I Need You Tonight

He couldn't keep the smile off his face. He slid his hands through my arm loops and gently pulled me to him.

"I'm just kidding. Your words are beautiful poetry to my ears. Every word uttered by your sweet lips casts

a hypnotic spell on my soul which makes me fall madly in love with you all over again." I smiled and melted

into his arms. "Now that's romantic."

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Hell-o?”

Silence.

I sighed into the receiver and then hung up. As expected, the shrilling scream of the telephone invaded my thoughts once again. I picked it up and didn’t even bother with the formal greeting.

“WHAT?”

“Well hello to you too.”

My anger dissolved instantly and a smile was automatically placed on my face. “Hey, sorry ‘bout that.”

He laughed. “It’s that time of the month, isn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes and smiled, knowingly. “It’s amazing that I’m not even offended by that. You’re lucky I never get embarrassed.”

He sighed, somewhat dreamily. “Yeah, I guess I am lucky, aren’t I?”

“You bet your ass.”

“You’re smiling, aren’t you?”

I had to laugh. “Man, you know me too well.”

“Well, the way I figure it. I’ve known you for 17 years. I figure, I have about, oh I don’t know, maybe 100 more years to learn everything I can.”

“You think I’m going to live to be 117 years old?”

“Well ya know technology now-a-days. It’s amazing what they can do.”

“So, I can be like 120 years old but still look like I’m 20.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“Wow...”

“Speechless?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Well, that’s a first.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, babe.”

“I guess I can forgive you... IF...”

“If what?”

“If you come over tonight?”

“Uh! I am insulted Skylar Michelle Williams! You actually think I would come over there while your parents are away... what would the neighbors think!”

“Why Clarke Isaac Hanson, are you declining my offer... well, okay. I guess I’ll talk to you later...” I began to hang up the phone when I heard his voice cut through.

“Wait!”

I smiled and brought it back to my ear. “Yes?”

“I can’t believe you were actually going to hang up on me.”

“Oh, honey, you know I could never do that.”

“Hey, I just remembered something.”

“Wow, two miracles in one night.”

“Whatever. Anyway, the reason why I called was to ask you what time you wanted me to come over, cause you knew I was coming over anyway...”

“What if I decided not to let you in the door?”

“Then, I’d go to your bedroom window and serenade you till my singing swoons you to open the door.”

“Good answer.”

“I thought so. Anyway, why did you yell into the phone?”

I thought for a second. “I didn’t, did I?”

“Yeah, when you first picked up you yelled ‘what?’”

“Oh, duh!” I slapped myself in the forehead once the realization hit. Then, another realization hit me... I’d have to tell him. I told him everything, I couldn’t keep this from him. Not like it was anything big or anything... but he still deserved to know.

“Sky?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Um, why don’t we talk about that when you come over? Is that okay?”

His voice became incredibly soft. “Of course. I’ll be over in a few, okay?”

I smiled. “Okay, thank you.”

“Alright, see you soon. I love you.”

My smile seemed to grow by the second. “I love you more.”

I could hear the laughter in his voice. “No, we are not even going to go through that again... I love you equally.”

“I love you equally too.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

After we hung up, I turned to my wall of friends. It was a massive collage of pictures taken from when we were babies till now. I stared at the picture in the center, which happened to be the biggest and my favorite. It was of me and Isaac from a year ago. We were standing by a rose bush with our arms wrapped around each other. It was truly a beautiful picture. I smiled to myself. I walked over to it and gently ran my fingertip over our outline. I stared into his dark brown eyes. Those eyes that were filled with so much love, compassion, warmth and honesty. “I love you equally.”

* 2 *

"Aww, Ike, you shouldn't have."

Isaac walked into my home carrying my favorite movie. Grease.

"Good. Because I didn't." He turned it over so I could see the bottom. "Brought the box. Forgot the movie."

I laughed and threw the now-forgotten movie box on the table. "Only you."

He sighed. "Only me. Sorry."

"That's okay. You're here now and that's all that matters."

"Whoa. Laid the cheese on that one."

I smiled and grabbed his hand. "So sue me. I'm a romantic! You're just as bad."

He grinned and kissed my forehead. "Bet your ass. But my words come out romantic, yours come out cheesy."

I put my hands on my hips and stared at him, indignantly. "Excuse me?"

He couldn't keep the smile off his face. He slid his hands through my arm loops and gently pulled me to him. "I'm just kidding. Your words are beautiful poetry to my ears. Every word uttered by your sweet lips casts a hypnotic spell on my soul which makes me fall madly in love with you all over again."

I smiled and melted into his arms. "Now that's romantic."

"How 'bout we retire to the Love Shack?" He wrapped his arms around stomach and let me lead him up the stairs.

We entered my room and he immediately plopped down on my bed, pulling me beside him. He propped himself up on his elbow and rythmically rubbed my sides while I twirled his hair around my fingers. I loved to touch his hair. It was always so soft. Our current position was our favorite and we often found ourselves in it. It kept us so close.

"So," he rubbed his fingertips over my forehead, down my nose, then rested them on my sides again. "Do you wanna talk?"

I looked into his eyes. They told me everything I needed to know. "Yeah... it's nothing big or anything but you know I don't keep secrets from you... I mean, it's nothing..."

"Skylar?"

"Yes Ike."

"Just tell me."

"Yeah, sorry. Um, I... it's my dad... he's been doing some stuff. Stuff I don't like."