chapter 3
In case nobody was paying attention, I happened to turn fifteen seven months ago," pouted Tommy from the kitchen table, a mug of hot cocoa in his hand. "Remember? The people, the cake, the birthday candles?"
Tommy was not happy with the night's arrangement. His parents Stu and Didi were going out to have a romantic Valentine's dinner, and then stay over at some swanky hotel. Tommy was not keen to know any further details; however, what was really bugging him was they still thought he was too young to mind the house by himself! Dil was out for the night, too. Where or why, Tommy didn't know.
"It's a shame we couldn't get Grandpa to sit," said Didi, washing some last minute dishes.
"I don't need a sitter!" Tommy complained, after which he was distracted by a strong whiff of something that smelt a cross between flowers and medicine.
"Greetings earthlings!" It was Dil. He sat next to Tommy with an annoyingly smug look on his face.
"What's with you?" Tommy had to ask. "And what's with the smell?"
"I'm wearing cologne," said Dil importantly, smoothing the creases in his shirt. "I have a date tonight."
Tommy almost lost grip of his mug. "What! You? A date? Since when?"
"Since tonight."
"Who's the lucky farm animal?"
"Tommy!"
"Sorry," Tommy apologised, after seeing the look on his mother's face. "Just a little holiday joke." Dil smiled.
"Joke all you want, brother. I don't see you with a Valentine."
"Who needs Valentine's Day," Tommy huffed cynically. "Or should I say, 'Corporate Pink Day'. Valentine's Day is a sham! It's nothing but a rip off designed by department stores to make us spend more money."
"Nice to see you're in the spirit, dear," said Didi with amusement, as she loaded the dishwasher.
"Hmm, your conspiracy theory intrigues me," said Dil, stroking his chin. "But the reality still remains: I have a date, and you don't."
Just as Tommy finished giving his brother a dirty look, the phone rang. Tommy sprang to his feet and answered it.
"Tommy speaking. Oh, hey Chuckie. We still on for tonight? … What do you mean something came up? … What's going on, you sound wheezy … You're going on a what? … How come you didn't tell me? … What do you mean it's 'kinda' a new development! … Hang on, I got someone on the other line … "
Tommy put Chuckie on hold and switched to line two.
"Hello? Hey Phil. Listen, Chuckie's not coming over anymore, he's … You can't come over either? … Or Kimi? Why not? … You're WHAT!"
Just then, Stu entered the kitchen.
"What's with Tommy and the 'what's'?" he asked Didi, who just shrugged.
"When did this go down? … Fine, fill me in later. What about Lil? Is she still coming? … Okay, cya."
Tommy switched back to line one.
"Chuckie? Sorry, that was Phil. You won't believe … You gotta go? … But aren't you going to at least tell me who … Fine! Goodbye then."
Tommy slammed the phone down.
"Everything all right, champ?" asked Stu.
"They all have dates!" Tommy declared in frustration. "Chuckie's got a date, and Phil and Kimi suddenly decided they liked each other in the last half hour and are going on a date too!"
"Phil and Kimi?" said Didi with a warm chuckle. "How adorable!"
"It's not adorable, it's weird! What's with everyone? What's with all the dating all of a sudden?"
"Maybe the department stores are hypnotising people into dating sprees through their advertisements!" said Dil shockingly.
"It wouldn't surprise me," said Tommy dully.
"Well wait a moment, does this mean no one's going to be staying with you tonight?" said Didi, concerned. Tommy rolled his eyes.
"It's okay, mom. Lil's still coming, don't worry."
"Only Lil?" said Didi, again with concern.
"Yeah, only Lil. What's the matter?"
Didi looked to Stu and started whispering something, as if Tommy wasn't there.
"Do you think it's wise we leave Tommy and Lil alone together?" she said lowly. Stu caught on to what she meant.
"Why, do you think there's something between them?"
"Maybe. I was reading Lipshitz the other day about boys at Tommy's age, and he's going through a very curious period where – "
"I can hear you!" Tommy interrupted them. They stopped whispering.
"Stu, say something," said Didi, giving her husband a nudge.
"Er," said Stu nervously, thinking how to place his words. "Okay then. Tommy, when Lil comes over, make sure she gets her own bed. And if any making out occurs, keep in the living room."
"Dad!"
"Stu!"
"What?" said Stu innocently, looking at Didi. "You wanted me to say something, so I said something."
"I meant for you to be subtle!"
Dil in the mean time was in hysterical laughter. Tommy's mouth had dropped open.
"Dad, it's Lil! Do you have any idea how embarrassing you're being?"
"Some idea," Stud consented. Didi cut in.
"What your father was trying to say sweetie, is that you're a young man now and Lil, well, she's a young woman … "
Dil was laughing even harder. Tommy had to interrupt again.
"Mom! Please, no more! This is Lil we're talking about. She's my friend, end of story."
"Careful, Tommy," said Dil, trying to suppress his laughter. "The department stores could strike you next!"
Suddenly, a car horn honked outside.
"That must be our cab," said Didi, closing the dishwasher. "Stu, is our luggage ready?"
"As ready as luggage can be."
Stu started taking the luggage out to the cab. Once they were ready to go, they both said goodbye to the boys at the door.
"I left the number for the restaurant we're going to on the kitchen bench, along with the number for our hotel, the fire department, the police, and – "
"I got it, mom!" said Tommy over her. "I'll be fine."
"Night guys," said Stu to both of them. "And Tommy, remember what we talked about."
"How could I forget," said Tommy sarcastically, as Dil laughed beside him.
"Goodnight you two, take care," said Didi, kissing them both on the cheek. "Remember Dil, I want you home by 10.00pm."
"Can do!" said Dil, saluting her.
Once they'd gone, Tommy and Dil went back inside.
"So T, what time is the 'young woman' Lil coming over?" Dil asked nonchalantly. Tommy gave him another dirty look.
"7.30pm. What time are you leaving for your date?"
"Same time," he replied. "Rachel, my date – the girl, as opposed to the farm animal – and her parents are picking me up. They're dropping us off at the bowling alley."
"You mean Rachel Sowerberry?"
Dil nodded. "Indeed I do."
Rachel Sowerberry, a new girl in Dil's year, was known to be quite a catch. Tommy was most perplexed.
"You're joking, right?"
"Afraid not."
"How the hell did you get Rachel Sowerberry to go out with you?"
"Animal magnetism," Dil claimed. Tommy smiled.
"Yeah, well you'd be likely to attract wildlife with the amount of cologne you're wearing."
7.29pm: Young Woman
"Hey Tommy!"
Lil had arrived. Tommy let her in and helped with her sleeping bag.
"Thanks," she said. "What should I do with my other bag?"
"Just leave it by the stairs," said Tommy, as Dil came onto the scene.
"Rachel's parents are here," he informed Tommy, his coat in hand. "I must bid you both farewell." He turned to Lil. "Nice to see you again, Lillian. My, how you've grown! In fact, you're practically looking like a young – "
"Goodbye, Dil," prompted Tommy.
"Nightie night!" said Dil, already on his way out the door. "And remember Thomas," he added with a smirk, "keep it in the living room."
Tommy shut the door on him.
"What does he mean 'keep it in the living room'?" inquired Lil curiously.
"Who knows. It's Dil. Sometimes I'm not sure if he speaks English."
Lil laughed. "Where's he going tonight?"
"If you can believe it, he's going on a date."
"He's what?"
"Yeah, and with Rachel Sowerberry."
Tommy expected Lil to be surprised at this as well, but she wasn't.
"That explains it then! I heard Rachel likes them eccentric. Her dream guy is Mr Bean."
"That does explain it," said Tommy, thinking Mr Bean was an excellent celebrity counterpart for his baby brother.
8.09pm: Throwing the Dumpling
Tommy and Lil sat on the couch in front of the TV, eating their newly arrived Chinese take-out.
"Want some rice?" Tommy asked, passing Lil the container with fried rice in it. She shook her head.
"No thanks. I'm on a no carbs diet."
Tommy crossed his eyebrows. "What do you need to go on a diet for, Lil? Where are you trying to lose weight from, your feet?"
"I'm not trying to lose weight," Lil defended herself. "Starchy foods have been making feel gross lately, so I'm cutting them out for a couple of weeks."
"Oh," mouthed Tommy. "Sorry."
Lil smiled at him. "No big deal. But are you saying my feet are fat?"
