Medium Shot
Shooting star black nights. Music humming softly through radio speakers. The vanilla smelling key chain you leave in the window of your car. Worn in seats that are meant for kissing. These are my thoughts as I’m riding shotgun in Jason’s car, his hand so delicately draped across my leg. He all but insisted on driving me home from Ty and Oliver’s party, and while I was never one to get in a car with strangers, he never felt like a stranger to me. Maybe someone I’ve known for a while. God, have I had too much to drink?
“Did I get better at it?” Jason asks, turning to look at me with his everblue eyes. I could seriously go skinnydipping inside of them. I see Viv Dallion on the sidewalk, a mystery man holding her upright. She must have had too much to drink.
“Better at what?”
“The flirting.”
“It’s still up for debate,” I tease, feeling the hum of the car underneath me. The radio song changes. We circle off past the right towards Main Street. Jason’s hand scoots up higher on my thigh. My insides feel like a million fireworks just exploded on my skin.
“What’s gonna make me win you over?” He wonders, his hand inching up a little more. Another centimeter and he will have my heart racing. I think it’s already off the meter.
“We’ll see how much of a gentleman you are when you drop me off,” I breathe, the words slipping off into the autumn air. While the leaves are shedding its trees and cinnamon wafts in the air, in this tiny car it feels like summer with foggy window cars. His hand stills. My heart freezes in its place.
“You want me to be a gentleman?”
“Well what else would you be?”
He makes the right on Main Street, passing the diner in all its glory. I can taste the milkshakes from here. Apple pie with ice cream melting down its center. The counter probably needs cleaning. We turn down another road, and I’m back in the car with Jason, watching as he turns to look at me. His gaze bares into my soul and I wander right on back.
“What do you want me to be?” He asks. The song changes again. This time it’s a slow tune, one couples would dance to on their wedding anniversary. It’s tender, the way Jason’s hand touches my inner thigh now. His finger twitches, leaving me wanting more.
“Yourself. I’d never ask for you to be anything else,” I explain, leaning my back against the car seat. The engine hums underneath me. I feel the weight of the car. Moonlight drips onto my bare legs.
“You want me to still be a gentleman?” Jason teases, his fingers now sliding up even higher. I’m gasping for air now, speechless and losing wind. I feel like I’ve just run a marathon but my legs are melting like butter. His car turns onto my street, and we watch the houses go by one by one. Viv Dallion must be vomiting on her front porch now.
Before I can answer the question, he stops, parking in front of my house. It’s quiet tonight, the kind of quiet you hope for when a boy offers to drive you home. Moonlight hits his face as he runs around the car, opening the door for me.
Pine needles. Leaves crunching underfoot. Cold fall air. I get out of the car and look back at him. He’s leaning against the hood, arms crossed like he’s hiding something. But he’s not hiding anything.
“Come here,” He whispers, daring me to walk closer. I take the steps, feeling his immediate touch as I inch closer. His hand falls to the small of my back, just as it did before at the party.
“You’ve got a decision to make,” He tells me. “You want me to be a gentleman, or you want me to kiss you goodnight?”
My eyes immediately go to his lips. Soft, plump, sweet like candy you taste on a summer afternoon. He watches where my eyes follow. He chuckles, knowing my answer without me even saying it.
“I need to hear you say it,” He murmurs, running the pad of his finger across my lip. The moonlight overhead changes. The radio’s still buzzing. Everyone inside is sleeping. A man across the street is taking out the trash.
“Kiss me,” I tell him, not a moment too soon before his lips collide onto mine. He tastes like mint bubblegum and magic, all rolled up into one man. He pulls me closer, our bodies vibrating against the car. Cupping my face, I puddle into him like a wet rainy day in the middle of April. Jason’s other hand moves south. Our tongues tease each other the way I had teased him. I moan, feeling his hands all over my body. My skin feels like the fourth of July just exploded inside of me.
He pulls back then, those deep blue eyes making me sink. Branches crack underneath us. His soft car lights flick off. I am pretty sure the man across the street just watched our show.
“Dawn. My name’s Dawn,” I tell him, fading into his touch. I can see the smile in his eyes now.
“I know. Oliver told me before I asked you to hand me that drink.”
“So you always knew?”
“I always knew,” Jason smiles, running his thumb over my lip again. I can still taste the mint off his mouth. “You have a good night.” And with that he turns around, getting into his car and driving off. Moonlight hits the lonely pavement in front of me. My feet feel heavy. My heart is even heavier.