Mike was busy the next couple of days with work and trying to get ready for Friday night. Friday after school, the trio, once again, met at Chuck's house to go over the plans for later that night.
They were both anxious to learn what the plans were to find out what Mike considered the "ultimate romantic gesture". So he told them. "The ultimate romantic gesture, as you see in all the old classic movies, has got to be a Moonlight Serenade, even though it may seem corny to you."
Chuck then started laughing until Kathy elbowed him hard in the ribs knocking the air out of him and said. "That's not funny Chuck. That's got to be one of the most romantic gestures ever heard of."
"Okay so how can we help?" Kathy asked.
"I recorded just the background music for a song I'll sing. I just need someone to operate the tape player." he said.
"What song did you pick?" Chuck asked.
Mike laughed and said. "What else, Michelle by the Beatles."
The three conspirators sat outside Michelle's house waiting for her to go to bed. Finally, just after 10 o'clock we saw her bedroom light come on. Waiting another 15 minutes to give her a chance to change for bed, Mike signaled Chuck to start the music. Although no Frank Sinatra, he was not a bad singer.
Michelle, my belle.
These are words that go together well,
My Michelle.
Michelle, my belle.
Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
Très bien ensemble.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
That's all I want to say.
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that
You'll understand.
Michelle, my belle.
Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
Très bien ensemble.
I need to, I need to, I need to.
I need to make you see,
Oh, what you mean to me.
Until I do I'm hoping you will
Know what I mean.
I love you...
I want you, I want you, I want you.
I think you know by now
I'll get to you somehow.
Until I do I'm telling you so
You'll understand.
Michelle, my belle.
Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
Très bien ensemble.
I will say the only words I know that
You'll understand, my Michelle.
As I was singing, I saw Michelle come and open her window. Then leaning out to see who was doing singing. She spotted me standing in the shadows and said. "Mike? Mike Kincaid? Is that you? You're the one that sent the flowers and candy? You're my secret admirer?"
"Yes, I am Michelle. I've admired you, since we were in grammar school together, but it seems like you only notice the jocks and guys on the A-list and never an ordinary guy like myself. So when I found that you had broken up with Brad because he could not be romantic, I decided to romance you to see if, possibly, we could start going out. I believe I'm capable of showing the true meaning of romance." Mike said.
Michelle asks then. "Okay, so what did you have in mind for a romantic date?"
"There are a lot of things we can do. For instance, we could go to a nice candlelit restaurant for a nice meal and then possibly going to a club dancing. I know most of those you've dated, when you've gone to a nightclub or party, they mostly leave you alone with the other women while they chat and brag to their buddies. Nevertheless, to most of them you're just arm candy; something that they can brag about. Like 'see, I can be here with the prettiest girl.' To most of them you are just an item to brag about like they brag about their cars and how they do on the football field. You deserve much better than that. They should be going out of their way to pay attention to you not their friends." he said.
Michelle thought about it for a minute and said. "Maybe we can try going out Mike. The flowers and candy were something no one has ever done for me before. Let's give it a try."
"That's great. How about, I take you into the city tomorrow for a fancy dinner and maybe a movie?" I asked.
"That sounds good to me. Pick me up at seven o'clock and we'll go to dinner. I need to be back early because I have prior plans. As long as we're back by 10 o'clock things should work out well." Michelle said.
The next night, wearing his good suit after spending the better part of the afternoon washing and waxing his car, he picked her up just before seven. Surprisingly, she met him at the door ready to go. This seemed odd to him most girls that he had dated were never ready to go as soon as he got there. He was usually early enough to sit and chat with their parents. Something seemed just a little off, but he shrugged off the feeling as they drove into the city to a fancy French restaurant that he called earlier for reservations. He was making sure that everything went just right for their first date.
It was a very nice meal, although he thought it was very expensive for what little food they actually ordered and the service was just average. Michelle seemed to be really enjoying herself so maybe it was worth all the effort and expense. Soon after it was time to take her home. After he pulled into her driveway, she quickly gave him a peck on the cheek and rushed into the house leaving him just sitting there.
The next morning he tried calling her several times each time getting her mother who told him that she was still sleeping. Finally, about one o'clock he gave up and went over to Chuck's finding him there. A few minutes after arriving, Kathy called to see how the date went. He told her he'd just arrived, and she said that she would be right over also.
