Eden (16 page)

“Homework first?” she asked in shock, “So responsible…”

I laughed to myself as I ran upstairs and into my room.

Luckily since it was the weekend, our teachers hadn’t given us a lot of homework and I finished it quickly.  After I was done, I took a quick shower.  I was again impressed at how much attention I’ve been placing on cleanliness and neatness since I’ve gotten involved with Eden; she was a good influence on me.

I dried myself and then put on a fresh set of clothes when I was done.  It was around five o’clock when I made my way back downstairs.

“Look at you!” my mother exclaimed with a smile.

I didn’t say anything, but feeling my face flush, I looked away.

“Be back by nine,” my mother warned as I made my way out the door.

“I know,” I called back.

Even though Eden lived right next door, I still ran across her yard and knocked furiously on her front door.  Eden answered the door wearing a nice top and pants; while they looked cute, they were still tight enough to make the eyes pop out of my head.

“What took you so long?” she asked with a smile.

“Wasn’t it worth the wait?” I replied, spreading my arms wide so that she could get a better view of me.

She seemed to be taking a few minutes to consider my question, her brow furrowed as if in thought.  Finally a smile broke out across her face, “Of course it was.”

“Shall we be on our way?” I asked, extending my hand to her.

“Of course,” she curtsied after taking my hand.

“Chez Mighty Burger awaits,” I joked as we left her house.

We soon arrived at Mighty Burger and placed our orders.  Taking our tray, I led Eden to a booth in the far corner of the restaurant.  Looking around, I could see that the company had tried to update Mighty Burger by adding a café inside and changing the red and yellow colors inside for a more subdued wood paneled café-look.

“So what did your mother say?” Eden asked.

“About what?” I replied, refocusing my attention back on her.

“About tomorrow, silly,” she answered.

“She said that it is fine,” I told her, “All I had to do was tell her that I wanted to see the fireworks with you and she agreed.”

“That’s great,” she said.

“My mother really likes you, Eden,” I told her.

“Your mother is a smart lady,” she winked at me and smiled.

“So what movie are we going to watch tonight?” I asked her then taking a bite of my Big M burger.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, “We can decide once we get home.  Any particular type of movie you want to see?”

“How about a horror movie?” I asked.

“I have a few of those,” she admitted, “Although, I don’t like to watch them when I have to spend the night all alone.”

I almost choked on my fries at her confession.  How could someone so strong and powerful be afraid after watching a scary movie?

Narrowing her eyes at me, Eden said, “Don’t even think of laughing.”

Still coughing, I held my hands up in surrender.

17

The rest of our dinner passed uneventfully, it was just after six when we cleaned up the remains of our meal and threw our garbage in the trash.  Taking Eden’s hand, we made our way back to her house.

“It’s been a long time since I had a Big M burger,” Eden admitted as we approached her front door.

“I hope that you enjoyed it,” I said.

“I did,” she told me, smiling shyly, “but I enjoyed the company more.”

It was amazing how just a few words from her could send my heart racing and the blood rushing into my face. Opening the front door, Eden ushered me inside her house.

“Finally, we are all alone,” she said, closing the door behind her.

I turned around to see what she meant and I was immediately tackled to the floor.  Before I could react, Eden was kissing me all over my face.

“I like it better when we have dinner at home,” she said in-between kisses.

“I’ll take steak and potatoes over a Big M meal anytime,” I agreed, “Plus, the dessert is much better at home.”

She giggled into my mouth in agreement, the movement tickling my tongue in a pleasant way.  After that, she rolled off of me and sat up.

“So what movie do you want to watch?” she asked as I sat up too.

“I got that new Ben Stiller movie,” she replied, “Jungle Thunder, it is supposed to be really funny, but I haven’t watched it yet.”

“That sounds like a good choice,” I agreed.

I had heard of Jungle Thunder, too.  Drake had seen it in Florida with his father and said that it was one of the funniest movies that he had ever seen.  There were a lot of famous comedians in the movie, too.  So that fact alone should ensure hours of entertainment…at least two, that is.

