The Perfect Prom Date (12 page)

I painted Madison’s fingernails and toenails on the porch, while the boys played basketball on the driveway.
 

Soon it was dark. “Okay, everybody. It’s time to move inside.
 
Madison, Cameron, you need to go upstairs and get ready for bed,” said Brennan.

 
“Ah,” they complained.
 

“No whining,” Brennan stated firmly, but put his arm lovingly around them as they entered the house and climbed the stairs.
 

Halfway up, Madison looked over her shoulder and called down to me, “Josie, will you put me to bed?” She asked sweetly.

I looked at Brennan to make sure it was okay with him. He nodded, “It’s up to you.”

“I’d love to.” I followed her up the stairs to her room.
 

Once she had put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth, she asked, “Will you read me a book?”
 

“Sure. What do you want me to read?”
 

Madison padded over to her bookshelf and pulled out a large book. “Here,” she handed it to me. She climbed into bed, making room for me. “There is a story in here I like.” She thumbed through it until she came to “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

“I like this story too.”

I read it to her, and then tucked her in.
 
“Goodnight, Madison,” I said, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

“Night, Josie.” She started to close her eyes, then she reached out and grabbed my hand, “You’ll come again, won’t you?”

“Of course, I will.” I squeezed her hand before letting it go. Quietly I made my downstairs to join Brennan, who had just finished putting Cameron to bed.

“Let me guess…she asked you to read Goldilocks and the Three Bears?”

I laughed. “How did you know?”

“I’ve read that story more times than I can count.” He smiled as I joined him on the coach. He lifted a strand of my hair and smelled it. “Why is it that your hair always smells like strawberries?”

“It’s my shampoo,” I blushed.
 

He twisted it around his finger, “So, what do you want to do now, Rubylocks?”

“Rubylocks?”

“Yeah, I think it’s the perfect nickname for you. What do you think?”

I smiled, shyly. “I like it.”

He pulled me to him and kissed me. It was a slow kiss that turned my insides to mush. When he pulled away he said, “I’ve been dying to do that for hours.”

“Where is everybody?” I asked, nervously scanning the room for one of the older boys. They had to be here somewhere.

He chuckled. “They’re downstairs playing video games. That should keep them busy for a little while.”

I smiled broadly, wrapping my arms around his neck. It was a long kiss, our tongues darting in and out of each other’s mouth. I leaned back, and he trailed kisses down my neck to the base of my throat. My hands were in his hair, pushing him closer. I forget everything, even where we were.
 

All too soon, he pulled away. “Even though I’d love to continue, I don’t want to get carried away while the little ones are upstairs and the boys are downstairs.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And I know if we don’t stop now, it will be nearly impossible.” He stood and stretched out his right arm. “So, what do you want to do?” He held his hand out and he helped me up.
 

“I don’t know?” I thought for a second, my eyes roaming the room for ideas.
 
Books and magazines were stacked in piles on the floor, family photos lined the mantle, a checkerboard sat on the coffee table. Maybe…“Another game? A board game?” My eyebrows rose, and my voice filled with challenge.

“Hmm...” Brennan opened one of the built-in cupboards surrounding the fireplace and peered inside. He dug around for a few seconds and then produced dominoes. “Have you ever played chicken foot?”
 

“Chicken who?” I giggled.
 

“Chicken foot. It’s easy. I’ll teach you.” He grabbed my hand. “We’ll have to play at the kitchen table because we need room.”
 

Brennan explained the game in the same methodical way he tackled calculus. He was right; the game was easy, and fun. It was a good distraction from thinking about how good it felt to be wrapped up in Brennan’s arms, kissing.
 

After the third round, Brennan announced the score, and he was leading.
 

“How come I keep getting stuck with the double zero. Are you sure it’s worth twenty points? It looks like it should be worth – zero,” I said, frustrated. At the rate I was going, I couldn’t possibly win.
 

