Friendly Dating 2 - Ethan

Chapter 13 - Reaching a Compromise

"Got sick of texting," I tell Kira, daring to glance up from my toes. I try to look as natural as possible, but it's hard when Kicks is sitting over there in her bed with wide eyes and tousled hair. Is she trying to kill me with cuteness now?

I love this room. It's not a professionally decorated work of art filled with matching furniture or a specific theme; it is very Kira. She and Delia love refurbishing old furniture they pick up from jumble sales, giving them their special touch. Kira's room is a mixture of earthy tones and ocean blues, with blocked images of strange critters on the walls and plushies and dolls sitting among the books on her bookshelves. The massive panda bear my dad gave her is sitting on a footstool in the corner of the room, watching me, daring me to misbehave.

Challenge accepted, Mr Big Bear!

I smile, remembering Kicks and Deli playing with their dolls. They always used their Barbies, Kens and other similar dolls to create ridiculous soap operas and would wear my mom's clothes and shoes and pretended to be mothers taking their babies to the park with their disturbingly life-like baby dolls in play strollers. Kira's doll was supposed to be a boy, and Delia had a baby girl, and they had big plans of letting the two get married once they grew up.

Girls are weird things... Besides, as the father of all Kira's doll babies, I should have a say too...

"We have a home game tomorrow," I tell her. "You're going to come to watch it, right?"

"Rugby?" she asks, and I nod my head slowly, trying to let the topic of this conversation finally sink in.  "It involves a ball, right?"

I roll my eyes and sigh. Seriously, could she care any less? No, probably not; if she cared any less, she would've come full circle and almost be caring again now. I don't think Kira has ever been to any of my matches, and it really doesn't matter. I mean, why would I want her to sit through a long boring game when she has no interest in it? I want her to come tomorrow, though. It will help her adjust to the whole dating thing and make the transition easier.

Thinking about it now, I realise that it will also make it harder for her to back out once everybody knows about it. I didn't think of that before, but now that I have, I really want her to come to the match tomorrow. I am willing to be as evil as my sister to have my way this time. I'll try anything I have to to make things work out between Kira and me; besides, I kinda like the idea of having my girlfriend on the bleachers, caring about what happens to me out there on the field... or not caring... since it's Kira, but still, she'll be there, and I'll know she's there and for some reason, it makes my heart feel warm.

"We're playing St Albany Boys High. It's a pretty serious game; they're our biggest rivals," I explain to her, and when she just continues to blink at me, I decide to take my foot off the brakes. No more Mr Nice Guy! "You want to do the whole good morning and good night thing, and I agree, sounds like a stupid corny thing a good boyfriend will do, so... I'm in. Well, I think going to her boyfriend's important matches is the kind of corny, stupid thing a good girlfriend will do, so..." shrugging, I spread my hands.

"The idea is to change you into the perfect boyfriend," Kira huffs. "Why do I have to be a good girlfriend?"

Why indeed?? Uhm...

"To inspire me to be a good boyfriend," I frown, and remembering what Deli told me, I cannot stop myself from teasing the girl a bit. "Besides, didn't you decide to do this so I could help you get off the shelf by teaching you how to be the perfect girlfriend?" I grin, seeing the startled expression on her face.

"No... I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart," she squeaks, the picture of innocence, making me laugh.

"Come on; you go to all Deli's hockey matches," I point out reasonably. "I don't want people to think that you're dating my sister more than you're dating me."