I was standing outside of Johnny's door, nervous. I didn't want to embarrass myself. 

Quickly, I looked at myself in the reflection of the door. My hair was in my eyes, so I brushed it back with my hands. I also pulled my shirt down a bit. A part of my abdomen was exposed. I quickly straightened everything out. 

Before I knew it, I raised my hand to the door, and began to knock. 

The door swung open. 

"Ponyboy!" exclaimed Johnny. He pulled me into the house, and kissed both of my cheeks. 

"Hi, Johnny," I said with a smile. He smiled back. 

"I'm assuming your parents said si to you spending the night?" he asked. I felt myself frown. 

"Actually, my parents died a few months ago.." I whispered, trailing off. Johnny's eyes widened. 

"Oh! I'm so scusa, I didn't know, il mio amore!" he replied. I shook my head. 

"It's alright. I just don't like talking about 'em too much. I live with my brothers Darry and Sodapop," I stated. Johnny smiled. 

"Ah, so they have diverso names like you!" he exclaimed. He looked excited. I couldn't help but smile. 

"Yeah, they do. They're the best brothers I could ask for," I said. I didn't want to tell Johnny that I had a favoritism towards Sodapop, at least not yet. 

"Ah, well, that's bene!" he exclaimed with a giggle. 

There he goes again, giggling. God, that giggle is the best thing I've ever heard, I thought to myself. 

"Can I ask you something?" I blurted out. Johnny looked taken aback, but he nodded. He also reached to close the front door, which I just noticed was still open.

"Si, what is it?" he replied. I felt myself go a bit red from embarrassment, 

"What does il mio amore mean?" I asked. I saw Johnny chuckle. 

"It means my love."

-

Johnny had put on an old Italian record. I had no clue what any of the words meant, but I could tell it was a love song. 

Johnny danced gracefully to the soft music, practically gliding on his feet. He was truly a sight for soar eyes. He looked gorgeous and angelic on his feet. 

Suddenly, I heard a grumble, followed by a giggle. 

"Oops! That was my stomach. I guess I'm affamato. How about you?" he asked. He had stopped dancing, and I was slightly disappointed. 

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," I stated. Johnny smiled, and walked to the record player, turning off the music. 

Then, he looked me in the eyes.

"Tonight, you're going to have some real Italiano food."

-

Johnny and I stepped into the kitchen. It was small, yet sensible. There was a pretty light blue curtain covering the window, and there were flowers on the counter. 

Johnny turned to face me. 

"Well, what would you like to eat?" he asked with a smile. I froze. 

"Oh, well.. It doesn't matter as long as it's good.." I replied, trailing off. Johnny took my hand. 

"How about some spaghetti alla puttanesca?" he offered. I nodded my head.

"That sounds perfect, actually," I replied, biting my cheek. Johnny grinned. 

"Alright, well, I'll get started."

-

I was watching Johnny cook, when he turned to face me. 

"Ponyboy?" he asked. I looked him in the eyes.

"Yes?" I replied. I saw Johnny's cheeks flush pink. "What's wrong, Johnnycakes?"

"Well, I don't want this to be strano for you, but would you mind if I took my shirt off? I always cook without one because of the heat.." he said, trailing off. I immediately felt my cheeks turn bright red. 

"Y- yeah, that's fine. Do whatever makes you comfortable!" I stuttered. I bit my lip. 

Johnny took a deep breathe, and then pulled at the hem of his white t-shirt which was a bit too tight for him. 

He took his shirt off. 

Immediately, I noticed how tan his skin on his stomach and chest was. It was like caramel. TO top it all off, he was sort of ripped. I could see the outline of his abs, and I could see muscle definition in his arms. 

His hair was also scruffy, sticking out in different directions. He didn't really use hair grease, which made his hair softer.

But, the thing that really got me was his lower bottom. His jeans were hanging low on his hips, which allowed me to see the top of his boxers. 

They were red. 

I tried to look away, but it failed. 

"You like what you see?" he asked, cockily. 

I diverted my eyes, and shook my head. 

You're a liar, Curtis, I thought.

-

Johnny and I were sitting on his bed, watching some TV. It was a comedy program, whose name I didn't catch. Every now and then, we would laugh. 

We were both drinking tea. Johnny insisted that I drank with him. He told me that back in Italy, that's all he would drink. 

I didn't want to say no to him. I couldn't even if I wanted to. 

His puppy dog eyes just made my heart melt, and they made me go weak in the knees.

"Do you think we should go to dormire soon?" he asked out of nowhere. I looked at him. 

He didn't have a shirt on, so his chest was still exposed. He was also wearing a pair of tight grey sweat pants, along with his beanie. 

I wanted to giggle. I couldn't believe that he was wearing a hat. 

"Sure, but what's up with the hat?" I questioned. He giggled, again. 

"My capelli is a mess! So, I cover it with hat!" he exclaimed. This time, it was my turn to laugh. The way he spoke English was so cute. 

"Alright, alright. Well, I guess we should sleep," I stated, turning the television off. 

I got up from the bed. 

"Pony, where are you going?" he asked. I gave him a strange look.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch," I replied, confused. Johnny shuck his head. 

"No, no. You can sleep in the bed with me!" he exclaimed, pulling me back down. 

I felt myself submerge into a sea of blankets, as well as warm skin on my back. 

"Alright, Johnathan Cade, but, you asked for this!" I screamed. 

I reached out, and started to tickle him. 

"Oh, no! No! Please s- stop!" he laughed, squirming under my touch. 

I continued to move my fingers, going between his ribs. 

"Please!" he laughed. 

I finally stopped. 

"Goodnight, Johnnycakes," I whispered, turning the light off.

This time, I gave him a kiss on the forehead.