"No!" said Tommy quickly. "I didn't mean – "
"I've always thought my toes are a bit on the podgy side … " said Lil, extending her leg out to examine her foot.
"Your toes are not podgy. There's nothing podgy about you," said Tommy conclusively. Lil smiled at him again and laughed.
"I'm being stupid, T! But thanks for the 'not being podgy' line."
Tommy smiled back. "Thanks for sucking me in to say it."
"Any time," said Lil, helping herself to some honey chicken.
Tommy decided to change the subject.
"So you didn't tell me properly. What's up with Phil and Kimi?"
Lil swallowed her chicken and rolled her eyes. "Oh, that! I'm so happy they're finally going out."
"What do you mean, 'finally'?" said Tommy, who'd never imagined Phil and Kimi going out before. Had he missed something?
"Seriously, T. The torture those two put me through for the last two months! Kimi told me – in confidence – that she liked Phil, and made me 'cross my heart hope to die' not to tell anyone. Then, that same week, Phil told me he liked Kimi – also in confidence – and also made me promise not to tell anyone. So ever since, the two have been using me to talk about each other in secret, and I could never tell them about the other because they both made me promise I wouldn't! Did that make any sense?"
"Some," said Tommy, still coming to terms with the shock Phil and Kimi had liked each other for two months. "Sounds like a pretty a mental situation. It was good of you to keep their secret."
"It wasn't easy, " she confessed, before lowering her voice. "I'll tell you something I heard from Susie, though. She didn't make me promise or anything, so I don't see the harm. Everyone will know about it eventually. They won't be able to hide it."
"What are you talking about?" said Tommy, completely confused.
"Chuckie didn't tell you who his date was tonight, did he?"
"How did you … ? I mean, no, he didn't," Tommy confirmed. "He called and told me he was going on a date before you came over, but wouldn't say anything else. So you know who he's out with then?"
"Yuh huh."
"Who?"
Lil sighed with suspense.
"It's not who you'd expect … "
"Who?"
Tommy was on the edge of his seat; his Chinese dumpling haphazardly pinched between his chopsticks, threatening to drop in his lap at any moment. Lil paused, looked at him wearily, then …
"It's Angelica."
"ANGELICA!"
The dumpling did not drop in Tommy's lap; instead, acting upon his astonishment, Tommy flicked it behind him and sent it soaring to unknown location. Lil lifted an eyebrow at him.
"No need to throw food around," she said with a grin. "That's really more of a Phil thing."
Tommy, however, was still caught up on the previous topic.
"Chuckie and Angelica? Charles Finster and my cousin, Angelica Pickles? Are you sure?" Even when he said their names out loud it sounded wrong.
"I've known for a while now," Lil continued. "Trust me, I was as psyched out as you were."
"Wait a sec," said Tommy, holding up his hands in a halt gesture. "Did you say you've known for a while?"
"Two weeks," Lil verified. "That's how long ago Susie spilled the beans. Apparently something happened between them, and Angelica's got it for Chuckie now. And Chuckie, from the looks of things, feels the same way."
"What … what happened between them?"
She shrugged. "Susie wasn't sure. Angelica obviously didn't tell her everything."
Tommy slumped back against the couch, bewildered. "How come Chuckie never said anything to me? I thought we were best friends … "
Lil slumped back with him. "Don't feel bad, Tommy. Maybe he wasn't ready to say anything yet."
"But, how come I didn't see this coming? Or Phil and Kimi? Nobody tells me anything!"
"Um, hello?" said Lil in an obvious tone, referring to herself. Tommy smirked.
"Yeah, but I'm still the last to know."
"Not true. You'll know before the rest of school does," she tried to sooth him. "And don't worry about Chuckie. I'm sure he'll tell you everything by tomorrow. Then you can counsel him with his many embarrassing boy-type questions about dating and girls."
This managed to cheer Tommy up. Slightly. Something else was bothering him.
"Today's been like one prolonged episode of the Twilight Zone. All our friends are going out with each other, Dil's on a date with a human … everything's changing so fast. We're never going to be the same again, are we?"
"As my mom would say, it's called 'growing up'," said Lil wisely. The curse of puberty! Sometimes friends, well," Lil took a moment, "they just … end up feeling differently about each other. You realise you want more … "
Tommy folded his arms grumpily.
"I don't feel changed. Why do things have to change anyway?"
"Change doesn't have to be all bad," said Lil a little sadly, resting her head. "When it happens, it happens. Like a light going out, it'll hit – "
Lil stopped in mid-sentence. As fate would have it, all the lights and electricity went out in the house. After a moments silence, Tommy eventually spoke.
"Did you do that on purpose?"
"Er … " said Lil uneasily. "I don't think I did. Pretty cool timing, huh?"
"Definitely cool. Not to mention spooky."
8:36pm: Let There be Light
"How's it going up there?" Lil called out.
Tommy and Lil were now outside in Tommy's backyard. With a flashlight in his hand, Tommy was standing on the high point of a ladder, his face in the fuse box at the side of the house.
"How should I know? I'm a film director, not an electrician!"
"Then why did you say you could fix it?"
"I figured I could."
Lil sighed. Tommy thought he heard her muffle the word 'boys'.
"T, I don't think there's anything you can do," she informed him. "The whole street's out."
"I suppose the line 'let there be light' wouldn't be worth a shot?" said Tommy jokingly.
"Not unless you've turned into god," Lil replied shrewdly. "Are you seeing heaven at the top of that ladder?"
Tommy began climbing to the bottom. "Negative. Guess we better go inside and see if I can round up some candles – AGH!"
It happened in the blink of an eye. Tommy accidentally missed a step, lost his balance and fell backwards, taking the ladder with him. Unluckily for Lil, she was the one to break his and the ladder's fall.
"LIL!" Tommy cried, feeling her squashed underneath him. Panicked, he pushed the ladder away and immediately rolled off. "Lil! I'm so sorry! Talk to me, are you okay?"
Laying flat on the lawn, Lil simply responded by groaning painfully and muttering, "My head … you whacked me in the head with the flashlight … "
"I'm sorry!" said Tommy again, hovering over her. "Do you think you can stand up?"
"I … I don't know," she responded mistily, looking into his eyes. "You're all dizzy … "
Tommy felt awful. His mind was already preparing himself for the worse case scenario: he'd given her a serious head injury … he'd have to call the hospital and her parents … poor Lil, how could he be so clumsy?
"Lil, sit up," he instructed softly, helping her. "Put your arm around me shoulder … that's it."
With her arm in place, and his arm around her back, Tommy heaved Lil to her feet. "How do you feel about walking?"
"Ah … " She contemplated this. "I don't think I can. My vision's still all spinny ... "
"Right," Tommy affirmed, feeling her wobble against him. "On to plan B then."
Steadying himself, Tommy bended down and, with one arm still around her back, hooked his other arm behind her knees and lifted her clean off the ground. It was a good thing Lil wasn't 'podgy', because Tommy wasn't as strong as he originally thought.
"You all right?" he asked, looking down on her.
"Mmm hmm," she murmured. She sounded peaceful enough.
Tommy rushed inside the house. He left the flashlight he'd been holding on the lawn, unable to carry Lil and it at the same time. Treading his way through the darkness – no easy task, he eventually made his way into the kitchen, and then the living room. Somewhere along his path, something went skwilch under his shoe.
"I found out where the dumpling I threw went," he informed her. "Uck! Lil? Lil, you still with me?"
He gave her a shake. Thankfully, she murmured incoherently.
Managing to locate the couch, Tommy eased her down before hurrying back to the kitchen to find another flashlight. After finding one and turning it on, he went back to her side and shined the light on her forehead.
"Phew," he sighed. "There's no blood, but I've given you a nasty bruise. How are you feeling?"
Lil blinked at him and touched her sore. "Better," she winced.
"Yeah? How many fingers am I holding up?" Tommy tested her, holding up his rude finger in her face. She chuckled and slapped it away.
"Very funny, Pickles!" she mocked. "I'm not that out of it."
"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Tommy laughed. "But seriously, you are feeling better?"
Lil nodded. "Yeah. Just a bit of a headache … "
"I'll get you an ice-pack!"
Before Lil could answer him, Tommy was on his feet and back in the kitchen. A minute later, he returned with a packet of frozen peas wrapped in a towel.
"Thanks, Tommy," she said appreciatively, taking it off him and laying it on the bruise.
