Elise placed her elbows on the edge of the windowsill with her face propped in her hands. She searched the yard. Jason was late. That wasn’t like him.
They had a regular schedule for their meet-ups. It just so happened that their schedule followed her parents’ social schedule. So when they were away at their weekly bible study meeting, Jason would come over. After they’d leave for their weekly date night, Jason would come over. They had practiced this routine for weeks and it seemed to work out perfectly well, only tonight he was late.
His route required him to cut through her yard, shimmy up the old maple tree and crawl across the flat part of the roof into her bedroom window.
Elise sighed heavily as she looked at the position of the long hand on the clock on her wall. When she turned her attention back to the yard, however, there was Jason scaling their privacy fence and jumping over into the backyard.
Elise opened the window and yelled in a whisper, while enunciating every word, “Jason hurry up before my parents get home. We don’t have much time now!” She was annoyed that he was late, and irritated more so because he hadn’t called ahead of time.
Jason mouthed back, “Sorry.”
She was still standing by the window with her arms folded when he skillfully swung through the opening, landing solidly on the floor. He adjusted his clothes a bit and Elise began busying herself with the job at hand.
“Hey. I’m real sorry Elise,” Jason mumbled. “I sort of lost track of time.” He had a contrite look upon his face as he began to rub the back of his head with his hand. “It won’t happen again, promise.” Jason could read the irritation in Elise’s movements, though he couldn’t see her face.
“Well, let’s just get started.” Elise said as she artfully moved from one end of the room to the other, getting everything they needed cued up for that night’s podcast recording.
Elise and Jason, well more Elise than Jason, had decided that for their multimedia class project they’d put together various podcasts on their blog to make it more interesting and accessible. After scoring well on their project, Elise and Jason decided to put together their own blog and develop podcasts for it.
Although setting up their blog was Elise’s brainchild, she had a hard time selling the idea to her parents. When it had been a class assignment they’d had no problem with her and Jason getting together at the house to work on it. So while Jason had been welcome to visit before, her parent’s disposition was decidedly less welcoming when it came to visits of a personal nature. Tim and Margery Kinzie clearly considered blogging and podcasting, which they hadn’t held in high regard anyway, activities of a personal nature.
So Elise, being the resourceful ninth grader that she was, had come up with a plan. She would have Jason sneak over during adult bible study night and date night so then they would be able to record their podcasts.
“Alright, I printed out the notes we talked about earlier.” Elise plopped beside Jason on her narrow bed and placed her laptop on her end table, after having pulled it out from its corner.
“You know Elise I was meaning to ask you about something.” Jason said, fumbling with his words.
“Yeah.” Elise responded, still fiddling with tangled cords.
There was a long pause during which Jason hadn’t said anything. He began nervously jiggling his knee up and down and rubbing the back of his head again. Then he cleared his throat about two or three times.
Without hesitation, Elise smoothly reached over to turn on the podcast camera. She began her introduction and focused on the little blue light atop her laptop that let her know the camera was on and recording.
Jason jumped in right on cue and they engaged in their usual podcast banter, joking with one another. They had a natural chemistry.
At the end of the podcast, Elise relaxed.
“I know it’s late so I can send you a copy of the podcast to review before I post it to the blog,” Elise said. She turned toward Jason and saw that his face was beet red.
“What’s wrong?’ Elise asked. “Are you about to be sick or something?” She was sincerely concerned.
Elise made a move for the garbage can under her desk, when Jason caught her arm before she could stand. Elise was startled for a moment and then she looked Jason in the face, her brow furrowed and her head tilted, as she tried to read his expression.
Jason was filled with a mixture of fear and longing and … well, mostly fear.
Jason moved his lips to speak, but he’d lost his voice. He could only sit there staring at her. She in turn stared back in bewilderment at him. He released her arm and slowly lifted his hand to her face so he could tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Elise immediately looked down at her feet. She felt butterflies in her stomach and pricklies all over her skin. Her face turned flush and her mouth went dry.
She tried to understand what had just happened. Does this mean Jason likes me, she thought to herself.
Before she had a chance to answer her own question Jason had his hand around her waist and had slid beside her. She raised her head up slowly until she was looking directly into his eyes. Tentatively, Jason leaned over moving his mouth closer to hers. Elise closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly.
His heart beat so fast in his chest he thought it might explode.
She could scarcely breathe. Her chest rose and fell with every second as the space between them disappeared.
She sat paralyzed; liking the way Jason’s hand felt on the small of her back and welcoming his warm breath next to her cheek.
Jason tilted his head to the side and –
Nothing.
She heard the bed springs release as Jason went from sitting next to her on the bed, so close they could almost taste one another, to standing at full attention in the middle of the rug. He was breathing heavily and staring, wild-eyed, at the open door across from him.
Elise nervously turned toward the bedroom doorway, where she was met with her father’s gaze.
Neither she nor Jason had heard her parent’s car pulling into the driveway.
