How to (Not) Date a Popstar |✓|

6.2 The Human Cliché

Tyler and I made it back to Harbor Village just in time for dessert—sweets from the mobile ice cream cart in Tinder Park. Everywhere else in town was closed, or nearly closing, but that didn't matter. Even though Tinder wasn't quite as fancy as Central Park, the sky, the trees, the openness, it all made me feel the same. I had to experience it one last time before the night was through...

I bought us each a frozen yogurt, which we enjoyed from a park bench, watching the ducks do lazy laps in the pond down the hill. Above, the sun was long gone, replaced by the same navy map we had walked beneath in New York. There was a breeze now and then, but the promise of summer kept me warmer here than it had in the Big Apple. That, and the solidness of Tyler's arm again mine.

"Thanks for taking me out." I scraped my spoon around the cup's edges, saving the middle parts for last. "It's kind of sad, but I haven't had this much fun in a really long time."

Tyler grinned. "Well, get ready. We can do it all the time when you move to New York."

I felt a tug on my heart, responding to the ache with a smile—and silence. I was getting it all wrong—but the ducks had it right, they knew how to make it work, how to come together. A bright pair wheeled in the sky, revolving around each other in a graceful, descending arc, alighting gently on the pond's smooth, dark surface. I wasn't sure if ducks had mates for life, but the two certainly seemed like a close pair, gliding through the water side by side...

"It was a good first date, right?" Tyler stared down at his own cup, a frown masking his bashfulness. His face was pink and it wasn't from the cold.

Meanwhile, my spoon was stuck in my mouth. I left it where it was, eyes wide as I gripped the handle. In all the excitement, I forgot what tonight really signified—two people coming together, who were awfully used to going things alone. New York had pulled us together, and it could be the one thing that tore us apart.

I swallowed, removing the spoon. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the best date I've ever had—or that I don't wanna do it again. Did you mean what you said, back in New York? About... you and me?"

"Every word. Was it too much?"

I shook my head. "Everything I needed to hear, you said it." He said it all.

Smiling, Tyler took a big bite of his yogurt and leaned forward. I met him halfway, tasting him, the yogurt, and everything in between... But it was getting late. As much as I wanted to, we couldn't stay for much longer.

We rose from the bench, Tyler pausing at my feet to tie his shoelaces. He tickled me on his way up and didn't remove his hands until we were standing at my car, in the deserted parking lot. Thirty minutes to curfew, ten of which I fully intended to spend fogging up the windows in the backseat.

I sat in Tyler's lap, one hand on the headrest, the other tangled in his soft brown waves. I had kissed him a million times today, but enough was never enough. With every kiss, I dreamed of the next, and the moments in between. Every once in a while, he paused to remind me that I was beautiful, or that I meant the world to him. I knew that whatever I said would never measure up to Tyler's real worth, so I threw caution to the wind—and unzipped his jeans.

I think he surprised us both when he stopped me.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought you wanted me."

"I do. Ali, I want you—more than anything. But not here. Our first time should be amazing."

This is amazing. You're amazing. We're amazing together. That's what I wanted to say, but before I could tell him, yellow headlights were washing over the parking lot. Wary of more iPhones and cameras, we scrambled for our clothes, panicking the closer the lights came. In our haste, I ended up in his T-shirt, Tyler slipping into my hoodie.