"Brought you your own flashlight, too," he said, handing it to her.
"Wow. So many gifts! Is it my birthday already?"
"No. But it is Valentine's Day – if you consider that to be a serious holiday."
"You got me a flashlight and peas for Valentine's Day, then?" Lil teased.
"Sure, why not," Tommy teased back. "Beats some crumby Valentine's card with a cheesy, cliché message printed inside."
"Er … yeah," said Lil, in a splintered voice that Tommy failed to notice.
"Let's see that bruise," he said to her, aiming his flashlight and lifting the peas off to have a look. In doing so, he had to lean into her close … very close. She smelled kind of nice when he thought about it … like a tropical drink with a twist of vanilla …
"Um, T?"
"Huh?" Tommy seemed to come out of a trance. Pulling back, he saw Lil staring at him very oddly.
"Did you just sniff me?" she interrogated.
"What? No!" said Tommy shortly, suddenly very aware of his heart beat becoming faster and faster.
"Tommy," said Lil, sounding concerned, "are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" he replied, his voice higher then normal. "I just need to, um … CANDLES!"
"Candles?"
"I've got to go get candles! From downstairs ... " He stood up. "Will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?"
Still staring at him in the same odd way, Lil responded, "Yeah, sure."
Walking very quickly and feeling very stupid, Tommy escaped to the kitchen. Once out of sight, he stopped to take a deep breath and lean against the wall.
Something had just happened.
Strange sensations were taking over. His stomach felt all fluttery and his face was pounding with warmth. Calming his thoughts, Tommy retraced his steps: Lil thought I smelt her … so what? … well, I did smell her … how long for, though? I don't even remember … she smelled really, really good …
Tommy's face began to burn. He must've been blushing like a strawberry. Strawberries … Lil smelt like strawberries … she's … oh CRAP! This is not happening!
But it was happening – and there was very little Tommy could do to stop it.
8.50pm: More Then a 'Thing'
Tommy returned from the basement. Carrying an assortment of candles, a lighter and his flashlight back to the living room, he'd managed to calm himself down.
For now.
I'm being silly he rationalised, thinking of Lil. It was just some random, freak … thing! It's not even worth analysing …
So, from that moment on, Tommy vowed not to think of what he just felt for Lil as anything more then a 'thing', and that when he saw her again it would be back to normal. He would be normal. She would be normal. The rest of the night would be normal.
Little did Tommy know, this 'normality' was going to end in a matter of minutes.
Coming back to the living room, he was startled to find Lil no longer on the couch. Where had she gone? She shouldn't be walking around on her own yet! She –
"T, over here!"
Tommy flashed the light towards Lil's voice. She was standing ahead of him, near the stairs.
"Lil!" said Tommy, with a somewhat chastising tone. He marched towards her. "How come you got up? You shouldn't – "
"Footstool, T!"
"Footstool? AGH!"
In spite of Lil's warning, Tommy failed to notice the footstool in time. He walked straight into it and toppled forward, hitting his head on the side of the coffee table on the way down. The candles, the lighter and the flashlight all flew out of his arms.
"TOMMY!" Lil cried, running to him. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"
Sitting up, Tommy felt as if his head weighed twice its actual size. He put his hand where it hurt – his forehead – flinched, took it away and saw blood.
"Hang on," said Lil. A second later, Tommy felt a cold towel being gently pressed to the wound. Lil had taken it from the frozen peas. "You've cut yourself, but it doesn't look too bad," she diagnosed, dabbing his head. The flashlight was in her other hand. "I think you'll live. How are you feeling?"
"Still living," Tommy replied, blinking hard.
"You positive? Don't want me to give you the finger test?"
He couldn't help but smirk. "No, but thanks anyway."
After helping him onto the couch, Lil collected everything Tommy had dropped, while Tommy just sat there, towel on wound, watching her as she placed candles around the living room and lit them up. Tiny, orange flames soon flickered all around; the room was aglow in a soft, dreamy haze.
"Have you got any antiseptic?" she asked him, lighting the final candle. It took a moment for Tommy to answer.
"Ah … yeah. The top cupboard in the kitchen. Above the sink."
With that, Lil disappeared behind him. When he was sure she was out of the room, Tommy slid a hand down his face and sighed. He couldn't deny it …
It was happening again. And better yet – it was worse.
"Here." She was back already, sitting next to him and handing him a glass of water. He took it. "Found the antiseptic lotion. Take the towel away, I'll put some on."
Tommy hardly felt the sting. As Lil rubbed lotion onto his head, he felt himself falling back into a trance. He tried hard not to notice certain things. He tried not to notice how much he liked her taking care of him right now; or, thinking back, how much he actually liked carrying her in from the lawn after the accident. He also tried not to notice how he was suddenly taking in every detail of her appearance, as if he were seeing her for the first time. She'd changed into her night clothes while he'd been in the basement – pink pajama bottoms and a purple singlet top. As he tried not to notice the tiny bow on the centre of her neckline, his stomach performed a series of somersaults …
"Can you believe we both injured our heads tonight?" she said, very amused. "Your bruise is even on the opposite side to mine. I suppose that makes us sqaure."
"Yeah," said Tommy distantly. He couldn't think what else to say. Great … now I can't communicate!
"I saw all the emergency numbers your mom left on the kitchen bench," she went on. "I'm surprised she didn't leave the number for US Military."
"How come?" Tommy was able to make himself ask, taking a sip of water.
"There could be a war tonight, T!" she said sarcastically. "Or aliens could land in your backyard."
"Dil lives here. We're use to aliens by now," said Tommy, smiling. She laughed. He felt warm all over …
"Least you didn't lose your sense of humour with that fall," she commented, finishing her work on his head with a glow-in-the-dark band-aid. "All done! How do you feel?"
There were many ways Tommy could respond to that question. Remaining cautious, he opted for a simple "good" followed by an obliged "thank you." He must've looked slightly delirious because she asked him if he was okay again.
"I guess I'm still in shock," was his lame reply. Yeah, he was in shock all right. One thought stood out blazingly in his mind: has she always been this beautiful?
"We should clean up this Chinese food before it collects mould and attracts Phil," she said, already standing up.
Even when she says 'mould' she's still beautiful …
More then just a 'thing' indeed.
9.27pm: One Hour
Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, Tommy stared at his reflection while his brain went into overdrive.
He'd just finished clearing the abandoned Chinese food with Lil, before setting up their sleeping bags and pillows on the living room floor. Unable to be in her presence any longer without feeling like a complete idiot, he grabbed a candle and excused himself to go get ready for bed.
And so here he was. Alone. In the candlelit bathroom. Dressed in a blue T-shirt and grey sweat pants. He still felt like a complete idiot …
"What now, Pickles?" he asked his vacant reflection, which offered him no solace. He bent over the sink, turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face.
Still an idiot.
How could this happen? It had only been what, an hour? And Lil had gone from being one of Tommy's oldest and best friends, the girl who used to play in his sandbox and eat worms, to being … more?
"Sometimes friends … end up feeling differently about each other," she'd said earlier. "You realise you want more."
Chuckie and Angelica and Phil and Kimi had already made their moves. Was this the move he was supposed to take?
One hour he kept telling himself firmly. You can't get a crush on someone in one hour! These things take time … days, months to accumulate! Oh, who am I kidding! She's got me. I'm gone …
Defeated, Tommy now wondered how he'd get through the rest of the night. The last thing he wanted was to scare Lil or make things awkward. He automatically assumed she wasn't feeling the same way about him. Staring at his reflection again, he gulped. There was only one thing he could do. He'd have to go on, putting on the front of 'best friend Tommy', and keep anything else that challenged this facade well hidden.
In that case, he was doomed from the outset.
9.38pm: Heat Rising
Oh crap!
These were the first words that came to Tommy's mind when he re-entered the living room and saw ... a tent?
"What do you think?" Lil asked him proudly. "It's one of those fold-out tents. Me and Kimi have sleep-overs in it all the time, they're really cool! Makes you feel like you're camping."
"Er, yeah!" said Tommy heartily, going into 'best friend Tommy' mode. "That is cool."
Oh CRAP!
"I put our sleeping bags and pillows inside. Come and see ... "
Gesturing for Tommy to follow, Lil disappeared inside the tent. Once Tommy remembered how to work his legs, he bent down and crawled in after her.
Crap crap CRAP!
