Disco Balls and Plane Tickets
Chapter 17

Melissa: “Whoa,” I stopped in the middle of the walkway to gawk at a shirt in a store window. I giggled yanking Taylor’s into the store after me. I quickly made my way through several racks of clothes and suddenly looked up at the sound of my name. “Hey, Melissa,” Taylor called from the other side of the room before holding up a pair of lacy thong underwear and winking at me. “What do ya say,” he laughed jokingly. “In your dreams,” I shot him a look and a laugh. “Oh come on, baby,” he continued. “You should know better, Taylor Hanson,” I laughed playing along with a surprised look on my face. He laughed, putting it back with a frown on his face. “It was worth a try.” I shot him another look, trying not to laugh. That, however, wasn’t possible. A smile quickly formed on my face. “Hey, I’ll be right back, I’m just gonna go try these on,” I held up the slew of clothes draped around my arm. “Ok,” he took a seat on a couch in front of the changing stalls. I modeled all the items for Taylor, then, went to the checkout. As I pulled out my wallet, Taylor slammed his MasterCard on the table. “Oh, no you don’t,” I laughed, grabbing it and putting it back in his pocket. “I can’t let you pay for my clothes,” I continued, “that just wouldn’t be right.” “Uh…are you sure.” “Yea, thanks though. Its really sweet of you.” A smile returned to his face and I squeezed his hand after placing my card on the counter. “I think there’s a toy store across the street,” I whispered into Taylor’s ear. “Really,” a mischievous grin surfaced on his face and his blue eyes twinkled. “Yep.” “Sweet!” “Thank you,” the lady behind the counter handed me the bag and I wished her a good day as Taylor let his hand slide into mine and we stepped back onto the street corner. We ran across the street laughing all the way, I sprinted into the toy store pulling Taylor with me. I spotted running and catching my breath, let go of his hand. “I love toy stores. I’m such a kid.” He laughed, “We’re all like that.” I looked around the huge FAO Schwartz. “Where to first,” I rubbed my hands together. “Hm…do they have a directory or anything? They usually do at the ones that are this big,” he gazed around the first floor. “Score,” he started off in one direction and I followed. “Lets see,” I watched as his perfect finger glided down the directory and I bit my lip. “There’s…,” he sighed. “Ya know what? Screw this, lets just wander around,” he stated and I nodded my head in agreement. “You read my mind.” We took the elevator to the 3rd floor, at the top, and made our way down an isle. “Hula hoops!” I spotted a box containing about a dozen multicolored hula hoops and beamed as I picked on up and tried to use it. Taylor laughed. “You think this is easy,” I glared in his direction. “Can’t be that hard.” “Really? Bring it on,” I laughed as he accepted the challenge, picking a yellow one out of the box. He bit his lip as he tried to keep it on his hips. I laughed as it fell to the ground and I watched as he sunk his head in defeat but with a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. “I told you.” “Yep, hard as it is to admit it, you’re right.” “But of course,” my red hula-hoop feel tapping the tiled floor with a whack. I saw a flash of red as a salesperson walked by, then backed up, taking notice of us. “I’m going to have to ask you two not to play with the merchandise,” he lectured us while we nodded like two small kids who knew they’d misbehaved. He left the isle and, laughing, he placed the hoops back in the box. “Dude, bouncy balls,” we were drawn to a large tub of multicolored plastic balls. The excitement of that was short lived and we soon put up the balls. We skimmed more isles in search of more toys with which to create chaos. My eyes landed on jump ropes in the corner of an isle, next the skipping things packed tightly to a piece of cardboard. “Watch this,” I grabbed a jump rope and started with heel-toe combinations and crossovers. “Where did you learn that,” he laughed. “Jump rope team,” I smiled. Another flash of red. “I’m going to have to ask you kids to leave unless you’re purchasing something.” “I’m a customer,” Taylor lunged for a skipping thing as I clasped my hand to my mouth to stop the outburst of laughter building up inside me. He left and I let my hand go almost collapsing onto the floor. “Hahaha!! That was classic!” He blushed. “Well, ya didn’t want to have to leave yet, did ya?” “Nope, you should have seen yourself though. It was so cute!” He began turning 5 shades of red at once. “Ok, enough of that.” I giggled as he spotted three wheelers on the next isle over. My laughter became uncontrollable. I squeezed into a Barbie jeep in a fit of laughed as my knees hung out the windows. “I can’t believe I fit in here!” Then, “Oh shit! Taylor, I’m stuck,” I started to laugh. He laughed as he helped pull me out, “No more Barbie cars for you.” I giggled. “Oh, lets go find toy guns,” a giddy smile came to my face yet again. “You’re so crazy,” he laughed, “but I love you for it.” “Aw…,” I pinched his checks for the hell of it and the blush returned to his face. I grabbed his hand and we went back down to the 1st floor. “Who’s the…woman,” I paused laughing as I picked up a Nerf shooter. Taylor laughed and picked up an even bigger one. My chin dropped. “That’s right, ya better run.” I giggled almost slipping on the slick floor in haste and with Taylor at my heels. I felt a foam ball hit my back and I drooped my head pretending to be hurt. “I’ve been hit,” I grasped at a shoulder. He laughed. “Psych!” I spun around shooting at him a few times before taking off around the corner with my head still glancing over my shoulder at the enemy. Bam! I fell to the floor with a thud. “Uh oh,” I mumbled as the man in the red vest stood before me. “What did I tell you two about playing with the merchandise?” I glanced at Taylor with an innocent smile and puppy dog eyes. He tried desperately not to laugh. “Sorry,” I muttered. “If you two don’t leave right now, I’m going to have to call security.” I looked back at him again and throwing our weapons to the ground, we latched hands and flew out of the store laughing all the way.

Chapter 18