Chapter Six
“What. Are those?” I yelped, looking out the passenger side window into Jonah’s yard. He had taken me out to lunch where we sat at a booth talking for two hours before we even thought to order anything. And now we were here, in the middle of Jonah’s driveway with nasty savage looking farm animals walking around the car.
“Flesh eating dragons.” Jonah said sarcastically and smiled at me. “They’re chickens, Tide. Free roaming chickens.”
“I realize they’re chickens. Why aren’t they in a pen?” I pressed the lock button on my door.
“Free roaming chickens. They aren’t in a pen, because they’re free roaming. Hence the free roaming part. Its fine, Tide. They won’t bother you.”
“I don’t believe you.” I yelped and looked over at him.
He opened his door.
“No! Stop! Close it close it close it!” I yelled.
Jonah closed his door. A crooked grin played on the corner of his lips. “Are you seriously scared of the chickens?” he asked me, trying to look serious and sincere.
I nodded, my face flushing red.
“Well. If that’s the case, I’ll chase them off and come back for you. Okay?”
I gaped and then smiled. “You’d do that for me?” I swooned there in front of him. I looked like an idiot with giant moon eyes, but I couldn’t help but me amazed that he would save me from flesh eating chickens.
He snorted and then laughed. “Here’s the plan. I’m going to open the door and jump out and close it again real fast. Then I’m going to go chase them around the house, without getting eaten mind you, and then I’ll come back and scoop you up and carry you to the door.”
I looked at him in disbelief followed by a glare. “You wouldn’t.” I glowered.
“Oh. But I would.” He smiled at me, the real smile that turned me into a puddle right there in the passenger seat.
“Okay, here we go. One. Two. Three. Go!” he yelled and flung open the door. He jumped out and slammed the door behind him, leaving me in the car absolutely dumbfounded.
He stomped around with his arms about his head. “Get off a my lawn killer chickens!” he growled, his voice throaty and grizzly like. I howled in my seat, absolutely beside myself with laughter.
Feathers flew everywhere as the chickens ran around in circles. They flapped their wings violently in attempt to fly away and escape the terror of Jonah’s grizzly voice.
Jonah turned around and stalked back to the car joyfully as he attempted to open up my door.
“Oh, no you don’t.” I said, making sure that my door was still locked. He grabbed hold of the door handle and stuck his bottom lip out.
“You better let me in before the chickens come back.” He said.
I looked at him doubtfully.
The door clicked and he threw it open. I screamed and scratched at the arm rest, trying to pull myself over into the driver’s seat before he could grab me. He caught me around the waist and pulled me out in one smooth movement. He flipped me around in his arms and closed the door with his hip. I wrapped my arms around his neck and scowled at him but quickly melted.
“I can’t believe you just chased evil chickens away.” I said, still obviously swooning.
He shrugged and smiled down at me. “All in a day’s work.” He said, trying to sound as if chasing chickens away from freaking out best friends was a normal thing for him.
He carried me into his house, opening the screen door with one hand and sidling into the house with me still cradled gently in his arms. I stared up at Jonah, kicking my feet slightly. We stood there for a few minutes, not saying anything as he just held me there.
Is this how it could be? Being saved from man eating chickens and then being swept off my feet to the safety of Jonah’s home? Would he do this for me whenever I needed it? Would he carry me home? I blushed and looked down.
“Um, hi.” I hear from behind me. I yelp and kick my feet violently until Jonah sets me down.
“Hi, Mrs. Collins.” I say, my face flushed.
Jonah runs his hands through his hair and looked around the room as though he had lost something before he looks his mom in the eye.
“Hey, mom. You know Tide.” He gestures to me.
I wave and smile shyly.
“Of course I know, Tide. You’ve only been best friends for three years. It’s good to see you, Tide.” She smiled warmly and then went about cleaning the kitchen.
Jonah let out a loud gust of air as he exhaled. He laughed. “Well, strange moment of the day is over and done with.” Jonah said staring down at his shoes.
I nodded, suddenly becoming very interested in a knot on the wooden floorboards. I fidgeted with the bracelet that hung loosely on my wrist.
Jonah lifted my wrist to examine the thin, mangled piece of jewelry. He grinned, his eyes glowing. “I made you this.” He laughed to himself. “It was my attempt at braiding, which sort of failed miserably.” He examined the thin threads of embroidery floss. The threads, black, green, and yellow, were loosely woven together, tangled and contorted in some spots.
He smiled proudly at his handy work for a moment before he turned his attention elsewhere. He motioned to the space around him.
“What do you want to do?” he asked me.
I thought about it for a moment. “How about a movie?” I asked.
“Popcorn?”
“Yes.”
“Chocolate?”
“Bingo.”
“Blankets?”
“Maybe.” I laughed.