It was very, very cosy inside. Like their own private, green bubble. Tommy couldn't help but notice how close their sleeping bags had to be to fit in there. They may as well be sleeping in the same bed! The candle flames from outside beamed in through the fabric like stars. Hands down, it was the most romantic situation he'd ever crawled into. Lil was stretching out her sleeping bag, her curly brown hair now tied back in pigtails. If it were possible, she seemed to be growing more beautiful by the second. 'Best friend Tommy' was having a silent heart attack.
"Well, come in! Don't just sit there," she ordered mockingly. "I've got Monopoly. The TV's out, so I figured we could play a board game for a while. Unless you had other ideas." She raised an eyebrow suggestively.
Perfect he thought. She's teasing me again. I'm not going to make it out of here alive!
"Monopoly sounds good," said Tommy, sliding over to his sleeping bag.
They played Monopoly for over half-an-hour. For Tommy, the game turned out to be a good distraction. Still, he'd love to sneak a look at her when she was concentrating. It was so cute! She'd roll the dice, glare at the board and start talking tactics to herself. She kept apologising for taking so long, but Tommy would happily tell her to take her time. It was all over when Tommy lost nearly all his money.
"I killed you, Pickles!" she declared, helping him pack the board.
"Yes," Tommy admitted. "Tragically, you did." Honestly, she was still killing him!
"So ... what do you want to do now? I'm not tired yet."
"Me neither."
"Isn't Dil supposed to be home by now?"
Tommy checked his watch. 10.40pm. "His date must be going well. Who would have thought?"
"Lucky Dil."
"Yeah ... "
They spent the next fifteen minutes talking about Tommy's up and coming film project - another excellent distraction. Out of all his friends, Tommy found Lil to be the easiest person to talk to about his film work. Over the years, she'd become more and more interested in acting, and he'd often cast her in lead roles. Angelica would bump in for a lead role here and there, but she wasn't interested in the craft of acting like Lil was. She just wanted attention.
"Maybe we should do a thriller ... or a horror! I've wanted to do another horror movie for ages."
Tommy talked while lying on his back. Lil lay on her side to his left, her head resting on her hands and listening intently. Tommy avoided looking at her as much as he could. If he caught her eye for too long, and realised how close she was to him, he'd blush and forget how to speak English.
"I like listening to you talk about movies," she said all of sudden. Tommy, surprised by this comment, looked at her without thinking.
"You do?"
Lil nodded and smiled shyly. "I like listening to you talk about anything."
She blushed after saying that. Tommy couldn't believe it. Is she flirting with me?
The realisation caused his stomach to perform one of its biggest somersaults of the night. Tommy didn't have much experience with girls, but that had to be flirting! Was it possible Lil felt something for him too? His mind boldly opened to the possibilities. Well, dad did say to keep it in the living room. There was no mention of a tent, but ... EW! Don't think about dad at a time like this!
Lil stared at Tommy expectantly, waiting for him to react. When he didn't do anything, she averted her eyes, embarrassed. He knew it. She is flirting with me! Tommy had to act fast.
"What perfume are you wearing?"
She looked up again, eyes brightening with recognition.
"So you did sniff me earlier!"
Tommy held back at first, then relented. "Yes, I did. My sense of smell's been extra sensitive since I took a whiff of Dil's cologne. I think it enlarged my nasal passage." Lil giggled.
"I thought I must've smelt really bad or something ... "
"No," said Tommy, shaking his head. "You smell … great."
That got her blushing again, not to mention Tommy. It was turning into a blush-a-thon. The heat inside the tent was rising ...
"It's not perfume, it's lip cream," she said finally, keeping her eyes locked on his. He did the same. Their voices seemed to get softer and softer as they went on.
"It's strong lip cream."
"I know."
"What flavour is it?"
"Pina Colada."
"Does it taste as good as it smells?"
Tommy laughed internally at himself. That had to be the corniest line in the history of corniest anything! Nevertheless, it worked. Lil answered him in a delicate whisper.
"You'll just have to find out
10.45pm: Love Shack
This was huge.
Correction – this was HUGE!
Fifteen years of friendship … leading to this moment. Tommy had no idea Lil could effect him like this.
"Lil, I … "
"Tommy ... "
No more talk. Tommy leaned in and kissed her.
I'm kissing Lil I 'm kissing Lil I'm kissing Lil I'm kissing Lil I'm kissing Lil
She held onto him, and he did the same. Soon the kissing became more urgent. Tommy's brain (hardly operational at this point) and his body seemed to completely disconnect – and his body was issuing command. His hands moved on their own accord … through her hair, all over her back, across her hip … exploring everything. He couldn't control it …
Both were far too preoccupied to notice the lights go back on in the house. Or, some five minutes later, the arrival of a car outside Tommy's driveway …
Never breaking the kiss, Lil rolled on her back, taking Tommy with her. Now Tommy was on top of her – for the second time that night, mind you. Lil's arms snaked around his back and tugged him down – hard – so that his whole weight pressed against her. Tommy moaned into the back of her throat, as his hands continued their exploration …
Somebody put a key in the front door and unlocked it. Again, Tommy and Lil ceased to notice …
Tommy had to break the kiss. He couldn't breath! Instead, he kissed her neck; and from the way Lil responded, he didn't think she minded the swap. He was able to think again – a little. Are we going too fast? Should I stop? His inexperienced male teenage body screamed 'NO!' on all accounts. He didn't want to stop. Please don't stop! But shouldn't I anyway? Shouldn't we talk about this more? Shouldn't … oh – my – GOD!
Lil bent her knees up, causing Tommy's pelvis to drop right between her legs. Feeling as if every nerve ending he had was on fire, Tommy took a sharp intake of breath and gripped the carpet for dear life. He knew he wasn't going to make it out of there alive ...
"What's with all the candles?"
CRAP!
Dil, of course, walked into the living room. Talk about breaking the mood! On hearing his younger brother's voice, Tommy opened his eyes and unburied his head from Lil's neck. Still lying beneath him, Lil opened her eyes too. What now?
"I know you guys are in there!" Dil said loudly, obviously noticing the tent.
I am going to murder him Tommy thought, reluctantly pushing himself off Lil and poking his head out in the open. All the lights were on again. The air felt startingly cool on his face, like he'd spent the last ten minutes in a sauna – which, in a way, was more or less true. Leering in the direction of Dil, who was wearing the same smug face he'd donned earlier that night, Tommy hissed, "Haven't you heard of a thing called privacy in your dimension?"
"Good evening to you too," said Dil, unaffected. "Hey Lil."
Lil had stepped out of the tent. "Hello Dil," she said in a composed voice, despite being irregularly red in the cheeks and neck. She then looked down at Tommy with smiling eyes and said, "T, I have to use your bathroom again. That okay?"
Tommy was having the same thought, seeing he had a rather desperate situation going on inside his sweat pants. "Sure. Go ahead."
She left, walking calmly past Dil and stopping at her bag, before heading upstairs. Tommy's eyes followed her every move, mesmerised, until she was out of sight. Then a pillow collided with his head.
"You are so gone, T!" said Dil, laughing at his brother. "You should see your face. You look like you just discovered the earth was round!"
"Shut up!" said Tommy, chucking the pillow back and standing up. This was no time to hang about and humour Dil.
"Where are you going?" Dil asked as Tommy hurried by him.
"I'm going to go find something to kill you with!" Tommy quickly called back, and dived for the downstairs bathroom.
11.00pm: Signal No. 1
After 'sating' himself in the bathroom, Tommy headed for the kitchen. Dil was there, sitting on the dining table and drinking milk from the carton. Tommy ignored him, went straight for the fridge, opened it, stood in it, and breathed an extended sigh of relief.
"What are you doing?" Dil asked, most intrigued.
"Sticking my groin in the fridge, what does it look like I'm doing?" Tommy replied straightforwardly.
"Interesting method. Make sure you keep it away from the coleslaw, I want to eat that later."
"Ha ha ..."
Dil chuckled again. "You never answered my question: what is with all the candles? Did the Valentine's Day vibes finally hit you?"
"We had a blackout," Tommy explained. "I didn't realise the lights had come back on. I was too busy discovering the earth was round."
"Another question," Dil proposed. "Why do you and Lil both have bruised heads?"
"Long story."
"You guys didn't get carried away in your love shack, did you?"
"It's not a love shack, it's a fold-out tent!" Tommy outlined solidly. He then changed the subject. "You must've been having a good time tonight," he went on, closing the fridge door. "You're practically an hour late."