“I’m sure,” he chuckled. “Just remember to always get rid of your highest dominoes first.

“That’s what I’ve been doing.”

Brennan took his turn, and then it was mine, except I couldn’t make a move, so I had to pick. “Oh good,” I laughed sarcastically, picking the dreaded domino again. He tried to hold back from laughing, but couldn’t. He burst out laughing, and then so did I.
 
The rest of the game pretty much followed the same pattern, but I didn’t mind. It was fun making Brennan laugh. Thirty minutes later, the game was over. Brennan won, just like I had predicted.
 

We were still sitting at the table when Brennan’s parents came home. His dad said a quick hello and went straight upstairs, stating that he was tired after a long week at work. Brennan’s mom hung out long enough to ask, “How were the kids?”
 

“They were great,” he replied, putting the dominoes back in the box. “Josie was a big hit. At one point I thought a fight was going to break out over who gets to be on her team next time.”

“It was a lot of fun,” I added, smiling, remembering how cute it was when Madison asked me to be her big sister.
 

Mrs. Fisher smiled, “Thanks to both of you for watching them tonight. I know it’s probably not how you want to spend your Friday night. We really do appreciate it.”

“No problem, mom.” Brennan blushed.
 

“It was my pleasure. It gave me an opportunity to beat Brennan in an obstacle course race,” I teased.

“Hey, didn’t I just spank you at dominoes?”

“That’s only because you had an unfair advantage. You’ve played before, lots of times, and this was my first.”

His mom laughed at our playful banter. “Sounds like you two are perfect for each other.”
 
I felt my face flush.
 

“I’m going to go take Josie home.” Brenna said, reaching for his keys that were in a big bowl filled with odds and ends on the counter.

“Okay. Drive safe,” she said, giving him a hug. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Then she turned and gave me a hug too. “Thanks again. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon, I hope.”
   

Brennan pulled into my driveway and shut the car off. I wanted to invite him in, but it was already late, just after midnight.
 
Taking both my hands in his, he said, “Thanks for coming over tonight. It meant a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome. I loved meeting your parents, and your brothers, and sister. I had a really great time. I’m glad you asked me to babysit with you.”

I wanted to say more – how I felt closer to him after meeting his family, or how he looked like his mom with his dark features but that he had inherited his dad’s brilliantly blue eyes. I wanted to tell him that I’d never felt more accepted than when Madison asked me to be her big sister. I didn’t get any of those words out though, because my throat was tight with emotion. Instead, I touched my lips to his. The kiss said all the things I couldn’t.
 

“You better go in,” Brennan said, gruffly. He didn’t have to elaborate, because I could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to do the right thing.
 

“Goodnight, B-man.” I nodded.

“Goodnight, Rubylocks.”
 

Comments:

bellaroo: I love nicknames. I think they’re fun and cute. One day when we were riding in his car, I called my guy Mario, short for Mario Andretti, and he loved it.
 
I could see that it really turned him on.
 
That is until he was pulled over for speeding and was asked if he was carrying a concealed weapon in his pants.
 
LOL.
 

countrygirl: You’re right, giving him a nickname did bring us closer together.
 
I call him Cowboy (he’s the prefect definition) and he calls me Daisy (on account of the Daisy Dukes I always wear that he’s so fond of).

BLOG #7

Step Seven: Pretend to be Interested in Someone Else

I’m glad that you are still reading my blog and following my excellent advice.
   

When you’ve been hanging out for a couple of weeks, and he still hasn’t asked you to the prom, no matter how great things are between the two of you, it’s time to move on to step seven.
 

Step seven is plain and simple – pretend to be interested in someone else. I know it may seem drastic, but some guys just need that extra push. Remember you’re not really interested in someone else, you’re just making it seem like you are. When he sees the potential threat of someone else entering the picture, it will only take him moments to realize what’s been right in front of him all along.
 

You can do this in a variety of ways.
 
