The Chronicles of Malex: Chapter Four: I'm Beginning To Love Locker Rooms.
“A-Alex?” Michael asked, hesitantly peeking his head around the corner and into the locker room. I was sitting on a bench, twiddling around with the hem of my shirt.
I stood up upon seeing him and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Michael said quietly, shyly cracking a smile too and walking into the locker room with me.
“I brought my iPod.” I told him, gesturing to my iPod, which was on a dock that was sitting on a bench, plugged into the wall.
“Good.” Michael laughed. “Um, should we close the door?”
“There’s no door...”
Michael gulped. “O-oh, oh yeah, yeah there isn’t, huh?” He laughed nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to another.
“Relax,” I told him, gripping his shoulders.
Michael tensed for a moment, but then exhaled and nodded. “Yeah. I gotta relax.”
“I’m gonna put on the music.” I said.
Michael nodded and just sort of stood there awkwardly, watching me walk over to the player and bend down. What song? It was a very very VERY important decision, I mean, after all, it was our first dance. It needed to be something good.
Then I realized I was standing there scrolling through songs with my butt in Michael’s face.
Not literally.
Quickly, I stood up and blushed. “Um, sorry about that...”
“What?”
“My butt in your face.”
“What? Oh I didn’t notice...”
I nodded and went back to choosing the song. Great. I noticed and he didn’t. I wonder what he must’ve been thinking after that.
Then I came to the conclusion that I didn’t have as much good music as I thought I did. I gasped as I felt an arm on my back, up near my shoulder. I looked over at Michael.
“Sorry,” he said. “Just seeing what songs you have.”
I nodded and continued to scroll down the list.
“Wait stop!” Michael blurted out. “That one. I love that song. Vegas Skies.”
“Vegas Skies by The Cab?” I asked, just to make sure we were talking about the same song.
Michael nodded. “Mm-hm. It’s perfect.”
I didn’t think it was PERFECT, but if Michael wanted to dance to it, then it was perfect.
I pressed play and we moved away from the benches. Hesitantly, I put my hands on his hips and he put his arms around my neck.
“Um,” he said. “This is uh, different?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Totally not used to this.”
“Different’s good though...right?” Michael asked me.
“Well, it depends.” I replied.
“It depends?”
“I mean, like if your school cafeteria had this really good pizza, but then they got new pizza that was really crappy, then that’s a bad kind of different.” I said.
Michael laughed. “What? We’re not in high school!”
“Well it’s a good example! Unless you’d rather have me say that your favorite restaurant got different pizza.” I responded.
“Yeah, I think that would work better.”
I sighed. “Alright. So your favorite restaurant got different pizza that’s really crappy. That’s a bad different.”
Michael hesitated. “So...what kind of different is this? Good? Bad?”
I shrugged. “Not sure. Ask again later.”
“Don’t go all ‘Magic-8-Ball’ on me, Alex!” Michael exclaimed.
“I’m sorry!” I laughed. “But seriously, I don’t know yet. I’ll tell you when I know.”
Michael nodded. “I’m gonna be so paranoid now.”
“You get paranoid over everything.”
“I’m just like a lost puppy. I am generally a lost puppy.”
“You’re generally a lost puppy?”
“Yeah. I’m never confident at anything!” Michael laughed. “Never ever ever. Ever. Haha.” He hesitated. “See? I wasn’t even confident enough to laugh. I just said ‘haha’ instead of actually laughing.”
“Maybe you just need someone else to make you confident.” I suggested.
“Like...?” Michael prompted.
I shrugged and looked over at the stereo. “I dunno...me?” I said, looking back at him.
He smiled. “Yeah. Maybe. We’ll have to see how that works out.”
I blushed. “I’m sure it’ll work out fine.” I whispered.
“You think?” he whispered back, our foreheads touching and our noses rubbing together.
I nodded. “I think so.”
Slowly, we moved closer and closer until our lips finally met for the very first time. I’m not going to lie, it was...perfect. We didn’t really even try, it just came naturally. We didn’t use any pressure, our lips just seemed to know what to do. Especially Michael’s. His kiss was so soft, and it gave me chills.
“Yo! Mike! Alex! Where are they...?”
We gasped and pulled away quickly as Andy came walking down the hall. He looked at us through the doorway. Michael and I were standing about a yard away from each other, facing the door. I was frozen, and Michael was pushing hair out of his face. Both of us were blushing a lot. And I really mean A LOT! We were like tomatoes.
“What are you guys doing?” Andy asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Listening to music.” I replied quickly.
“In...a locker room? Standing up?”
“Duh.” Michael said.
Andy gave us an unassured look. “Umm OK, I’ll go with that. Well get your clothes on! Well, I mean, you already have clothes on, but get your performance clothes on! We’re going out on stage soon! Go!”
We nodded, and Andy hurried away.
“Guess we should get ready.” Michael said quietly.
I nodded, turning off the music and gathering the speakers and iPod.
“Hey Alex?” Michael said, almost in a whisper.
“Hm?”
Michael smiled. “I um, that was...nice. I liked it.”
“What?” I asked. “The dancing or the...kiss?”
Michael shrugged, smiled, bit his lip, and looked down at his feet. “I dunno. You decide that for yourself, rebel.” And with that, he turned and left.
