Bi The Time

Chapter 1: You

Rodney Thompson's heart did somersaults as he stood on the cherry wood front porch of Ally's house, a two-story home with faded white siding and a picture-perfect front lawn. Every tree and shrub was carefully placed by Ally's father to advertise his landscaping business. Now, as the late August sun dipped low in the sky Rodney found himself pacing as he waited.

He had spent the summer counting down the days until Ally returned from her family trip to British Columbia. Her brother, Mark had accepted the the offer from UBC and her family had decided they would take the summer to move him up there and get him used to the area. They had spent the summer video-calling and texting each other but the last few weeks seemed to have slowed to a halt as Rodney waited anxiously for Ally's return. The blue Buick Enclave rolled into the driveway, and there she was, her wavy blonde hair catching the light, those familiar blue eyes meeting his with a mix of excitement and something else—confusion?

"Ally, I missed you," Rodney greeted, he practically lept off the porch as he raced to meet her.

"Hey, Rodney..." Ally trailed off, biting her lip as he leaned in for a hug. She stood stiff as a board as Rodney wrapped his arms around her, though he quickly pulled back when he realized she wasn't returning the embrace.

"I'm sorry, I—" She began, her fingers nervously twisting a strand of hair. "I'm just exhausted from the trip home. Over eight hours of sitting is surprisingly tiring." she half smiled at her small joke.

"Oh, Sorry," Rodney blinked, trying to mask the sting of rejection. "If you want we can just hang out and catch up tomorrow." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying to mask his disappointment.

"Oh no you don't have to go," she rushed to explain, realizing she hurt Rodney. "I could use a walk to stretch my legs if you want to join me?"

"Totally," Rodney said, a little too excitedly. "But don't you have to unpack first?"

"It's fine, let the adults take care of it, you two go and make up for lost time." Ally's mom called from the other side of the vehicle.

"Just remember it's a school night so don't be home too late, OK?" Ally's Dad reminded them as he pulled the suitcases from the trunk.

"Will do," Ally replied with a wave as Rodney followed her down the driveway.

The two decided to head out for a casual dinner at McDonald's, the only place still open in the small town of Strathroy after 9 pm. They settled into a booth, and the scent of salt and fried food filled the air, Rodney shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he awaited what Ally was going to say.

Ally picked at her fries, her gaze distant. "Hey sorry I got so awkward after our kiss at the dance. I just kind of felt guilty since Matt and I just broke up and you just went through a breakup yourself. It felt like I was taking advantage of the situation you know?"

Rodney relaxed a little, finally understanding why things had felt sort of off the entire summer. He reached across the booth and took her hand. "You didn't take advantage of me at all. Honestly, I had wanted you out from the start but Matt beat me to it."

"Ugh, I just hope he doesn't make things weird," Ally sighed, tracing the rim of her soda cup. "His Instagram has been dead since the dance, he's always so dramatic you know."

"Right," Rodney agreed, "But I do have a question, what are exactly? Are we friends who kissed or are we maybe more?" Rodney felt scared asking the question but he didn't want to repeat the mistakes he had made with Parker before.

"We are Ally and Rodney," she smiled squeezing his hand. "Best friends who kiss sometimes."

Rodney smiled, but he still wasn't totally sure what she meant by that. His relationship with Parker had also felt confusing, tucked behind closed doors and hushed whispers. A part of him felt in that moment he would have to repeat it all again with Ally.