Page 2 of Wait for the Dream

My parents and three siblings, Maddox, Magnolia and Charlotte, love Bailey almost as much as I do. My parents make sure we always have Blue’s favorite things in the house. Blue popsicles are still her favorite color. I’ve always found that weird, don’t most people like the red ones? She also loves granola bars, Chex mix, and apple slices with peanut butter. My parents have always said that Bailey is like their fifth kid, except I’ve never thought of her like my sister. You can’t marry your sister, and I will marry Blue someday.

It’s Saturday night, her parents get home tomorrow, not that it really matters, and we start school on Monday. We have a tradition that we started the Saturday before we started Kindergarten, we bring out our pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, and snacks, and sleep on my trampoline. We stay up as late as we can talking about what we want the school year to bring. The dreams and wishes have gotten more in depth over the years. This year seems heavier. We start high school in two days. Things are changing, and high school is a big deal. I have a plan for tonight, and I just hope Blue likes it.

“Bear, I think we have everything. I’m headed outside. Hurry up!” Bailey calls from the back door. I’m grabbing the present I spent my whole summer saving for. I mowed the lawns of our neighbors for $10 a pop and by the end of the summer, combining lawn mowing money and my allowance, I had just enough to get Blue the necklace I saw her admiring when we went to the mall at the beginning of the summer. It’s a silver heart with a small sapphire gem nestled between two tiny diamonds right at the connecting point at the top. The heart is on a plain silver chain. I did my best to balance mowing lawns and spending time with her. Her face lit up when she saw it in the window of the jewelry store, and I love it when she smiles, so I try to make it happen as much as possible.

“I’m right behind you!” I call putting the necklace in the pocket of my pajama pants. God, I hope she likes it. I’m so nervous.

We go out and get settled. Blankets, pillows, and our favorite music playing on the small radio my mom gave us when we first started doing this. As we are listening to the song, Dress by Taylor Swift, while looking at the stars. Bailey breaks the silence.

“We have one more day of summer before school starts, are there any last minute things you wanna do before our summer ends?” Bailey asks a few hours later. She sounds kind of nervous, but I’m not sure why.

Since we came outside, we have been chatting about how this has been the best summer ever. I know we say that every year, but I truly think I mean it this time. She reminds me of the time that Maddox scared me by jumping out of the shower when I was just about to use the bathroom. We reminisce about the trip we took to the lake this summer with my family, and all the fun things we got to do while we were there. She tells me how she is excited for her first year of high school, how she is going to try out for the volleyball team, and to cheer me on at every football game. We have some variation of the same conversation every year before school starts, the only difference is the answers to the questions.

“The only thing I have left, is to give you the present I got for you.” I answer and get the necklace out of my pocket and hand it to her.

My hands shake and my breath is uneven as I present her with the necklace.

“Oh my God, Aiden. What did you do?” She has tears in her eyes, but I can’t tell if they’re the happy kind, or not.

“I’ve been saving all summer, all my mowing jobs were so I could get you this. I saw the way your face lit up when you saw it in the window and knew you had to have it.” I respond shyly. My mind races with every negative possibility. She could hate it, which would be really awkward, our relationship would get weird after that, and we may never talk again. Okay, so that’s the worst case scenario, but it could happen. Right?

“Thank you so much! I love it. You’re the best, Bear.” She throws her arms around me in a tight hug, and I let out a breath of relief. I bury my face in her hair and breathe in her fruity shampoo. I’ve always loved the smell of her hair. Is that weird? “Will you put it on me?” She asks when she pulls back. “I’m never going to take it off.”

I take the necklace from her hands and put it around her neck, “Any last minute things you wanted to do before we start school?” I ask as I finish the clasp.

“There is one thing, but I promise you can say no if it’s weird.” She starts to play with the end of her hair, which she does when she’s really nervous or scared.

“Okay? You’re making me nervous, Blue. What is it?” I ask. Doesn’t she know she could ask me anything, and I would do it for her?

“So, I really don’t want to start high school before I’ve had my first kiss. So, I was wondering if you would kiss me.”

I sit there just blinking at her, completely stunned, for a few moments. Never in a million years did I think my best friend, the literal girl of my dreams, would ask me to kiss her.

“I’d do anything for you, you know that, but are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve thought about this pretty much all summer. I don’t want to go into high school never having kissed anyone, and you’re my best friend. I don’t really trust anyone else, so I guess I thought maybe it could be you.” She’s rambling. Another one of the things she does when she’s nervous. “If you don’t want to kiss me, it’s okay. I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

I know her, in some ways, better than I know myself. So I know that if I didn’t lean forward and bridge the distance between us, her ramble would never stop. At the first press of her lips against mine, I know my life has been changed forever. Her lips are soft, and while I haven’t kissed anyone before either, I know I never want to kiss anyone else. It’s awkward, and we fumble around in our exploration of each other’s lips, but isn’t that what first kisses are supposed to be? At least that’s what the other guys in our grade said when they talked about their first kisses.

“Wow,” I breathe when we pull away. “Sorry, you started to ramble, I knew you wouldn’t stop if I didn’t do something, so I figured that would be the quickest way to get you to stop. I hope that was okay.”

“It was perfect, Bear. Thank you.” Her cheeks are flushed, and she’s never looked prettier than she does in this very moment. “I’m sorry if you felt pressure to do that.”

“You didn’t pressure me. I wanted to. It was the perfect first kiss.”

“That was your first kiss too? I thought you had girls lining up to kiss you.”

“Shut up! You know, I don’t like any of those girls.”

“Yea, I’m the only girl in your life.” She lowers her voice to mimic mine and rolls her eyes. I guess I say that more often than I thought.

The subject changes and we don’t talk about the kiss again, but it’s all I could think about.

I relived that kiss in my head for years dreaming of the day I’d get to do it again.

Aiden

Aiden Age 21