“Now. What kind of movie?”
“I don’t care really. As long as it’s not a romance, or some stupid movie about drugs or sex or getting over an ex, I’m good.”
“I think that only leaves one genre.” Jonah thought about it, counting off different things in his head and then nodding to himself.
I walked up the stairs to Jonah’s bedroom alone, since he insisted on surprising me with which scary movie we were going to watch.
I opened his bedroom door cautiously, hoping that nothing creepy would spring out at me. He had it just as he had the last time I was here, immaculately clean.
Art work lined his walls on the floor, overlapping as little as possible so all of the paintings could stay along the same wall. I only recognized one new one. It was the lighthouse painting that Jonah and Hannah had worked on. I had to smile a little to myself, considering the painting that they had been working on together was no in Jonah’s trashcan.
Jonah came in a moment later with his hands behind his back.
“Make yourself comfortable.” He said, tossing his head to gesture to his futon. “Do you want it to stay like that or would you rather me lay it out so we have more room?”
I thought about it. “Whichever you want.” I blush a little.
“Well, here’s how I see it. I have popcorn in the microwave downstairs, a bag of chocolate on the counter, a bowl of chips, and a liter of soda that I’m going to bring up here. And the more space that we have for that stuff the better.” He said and then hid the movie and made the futon into a bed. I sat down and shimmied back until I felt the coolness of the wall against me.
With most other boys, I’d probably roll my eyes and think that all they were trying to do was use me. Recline the futon into a bed and then use me until there was nothing left of me. I could imagine myself melting into the sheets, sinking into the cracked interior of some worn mattress. But Jonah wasn’t like any other boy. When he said that it would give us more room for food, he meant that he planned on having about ninety percent of the mattress being occupied by food, and the other ten percent for us to huddle together and watch the movie.
I smoothed my fingers against the mattress. It hadn’t even looked like it had been slept on.
“Close your eyes.” Jonah said, pretending to be some frustrated preppy girl.
I rolled my eyes, closed them, and heard him shuffle around the room, opening the case to the movie, sliding it in place, and pressing buttons.
“I’ll be right back. Keep your eyes closed.” He said, leaving the room.
I kept my eyes closed, he was downstairs gathering up everything to haul it upstairs.
When he walked back into the room, I heard bags crackling and a small crunching sound. Popcorn.
I breathed in. “That smells amazing.” I sighed happily and stretched my hands out.
Jonah handed me the bowl. I stuck my hands in, pulling out a few pieces and popping them into my mouth like it was completely normal for me to be sitting on a futon in my best friend’s house with my eyes closed getting ready to watch a scary movie after being chased by killer chickens. I mean, who doesn’t do that?
“Almost done, Tide. Just a few more things and then we’ll be good.”
I continued to keep my eyes closed, knowing that him getting everything ready for me to be surprised is what would make this a good day for him.
Bags kept rattling around me, close to my side. I popped another piece of popcorn into my mouth. Jonah laughed.
“I could get used to that.” He said softly and I felt his weight next to me.
“What?” I smiled over in his direction as he unfolded a blanket across our laps.
“I don’t know.” He said. I still had my eyes closed.
“Can I open them yet?” I asked.
“Not quite.”
I felt Jonah’s fingers graze my face. I flinched away for a second, not knowing what was happening.
Jonah’s voice was soft and low. His fingers slid against my cheek, my jaw. I felt his thumb against the corner of my mouth, my bottom lip.
My skin grew hot and clammy, felt like it was shrinking in around me.
“Jonah?” Jonah’s mom knocked, I jumped and yelped. “Your father just got home from work. We’re going out to eat now. Call us if you need anything.”
“Okay, mom. See you later.” Jonah said. I caught the small hint of frustration in his voice. He smiled at me and rolled his eyes. “Sorry.” He said quietly. The softness of his voice coaxed me back into his side.
I looked at the television screen. “What is this?” I asked.
“A terribly made horror movie with a spending budget of about five hundred dollars I’d assume. You’ll love it.” He answered and pressed play.
As the movie progressed and the plot deepened, I couldn’t help but to laugh. “This has to be the most ridiculous plot I’ve ever seen for a scary movie.”
Jonah looked at me for a moment, completely dumbfounded.
“You watch scary movies and mock the screen but the second you see a chicken you cower in fear?” he asked me jokingly. “You have to be the strangest person I’ve ever met Tide Evans.”
“That very well may be the case,” I say, continuing to watch the movie as Jonah continued to look at me with his head quirked to the side questioningly. “But regardless of me being the strangest person you’ve ever met, I still think that this plot is insane. I mean really. The boyfriend wants to kill the girlfriend because the girlfriend was having an affair with the boy’s dad, who wants to kill his son, because he wants the girl? I think I said that right.” I laugh at myself.
