Five

He walked me home and stayed for a while watching food network. I was in the kitchen trying to make some coffee thinking he looked more like a sporty NBA guy.
"Why aren’t you watching sports or something?" I asked then focused back on the fire in front of me, noting I had just almost burnt myself.
"Don’t like that stuff." He mumbled in a hushed tone.
"Who?" I said focusing on the fire. I always loved to watch the colored flames moving like octopus tentacles, flicking away.
"You." He said.
"So. You can watch whatever you want. Who cares what I like." I said looking at him now.
"I do."
"How do you know so much about me anyway?" I asked.
"Come here." He said.
"Why?" I asked almost burning myself again. I am definitely not multi talented.
"Just come sit by me." He said looking at the TV. It looked like he was lost in some sort of trance.
"Hold on." I said turning off the burner to prevent any chance of burning down the house. I walked over to the front of the couch. I looked at the TV then back at Steven, then back at the TV. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to the couch.
"What?" I giggled and he kissed me.
"I told you I have watched you since first grade. I know everything there is to know about you.
"I bet you don’t know everything." I said trying to sound secretive.
"Try me." He said.
"Am I still a virgin?" I said feebly.
"Yes." He said.
"How do you know?" I said trying to keep a strait face so he wouldn’t think he had won yet.
"Because if you weren’t I would know about it." He said sarcastically.
"How?" I asked
"With our town! Nothing is a secret here.
"So true." I said staring out the window. Evidently he saw me looking at the corner and he stroked my cheek with his hand.
"I love you Joana." He said. To avoid crying I reached up with my hand and grabbed a bunch of his hair and pulled his face to mine, not that it was hard, well I wouldn’t even say I pulled it really, my hand just sat there. Before I knew it his arms were rapped around me. It was a really good kiss though, and we both seemed to be laughing which only made me laugh even harder, then we were laying on the floor but I didn’t remember falling, or hitting the floor for that matter. He was hugging me and the next thing I remembered was hearing his soft snore above my head just moments before I slipped off to my one and only little happy place.
I woke up with a sticky note on my forehead.
Joana.

You’re cute when you sleep.

Steven.
Ps. One more day.

Well I guessed that was nice to know. I went through the house cleaning everything I could find to clean. Dishes, windows, floors, laundry, it was a tough job but I didn’t want him to feel dirty. But I knew he was a boy so I just stopped what I was doing. My pants and shirt were wet anyway, I didn’t know how they got like that but I was wet from head to toe. I went to my room to change but all I could find was a silky, thigh high, lacy, deep red, nightgown my mom had bought me for my fourteenth birthday. I don’t know why she bought me that either. I put it on in hopes of getting in ruined, by pasta sauce or…….bleach.
‘Dingdong’ the door bell rang. I thought to myself ‘who comes here at nine pm?’ and I grabbed a bat from my room that my dad had bought me when I was five. I walked slowly down the stairs and then to the door. I cracked it open to see who it was and saw Steven’s face looking at the bat cautiously.
"Are you?" he asked.
"Of course I am! You scared me!" I joked. He laughed and pushed open the door and embraced me in a hug and kissed my forehead. He evidently noticed the length of my dress and half grinned.
"What!" I demanded.
"Nothing! I just like your dress."
"I’m changing." I said and turned around and tried to walk to the stairs but he grabbed my arm and spun me around to be greeted by a kiss.
"No your not." He smiled and kissed me again. Suddenly I heard a loud deep howl coming from outside the house, but it was close. We both jerked. He raised his head and I ran to my room. But this time I didn’t hide, I went to the window instead, Curious about the howl. I screamed loudly when I saw a big dark brown dog in the front yard pacing back and forth. Steven burst through my door and was wrapped around me instantly like a shield in the comic books. He closed the curtains and laid me in my bed and pulled the blanket over me.
"Don’t worry." He said and kissed me once on my lips and then my forehead. He looked me strait in my eyes. For some odd reason his eyes seemed to glow in the dark. He walked to the door.
"I love you." He whispered. Then he left and I fell into an involuntarily deep sleep.