It was four o'clock on Wednesday, and I was silently freaking out.
I was already dressed; I chose a plain maroon dress, the skirt flowing smoothly down below my knees, with a beige cardigan on top of my shoulders to make it look a bit more casual, and my light brown flats were waiting by the door. I left my hair falling loose over my shoulders, its gentle waves free from the hairband I'd almost always wore every day.
I looked up at the mirror, the light, striking blue eyes stared back at me almost challengingly, and I let out a frustrated breath. After what felt like forever, the clock on my bedside table reminded me that Jonah could be here any time soon, so I started working on my makeup.
I decided with a simple makeup; light blush on my cheekbones, sparkly, light golden eye shadow, and soft nude lips, topping it of with a sheer gloss. The only thing that really stood out was the winged eyeliner, to make my blue eyes shine a bit brighter. I gave myself a onceover one more time. I didn't look half bad.
I paced around in my bedroom, waiting as the seconds ticked by, trying to calm myself down. I was so nervous about meeting Jonah's family. I wanted to give the best first impression, but didn't know what to expect.
Then it finally happened; the faint sound of the doorbell. Jonah was here.
There was a slight bounce in my steps as I made my way downstairs, and I was actually shaking behind the front door. Jonah was lightly knocking on the door to let me know that he was still waiting there even after nearly three minutes of me still not opening the door for him, and I took a few deep calming breaths and closed my eyes.
I reached out and swung the door open, and both of our eyes instantly widened.
Jonah looked fiiine. He had on black pants, dark brown cardigan with a grey collared shirt peeking underneath, topped with unbuttoned, somewhat casual, tuxedo jacket. He looked absolutely dashing, even though his hair was left in its usual not-messy mess.
But what got my jaw falling to the ground, as well as my heart doing somersaults, was not how he looked.
It was the flowers he had in his hands.
Daisies. A bouquet of pink and white daisies, with tiny multicolored baby's-breaths filling in the gaps, neatly wrapped with beige paper and tied with a small, white ribbon.
"Hi," I stammered, before looking down at myself. "Am I dressed appropriately for the occasion?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.
My voice seemingly pulled him out of his reverie, because he instantly looked up into my eyes after checking me out. "Yes, you definitely are," he answered, stuttering as well. Slowly, he held out the daisies he had in his hands, and quietly said, "For you."
I felt warm all over my body as I reached out and and took the flowers. "Thank you," I told him. "Come on in for a while, I'm gonna put these away."
I left Jonah in the living room to look for a vase in the kitchen. I found Mom, already gushing at the daisies in my hands and opening up a cabinet to grab a vase for me.
"Oh, Hannah, you look absolutely beautiful," she said to me. "Do I need to take pictures of you and Jonah?" she added.
"No, it's fine. I don't wanna be late." I shook my head and carefully putting the "
"Alright. Thank you, Mama. And, uh, thanks in advance for taking care of Daisy. The doll, I mean."
She waved me off. "Go have fun with your prince charming."
My face warmed. "He's not my prince charming." I cleared my throat and patted my skirt down, making sure everything was neat and smooth. "I'm just gonna go back there," I told her before she could launch some inappropriate comment about Jonah and I (with my mom, who knew what she would say). "See you later, Mom!"
Back in the living room, Jonah was standing awkwardly, his hands stuffed into his pockets, and his head snapped up once he sensed my presence. He immediately smiled at me, so I smiled back.
"Shall we?"
He nodded at me, and he actually offered his arm to me. I linked my own arm around his, trying not to swoon as he led me out the front door and toward his car. We stopped in front of the passenger door, and I slowly let go of his arm.
"Can I open the door for you now?" he asked, his tone almost teasing. "I remember you said not to open doors for you, so..."
I hit him lightly in the shoulder. "Shut up," I said and he chuckled, opening the passenger door for me. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he murmured with a smile, closing the door before going around to get into the driver's side. He started the car and drove almost immediately. "My mom and Claraâmy sisterâis already at the theater. It's starting in about half an hour."
"We'll get there in time, right?"
He nodded. "It's a ten-minute drive, so we should be good."
"Alright," I said. "So, what exactly is this recital?"