Soon after Kathy got there, they were all sitting around drinking a Pepsi and chatting about how their Saturday night dates went. He described his date with Michelle just going over the highlights of the date. When he was done Kathy told him that she'd seen Michelle at a party, around midnight, half drunk and mingling with her old crowd of friends and flirting with all the jocks.
This seemed to piss Mike off that they would talk about his new found love this way. He got mad and told them. "It was probably something else going on she is with me now, but I can't ask her to sever all bonds with her friends."
Storming off he went home determined that no one was going to talk about his Michelle that way. Over the rest of the week, he had four more dates with Michelle. It still seems strange, whenever he showed up, she would meet him at the door and never once invited him in to meet her parents. It also seemed that, for every one of their dates, they went to a restaurant or club or sometimes to a movie that was across town and never anything close to their homes or school. Mike asked her about this, and she just said that these were places she always wanted to check out. That Friday he asked her to go to the senior prom with him. She didn't answer right away, although she said she would give him an answer next week.
This went on pretty much the same for the rest of the week, although on Friday he spotted Chuck and Kathy sitting in the cafeteria during lunch and decided that since he hadn't spoken to them much in the last two weeks he would join them for lunch. After joining them, they just started a friendly conversation asking how things were going as if nothing ever happened.
Chuck asked. "So what have you been doing all week? I haven't seen you around much."
Mike said. "I asked Michelle last week if she would to go to prom with me. She hasn't answered yet but I've already bought the tickets and rented a tux. I've also arranged for a limousine. Why don't the both of you and your dates join us?
Chuck said. "I'm going to the prom with Kelly Parker. And I don't think Kathy has a date yet?
Mike then turned to Kathy and asked her. "Aren't you planning on going to the prom?"
Kathy looked at me and said. "Nobody has asked me yet." He could see her acting as a little uncomfortable, so he asked, "What is it Kathy?"
She said. "I don't know how to tell you this Mike. Brad asked Michelle to be his date to the prom yesterday and she said yes."
"But how can this be we've been going out together at the last couple of weeks, and she just accepts Brad's invitation to the prom instead of mine?" Mike asked.
"Mike, she has been going out with Brad and the rest of the A-list crowd the whole time you were dating. Didn't you notice that she never brought you to any of the hangouts that she has with her other friends or introduced you to them or her parents?" Kathy said.
"I guess I'm the world's greatest schmuck, I spent hundreds of dollars on her over these last few weeks and this is what she thought of me?" he said while wandering off.
Mike just wandered around the school campus for a while to finally come across Michelle. He asked her, "Michelle, is it true that you're going to the prom with Brad? I thought we were going together now?"
"Mike, I like you a lot. You're sweet and romantic and everything a girl could want as far as romance goes. However, my friends and parents expect me to go with someone like Brad. These last few weeks have been great dating both you and Brad, but I can't see you any more. So I'm sorry I'm going to go with Brad." Michelle explained.
Mike was kind of in shock and wandered around for a while, until, finally, he met up with Chuck and Kathy again. He told them what had happened and then said, "Kathy since it seems like neither one of us as a date to the prom. Why don't we go together?"
"Mike you really are a bastard! I've been following you around for years, but you don't notice me. I've even helped to get Michelle after both Chuck, and I warned you about her nature. However, NO you didn't believe any of us and went ahead and spent hundreds of dollars on her with all your romancing. Now you have the gall to come up to me and ask if I'll go to the prom with you as if you were asking just another buddy. I am not somebody's rebound. Nevertheless, you'd think I deserve romance too. So no Mike I will not go to the prom with you. I don't play the second fiddle to anyone." Kathy said while running off crying.
Looking sheepishly in shock at the way he had treated his beautiful best friend whom had hurt so badly, Mike made a decision.
That night, just as Kathy was crawling into her bed after crying most of the night, she heard:
I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of
moonlight.
I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night.
The roses are sighing a Moonlight Serenade.
The stars are aglow and tonight how their light sets me dreaming.
My love, do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming?
I bring you and sing you a Moonlight Serenade.
Let us stray till break of day
in love's valley of dreams.
Just you and I, a summer sky,
a heavenly breeze kissing the trees.
So don't let me wait, come to me tenderly in the June night.
I stand at your gate and I sing you a song in the moonlight,
a love song, my darling, a Moonlight Serenade.
First edit by IceWolf
Final edit by RevDeacon