A subtle way would be to weave another boy’s name into a conversation. You could talk about how this other boy got a 100% on the Chemistry test your teacher just passed back, so you were thinking of asking him to help you study. The next thing you know, your guy will suddenly offer to help you because he wouldn’t want anyone else moving in on his territory. If you want something a little more obvious, you could flirt (just a little) with someone else in front of your guy.
 
That will definitely get his attention. There are other ways too to pretend to be interested in someone else, put some thought into it, and then choose the one that’s right for you.
 

“It can’t believe he hasn’t asked you yet?” said Rachel one afternoon when she came over to hang out after school.
 

“I know, right?
 
We’ve spent every weekend together since our first date, way back in at the end of February.”

“Don’t I know,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes.
 
She had been complaining lately that we hadn’t been to the mall on a Saturday afternoon in a long time.

I ignored her comment and continued to voice my own frustrations. “I mean, we’ve gone out to eat, we’ve been to the movies, we went to an exhibit at the art gallery, we’ve played video games at my house, and we’ve even babysat his brothers and sister together,” I said, ticking off each item on one of my freshly painted fingernails. “And still nothing.” I flopped onto my bed. “When we’re together, he acts likes he’s into me. I don’t know what to think any more.” I covered my eyes with the back of my hand.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think he’s into you? Tell me, tell me, and I’ll be the judge.”

I remained silent, while I thought about how to describe why I thought Brennan truly cared for me, without giving away too much. Even though Rachel was my BFF, whom I tell everything, there were some things that I wanted to keep just between Brennan and I. Finally I said, “Well, he’s a perfect gentleman. He always opens the door for me, and insists on paying every time we go out. He even goes out of his way to surprise me with little gifts. Just last Saturday, he showed up with a bouquet of red roses, and said it was because they reminded him of me.” I pointed at my red hair.
 

“How romantic.” Rachel pretended to swoon. “What else have you got?”

“Well,” I paused, not sure how it was going to sound once I said it out loud. “When we’re together, I can hear his heart beating even over my own, and mine pounds so loud I’m afraid that it’s going to burst right out of my chest. It must mean something.”

“Yeah, that he’s a hormonal teenage boy,” she laughed. “Just kidding,” she said, growing serious. “It does sound like he’s into you.”
 

“Then if he obviously likes me and all, why hasn’t he asked me to the PROM?” I sobbed.
 

“Maybe he just needs more time,” Rachel shrugged.
 

“More time?” I sat up. “I’m running out of time. Prom is in one month. ONE MONTH. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this – but I have to move on to the next step.”

“Really? You’re going to pretend to like somebody else? Who?” Rachel shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t you think that’s going a little too far? What if this step backfires on you, and then you lose him for good?” She said, voicing all of my real fears out loud.
 

I took a deep breath. Sounding more confident than I necessarily felt, I replied,
 
“Have I been wrong yet? I mean look at the luck you’ve been having, following my 10 step program.”
 

Rachel smiled. Since I’d told her about the 10 step program a few weeks ago, she’d been following it. She had her sights set on Kyle, a cute and shy Asian guy whom she had been crushing on for years, and things were falling perfectly into place. Rachel and Kyle had been friends for the past four years. They enjoyed working on school projects together and they were both members of the debate team. Until now, Rachel had been too nervous to tell him that she wanted to be more than friends, because she was worried that he would turn her down, and then their friendship would be uncomfortable.
 
However, things were changing. She was already on step three, Flirting 101, and from the playful banter I witnessed yesterday when he unexpectedly joined us at our lunch table, I would say everything was going just fine.
 

“I know, but it sounds so harsh.” She winced.

“I’ll be careful, I promise.”
 

“Have you decided who you will pretend to be interested in? And don’t even say, Simon Taylor,” she shook her finger. “I know he asked you to the prom months ago, but that would just be cruel to get his hopes up. Plus, there is no way that Brennan would believe you’d prefer to hang out with Simon, over him. I mean, let’s get real,” Rachel said.