"She said it's a collaborative event from all performing arts clubs around the town," he said with a shrug. "It's a two-day event and this is the second day, actually."
"And your sister's playing piano?"
He nodded, a smile forming on his face. "She's performing twice; for a solo and then a collaboration with a dance performance. She's really amazing."
I smiled at the obvious excitement and pride for his sister in his voice. "I can't wait to see her."
He snuck a glance at me and smiled, "Me too." He then cleared his throat and said, "Did I already tell you that you look good today?"
I blushed. "Hm, I don't think you did."
He grinned slightly, turning back to the road. "Well, you do. You look beautiful today," he said, and then corrected himself, "Not that you don't usually look beautiful or anything."
"Jonah," I laughed, glad that he was too busy with the road to notice the redness that had invaded every inch of my face. "You look breathtaking as well."
He chuckled and shrugged at me. "I don't usually dress like this. I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, and I grinned.
"Well, you obviously wanna look good... for your sister's big performance, right?" I teased.
He looked at me again, and there was a teasing glint in his eyes as he replied, "Maybe."
"You look good. And way better with that smile on your face," I told him honestly, silently congratulating myself when I saw him blush.
We fell into a comfortable silence, and before we knew it, we were pulling up at the parking lot. He immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and announced, "We're here."
I unbuckled my own seatbelt as Jonah jumped out of the car, taking my time as he walked around the car to open my door. "Thank you," I said, letting him help me out of the door even though there was no need.
We walked into the already crowded theater, going into one of the auditoriums. People were already here filling in the seats as the event was starting in less than five hours, and Jonah grabbed my hand to make sure that I wouldn't be lost in the crowd. I let him lead me through the sea of excited parents and we finally arrived at the second row of the seats.
I recognized Jonah's mom almost immediately. She was shorter than Jonah and they didn't look all that much alike, but there was just something that told me instantly that this was his mother. My guess was confirmed when the beautiful woman's eyes lit up at the sight of us, and she stood up to let Jonah plant a kiss on her cheek.
"Mom, this is my friend Hannah," he introduced me to his mom, "and Hannah, this is my mom."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Gibbs," I said politely, slightly shocked when I was instantly pulled into a warm hug.
"You are so much more beautiful in person," she told me and I blushed. "Jonah has told me so much about you."
Both Jonah and I probably had matching blush on our faces, and I could see Jonah rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to avoid my eyes.
"Thank you for coming here, Hannah," Mrs. Gibbs said, her voice grateful. "It means a lot to me and Clara as well."
"It's my pleasure," I told her. "I was afraid that I would intrude your family event, though..."
She waved me off. "No, no, you are the farthest thing away from intruding this night. Clara is just as excited as I am to have you here."
"Well, thank you so much for inviting me," I said shyly.
"Alright, why don't we all sit down?" Jonah suggested. "It's starting soon."
I looked around to see that almost everyone was already seated, and that the lights were slowly dimming.
The event started with an opening orchestral performance by very young kids, the oldest probably only around eleven years old. The whole auditorium was in awe just like I was, and I could feel the joy from the kids' smiles as they ended the fun, somehow upbeat song.
After a few short speeches from some men and women who organized the recital, it continued with a short play from a slightly older group of kids. It went on to a solo violin pieceâthe song was so sad I almost criedâto another upbeat music from a guitar player that was probably as old as I was, and there was never a moment when I felt bored.
I looked up to my left when I felt Jonah lightly tapping on my shoulder a few while later. It was then that I noticed the big smile on his face, along with the slightly teary look on his mother's face.
"It's my sister's turn," he told me quietly, and I turned my focus back on the stage.
There stood a white piano in the middle of the stage, with a single stage light pointing at it. And then appeared a young girl in an off-white dress, walking in graceful steps toward the piano and sitting down, and then all the light completely dimmed out but the single stage light.
All attention was on her and her only. She was, simply said, gorgeous. Her shiny dark chocolate hair was cut in a short bob, making her look innocent combined with her petite frame, along with the white dress she wore as well as the white piano in front of her. Her lips were full, slightly pouted in a cute way, glossed with a light pink lip gloss. Her eyes though, a stunning shade of blue, were the ones that stood out the most.
