The cool air feels good on his face since his heart keeps pumping hot blood to his cheek. He wants to stop staring at her because he knows it is bordering on creepy but he is transfixed, like sometimes when he catches the reflection of his eyes in the rearview mirror and just cannot stop looking.
She looks up at him and smiles. He smiles back, crooked grin, like he knows a secret.
"You like it?" he asks, just close enough to her so he can see the wispy hairs around her face dance as he exhales his words.
"Yeah, its nice." she replies as her hand moves up towards her ear to remove the earphone.
"Oh wait, not yet. I want to play you another one."
"Ok cool.”
She places the earphone back in, takes a step closer as she does it. He searches through his songs and worries that he might pick something horribly embarrassing and she smiles as she sees him fumble.
"Ok here it is."
Her smile fades as she listens to the beginning of the song, sad and slow. They stand close. So close he could count her eyelashes if he were so inclined. And he is. And he wishes he could touch them. She looks up and he’s scared that she knows what he’s thinking.
"This song is pretty,” she pauses, “kind of sad."
"Like you," he says before he can stop himself. He immediately smiles out of embarrassment and shakes his head. He feels strange and drugged like its not really him that is standing there but someone else entirely.
"Um, I mean…” he starts, his tongue tripping over the words. Her brow is furrowed and her mouth hangs slightly open in surprise. "...I don’t know why I said that." He blushes.
"You think I’m sad?" she asks defensively. Her voice cracks a little making her sound really vulnerable and he thinks he has never hated himself as much as he does right now.
"No, no not at all. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Pam. I’m sorry."
But he does know what’s wrong with him. All the time alone with her tonight has made him too bold and slightly unhinged and he knows he will wake up tomorrow and cringe when he thinks about it. He just meant to say she was pretty.
She nods her head and looks down at the ground. The awkwardness passes by the next verse.
He is trying to work up the nerve to look at her again when she speaks,
“I feel like IŽm in high school again, you know? Listening to music...with a boy...” She draws out the last word like some silly teenager and looks up at him with a grin, “...soon weŽll be making out.” Her eyes widen as she says the last part, giggling.
“My god, Beasley, you pervert,” Even though she’s joking, his cheeks turn a deep shade of red. “Is this how you trap all your men? Lure them into dark parking lots late at night? Distract them with music?”
She laughs and raises a hand up, pushing it lightly into his chest.
"Shut up." Her hand presses harder into him, rocking him slightly onto his heels. He can feel how cold it is through his shirt.
“No seriously,” he smirks, “lets talk more about this making out.” His hand comes up and closes over hers, over his heart.
“Oh what, you think because you made me dinner I owe you something?”
She is still playing along and it makes him a little short of breath. They never joke about things like this. They always just tread the surface and now he feels like he’s been plunged into deep waters.
“Well,” he says as he tilts his head slightly to the side, “you did
say it’s been a while.” He raises one eyebrow and holds her stare. He is still smiling when he notices that she has stopped. She is looking down at their hands and she tries to pull hers away. He keeps it there.
“Hey,” she says tilting her head, “I’m going to need my hand back to drive.”
“Yeah, just wait until the end of the song.”
They stand together, both looking down, hand on hand, heads connected by earphones. He thinks the song feels like it would play on the soundtrack to his life during the scene where he gets the girl. Trouble is, he is not going to get this girl. This makes him a little sad, and then for some reason, a little brave. Fuck it, he thinks, nothing to lose, right?
He bows his head slightly to see if she notices. She doesn’t so he ducks closer until he can feel the warmth of her skull. He slowly leans his forehead down until it’s touching hers. She squeezes her eyes shut. He squeezes her hand.
"Jim." She says quietly and it sounds like a warning.
"Yeah, I know." He replies but does not move.
To his surprise, she doesn’t move either. He feels like he is in some kind of coma, like he couldn’t move even if he wanted to. Her head feels hot against his and he suddenly really wishes he were a mind reader.
She nudges her head into his.
“Jim.”
He thinks her voice sounds like a blanket and he wants to curl up under it and sleep. He doesn’t respond, just lets his head sway back and then forward again, not letting it disconnect with hers.
"Jim, the song is over."
"Yeah." he whispers but doesn't back away.
She reaches her free hand up and places it on his cheek. He closes his eyes and breathes in, sure that he will need air for whatever comes next. Her fingers are cold and bonier than he would have thought. Suddenly, they become firm as she hooks her thumb around to his other cheek and abruptly pulls his face away.
"I was kidding about making out," she says trying to hold back a smile. His face is still clutched in her hand and it makes his lips purse forward and his cheeks chubby.
“Chill out, Beesley,” They are still so close that he can see his reflection in her eye and he smiles sadly at how ridiculous he looks, "I was only trying to dance.”
She drops her hand from his face and he drops her hand from his chest, and she takes a step back.
“That wasn’t dancing, Jim,” she says grinning as she takes the earphone out and hands it back to him, “That was swaying.”
He can see that her cheeks are just as flushed as his for a second before she turns and walks towards her car.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
boredatwork is the author of 2 other stories.
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