“I have some potato chips in the cabinet and soda in the ‘fridge, if you want some,” Eden called as she pulled the DVD we had chosen from her bookcase.

“Sure,” I quickly agreed, grabbing two glasses from the cupboard over the sink and filling them with cola.  With the chips tucked under my arm and a full glass in each hand, I made my way back into the living room.

“We can fast forward through the previews if you want,” Eden informed me.

“Those are the best parts,” I told her.

The first preview was for The Dark Night Begins and it only made me want to see the movie more.  I had to get out and see it with Eden sometime this weekend, or I will be sure to have the whole movie recited to me by my friends.

It was hard to concentrate on the movie with Eden sitting close beside me.  I placed my arm over her shoulder and she rested her head against my chest.  The movie was as funny as it had promised to be, although if anyone had asked me to repeat any of the lines, I would have been at a loss.  The look on Eden’s face when she laughed made my heart soar.  I didn’t think it was possible for her to look any more beautiful to me.  Her smile was breath-taking and her laugh tinkling like musical chimes in the air.  I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more in love with her than I already was, but I was proven wrong yet again.

By the time the movie ended, it was almost nine and I had to head home.  After I put on my jacket, Eden walked me to the door and I stepped out onto her porch.

“I had a wonderful time,” Eden said, her eyes shining in the moonlight as she looked up at me.

“I did too,” I told her, “I always have a wonderful time with you.”

She closed her eyes and craned her neck so that her lips were barely touching mine.  I took her face in my hands and closed the distance between our lips, pressing them together like I never wanted them to be apart again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told her tenderly.

“What time will you come over?” she asked.

“As early as you want me to,” I said in a serious voice, “I’ll even come over in pajamas and watch cartoons with you.”

“I would love that,” she gushed.

I laughed, even though I had sounded serious, my invitation had been a joke.

“I’m serious, Thomas,” she scolded, “If you come over early in the morning, I promise to have breakfast ready for you.”

“Do I have to come in my PJs?” I asked, not really liking the idea of running across our lawns in sleepwear.

“It will be more fun that way,” she whined, “Please?”

How could I resist a request from the most beautiful girl in the world?  I just nodded my head, admitting defeat.

Eden jumped in place, clapping her hands, “Yay,” she squealed, “I can’t wait.”

Suddenly she stopped jumping and turned serious, “I love you,” she whispered kissing me lightly on the lips.

“I love you, too,” I whispered back, returning her kiss, “I’ll see you bright and early; how about eight?”

“Eight sounds wonderful,” she agreed, “See you then.”

Waving goodbye to her, I dashed across to my house.  Looking back I could still see her in the doorway, leaning out and watching me.  I opened my front door and then looked back at her and waved, she waved back and we both entered our houses simultaneously.

“How was your date?” my mother asked when I closed the front door.

“It was great,” I answered enthusiastically.

She seemed to take a moment to evaluate my mood.  After a few minutes, she just smiled and shook her head.  I suspected what was on her mind and blushed accordingly.

“Don’t even ask,” I warned.

“So did you tell Eden that you can take her to the fair tomorrow?” she asked deciding not to acknowledge my challenge.

“Yeah, she was really happy,” I said to butter her up, “She is excited about going.”

“What time are you picking her up?” my mother asked nonchalantly.

“Eight in the morning,” I told her.

My mother looked shocked, “You’re going to get up before noon on a Saturday?”

“She’s making breakfast for me,” I added, “She wants me to go over in my PJs and watch cartoons with her.”

“Isn’t that sweet?” my mother said smiling like a little girl, “This girl is a keeper, Thomas; you better not screw this up.”

“Have a little faith in me, mother,” I reprimanded.

“That’s the problem,” my mother laughed, “I only have a little faith in you.”

Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I grumbled heading upstairs.

The next morning, my alarm went off at seven.  Turning it off, I bounced out of bed.  Its amazing how it was no problem for me to wake up early on a weekend, but it became such a hassle when I had to get up for school; maybe it was due to the fact that I was waking up to spend the morning with a beautiful girl in pajamas.