I exhaled slowly. He really had a way of leaving me breathless.
I stood up upon seeing him and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Michael said quietly, shyly cracking a smile too and walking into the locker room with me.
“I brought my iPod.” I told him, gesturing to my iPod, which was on a dock that was sitting on a bench, plugged into the wall.
“Good.” Michael laughed. “Um, should we close the door?”
“There’s no door...”
Michael gulped. “O-oh, oh yeah, yeah there isn’t, huh?” He laughed nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to another.
“Relax,” I told him, gripping his shoulders.
Michael tensed for a moment, but then exhaled and nodded. “Yeah. I gotta relax.”
“I’m gonna put on the music.” I said.
Michael nodded and just sort of stood there awkwardly, watching me walk over to the player and bend down. What song? It was a very very VERY important decision, I mean, after all, it was our first dance. It needed to be something good.
Then I realized I was standing there scrolling through songs with my butt in Michael’s face.
Not literally.
Quickly, I stood up and blushed. “Um, sorry about that...”
“What?”
“My butt in your face.”
“What? Oh I didn’t notice...”
I nodded and went back to choosing the song. Great. I noticed and he didn’t. I wonder what he must’ve been thinking after that.
Then I came to the conclusion that I didn’t have as much good music as I thought I did. I gasped as I felt an arm on my back, up near my shoulder. I looked over at Michael.
“Sorry,” he said. “Just seeing what songs you have.”
I nodded and continued to scroll down the list.
“Wait stop!” Michael blurted out. “That one. I love that song. Vegas Skies.”
“Vegas Skies by The Cab?” I asked, just to make sure we were talking about the same song.
Michael nodded. “Mm-hm. It’s perfect.”
I didn’t think it was PERFECT, but if Michael wanted to dance to it, then it was perfect.
I pressed play and we moved away from the benches. Hesitantly, I put my hands on his hips and he put his arms around my neck.
“Um,” he said. “This is uh, different?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Totally not used to this.”
“Different’s good though...right?” Michael asked me.
“Well, it depends.” I replied.
“It depends?”
“I mean, like if your school cafeteria had this really good pizza, but then they got new pizza that was really crappy, then that’s a bad kind of different.” I said.
Michael laughed. “What? We’re not in high school!”
“Well it’s a good example! Unless you’d rather have me say that your favorite restaurant got different pizza.” I responded.
“Yeah, I think that would work better.”
I sighed. “Alright. So your favorite restaurant got different pizza that’s really crappy. That’s a bad different.”
Michael hesitated. “So...what kind of different is this? Good? Bad?”
I shrugged. “Not sure. Ask again later.”
“Don’t go all ‘Magic-8-Ball’ on me, Alex!” Michael exclaimed.
“I’m sorry!” I laughed. “But seriously, I don’t know yet. I’ll tell you when I know.”
Michael nodded. “I’m gonna be so paranoid now.”
“You get paranoid over everything.”
“I’m just like a lost puppy. I am generally a lost puppy.”
“You’re generally a lost puppy?”
“Yeah. I’m never confident at anything!” Michael laughed. “Never ever ever. Ever. Haha.” He hesitated. “See? I wasn’t even confident enough to laugh. I just said ‘haha’ instead of actually laughing.”
“Maybe you just need someone else to make you confident.” I suggested.
“Like...?” Michael prompted.
I shrugged and looked over at the stereo. “I dunno...me?” I said, looking back at him.
He smiled. “Yeah. Maybe. We’ll have to see how that works out.”
I blushed. “I’m sure it’ll work out fine.” I whispered.
“You think?” he whispered back, our foreheads touching and our noses rubbing together.
I nodded. “I think so.”
Slowly, we moved closer and closer until our lips finally met for the very first time. I’m not going to lie, it was...perfect. We didn’t really even try, it just came naturally. We didn’t use any pressure, our lips just seemed to know what to do. Especially Michael’s. His kiss was so soft, and it gave me chills.
“Yo! Mike! Alex! Where are they...?”
We gasped and pulled away quickly as Andy came walking down the hall. He looked at us through the doorway. Michael and I were standing about a yard away from each other, facing the door. I was frozen, and Michael was pushing hair out of his face. Both of us were blushing a lot. And I really mean A LOT! We were like tomatoes.
“What are you guys doing?” Andy asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Listening to music.” I replied quickly.
“In...a locker room? Standing up?”
“Duh.” Michael said.
Andy gave us an unassured look. “Umm OK, I’ll go with that. Well get your clothes on! Well, I mean, you already have clothes on, but get your performance clothes on! We’re going out on stage soon! Go!”
We nodded, and Andy hurried away.
“Guess we should get ready.” Michael said quietly.
I nodded, turning off the music and gathering the speakers and iPod.
“Hey Alex?” Michael said, almost in a whisper.
“Hm?”
Michael smiled. “I um, that was...nice. I liked it.”
“What?” I asked. “The dancing or the...kiss?”
Michael shrugged, smiled, bit his lip, and looked down at his feet. “I dunno. You decide that for yourself, rebel.” And with that, he turned and left.
I exhaled slowly. He really had a way of leaving me breathless.