"She's so pretty," I whispered to Jonah, completely wonderstruck. Apparently, a good-looking gene was running in his family, and it was slowly making me feel overwhelmed.
I could feel his warm fingers slipping into mine, both of our hands resting on the armrest right in-between the two of us. I squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.
We watched as Clara's fingers began to dance on the piano, slowly and beautifully, and from the very start, I instantly knew that it was a slow, sad song. I was completely hooked, loving the song from the intro.
Then she got into the first verse of the song, and I realized that it was actually a rearrangement of a modern pop song, and a beautiful one at that.
Clara's body slightly swayed along with the music, and I realized that I was too, as I felt my eyes closing, enjoying the slow melodies that played out like a lullaby. It was such a sweet song, yet it had a gloomy and sorrowful vibe in it just like the actual song, even though there was no singer out there singing out the sad lyrics.
Toward the climax of the song, her piano playing was so powerful that my heartbeats picked up the speed. Then it slowly, abruptly slowed down like a whisper, completely sad and heartbreaking, before almost immediately going back to intense; almost angry and regretful and frustrated.
I felt the hold Jonah had on my hand tightening, but not to the point that it hurt. I couldn't help but squeeze back as the song slowly passed its peak, and then our hold on each other's hand finally loosened when Clara hit the final note, marking the end of the song.
I stood up along with Jonah and a few other people to give her a standing ovation. I could see Clara blush as she stood up and bowed, before sitting back down on the chair, ready to do the last performance of the night. It was almost unfair that exactly right after she put me in an emotional turmoil with her performance, she was ready to bounce back with a happier final song, with the help of a few girls in dresses the colors of autumn, dancing to the next song she was playing. I was still having the gut-wrenching feeling she had given me with her previous song, and I was too distracted to keep my focus on the dancing girls.
"That was so amazing," I said in awe, several times, once we were already seated down. "I'm justâI'm speechless, Jonah. She's so wonderful."
"I know, right?" he said in complete pride. Mrs. Gibbs next to him was silently crying tears of joy for her daughter, and Jonah talked to her for a while, both smiling happily that I couldn't help but smile back. And then Jonah turned back to me. "This wasn't her first recital but she never fails to amaze me every time."
The smile on my face only widened. "How long has she been playing?"
"Forever," he said simply. "I think she understood music even before she understood words. I've heard several times that people are calling her a child prodigy and I'm not disagreeing with that."
"You're really proud of her," I stated.
He nodded with a smile. "However annoying she is, yes, I'm proud of her."
I smiled at him, loving the love that shined in his eyes for his sister, and then did something that I completely forgot to think twice about.
I leaned up and pressed my lips against his cheek, and he instantly stiffened in surprise, before slowly relaxing as a smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you, for inviting me," I told him. He wouldn't stop staring at me, and I had to look away first from the intensity of his eyes.
But he gently placed a finger underneath my chin, tilting my head up and forcing me to look into his eyes again. "Hey. You're welcome."
He let me rest my head on his shoulder, and we spent last few minutes of the event sitting in that position, and I had never been as happy as I was right now.
[]
Clara and I hit it off pretty quickly, and I couldn't understand which part of her that came off as annoying to Jonah, because honestly, she was the sweetest thing ever existed in the world.
She was just so bright, lively, and excitable; and the happy vibe she had was just so contagious. She was hilarious as well, as we'd spent the last fifteen minutes in our table at the restaurant talking about how Jonah never kept his cool around the house, and how he was just simply the stupidest guy she had ever known.
Jonah was rolling her eyes at us, sometimes glowering at Clara, but he never really did stop her stories, and I was glad for that because I was actually getting to know more about him. He would join in just to defend himself, though I could see that he was secretly trying to hold back a smile.
Mrs. Gibbs was sitting next to me, while Jonah and Clara were across from us. She mostly sent amused glances at her two kids, but sometimes she would also join in the story telling, embarrassing Jonah even further.
When Jonah and Clara simultaneously had to go to the restroom, it was only Mrs. Gibbs and I, and I could tell that she had something to talk about once she turned to me.
