The GEEKs

37. lovers' tangle, snakeskin boots, and a spilled candle

PREVIOUSLY: Kat thinks Mark's been acting strange since coming back but she chucks it off to jetlag and touring induced exhaustion; she rallies some people to go see Pet Semetary together and gets roped into chaperoning Lizzy and Jerry's date before that, along with Sean, who's anything but thrilled to be there; the lovebirds in question, in the meantime, are continuing to hold off on unsupervised dating but that doesn't extinguish any of the sparks and chemistry between them; Mudhoney play their first show since coming back to Seattle and the ambience seems to sufficiently change Lizzy and Jerry's minds about keeping their physical distance after all.

I've been feeling like a damn teenager lately and I really need to get a grip. Thing is, I couldn't stop thinking about Lizzy the whole day today, basically counting down hours and minutes until I'd see her. She drives me fuckin' crazy, just the thought of her... Hell, we haven't even kissed! Isn't that fuckin' ridiculous? I did tell her I've never felt about anyone else the way I feel about her and I know it's the corniest shit you could think of but I really meant it.

I splash some water on my face and as I'm straightening back up from the sink, a guy pokes his head into the restroom and tosses what looks like a used condom into a bin next to me. Ah, the undying romance of these places... Actually, funnily enough, Mark has been introducing every song tonight with some weird preamble about love and it's obviously doing something to the crowd.

And I can't really fully exclude myself...although I'm not sure if the credit should go to Mark here... Honestly, all I've been thinking about since I got here is how much I do want to kiss Lizzy. Which, of course, I'm not going to! We agreed not to do anything until I see Dee. And that's in a week's time. This is clearly important to Lizzy and I guess I can see where she's coming from. Just as much as she doesn't want to start anything with a guy who's potentially not over his ex, I don't want to seem like I rush into relationships recklessly and randomly. So no kissing tonight.

I stare at my reflection in the dirty, fractured mirror for a minute longer after drying my face with a paper towel and finally come back out of the restroom. I sit back down on my stool right as Mudhoney are starting...an actual love song, by the sound of it? Expect the unexpected, I guess... Both Lizzy and I exchange thoroughly amused grins and then I launch into a little impromptu dance, which makes her laugh even more.

"I didn't know you're such a great dancer," she beams up at me.

"I'm a man of many, many talents, Liz." And I'll tell you all about them sometime later...

I sit back down and pull her closer, nuzzling my face into the crook of her neck. The sweet flowery, peachy smell of her hair fills my lungs and I think that even if I can't kiss her tonight, I'm still feelin' pretty damn happy. She starts humming along to the song, making up a melody that weaves in and out of the dirty, crackly chords. I love how this girl just knows music, she just feels it, understands it inside out. When she sings and hums, it comes out so effortlessly and perfectly. It's just like talking for the rest of us.

I press a quick peck to her hair at that thought and feel her instantly tense up just a little. I lift my face, intending to apologize for that misstep, but I'm met with her sexy brown eyes and then...then she kisses me! And there's no convincing required on my part; I bring my hand to cup her face and use the other to pull her closer as I deepen the kiss.

"Wow, Lizzy..." I look at her, quite literally speechless, when we pull apart after very long, very lovely couple of minutes. "I've been dying to do that for a while now," I stroke her cheek with my thumb .

"Me too, actually," she purrs, just inches away from my face; still so close that I can feel her breath on my lips...and then we kiss again...and then some more... and we kiss the rest of the night away, and it makes me feel like I'm on fuckin' drugs, and I never wanna stop.