Once I got out of bed, I jumped into the shower.  Of course I wasn’t going to go to Eden’s in the actual sweats and t-shirt that I had slept in.  After I toweled off, I chose the newest pair of sweats and my least offensive t-shirt and went downstairs to head next door.

“Aren’t you cute?” my mother gushed when I reached the first floor.

I blushed, of course, and didn’t immediately say anything in reply.

“I’m going over to Eden’s now,” I said after putting on my sneakers and a light jacket.

“Say hello to Eden for me,” my mother called as I closed the door.

I dashed over to Eden’s door step and knocked on the front door.  Luckily, Eden answered immediately.  I wasn’t sure whether to accuse her of waiting by the door for me, or whether it was just her incredible speed that allowed her to react so quickly; I decided just to say nothing instead.

Eden was wearing light pink pajama bottoms with little red hearts and a tight pink sleeveless top.  The top was just a bit too short, revealing her pale, taut stomach and my eyes zeroed in on the patch of bare skin.

“Are you going to stand there all morning, or are you planning on coming in for breakfast?” she teased.

“O-of course,” I stuttered, entering her home.

I was immediately assaulted by an assortment of pleasant odors – bacon, ham, sausage, how had Eden prepared all that by eight o’clock?

“Breakfast is this way,” she ushered me into the kitchen, noticing my upturned nose.

Stepping into the kitchen, it was like a dream come true.  The long island in the middle of the kitchen was covered with trays; trays of bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, ham and home fries.  There was a large decanter of orange juice at the end of the bar.  My jaw must have been hanging open because Eden started to giggle.

“How did you do all of this?” I asked in amazement, “What time did you wake up this morning?”

“I don’t sleep,” Eden confessed looking at the floor.

“Really, you don’t need to sleep at all?” I asked.

“No, Deva don’t need to sleep like humans,” she revealed, “Sometimes when a Deva approaches middle age, around five or six hundred, they fall into a sleep-like coma for a few decades; but its more like a psychological relief from the boredom of a long life rather than a physical need.”

“That still sounds better than having to sleep every night like I do,” I admitted.

“That’s what happened to my parents,” she continued, “They fell into torpor about thirty years ago and even though I still had the humans in our compound to talk to, I was incredibly bored and since they are still ‘sleeping’ presently, I decided that I wanted to see how real humans live their teenage years and here I am.”

“There were humans in your compound?” I asked, “I thought you had to live in secret from humans.”

“Not all of them,” she corrected, “There are many humans that realize exactly what we are and don’t fear us or want to kill us.  There are not enough Deva in the world to give us an effective network of information, so we turn to humans for that.”  Eden could see my surprise at the notion of other humans knowing who and what she was, but she continued, “There are humans all over the world that know of our existence; but they have all proven themselves trustworthy.  Without them, my kind would truly be all alone and in the dark.”

“None of the humans at your home followed you here?” I asked.

“No,” she replied, “I made sure to cover my tracks very well; but that doesn’t mean that there can’t be a few Wardens in the area.  That’s why I try to keep a low profile when I am out.”

“What’s a Warden?” I asked not understanding what she had been referring to.

“Warden is my little nickname for the humans that my parents left to take care of me,” she told me, “It’s a more mature name than calling them babysitters.  Now I use it when referring to any human that knows of the existence of Deva.”

“Does that make me a Warden?” I asked her, teasing.

“You are many things to me, Thomas,” she said, her eyes smoldering, “but you will never have to keep me with you against my will.”

Our romantic interlude was rudely interrupted by a rumbling deep in my stomach.

“Maybe we’d better eat,” she laughed.

I grabbed a plate, laughing along with her as I piled heaps of food onto it.

With our plates full of food, Eden and I sat on the floor in front of the large TV and watched cartoons.  I haven’t watched Saturday Morning cartoons in almost five years and I barely knew any of the shows.  All the characters in the shows seemed to be way too cutesy for my tastes, but Eden seemed to be enjoying herself, so I didn’t mind.