"Yes, it was very pleasant," Dil agreed. "Ironically, I didn't get nearly as much action as you did, but then I forgot to bring along my own fold-out tent. I'll have to remember that for next time."
Tommy left Dil in the kitchen, deciding to check up on Lil. Walking through the living room, he stopped when he caught sight of a picture on the wall he'd seen many times, but looking at it again now … if felt different. It was a picture of himself, Chuckie, Phil and Lil as babies, during the time before Dil and Kimi had come along. He was sitting in the middle, wedged between Chuckie and Lil. Smiling as he looked at Lil and himself, he suddenly saw something. Something he'd never realised. He took the picture off the wall and looked harder. He couldn't believe it …
"Ahem."
It was Dil - again. Tommy's urge for murder was ebbing back. He returned the picture to the wall and said, "What is it now?"
"Should I start singing 'Memories'?" said Dil dreamily, making eyes with the picture. Tommy folded his arms.
"Only if you want to make the entire neighbourhood deaf."
"You're right, T," said Dil, feigning defeat. "We can't possibly take the risk! I'm going upstairs to stand on my head and meditate before I catch some sleep."
"You do that," said Tommy, glad to be rid of him. Dil waved goodnight and headed upstairs to his room. In the mean time, Lil still hadn't come down. Why do girls always spend an eternity in the bathroom? Maybe he should see if she was all right. Or would that appear needy? Play it cool, Pickles. He resolved to wait at the stairs. With any luck, she's applying more lip cream for me to taste. He grinned to himself. Ten minutes of making out and he was already reduced to this kind of perverted thinking. That's hormones for ya.
Waiting on the bottom step, Tommy spotted something white and rectangular in the corner of his eye, on the floor next to Lil's bag. It was a card. A Valentine's card. He picked it up. It was pretty standard: loveheart on the front, 'Be My Valentine' printed on the top. Where did it come from? Unexpectedly, when he opened the card, a number of notepad-sized sheets of paper fell out. They'd been stapled together, and read like some kind of list …
81. He always, always, ALWAYS sits next to you at lunchtime
82. You're his leading lady in all his films (except the one's Angelica busts in on)
83. He asked you to dance at the Valentine's Day dance (okay, so that was when we were, like, ten. But it still counts!)
84. He hugged you – hello, HUGGED you, after your last three soccer matches and said you were the best girl soccer player he knew!
What the … ?
"TOMMY!"
Jumping in fright, Tommy snapped his head to the top of the stairs. Lil was there, glaring at him with a mortified expression. Before he could do or say anything, she'd bolted past him and out the front door. Tommy was mystified, until he put two and two together. She must think I looked through her bag! He dropped what he was holding and leapt to his feet.
"LIL, WAIT!"
"What's going on?"
Dil emerged from his bedroom, wearing a snorkel.
"Nothing!" Tommy called up to him, grabbing his coat off the rack. "Everything's cool … go back to bed!"
Tommy raced after Lil. Now Dil was the one confused. "Why's everyone going outside? Such strange activity often means … aliens are making contact! YES! And they're forcing people to take up nighttime jogging!"
With this excitingly concluded, Dil and his snorkel went back to his room to set up his telescope.
"LIL!"
Lil ran down the street, ignoring Tommy's calls for her to stop. Flooring it, Tommy was able to catch up and block her.
"Out of my way, Tommy!" She was very upset.
"Lil, no … " Tommy pleaded, out breath.
"You looked through my bag!" she accused.
Bingo.
"I didn't!" Tommy blurted out. "I swear I didn't look through your bag! Look, I was – "
"Then how did you come across that card?"
"It was on the floor!"
"What do you mean it was on the floor?"
"I mean it was on the floor! I picked it up to see what it was, but I didn't know – "
"I wouldn't be that careless!"
"Lil, look at me."
She'd been avoiding his eyes, trying to get past him.
"Lil, please." He put his hands on her shoulders. She looked at him. "I promise I didn't look through your bag. I wouldn't do that. I'm sorry if I saw something I wasn't supposed to see."
Lil's eyes watered, but she managed to calm down. "I'm sorry, Tommy," she said regretfully. "I overreacted. Big time."
Not too far away, at the Finster residence …
"I'm telling you, I heard them!"
"What would they be doing outside at this time of night?"
"We're outside."
"Yeah, but we've been out, moron!"
It was Phil and Kimi, back from their date. Phil was walking Kimi home when he fancied he heard Tommy and his sister arguing further up the street. He eventually spied them from afar.
"See," he said knowingly to Kimi and pointing. "I told you they were outside. What do you think they're doing?"
Phil then saw the part where Tommy put his hands on Lil's shoulders. From his distance, it almost looked like they were …
"WHAT'S HE DOING TO MY SISTER? AGH!"
Phil was set to launch, but Kimi dived on him just in time, sending them both into a bush. She fastened her hand over his mouth and pinned him to the grass.
"Phillip," she whispered warningly, "if you try to go over there and interrupt, I will personally neuter you!"
Phil pushed her hand away.
"Kimi, we can get kinky later. But – "
"No but's!"
"This is so embarrassing … "
"What is?"
Lil sat down on the pavement. Tommy followed suit, sitting close.
"That card you found, and those sheets of paper. They're … " She struggled with her words and brought her knees to her chest. "Well, the card was meant for you. Happy Valentine's Day."
"For me?" said Tommy, shocked. "But … that means … " He thought about this. "When were you planning on giving it to me?"
"Oh," she fidgeted, "about two years ago."
"What?" said Tommy, even more shocked. "You … you've liked me for two years?"
"Pathetic, huh?" she said grimly. "The sheets of paper were something Kimi started. A kind of confidence booster. I didn't know if you saw me as more than a friend, so Kimi kept a tally of any 'signals' you might've given me. Or to others."
"How many did I give?"
"A hundred and eight."
"Oh."
Lil proceeded what was turning into a confession. "I kept one for Kimi, too. For her and Phil. Tonight was the night we were both going to … " Again, she struggled. "Go for it." She paused for a second, then sat up straight and said chirpily, "Well! Glad that's all out in the open. Let's go inside and forget it ever – "
She tried to stand and escape, but Tommy stopped her. He looked into her eyes, which again were watering.
"Lil … " he said softly.
"Tommy, just tell me one thing," she said over him, rubbing away a lingering tear. "Does what happened between us tonight mean something to you? Because … I'll never stop being your friend, but … " She couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to.
Does what happened between us tonight mean something to you?
It seemed such a silly question, but Lil was dead serious. As Tommy looked at this girl – no, this young woman, who'd he'd known all his life, he could see no more natural a step to take. It was evident he'd been living in the past, not paying attention to the way the relationships between his friends had been changing. Worst of all, he hadn't been paying attention to his own changes. It was too easy to fall for Lil the way he had in one night – or one hour for that matter. The feelings, he knew, had always been there.
He put his hand to her cheek, wiped her eye, and kissed her lovingly on the mouth.
"Does that answer your question?"
"How can Lil have liked Tommy for two years?" Phil retorted, still pinned down by Kimi. "She never told me!"
"Duh! She knew you'd freak out."
"I am not freaking out!"
"You so totally are! We've been planning this night for weeks. I even let her borrow my fold-out tent for them to sleep in."
"You did WHAT!"
"See? Freaking out!"
"But – " Phil pouted. "She's my sister. I'm only looking out for her."
"Lil can take care of herself, she's a big girl," Kimi enforced. "And anyway, Tommy's a good guy. You know that! Can you think of anyone else more decent then Tommy?"
She got him there.
"No … " he admitted. "I guess not."
"So," said Kimi, testing him. "Are you going to behave?"
Phil sighed. "Yes."
"Good."
Kimi began easing off, until he grabbed her arm and pulled her down again. He had a wicked glint in his eye.
"I didn't say get off me … "
"Phil!" She slapped his shoulder. "You're a complete perve, you know that?"
"Damn straight! Still wanna neuter me?"
Kimi's lips curled into a smile. She drew her face closer to his. "Damn straight … "
"KIMI!" said an exasperated voice.
Freezing in motion, Phil and Kimi looked up to see Chuckie, standing over them with his hands on his hips. He'd just arrived back from his date with Angelica and, as you can imagine, was rather infuriated at the sight of his sister and friend straddling each other in his front yard.