“I think you did.”
We continued to watch the movie and I was only one hundred percent aware of Jonah lifting his arm and wrapping it around my shoulders. He tucked the blanket in around me, pulling me closer to him. I blushed and laid my head down on his shoulder.
I lifted my head quickly as the slasher music came on. “Wait for it! He’s going to come out around this corner, but she’s going to show up behind him. But then the other one is going to show up and kill them both. I’ll bet you on it.” I say, offering my hand.
“There’s no way I’m betting you! I’ve already seen it!” Jonah roared with laughter.
“So I’m right?” I say happily.
He looked at me from the corner of his eyes, his brow creased as he tried not to smile. He nods shortly and then turns his attention back to the movie.
“I’m glad the boyfriend lived. The girlfriend was a slut and the dad was a creeper.”
Jonah looked at me strangely.
I yawned and burrowed into Jonah’s side, trying to take his heat for myself.
“What time is it?” I asked him on a sigh.
“Seven,” he answered.
“Already?” I said, not even bothering to hide the disappointment in my voice.
He nodded against me, his cheek mussing up my hair.
“What time are your parents going to be home?” I continued to question.
“Probably around ten or so. They left at about five thirty, and they usually go clear to Cedar Rapids to eat. After that my dad will probably have a few drinks and have my mom drive home. She’s the slowest driver on the face of the planet.”
I nodded, unsure of what he had said exactly, but knowing that we had more time.
I laughed to myself quietly, trying to hold it in. I bit my lip. My giggles were choked and I covered my mouth, trying to restrain myself.
“What are you laughing at?” Jonah said, laughing at me for laughing.
“Is this cuddling?” I asked him, referring to Hannah and her freak out only a few days before. I wonder if she’s back from New York yet…
Jonah smiled for a moment but then grew silent and placed his hand on my jaw, turning me to face him. He nodded and curled up into a heap next to me. I curled myself around him, laying my head down on his back.
“Tide?” he asked, his voice muffled against the blankets.
“Yea?” I answered. I didn’t know what he was going to say and my skin grew hot as I continued to grow more and more anxious.
“I was thinking about what you said earlier. About how we have nothing to work towards or look forward to if we’re with each other all the time. But I don’t think it’s true. Because I don’t think I’ll ever grow bored or tired of you.” He spoke softly, his voice floating up to me in gentle waves.
The sincerity of his words sunk into my skin and I shivered, burrowing closer to his body. The blanket had bunched up between us and I pulled it up and wrapped my arms around his waist. We were lying down on our sides now, my head resting on his arm.
“How did we get here?” I asked, smiling. His nose brushed against mine.
“I have no idea. You got here just a few days ago, and look at us.” Jonah whispered. I pressed a gentle finger against the corner of his smile, traced the curved lines around his mouth.
“Hannah is going to kill me.” I say matter of factly.
“Hannah has nothing to do with any of this. I don’t even know what I saw when I was with her. I mean, I liked her, but the second I saw you again… it’s like you had never left, and I had never strayed.” His voice was low and intense again, I closed my eyes, letting myself drift to sleep lying in Jonah’s arms.
The sound of car doors closing woke me up. I opened my eyes, surprised to find that the room was dark. Stretching, I felt Jonah’s arms tighten around me. He breathed against me, making my eye lids want to close again.
“Hey.” I said softly.
“Hey.” I could feel him smiling against my skin.
“Your parents are going to kill us.” I whispered, followed by a laugh.
“Nah. My parents and I have already talking about the whole me being eighteen and having more space than I did before thing.”
“So that means you can have random girls sleep in your bed?” I questioned.
“Now I didn’t say that.” He laughed a little, and then grew serious. He took my hand in his and played with my fingers. “You are the only person that has lain down next to me, ever.”
I blushed, and wished I could say the same to him. My stomach went sour and I sunk back into the blankets trying to hide how awful I felt.
He brushed my hair out of my face. He knew what I was thinking, I could tell by the way that he looked straight into me, past my eyes, into the tiny particles that formed me. “Please don’t ever think that I look at you any differently for the things you’ve done in the past.” His voice was ragged and low. “I know that if you could take it back you would.”
I nodded, almost in tears.
We stayed there, just lying together into the later hours of night. We heard his parents go into their room, and close the door, after yelling up the stairs to us, telling us goodnight, and telling me that it was nice to me again.
I blushed at that, and Jonah laughed ridiculously loud before he smoothed his expression, his hands brushing against my face, he smiled thoughtfully, pressed his forehead to mine. He closed his eyes and held me there.
Jonah’s cell phone went off and he groaned with a small laugh as the song that he had set as his ring tone began to play.
“Who is it?” I asked as the phone continued to ring.
“Laynie.”
