AND OH MY GOSH I HAVE HAD FOUR (um maybe five) cups off coffee and oh my gosh i can taste colours because hahahhahahhahahahhaha school will be fun today i can tell
***

"Miss McCauley." The doorman greets me. Adrian must have forwarned him, because I'm not that memorable.

"Hi," I say shyly.

"You can go right up. Mr. Walker is waiting." He says, so I walk quickly to the elevator.

Before the doors close, two people step in. Both around my age with separate headphones. The staticky sound of heavy-metal-through-headphones reverberates around the small brass-plated box.

They stand close but don't look at each other. They look similar, very aryan in the very thin, blond, blue eyed way. She wears a leather jacket and him a white hooded sweater with a scary dragon-thing on the back.

She punches him in the arm. "Mom said to dress well for dinner, her new guy is coming over."

He takes out an earbud. "Okay."

"No, really. Not that shirty sweater."

Ouch.

"Okay. Calm the frig down, Eliza." He rolls his eyes, glances at me, then puts the earbud back in.

Adrian is waiting in front of the elevator. He's wearing a nice light blue sweater and skinny chinos. Just a curl of black is visible above his hand. His feet are bare except for a pair of scrunched argyle socks that are pulled over the bottoms of his pants.

"Nice look." I say, and he laughs easy, enveloping me in a hug. He likes hugs, Adrian.

"These socks pull on my leg hair," he tells me, and it's my turn to laugh.

"So how was lunch?" I ask him as be leads me to the ornate cream-coloured door.

"Awful. And awkward. Very awkward. He brought the woman, I don't remember her name, and I kept accidentally looking down her shirt."

"Accidentally?" I ask, wryly. He unlocks the door and pulls me inside. By the way he says it, I don't even feel jealous. I am insane.

"She kept bending over the table. So weird. Then she propositioned me while my dad tipped the restaurant valet. I turned her down, by the way." He says the last part conspiratorially. "Oh, and just so you know, my mom's home and she's kinda weird."

I've never met his mother, so that throws me for a loop.

"Your mom? And you didn't tell me?"

"Told you now," he shrugs. "Don't worry about it." When he sees my expression, his face softens.

I don't know about him, but I'm staring at his lips. They're pink like he's been biting them and bowed and smiling in a pursed way and perfect.

"I'm sure she'll love you just like I..." He trails off, biting his lip. I lean forward just a faction. So does he.

His mouth is a breath away from mine and I'm almost shivering in anticipation and he smiles. A wide, true smile.

"Aidee, where'd you go?" His little sister's shrill voice slices through the entryway.

He pauses. "Shh," he breathes against my cheek, and takes my hand. He sneaks me down the hall I know leads away from the dining room and toward the living room and stairs. I let him, because frankly, I would follow him anywhere.

We walk softly up the stairs, around a corner with two paintings of apples, and then he's pulling me into his room. Gold, sunset sunshine [[its a thing okay]] spills into the room from the large square window and washes over him in an insanely, angelically beautiful way.

He stands in front of me, and tugs one of my wrists so I lean a little closer. My feet don't move. "C'mere." He murmurs. His face is soft and open [[i can't believe i just wrote that bury me with Leopold and Loeb pls]] and I feel so nervous I could keel over.

I let out a shaky breath and he chuckles. Chuckles is such an awful word because it doesn't sound attractive at all, but what he does isn't quite a laugh. More like a nervous, amused exhalation.

He takes a step forward, just one because long legs, and he's just a breath away. I do this nervous little smile. He lets out this big sigh. "Okay..." Then he kisses me.

One minute he's staring at me with a smile, then his lips are smiling against mine. They're warm and perfect. He takes my free hand in his and just holds it by my side. I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or disappointed he's not touching me.

His soft hair brushes my face because he's so tall, he has to duck to be on my level and I smile. We smile against each other.

Suddenly, "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat blares from across the apartment, and he pulls away with a silly, stupid grin. I'm sure mine mirrors his.

"My mom's musical taste is questionable." Is the first thing he says.

We stare at each other for a long minute. Then start laughing at the same moment.

He covers his face in efforts to hide his contagious smile. "Um, want to have some dessert? There's cheesecake. Chocolate."

I pop up on my toes and kiss the hand covering his mouth. "I'd love some."

So we go back out of the room to eat with his family; holding fingers as inconspicuously as possible.
***
I'm so excited but it possibly sucked?? Oh whatever I love myself that was so feelsy and great.

[[there was a blank space here so lets all sing song Taylor swift together okay]]

((Oooooooo i had a story idea last night: a book of short stories that all are inspired by a separate Taylor swift song cool yeah?))

{{so like one would have the girl throw her phone at the guy then she'd wanna talk then he'd come back in wearing a football helmet and say "okay lets talk" then she'd be all like "stay stay stayyyyy"}}