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Joe knew he was in love with the new kid from Italy from the moment he saw him. And despite not being able to talk together because of a language barricade, Joe and the Italian ended up going out together for a burger. Joe was sure he had his drawing skills to thank for that because when he drew a burger, the Italian nodded in agreement.
While eating the burger, Joe drew more doodles, which made the Italian laugh. If you asked Joe, hearing the Italian laugh was a wonderful sound, which made the butterflies in his stomach take flight. After eating the burger, they somehow ended up in the park where there was a concert. They sat down in the grass and listened to the music.
When they looked at each other, they kissed. And if you asked Joe, it seemed like the best idea in Joe's sixteen-long life to kiss the handsome Italian because Joe saw the entire Milky Way and even more when they kissed. But then reality hit them both hard when they realized they were locked together because of their braces. At first, they tried to pull their faces apart, but they couldn't, and it seemed they only got even more locked together.
Joe looked at the Italian, who seemed more calmer than he was. And just when Joe thought the entire situation couldn't get any worse his best friend turned up out of nowhere.
Andy: "Wow, is that how you kiss in Italy?"
Joe mumbled something while pointing at their mouth.
Andy: "Either you ask me to get lost, or you are asking for help."
Joe stared daggers at Andy.
Andy: "I really hope Joe isn't looking at you like that when he asks for your help."
The Italian just smiled.
Andy: "See, Joe, that's how you ask for help, with kindness."
Joe rolled his eyes while Andy walked around them.
Andy: "Hmmm, that's very interesting. Are you sure you want me to stop you from kissing the boy you've been talking about for weeks?"
Joe looked sorry at the Italian for his friend, who wasn't much help if you asked Joe.
Andy: "The ER is only fifteen minutes from here. Should we go there?"
Joe and the Italian nodded, so after some manoeuvring, Andy got them to stand.
Andy: "Hold onto each other, oh wait, you're already doing that."
The Italian took Joe's hand to keep the balance. Joe was really grateful that Andy took the streets with fewer people because he couldn't handle it if people stared at them while they were locked together in this way. When they reached the ER, Andy found a nurse.
Andy: "My friend has been kissing like they do in Italy. Can you help them?"
The nurse told Andy to wait in the waiting room while she helped Joe and the Italian to get loose. After a thorough check-up and being told to contact their dentist tomorrow, the nurse said Joe and the Italian could leave. Before leaving the examination room, the nurse had given them ice packs for their sore jaws.
Joe: "Thanks for everything - including your help."
Andy: "Don't mention it."
They left the ER and walked silently until Andy had to go in another direction to get home.
Andy: "Listen, maybe not today, but one day, you'll laugh at this."
Andy left Joe with the Italian, and they walked the rest of the way to the Italian's house.
Joe: "I'm really sorry about it all because I hadn't imagined kissing you would land us in so much trouble."
The Italian smiled.
Joe: "So, is there a chance you'll still go out with me tomorrow? I promise I'll try not to get us locked together again."
The Italian kissed Joe's cheek before going inside. As Joe walked home, he decided to learn Italian as fast as he could so they could speak together—even though the kiss had spoken volumes about how they felt toward each other. Despite everything that happened tonight, Joe was even more in love with the Italian than before.