The Way You Make Feel Ch. 03

Darren was packed and ready to go. He was truly going to miss his Boo Boo. At least, that's what he called her, and she hated it. She was sweet, silly, and carefree, with an extra side of "don't mess with me." He was definitely going to miss her smiling face. Her cursing him out and her falling asleep on his chest. Singing every song they heard on the radio together; him doing the male lead and her the female. He'd miss them having pillow fights, even at their ages, and busting them. He'd miss getting into trouble with her. And he'd miss all of that and more because she was always there, they were always together, and they'd done all of those things in a day or less plenty of times before.

Karina was miserable and ready to thoroughly convince Darren that he shouldn't go. She knew she'd never do the latter because she cared too much about his future to hold him back. She wasn't ready for him to go. They'd just established their more than friends relationship, and she didn't want him to be away from her so soon and for so long. Five days might not have been long to some people, but to them, it would seem like an eternity. Every aspect of their relationship and what they'd been through made her want to cry her eyes out.

They remained in Darren's room after they took their showers and got dressed. Karina donned only the denim shorts she'd worn to his house late last night, a thin t-shirt, and an extra big sweatshirt that now belonged to her. She knew he wasn't going to get it back, and so did he.

As usual, Darren stayed fresh and wore baggy shorts and a well-fitting Ed Hardy shirt. Karina sat with her legs out in front of her, Darren resting his head in her lap. She stroked the side of his face affectionately, trying desperately to hold back tears. To anyone else, this would've seemed extremely dramatic, but this was Karina and Darren, and they'd never consider it dramatic.

Darren turned sideways and sadly drew circles on the inside of her thigh. It tickled, but it was a comforting gesture, so she let him continue. He couldn't help but feel sad. It was like finding something you tried like hell to get, then to have and treasure it, only to have it snatched rudely away from you.

He felt a warm, wet drop of water fall on him and he turned around to see Karina wiping roughly at her eyes with her sleeves. It made her face red and broke his heart. Darren sat up and kissed her forehead, cradling her slender body onto his lap. More tears fell, but this time, she didn't hold back. She cried hard, wetting the sleeve of his shirt.

"Please don't cry, K," he pleaded softly. He hated to see her cry, and knew what he'd have to do to make her stop, but couldn't. "Don't cry, boo. I'm'a be back before you know it," honestly trying to convince himself. The only thing he could do to stop from shedding tears himself was to think about how happy they'd be when he returned.

They stayed that way for a long while, until her sniffles subsided and the vice-like grip his emotions had on his heart eased up. He kissed her forehead again and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry for making you feel guilty about leaving," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry for not forcing you to go wit' me," he said, now rubbing her back in an up and down motion. Her lips curved up into a smile, and he smiled along with her. "How's this?" he asked after a moment. "One last song. One last dance."

Karina titled her head sideways and after a moment said, "Okay." Darren waited until she climbed down off of the bed and followed her, walking over to his radio. He turned it on, and "All My Life" by KC and Jojo started to play. She loved the song, and he did, too, because all of the things they felt for each didn't have to be said; the two men sang it all to a melodic beat.

Darren walked back over to her and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her small waist, and she did the same to his, laying her head on his chest. They swayed gently, singing the words to each other, meaning it from the very depths of their hearts.

"All my life/I prayed for someone like you/and I thank God/that I, that I finally found yooou..." After the second chorus repeat, though, Karina couldn't take it anymore, and released long, heavy tears. This time she wet up the front of shirt, and Darren didn't care. He caressed her back soothingly again, but it did nothing to make her feel better.

Karina honestly felt that she was going overboard with the hysterics, but she couldn't help it. Seeing him everyday was what she was used to. Then she'd stay on the phone with him until the wee hours of the morning, running up the telephone and her cell phone bill, burning out the battery. She knew he'd call and she'd call while he was away, but it just wasn't the same as seeing his face continuously.

If this is what happens when he's gone for less than a week, then what would happen if he was gone for longer? If they broke up? Her mind started to race. Karina cried harder. She didn't want to think about it, because if she did, she'd only be jinxing it. Or so she thought.

Darren finished singing the song with a deep, resounding, "All my life/ I pray for someone like you/Yes I pray that you do love me tooooo." Karina attempted a watery smile, tears still falling copiously from her eyes.

"It won't be that bad, K. I promise."

*************

"You better not hook up with any of those slutty college girls I'm always hearing about or I'm gonna kick your ass when you get back," Karina said playfully, walking Darren to the door.

He laughed quietly at her comment and dropped his bag by the door, embracing her again. After they'd finished dancing, he'd done nothing but stood and held her until his mother called for him. His bus would be leaving from his school in the next half hour, and she was a stickler about always being on time for any and every thing.

"I promise. And K," he said, looking at her fondly, "please don't worry yourself to death. If your mother calls me about how depressed your acting, it's gonna be me and you." He finished his statement, pointing at her, then at himself. Karina rolled her eyes and hugged him tighter. She was going to miss the hell out him, and him the same with her.

Darren's father came into the foyer, reminding them that their time was limited. Darren sighed heavily and gave his best friend a tight hug. Then he leaned down and kissed her briefly before he pulled away. They gazed at each other for moments on end until they heard a throat clearing. Resting his forehead on hers, he whispered, "I love you, Boo Boo."

Karina grinned one last time before responding. "I love you, too, D."