Page 32 of The Perfect Play

“We’re good,” Ben said, giving a short wave. “I think we’re going to head out to the new movie at the theater.” He gripped the shoulders of Nate and Colt, his grin more of a demand than a question.

“Okay, good luck. I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” I murmured as they waved on their way to the door.

Dax grabbed a cone and headed out behind the guys, taking a look back at Kate before leaving the ice cream shop. There was definitely something there, and it relieved something inside of me. Kate seemed like a nice girl, totally opposite from the girls Dax usually went for. Maybe she’d be good for him in the long run.

I slid back into the booth next to Penny and moved my hand over to her leg. Her elbows were on the table, her hands cradling her head as she listened to a conversation going on across the table. She didn’t look my way at all, and I knew it was my fault. I wasn’t used to having a girlfriend for long amounts of time, but is that what we were? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Or were we just slowly getting back to the friend stage?

I reflected on our kiss, knowing that was way more intense than what friends would feel. Time. That’s what we needed: more time. I’d just have to talk to her and tell her that maybe if we took things slow, we’d have a chance of something more than just next-door neighbor best friends.

The group finished up their desserts, and a bunch of people talked about meeting up at someone’s house for a movie.

I pulled Penny to the side. “I’m not really feeling like a movie right now, but I’d like to talk. Do you want to meet back at home, and we’ll chat?”

She avoided my gaze, her lips pursed and arms folded tightly against her chest. When she spoke, her voice was soft but tense. “If you’re going to tell me you’re no longer talking to me because of your friends, you might as well do it here.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, placing my hands on her upper arms. “I’m not going back to the jerk I was before, okay? I would just rather spend time as the two of us than a big group tonight. Come on. It’s been a long day, and I could use that listening ear you claimed to have.”

Her lips turned up at the corners, though hesitant, and she looked me in the eyes. “Okay, I’ll meet you at home.”

The whole drive I tried to think of what I wanted to talk about, hoping I could word things better than I usually did around Penny. I wanted to keep going in our relationship, but I had been dubbed the “playboy” or the “serial dater” for so long that I really didn’t know how to make anything work long term.

I pulled into my driveway right after she pulled into hers. She stepped out, and I jogged to her in a few steps.

“Let’s go out on the swing.” I motioned behind me to my backyard. The swing was sitting underneath the small deck my father had built when I was eight or nine, the only thing my parents allowed to be out during the night.

Reaching for her hand, I enveloped it with my own. “Your hand is cold. Do you want me to go get a blanket?”

Penny shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. We just had ice cream, remember?”

I’d nearly forgotten that with my mind spinning on the way home.

Penny sat on the swing first, and I took a spot next to her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me, the comfort I’d felt during our earlier hug returning. The smell of vanilla from her hair seemed to relax me even more, and I stared out into the dark sky spotted with billions of stars.

She sighed, and I waited a bit longer, making sure I had what I wanted to say ready to go.

“I’m sorry about the ice cream shop, Pen. To be honest, I’m just that awkward and didn’t know how to explain us holding hands to Dax.”

Her head popped up, and she stared into my eyes, not believing it. “What do you mean you’re awkward? Aren’t you supposed to be some ladies’ man?”

The comment stung a bit, but I knew she was right. “You mean a lot to me, Penny. More than any girl I’ve ever gone out with, and I just don’t want to screw things up, you know? I’ve already done that once, and I know if it happens again, you won’t be giving me another chance.”

“You’re right about that,” she said, nodding. “So what do you want to do about it? Is this one of those ‘define the relationship’ talks I’ve heard so much about?”

The way she said it pulled a laugh right out of me, and I doubled over, trying to control myself. She punched me lightly, and I sat back, finally calming down.

“I’m sorry, but I think that was one of the best lines I’ve heard from you in a while.” I wiped at a few tears that had escaped from my outburst and grinned at her. “Sure, I guess you could say this is a DTR moment. Would you want to date me, Penelope Davis?”

It was her turn to laugh, and she said, “I think if you can stop being an idiot, being your girlfriend would be good. But you can’t just pretend we aren’t together when your friends are around. Are you ashamed to be seen with me because I’m not some high school Barbie?”

Point taken. “I promise I’m not ashamed to be with you. And you are hotter than any Barbie I’ve ever seen.” I paused, giving her a small smile. “I just don’t want to hurt you. Ever again. But will you go easy on me for the first few weeks? I’ve never dated someone longer than a week, maybe two.”

“So you’re saying you want us to be together for three weeks?” One corner of her mouth lifted, and the smirk sent a shockwave of feeling through me. Most of the girls I’d dated in the past were all about the notoriety of hanging out with me, of kissing me, etc. Penny was different, and for the first time in my life, I realized I needed that.

I rolled my eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Please. I want this to go on as long as it works for us.”

I reached over and intertwined my fingers with hers, feeling the rush of heat and excitement flood to the rest of my body. Leaning over, I pressed my lips to hers, keeping the kiss simple but filled with promise.

In that moment, I felt like the awkward young teenager I was, but somehow I knew this was right. I’d been chasing cheap imitations of Penny for too long, and it was nice to finally be where we were. If I was going to make this work, I’d have to do the opposite of everything I usually did with other girls. But with her support, I might just survive high school.

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