"Chuckie!" said Kimi, horribly affronted and standing to face him. Phil stood too, but preferred sticking behind Kimi's back. From the way Chuckie was glaring at him, it looked like he wouldn't mind neutering him tonight as well. "Do you mind?"
"Hey Chuck," said Phil gruffly, giving his friend a feeble wave. "Ah … how's it hanging?"
"How's it hanging?" Chuckie repeated nonsensically, before flaring up. "You were on top of my sister in a bush and you ask me how's it hanging!"
"Chuckie, cool it!" Kimi intervened. "And for the record, I was the one on top of Phil."
"That's right!" Phil retaliated, remaining behind Kimi. "All I was doing was innocently spying on my sister and … "
Phil's voice trailed off as he peeped over his shoulder, in the direction of Tommy and Lil. They were walking back to Tommy's house now, hand-in-hand. Phil had a flare up of his own.
"Did you see that?" he remarked indignantly. "I think she put her hand on his ass!"
"Heal, Phillip!" said Kimi, permitting him from another launch. "Or I'll stick my foot in your ass. You two are pathetic!" She eyed both Phil and her brother. "You can both go join an 'Over-Protective Brothers Anonymous' group in morning!"
"Ah, hello?" said an impatient voice from Chuckie and Kimi's porch. Angelica, looking very attractive in a pink dress and overcoat, was tapping her foot and staring at Chuckie. "Extremely beautiful and important date standing here like a lump!"
"Er … " said Chuckie, peering quickly at Angelica and feeling torn.
"Go back to Angelica, Chuckie," Kimi suggested wisely. "Me and Phil are leaving now anyway."
"Fantastic idea!" said Phil, already on his way.
"Okay, fine!" Chuckie gave in. "But this isn't over!" Kimi rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, dad. See you later." She turned and walked away with Phil. As they walked, they could hear Chuckie say 'coming, Angelica!', and Angelica's annoyed reply of 'it's about freakin time!'.
"He's going to murder me in my sleep," Phil assessed, as they walked back to his place.
"Not if I don't do it first," said Kimi, giving him a shove. Phil had that glint in his eye again.
"Is that before or after you're sticking your foot in my ass?"
Oblivious to the happenings between Phil, Kimi, Chuckie and Angelica, Tommy and Lil were once again in Tommy's house. Tommy had taken her to observe the picture of them on the wall, and what he'd seen earlier.
"We are too!" said Lil in amazement, holding the image to her face. "How old are we here?
Tommy shrugged. "Six months. Maybe less."
If you looked carefully at the picture in question, you could see baby Tommy and Lil, while sitting very close together, were actually holding hands. Fingers intertwined and everything – and they weren't even a year old. They didn't even have hair!
"We look like we're doing it on purpose," Lil examined. "But in secret or something ..."
"Let's just call it signal number one."
Smiling, Lil placed the picture back on the wall and laced her arms around Tommy's neck. He put his arms around her waist. Gazing comfortably into her eyes, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Could you really not walk after I hit you in the head?"
Lil responded to this question on four levels. First she went pink, then she giggled, then she sunk her head into his chest (still giggling), and then she looked up at him and said, "You always said I was a good actress."
Tommy gave her a squeeze. "You faker!"
"That's what a good actress does! And FYI Pickles, the bruise you gave me, while it didn't hinder my ability to walk, was not fake."
"Yeah, well neither was mine!" Tommy pretended to argue. "I wouldn't have fallen over that footstool if you weren't standing around looking all beautiful."
Suddenly …
"Extraterrestrials! Did you see any?"
Dil – again! This time in a snorkel and flippers.
"I'm possibly seeing one now," said Tommy, keeping his arms around Lil and surveying Dil's outfit as he flip-flopped down the stairs.
"Not in here, outside!" he said obviously. "I sensed their presence. Were you aware of any paranormal activity out there?"
"Again, the only paranormal activity I'm sensing is in here," Tommy insisted.
"Um, Dil," said Lil, speaking up curiously. "Do you always sleep in swimwear?"
Dil lifted his goggles and smiled. "Lillian, Lillian … I don't sleep in this. I only wear it when I believe aliens are within close proximity to us. That way, if I run into them, I will appear as they do, and we'll have a better chance at relating."
"Oooh," said Lil, sneaking an amused glance at Tommy. "Right! I see now … "
Yesterday's Friends
They were fast asleep.
Tommy was having some bizarre dream about searching for Lil in a department store at the mall while Dil sang 'Memories' over the loudspeaker. He eventually found her in the furniture section; but before he could reach her, Phil crossed his path, angry, and attempted to lock him in a giant fridge –
"WAKE UP!"
"Coleslaw!" Tommy spluttered, waking suddenly from his dream. A body stirred beside him.
"Huh?" Lil was half asleep. She'd been resting with her head on Tommy's chest.
"UP UP UP!" demanded the intrusive voice, who had now entered their sleeping quarters, i.e. the fold-out tent. Tommy came to his senses and bolted upright.
"DIL! What did I tell you about privacy? Do I have to pull out the dictionary and – "
"Mom and dad are home early!" Dil cut in. "Their cab just parked out front!"
"What!" said Tommy and Lil together.
Dil looked helplessly to the heavens and repeated, "Mom and dad are – "
"Are you sure?" Tommy overrode him, hastily unzipping his sleeping bag. Lil did the same with hers.
"Tommy, is the Hapalochlaena lunulata neurotoxic?"
"Is that a yes?"
Dil huffed in frustration. "If you don't believe me, fine! Feel free to go back to sleep. But I'm sure you'd rather have me see you in here then them!"
Point taken. Tommy, Dil and Lil clamored out of the tent.
"How the hell do you fold this thing?" Tommy complained in a panicked voice. He had one end of the fold-out tent and Lil had the other.
"Turn it!" Lil said.
"Which way?"
"That way!"
"Which way's that way?"
"They're coming!" Dil insisted, looking out the window.
"I got it," Lil told Tommy, taking matters into her own hands. Tommy handled their next move.
"Let's go into the kitchen and pretend we've been sitting down to breakfast."
"Always making a scene, aren't you T?" Dil joked. "What's my motivation?"
"It's breakfast and you're hungry."
"That doesn't sound very creati – "
"MOVE!"
"Phil ... what are you doing?"
Kimi had spent the night on the DeVille's couch, deciding not face Chuckie until morning. Dressed in a borrowed pair of Lil's pajamas, she woke up and went upstairs to say good morning to Phil, only to find him ...
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Phil replied smartly, staying faced to the window. He was looking through a pair of binoculars, staking out Tommy's bedroom. Annoyed, Kimi stomped over and snatched the binoculars clean out of his hands.
"Hey!"
"Phil, I can't believe you! Didn't anything I said last night penetrate your skull? You have to accept Lil being with Tommy!"
"I do accept it!"
"Then what's with the creepy stalker act?"
"I was - " Phil stumbled on his words. "I was only checking up on her, all right? And don't give me another protective brother speech! I had a dream about attending an 'Over-Protective Brothers Anonymous' meeting last night thanks to you, so my skull is well aware of the problem!"
On hearing about Phil's dream, Kimi's composure changed. "A dream?" she asked, interested. "Really?"
"Yes!"
"What happened?"
"Stuff!" was Phil's initial, profound response. "I mean ... I don't know, it was weird! The meeting was being held in the school auditorium. Chuckie was there and he stood up and said 'I'm Charles Finster and I'm an Over-Protective Brother'. Then he saw me, turned psychotic and tried to kill me! And every time I tried to defend myself, he'd ... "
"He'd ... what?" Kimi prompted. For some reason, Phil wouldn't look her in the eye.
"He'd morph into you," Phil finally admitted. "If I hurt him, it was the same as hurting you, so I couldn't do it. There was also something involving Dummi Bears," he added pointlessly. "They were forcing me to do aerobics, and - "
Phil was unable to finish the story of his dream because Kimi threw her arms around him.
"Ah ... Kim?" said Phil, half amused and half suspicious. "You okay?"
"Oh, Phil! That was such a sweet dream!"
"It was?" Phil didn't see how Chuckie beating the crap out of him was meant to be sweet.
"Yes! It means you don't want to hurt me. And don't you see? If hurting Chuckie meant that you'd hurt me, then hurting Lil would be the same as hurting yourself. And hurting Tommy would be like hurting Lil, which is ultimately you! We're all interconnected!"
"Huh?"
