At Midnight

10

...I have looked at you in millions of ways and I have loved you in each...

Parked outside of her house, the engine killed, we sat with our hands intertwined.

I was looking out over the silent neighborhood, watching for lurking predators, when she wiggled my hand for my attention.

"So, what now?" she asked.

"We finish junior year," I said.

"Together?" she asked, her tone hopeful.

Be still my beating heart, I thought, praising the Lord for the girl beside me.

"As friends," she added, meeting my eyes. "Just for now."

Which I was okay with. Even if we had crushed on each other for months, there were still things I wanted to learn about her, before we decided if we wanted to give a relationship a try.

Knowing the chances were more than likely that I'd have to wait a while, I asked, "Can I, like, kiss you again?"

Mara averted her eyes as she laughed, but they came right back to mine, humored. "Eager, aren't we?"

"Sorry," I said, a lopsided smile on my lips. "You just made me feel like I was on top of the world tonight."

Mara rolled her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment from my nice words. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Gonna search for those end credits scene," I said. For once, I understood why she was asking, and smoothly said, "But, if you're so eager to hang out with me, do you want to do a marathon?"

"I'm not running for shit."

"I meant marathon as in Marvel movie marathon."

Her face, the way she turned her entire body to face me-- it was deja vu to earlier when we declared our job ditching. From that point and until the end of our conversation, I couldn't wipe the smile off my lips.

"I've always said in order to date me, one would have to complete the marathon," I said.

"Is that why you don't have a girlfriend?"

I broke our hands apart to reach across her and open her door. "Get out of my car."

While I was leaning over her, she connected our lips.

"Odin's beard, I will never get tired of that," I mumbled against her lips.

Mara gave a blissful giggle and patted my arm, giving me permission to sit back in my own seat.

Looking at her house, she gave a deep sigh. "I don't know how I'm going to explain my lack of work to my parents tomorrow."

"'I had a crush on this nerd and we ditched our shifts to see a movie together,'" I mimicked. I shrugged, pretending to be cocky by popping the collar of my shirt. "Which makes sense. Girls want me."

"No, girls want Pietro Maximoff to be alive," she said without missing a beat.

Glancing at me for my reaction, I responded by kissing her multiple times.

"You complete me, Mars."

"Language, Cliff," she whispered, her forehead against mine. She kissed me again. "I'll be at your house by nine on Saturday."

"In the morning?"

"You can sleep through the movies you don't want to watch," she bribed.

"You might have questions, though."

"I'll wake you up to ask."

"Only by kisses?"

"That's a deal."