Leah and I sat in our seats twenty minutes later. My feet were tapping impatiently for our takeoff and I was surprised that I was dealing with it so well. You would think that I’d have an attack right about now.

Leah’s smile was exaggerated, but she looked beautiful anyways and I stuck my tongue out playfully for the picture. See ya later, Arizona, I captioned it.

He said he’s crying in his bathroom right now. John sent back while the flight attendant came on the speaker and said to turn off all phones. I quickly texted John back, already missing him.

Plane’s about to take off so I have to go! Call you when we land

I put it on airplane mode since I wanted to listen to music during this ride. Leah brought out the many magazines she had and we shared my headphones while reading and looking at the pictures. The plane finally took off and we were on our way to the happiest place on Earth.

Leah and I spent the majority of the ride reading and listening to the music. We were actually listening to Brighten and I let her pick the next song when we listened to the whole thing. I read my book, about five chapters before it got dark. I wasn’t really up for disturbing people with the annoying light above my head, so I put my book away and motioned for Leah to lay her head on my shoulder. She looked uncomfortable with her neck craned back. I lay my head on top of her and shut my eyes for at least three hours. We woke up to being told that we were in Atlanta for a layover. I yawned while looking out the window, seeing nothing but all the lights below.

We got off the plane and found the bathrooms easily. Leah was leaned against the wall, yawning when I came out and we walked back to our gate and sat down in the black chairs. Airplane mode was completely off and my phone went off with a bunch of notifications and one text from John saying that he’d be up when I would call. Leah was standing by the window, phone to her ear. I put mine back in my bag and took my book out to read for the time being. We had about an hour left before we’d arrive in Florida at midnight.

Leah and I cheered quietly when we made it, landing safely on the grounds of Florida. We made our way through the airport, admiring the exterior, and finding the baggage claim easily. She headed off to the bathroom and I took my phone out of my pocket, leaning on both suitcases.

“Hello?” John yawned.

I laughed a little. “I thought you said you would be awake?”

“I am awake. You got there just now?” I heard voices in the background, boys hooting and hollering. He was probably with the guys.

“Yeah. We had a layover in Atlanta and we had to wait an hour or so.”

“Oh,” he paused. “What are you guys going to do when you get to the motel?”

“Sleep.”

He chuckled quietly and I felt bad for disturbing him. “I kind of miss you, Andy,” he sighed after a few silent moments.

Leah came back then and grabbed her bag. “I miss you too.” I think I missed his lips more, but let’s keep that between us. I followed Leah outside, slight breeze hitting my legs and arms. She got us a taxi and I smiled at the driver when he took my bag. “How about I call you in the morning?”

“Okay. Night, Andy.”

“Goodnight, John.” We both hung up and Leah pouted her lip out at me as we sat in the back of the car. “Shut up.” I said as she laughed beside me.

We grabbed our bags from the back and rolled them behind us as we entered the empty motel. It was an inn as it said in the name, but motel was the right fit. Leah booked us a room and we went up the elevator to the third floor, taking a right to the end of the hall and opening our door. The room was themed with green, brown and white with off-yellow walls. I picked the first bed closest to the door while Leah took the one by the window. There were small stools at the ends of both beds and we set out suitcases on them before crawling into bed without changing. We were out five minutes later with the lights off.

I woke up around eleven and stretched my arms above my head while I yawned. Leah was still sleeping over her covers and in the same clothes as hours ago. I got up and unzipped my bag to search for something to wear. After I dressed, I put my dirty clothes in the dresser under the TV so my bag wouldn’t get me confused. My sneakers slipped on my feet and I wrote down a quick note for Leah, telling her where I was going and I left with my room card and phone. I unfolded my glasses and put them on before taking the elevator down.

The lady at the desk greeted me with a smile and I walked in the room where there was fresh food. I was starving. There were plenty of cereals to choose from, along with eggs, pancakes, waffles and bagels scattered around the room. I could even smell bacon. I settled with cereal and apple juice. No one else was really in here so I had a wide variety of chairs and tables to choose from. I sat beside the window, feeling the sun on my shoulder. The blinds were open to let it in and I sipped the juice in my plastic cup, watching an old man and his wife come in and get themselves their breakfast. The wife smiled sweetly at me.

I began eating and played around on my phone until I decided that it was okay to call John now. It took a few rings, but eventually he answered. When he croaked a hello, I hit my face with my hand, realizing the different time zones.

“Shit, I’m sorry. You’re two hours behind and I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

He laughed a little, “It’s alright. I’ve been up since midnight anyways.”

“Go to sleep,” I insisted, swirling the cereal in the bowl.

“Andrea, it’s okay. I’d rather talk to you than sleep.”

My cheeks warmed up pretty quick. “I’d rather you rest than talk to me.”

“Too bad,” he chuckled. “How’s your day going?”

“I just woke up, so okay I guess.”

We talked for about ten minutes until Leah came down and I told him to go back to sleep. He fought me about it, but ended up sighing happily and following my requests. Leah sat across from me with a bagel and we talked about what to do with ourselves today, ending up with plans to head over to Universal for her Harry Potter ride.

Harry Potter was a success.

Leah absolutely loved going there first. Each step we took she was shouting out things and pointing every which way. We took a bunch of pictures, especially her because she did no want to forget this. She even obsessed over a stick. “Oh my God,” she let go of my hand and ran over to the window. “It’s Harry’s broom! I literally feel like I’m in the movie.” It made me snicker, snapping a picture of her pressed against the window.

We bought two disposable cameras since that was enough amounts of pictures we could take. We also took a bunch already on our phones, but this way we could have them printed out easier.

After Harry Potter we went out for dinner and even went out to a bar to relax a little more. Once we got back to the motel, we changed into our bathing suits and swam in the pool they had there. It was going to be a relaxing weekend. Even if John was still at the front of my brain, I focused on the vacation more and making Leah satisfied because I wanted her to have fun here.

John talked to me regularly, but we never brought up the kiss or anything. Most of me was glad we didn’t because I didn’t want to hear anything bad or that he regretted it because I sure as hell didn’t. I wanted more. I liked the feeling he gave me when I was around him, I was comfortable and content as can be. The feeling in my stomach was kind of annoying because I didn’t know what it was, but having it there wasn’t the annoying part.

I talked about this and the whole nine yards with Leah while we were in the pool, expressing how good it felt to kiss him finally. It’s not something that was on my mind since we met. Having him over for dinner that night triggered something and now I just wanted more. I was hungry in a way.

Leah said I should just go with my heart. “Tell him how I feel” like she worded it, but I didn’t know how I felt. Yes, I liked him and all, but I was too afraid to say it. Maybe he could figure that part out himself and get back to me later.

What really had me on top of the subject all night when we got out of the pool was if he liked me. God, would he say anything to my face? Would he kiss me again after he told me how he felt? Or would we just pretend like it never happened and just be “best friends.” I didn’t want to be best friends. I wanted to kiss him and have cute little naps with him like Connor and Leah did.

I guess what I really want is a relationship.

And I thought that was a good thing. Some people may not agree, but I’d been in the single circle for seven months now and I was ready. I’m not saying that I need someone there for me, but it’d be nice to just hug and kiss someone. Right?