Kimi smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Well, as long as your unconscious gets it. I gotta go use the bathroom, I'm busting!"
And with that, Kimi left the room. Phil scratched his head, wondering what just happened, then shrugged it off. At least she wasn't angry at him.
"I do not understand girls."
Back at the Pickles residence …
Tommy and the others heard the front door unlock and open, followed by the sound of Stu grunting as he towed in the luggage. Then Didi called out in a shrill voice, "TOMMY, DIL, LIL! WE'RE HOME! Where are you?"
"In the kitchen, mom!" Tommy called back. They were positioned and ready: Tommy was eating cereal; Lil, sitting to his left, was eating a piece of bread with jam (despite bread being a carbohydrate, it was the first thing she could find); and Dil, sitting to Tommy's right, was eating the coleslaw he'd been craving from last night.
"For breakfast, Dil?" said Lil, scrutinising his choice of meal.
"It's an invaluable source of nutrients, Lil," said Dil, sounding like a doctor.
"There you are!"
Didi had come into the kitchen and warmly greeted them all. To Tommy and Dil's irritation, she gave them a smothering kiss and hug.
"How did you go last night? Did you have any trouble? Did … Tommy! What happened to your head?"
Tommy felt the bandaid on his forehead. He'd forgotten all about it.
"Frontal lobe lobotomy," Dil answered for him. "We thought we'd surprise you."
"I fell over and hit it on the coffee table," Tommy cleared up. "Chill mom, I'm fine," Didi was fussing over him. "It's nothing, really!"
Didi eased off. "So was that the only drama?"
"It wasn't a drama!"
It was then Didi noticed Lil's head. "Oh! Lillian, honey, you hit your head too?"
"Yeah, before Tommy hit his," Lil informed her. "He must've felt left out … "
As Didi went to fix some coffee, Lil snuck Tommy a wink and quickly brushed her foot up against the side of his shin. A bolt of electricity ricocheted up Tommy's spine at her touch, and a silent conversation began to transmit between them ...
Lil … I want to be alone with you!
Tommy ... I want to be alone with you, too!
Create a diversion!
YOU create a diversion!
"Dil, what are you humming, dear?" Didi asked her youngest son, who was shovelling a spoonful of coleslaw into his mouth.
" 'Love shack', mom," Dil replied matter-of-factly, more then aware of the unspoken words crossing between Tommy and Lil. "You know, that great hit from the – ouch!"
Tommy's foot found Dil's ankle and gave it a solid whack, shutting him up. Stu, finished with the luggage, made his way into the kitchen.
"Hey kids," he said, acknowledging his sons and Lil while performing a quick back bend. He glared at his wife. "Deed, next time we go away for one night, could you not pack everything you own? And why are there candles all over the living room?"
Tommy chocked slightly on his cereal.
"We had a blackout, Mr P," Lil spoke up.
"A blackout!" said Didi, alarmed. "Was everything okay?"
"Yes," coughed Tommy, recovering. "The lights only went out for an hour or so. We were fine … "
"More then fine," added Dil. Tommy went to deliver another under-the-table whack to him, but accidentally targeted Lil instead.
"Ow!" yelped Lil. Tommy was fast to apologise to her, while Dil chuckled heartily at the blunder.
"Sucked in, T - ouch!" Tommy corrected his mistake. "That was way hard!"
"Tommy!" said Didi, catching on. "Stop hitting Dil under the table!"
"My foot slipped," Tommy claimed unconvincingly.
Suddenly, Lil stood up and took her empty plate to the sink.
"I'm going upstairs to use the bathroom," she announced, more so to Tommy then anyone else. He got the hint.
"I'll walk you," he said, acting casual and standing out of his seat. "I gotta … get something out of my room."
"But you haven't finished your cereal," Didi pointed out, pouring Stu some coffee.
"I'm not hungry anymore," Tommy said shortly, following Lil out. As they left, they could hear Stu say something else to Didi about a stain on the carpet …
"The dumpling!" Lil hissed to Tommy. "We forget to clean it up!"
"Keep moving!" said Tommy, walking faster towards the stairs.
"He's still hungry, just not for cereal," Dil remarked to himself with a snicker, once Tommy and Lil were gone. Neither Stu nor Didi heard him, as he continued to eat his coleslaw while humming the rest of 'Love Shack'.
"Let's go into your bedroom."
That's what Lil whispered to him when they reached the top of the stairs. Tommy's eyes darkened at her suggestion. The words 'Lil' and 'bedroom' together in the same context ... how was he going to contain himself? Somewhat numb with anticipation, Lil took his hand and led him easily through his bedroom door; which Tommy made a note to close once they were inside.
So … here was his room!
Exactly as he'd left it. Except ... there was Lil! Definitely not something he was used to seeing in his room. She was standing in front of him ... smiling and looking so cute in those pajamas ... waiting for him to move. Why was he nervous? Surely he was past nerves by now? Obviously not. Thankfully, his brain and body disconnected and the next thing Tommy knew, he was pulling Lil towards him and kissing her like he was never going to kiss anyone ever again.
They ended up tumbling unceremoniously onto his bed, replaying where they'd been last night: Lil lying beneath Tommy and Tommy feeling as if he were going to explode. Especially when she ... oh god, she's lifted her knees up again!
"Lil!" Tommy half breathed and moaned, breaking the kiss. "I have to ... I mean ... "
Lil looked up at him, curious. Her lips were very swollen. On noticing this, Tommy lost his train of thought and started kissing her again; then forced himself to stop. Again. Focus, Pickles!
"Are you ... do you think we're moving too fast?"
Maintaining her curious expression, Lil asked, "Why? Do you want to slow down?"
"No, not really," said Tommy blatantly, and kissed her again, before pulling back and saying, "It's just that ... I've never felt this way before ... and ... " Lil smiled.
"I've never felt this way before either."
"I mean ... I feel crazy!"
"Me too!"
"But that's not the only thi – whoa!"
They'd switched places. Lil spun Tommy over so that she was now on top of him. The rest of their conversation continued with designated periods of fervent kissing:
"Lil, I want you to know ... " Kiss " ... even though I feel insane ... " Kiss " ... that if you want to tell me to stop or slow down ... " Kiss " ... you can ... "
"Tommy ... " Kiss " ... its okay. I trust you ... " Kiss " ... I've never been like this with anyone else ... "
"I've never ... " Kiss " ... been like this ... " Kiss " ... with anyone ... " Kiss " ... else ... " Kiss " ... either ... "
"Then ... " Kiss " ... stop ... " Kiss " ... worrying ... "
"But ... " Kiss "... Lil ... " Kiss " ... Lil, stop! ... "
Tommy needed them to stop. One: he could hardly catch his breath. Two: he still needed to clear something up, and Three: well ... what was happening in his sweat pants needs no explanation.
Kimi had finished in the bathroom and came back to see Phil, except he wasn't in his bedroom anymore. Wondering where he could be, Kimi was about to turn and walk away when she looked out the window and saw them: Tommy and Lil together in Tommy's bedroom! Jackpot! She knew she shouldn't, but the temptation was too great to pass up ...
Just a quick peek Kimi reasoned, grabbing the binoculars Phil left on his bedside table. Just to make sure they really are together!
Rushing to the window, Kimi put the binoculars to her eyes and witnessed the part where Tommy and Lil had just come in through the door. She saw a clear view of Tommy, who appeared to be just standing there for some reason ... staring at Lil. What is he waiting for? Christmas? Then, like one of those wildlife documentaries, Tommy charged forward and –
"YES!" Kimi squealed to herself in triumph. "I knew he liked her! I knew it!"
"Kimi?"
Kimi dropped the binoculars at the sound of Phil's voice. He was standing in the doorway, gob smacked.
"Phil!" said Kimi with a glib tone, after wheeling around to face him. "Er ... where have you been?"
"You've – been – spying!" Phil gloated, savouring the moment. "And after everything you told me!"
Uh oh! Kimi thought to herself. I better do something, quick. If he sees what's going on over at Tommy's place, he's likely to declare war!
"What I said still stands!" Kimi defended, making sure to block the window as much as she could. Phil, however, knew she was hiding something from him.
"What's going on over there?" he demanded, trying to sneak a look. Kimi wouldn't let him.
QUICK!
"Phil, kiss me!"
"Kiss you? AGH!"
Imitating what Tommy had done to Lil (and what she did herself last night, come to think of it), Kimi leapt onto Phil – with enough force to trip him back onto his bed.