I was expecting for the worst, but a gentle smile was the only thing that I saw on her face. "I can't tell you how happy I am to know that my son has a friend like you," she starts, and I immediately blush. "If you haven't noticed before, he's not really good at making friends."
"Yes, I noticed that," I told her honestly.
"That's why I'm so glad that you be able to break through his walls," she told me. "God knows how hard I tried to encourage him to make friends, back when we first moved to this town. He wasn't like this when he was younger." She shook her head, a bit sadly. "We moved out a lot, when he and Clara was younger. I guess he became too scared to get attached to new people again, even though we ended up staying in this town for good."
I hadn't known Jonah when he'd first moved into town. I guess I understood why he'd act this way. I'd understand why he stopped trying to make friends, not when he would end up losing them when his family moved to another town. Maybe, by the time he'd realized that he wouldn't have to move again, it had been too late for him to open up again.
I wish I had known him back when we were younger. I wish I could've been his friend.
"Lose that frown, honey," Mrs. Gibbs said, breaking me out of my train of thoughts. She gently smiled at me, a genuinely happy smile. "I can tell that he's happier now," she informed me. "He smiles a lotâso much more than he used to. I don't think he even realizes it himself, but the rest of us do, and we're really happy about it."
I was speechless, overwhelmed by what she was telling me.
"I can tell that you care about him, and for that, I'm really grateful," she said.
"I do. I care about him," I told her in complete honesty. She believed me.
She smiled. "And I can't thank you enough for that."
[]
It was around ten o'clock when we pulled up in front of my house. I didn't immediately get off the car, but I just simply sat there, listening to a slow song on the radio that played softly.
"I had a great time today," I told him. He lifted his eyes to look at me. "Thank you again for inviting me. I love your mom and sister."
"Thank you for coming with me." He unlocked the car. "C'mon. I'll walk you to the door."
The air was chilly and my bare legs started to freeze, but we both made it to my front porch in one piece. We just simply stood there, facing each other, none of us really wanting to call it a night.
"I guess this is good night," I said softly.
He faintly nodded, but his eyes were focused on mine, the gray on his irises defeating the shade of blue, and I shivered at the intensity. Slowly, our faces got closer as if we were magnets that attracted each other, literally, and it wasn't long until his breath and my breath simply melted into a matching pace, equally rapid and shallow and slowly getting breathless.
And then his eyes fell onto my lips, and mine onto his, and my eyes slowly closed in anticipation.
But as if he was having a sudden decision, his lips fell onto the skin on my cheek just half an inch away from my lips, lingering there for two seconds too long. I held in my breath until he slowly pulled away, and when I opened my eyes, he was already staring at me.
I nearly pouted. "I thought we agreed; no more almost-kisses."
His eyebrows rose up almost teasingly. "Did we? I don't remember making that promise."
My cheeks warmed. Dammit. "Well, I assumed so."
With the mischievous glint in his eyes, he simply asked, "Are you free this Friday?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm always free every day and you know that."
His smirk got wider. "Let's have a day out."
"Mm?"
"Yeah. Bring the doll," he said. "We'll be out until dinnertime."
I grinned, my hands reaching out to play with the collar of his shirt. "What have you got planned, Jonah Gibbs?"
"It's a secret," he nearly whispered.
"Is it a date?" I asked hopefully.
"Do you want it to be?"
"Uhh... yes?" I answered in a duh tone.
He shrugged. "Then it's a date."
"Really?"
"Really. I like you, Hannah."
Time stopped. In fact, my heart pretty much stopped too. "You do?"
He had the nerve to roll his eyes at me.
Releasing a heavy breath, I asked, "How should I dress?"
"Warm," he said simply. "It's November and it's getting cold. I don't want you to freeze on our date. Just dress warm and comfortable. Nothing fancy."
My heart jumped in my chest excitedly at the word date. "Okay."
"Alright."
"So, no good night kiss then?" I tried again, staring hopefully at him.
He clucked his tongue playfully at me, before pulling my head closer and kissed me on the temple, softly, slowly, and gently. "That good enough?"
I grinned, looking up to him. "Better than good."