I jumped up and scrambled to his desk, answering the phone.
“Hello?” I asked.
“You’re answering his phone now?” she shrieked happily. She was talking so loudly that there was no doubt in my mind that Jonah would hear the entire conversation. Regardless, I tried to say only simple words.
“Um. Yes.” I blushed, my voice shaking. I laughed, covering my face with my hands.
“Well, I wanted to tell you that Bryce came into work today and it was like… the coolest thing ever. When are you coming back? Are you coming back? Are you staying there?”
“Laynie, you know that it freaks me out when you talk so much without taking a breath. Now. I’m coming home soon, and when I get there you can tell me all about it.”
Jonah pushed the blankets off and stretched, smiling smugly at me. He stuck his tongue out.
“You don’t have to come home!” she said. “If you guys are having a good old time there, feel free to stay! Is he naked?”
I yelped. “Coming home now. Bye Laynie.” I said mutely and then hung up the phone.
Jonah scratched his head. “That might have taken the prize for most awkward moment today.”
I nodded fiercely, not knowing what else to say.
“Let’s hit the road, Jack. We won’t ever come back no more no more no more no more!” Jonah sang in a loud falsetto that made me want to curl up into myself and hide.
Jonah straightened his shirt, which had twisted around his body, and then stood, feeling his pockets for his keys.
I curled up in the passenger seat, my head resting against the seat. I closed my eyes and yawned.
Jonah squeezed my hand. “So did you like the movie?” he asked quietly as he pulled out of the drive.
I kept my eyes closed and smiled. “Yes. For the typical horror flick that it was it was pretty good.
“Well, I’m glad you did. We should do that more often.” He said to the darkness.
I nodded again.
We drove back in silence, both of us digesting the night’s events.
When we pulled into Laynie’s driveway, she was perched in the window jumping up and down excitedly while clapping her hands together.
How could she be so hyped up at one in the morning? Jonah parked the car and sat there with his hands on his knees.
I unbuckled my seat belt. Silence enveloped me, wrapping around me like a warm cocoon.
“I was wondering, Tide, that if you wanted to hang out again sometime soon. Laynie has the day off tomorrow, so you guys should definitely take that day to yourselves, but if you ever want to hang out after tomorrow… just give me a call or something.” He offered, he was staring down at his hands in his lap before he looked over at me.
I’d never seen him look so vulnerable. It was like he was waiting for the axe to fall.
I grabbed his hand. I didn’t know if he saw this as an act out of friendship or more. I didn’t know what we were any more. “Can I say something real quick?” I asked him.
He eased up. “Sure.”
“Whatever this is, or whatever happens, I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t think for a second that I’m going to reject you as a friend or… anything else.” I said. I felt like an idiot for adding the latter part of my speech. What if he didn’t see me as anything more than a friend? Then I just sounded like an idiot thinking that there was more to our relationship than being friends.
But do friends take naps together? Or hold hands? I thought about it. Yes, friends did that, at least my group of friends did. But now, my friendship with Jonah felt like it was more than just a friendship, and I hoped to see it through whether it crashed and burned or blossomed.
He nodded and I felt him ease the rest of the way. Whatever this was, it would not be awkward or painfully silent. It would continue to be lively and upbeat just as our friendship was.
“Well, it looks like Laynie is about to break through the window. So I think I need to go in now.” I giggled.
He nodded and laughed. He kissed my cheek. “Good night, Tide. I’ll see you later.’
“Shut up!” I heard Laynie yell from the house.
My face heated up and I opened the car door, waving and then shutting it behind me.
Jonah pulled out of the driveway laughing hysterically and waving at both me and Laynie who was screaming inside now.
I walked into the mudroom and kicked off my shoes.
“What was that?” Laynie howled, she was happy dancing, and for numerous second even went into buddy land. She cocked her whole body from the waist up to the side and started yelling and dancing around with her hand fluttering over her mouth in a wicked war whoop.
I blushed and worked my way to the living room where I collapsed on the mattress. Laynie curled up on the couch, poised for an explanation.
“I. Have no idea. What just happened.” I laughed, covering my face with a pillow.
“Jonah just kissed you, Tide. He kissed you!”
I blushed, unable to remove the smile from my face.
“So what happened tonight? Did he kiss you at his house? Have you guys kissed kissed?” she asked.
I shook my head. We hadn’t kissed. And a kiss on the cheek didn’t count as a first kiss.
“It’ll happen.” She said. “Now tell me everything.”
I sat up and tried to smooth my face, but continued to smile uncontrollably. I explained everything from the killer chickens, to the futon, to the movie, to his mom telling me good night, to the kiss. She sat silently, taking in every word with a grin the size of China illuminating her face.
When everything was said and we were both too tired to hold our heads up, we slept.