"Kimi! What are you – "
Kimi silenced Phil with a long, drawn out kiss – though he still managed to cut a word in.
"Something's going on over there, isn't it!" he fought back. "That's why – "
She kissed him again – harder! And this time, it paid off. Phil mumbled something about Kimi being a "dirty cheat", before all his muscles readily melted to jelly, and he surrendered to kissing her back.
Phew! Saved.
"Lil," said Tommy, choosing his words carefully, "we're not about to, um ... go all the way here, are we?"
Realising what Tommy was talking about, Lil's eyes opened wide. "All the way? You mean … have sex?"
At least someone was blunt about it Tommy thought. It's not like it wasn't a valid observation. They were on his bed! Among other things ...
"Yeah," Tommy gulped, and tried not to think about sex. Tough call! A teenage boy not thinking about sex when he was on a bed with a girl was about as probable as Chuckie taking up nude bungee jumping. "Not that I'm saying I want to. Today, I mean! Not ... ever. When you're ready."
"Well," said Lil, with a sly smirk. "We probably shouldn't have sex yet, seeing we're only fifteen, got together last night and your parents and brother are downstairs."
"I was thinking the same thing," said Tommy, running a hand through her hair.
"I guess you're right, then. We should slow down a bit, huh?"
Tommy smiled, and kissed her - more gently then before. He figured their 'craziness' earlier was because they'd been friends for fifteen years - and, considering the amount of time, who knows how long their feelings had been bottled up? Evolving ... growing stronger ... until BAM! Imminent explosion.
On that thought ...
"Champ, have you seen the – "
"DAD!"
Tommy had failed to shut the door all the way – a humiliating mishap! Stu's jaw dropped at the much unexpected sight of his son and Lil tangled on Tommy's bed. An awkward silence followed, until Stu cleared his throat and said almost normally, "Never mind. I'll ah, go ask the governor ... I mean, your mother!"
And he left on that note, after which Tommy groaned and sunk his head into Lil's shoulder. Lil, on the other hand, was having a small giggling fit.
"It's not funny!" said Tommy, extremely embarrassed.
"Oh, c'mon!" she teased. "Lighten up. At least now we won't have to tell everyone we're officially together. Once your dad tells your mom, the whole street will know."
"Yeah, except once my mom finds out she's going to give me a sex education lecture from one of her Lipshitz books!"
Lil laughed. "So drag Dil into it! Having him suffer with you won't make it so bad, right?"
Since Stu walking in on Tommy and Lil more or less killed the mood, Lil decided she better head home. She and Phil were doing "some family thing" that day anyway. Tommy, wanting to avoid his parents (and wanting to spend as much time with Lil as he could), walked her to her house – after Tommy spent a solid five minutes in the bathroom, of course.
"Interesting night," said Lil as they walked.
"Very interesting," Tommy agreed, hoisting her sleeping bag over his back. He would've liked to have added "the most amazing physical experience of my life", but he didn't want to over do it. It wasn't long before they were on Lil's doorstep.
"Wish you weren't busy today," Tommy told her, putting her sleeping bag on the porch. Lil sighed.
"Me too. Family days are mondo lame! But … maybe I can see you late this afternoon?"
That brightened him up.
"Yeah, cool! Give me a call or come over."
"Okay."
They stood there for a while, gazing … taking it all in. That one night really had changed the course of their lives. It was a little sad to be saying goodbye, even though they'd be seeing each other again soon. But after today, they'd be known as boyfriend and girlfriend. They would've moved well and truly on from being 'just buds', never having another a moment like this again. Yesterday they were friends, and today and every day after … nothing would be the same.
Lil moved in and kissed Tommy before saying, "I figured I better do that before Phil or someone realises we're here!" Tommy grinned.
"I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about you." Lil grinned back.
"I know what you mean."
Speak of the devil, Phil opened the front door.
"Lillian!" he said merrily, still dressed in his bed robe. "And T! Good to see you!"
Tommy and Lil stared at Phil, perplexed. What was he so happy about? He was aglow, and his hair was suspiciously ruffled …
"Lil!"
"Kimi?"
Kimi was now at the front door, much to Tommy and Lil's surprise. Her hair was also suspiciously ruffled …
"What are you doing here?" said Lil puckishly, her eyes darting between Kimi and her twin.
"C'mon, Lil!" said Kimi, not answering Lil's question and grabbing her by the wrist instead. "We are long overdue for some major girl talk! Excuse us, boys."
Lil gave Tommy one last look, before being torn away by Kimi. Tommy was now left to deal with Phil, who'd stepped out onto the porch. Not knowing if Phil knew about him and his sister, Tommy, as a result, began feeling increasingly uncomfortable. His dream about the giant fridge readily came back to haunt him. Phil seemed to read his mind - or part of it, at least.
"It's cool, T," he said steadily. "I know about you and Lil. Drop the silent treatment!"
"Oh ... oh!" said Tommy, not knowing quite what to say. He half expected Phil to challenge him to duel at any moment, knowing how protective he was of his twin.
"Have to admit," Phil went on, "when I first found out, I wasn't, like … ready to break into song or anything. But," he shrugged, "I … you're all right, T. Just don't go changing into a jerk."
Tommy smiled gratefully, feeling very relieved. "Thanks, Phil. And I won't." Hearing Phil say he was fine with him and Lil being together meant more then he knew. On another thought, Tommy couldn't help but ask: "So, you and Kimi, huh?" He gave Phil a nudge. Phil actually blushed.
"Cha … yeah! Who saw that transpiring?"
"Not me. Does Chuck know yet?"
"Er ... "
For some reason, this question caused Phil to turn very pale. Then Tommy realised Phil was looking over his shoulder and up the street, to where Chuckie himself was heading towards them. Phil ducked behind Tommy and whispered fearfully, "Oh yeah, he knows! I'm a dead man ... "
Chuckie approached them, his expression hard to read. It seemed as if he were restraining himself. "Good morning, Tommy. Phil ... "
"Hey, Chuck," said Tommy, stuck in the middle.
"Hey, Chuck," whimpered Phil, still using Tommy as a human shield.
"Listen, Phil," Chuckie began, wanting to get what he had to say off his chest. "I ... I've been doing some serious thinking, and ... well, I'm sorry about last night. If Kimi and you want to go out, then ... I guess I'll have to accept it."
"So ... " said Phil, treading carefully out from behind Tommy " ... you're not going to waste me?" Chuckie sighed.
"Unfortunately, no. In fact, I'm not even going to ask why you were both in the garden last night ... "
"Garden?" Tommy inquired, puzzled. Phil rubbed the back of his neck.
" ... and," Chuckie continued, "I'm not even going to ask if Kimi staying the night at your place meant something more then I'd like to imagine! She did sleep on the couch, right?"
"Duh!" Phil answered quickly. Chuckie had that murderous glint in his eye again.
Things remained cool between Phil and Chuckie for some time after that day, but at least a truce had been made. Once Phil and Lil left for their family outing, Tommy walked Chuckie and Kimi back to their place. It appeared the course of all his friends lives had changed after that fateful Valentine's Day.
"Chuckie, why didn't you ever say anything about having a crush on Angelica?" Tommy interrogated, happy to have a chance to finally bring up the subject.
"Yeah!" Kimi butted in. "What in sanity's name happened between you guys?"
"Ah ... you see ... erm," Chuckie spoke nervously, then abruptly changed the subject. "Well, when were you going to tell me you had a crush on Lil?" He leered and pointed at Tommy.
"I didn't know I had a crush on her 'til last night!" Tommy rebutted.
"A likely story," said Chuckie, not convinced. "So I'm guessing you had a good night then?"
"The best," said Tommy, thinking warmly of Lil for what must have been the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. "And Phil sounds like he had a pretty good night, too," Tommy added, winking at Kimi.
"I should hope so," said Kimi, winking back. "Chuckie, would you stop looking at me like that? I slept on the couch!"
Chuckie had been giving his sister a reproachful glare, remaining concerned about her sleeping over at Phil's.
"Nothing happened," Kimi reinforced. "Phil spent the night dreaming about you attacking him and aerobics-crazed Dummi Bears, so take a chill pill!"
"Funny. I had a dream about Phil shoving me into a fridge," Tommy related. "You dream about anything, Chuck?"
"I think so ... " said Chuckie, trying to remember. "Something about naked bungee jumping ... go figure."