A/N: I don't own Hairspray or these lyrics. They belong to Marc Shaiman and Emerson Drive, respectively.
I Should Be Sleeping
By Nor of Kiamo Ko
I never knew there were such great movies
On TV at three a.m.
I'd never guessed on midnight Tuesday
I could have pizza ordered in
I've never been a real night owl
But these days I'm all turned around
There's only one thing I'm sure of right now
Link inhaled another slice of pepperoni as he considered Rick's immortal words: "Here's looking at you, kid." God, that's a great line. Maybe I'll use it on Tracy tomorrow night. Like a toast or something.
Wait. Maybe she's never seen Casablanca. She wouldn't get it. It wasn't a wild idea. Link had never seen Casablanca until he, unable to even consider going to bed at ten o'clock, had tuned the TV in to some random channel. When the movie ended at midnight, he still wasn't tired, so he'd ordered a pizza. Now it was two in the morning, there was one slice of pizza left, and sleep still seemed impossible.
He had a date with Tracy tomorrow night. He'd asked her out at the pageant, and she'd smiled and said, "That sounds great!"
Whoa. What does that mean? "That sounds great" was something you said to a friend when they suggested that the two of you go bowling, not something you said to a guy who'd just offered to take you out to Chez Mario, the swankiest Italian restaurant in Baltimore. Maybe something like, "You're absolutely amazing!" accompanied by another kiss.
He had never been so gone over a girl before. To the best of his knowledge, he'd never lost a wink of sleep over Amber. He ate the last piece of pizza and tried to come up with something else to fill his insomnia.
I should be sleeping,
'Stead of keeping
These late hours I've been keeping
I've been pacing and retracing
Every step of every move
And even though I'm feeling so right
I'm so happy, still I know I
Should be sleeping
'Stead of dreaming about you
"Uggggh…" Link was dying. He leaned over and put his head on the steering wheel. Why didn't I sleep last night again?
Just then, Tracy stepped out of her house in a red dress that Link had never seen on her before. Her hair was down and curled into shiny ringlets, and her lipstick was some crimsony color that he didn't have a name for. She spotted his car and beamed.
Oh, yeah. That's why.
He got out of the car to give her a hug right there on the street corner. "Hey, little darlin'."
"Hi." Link smiled down at her as she stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. That was something he'd noticed about her: she was so tiny, but she seemed easier to hold than most girls he'd been with. Maybe it was because she was so soft; it was a good thing, definitely good…
"Link?"
He snapped back into the present. "Yeah?"
"Are you ready to go?"
"Oh, sure." He went around to the passenger side and opened the door for her with a dramatic bow, making her giggle.
I never knew that I was funny
Till I went and made you laugh
Never liked a girl to call me honey
But you did, and I liked that
It was a short drive to Chez Mario; after they parked, Link got out once again to open the door for Tracy.
"Thanks, hon--" Tracy froze mid-word. "I mean, Link. Sorry."
"No, it's okay." He grinned like he'd just won the lottery. "Really." She smiled back, obviously still a little embarrassed.
I've been thinking about your smile
Trying to read between the lines
Looks like I'll be here for a while
I should be sleeping
'Stead of keeping
These late hours I've been keeping
I've been pacing and retracing
Every step of every move
Even though I'm feeling so right
I'm so happy, still I know I
Should be sleeping
'Stead of dreaming about you
They were seated quickly; Link felt a little bad passing by all those people who were waiting by the front door, but he was still relieved that he'd gotten reservations. This place was packed.
He vaguely remembered ordering some kind of chicken he couldn't pronounce; she ordered mushroom ravioli and an iced tea. She ate very carefully, chewing every bite slowly and looking like she really enjoyed it.
She's cute when she eats.
Stop. Please. Part of him was getting annoyed.
I can't. The other part of him was grinning like an idiot.
After just three days
And one great kiss
It's way too soon
To be obsessing like this
"You want some dessert?" Link asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"I would love some dessert."
Link tried to keep his relieved sigh in. She didn't say it sounded great. Good!
They stopped at his favorite ice cream place and split a chocolate sundae. They were getting to the very bottom of the bowl when Link's vision started to blur a little.
"Link? Link, are you okay?"
He jerked himself awake. "Mm-hm?"
She chuckled. "You look tired."
He leaned across the table and kissed her. She tasted like fudge.
"I'm fine."
I should be sleeping
'Stead of keeping
These late hours I've been keeping
I've been pacing and retracing
Every step of every move
Even though I'm feeling so right
I'm so happy, still I know I
Should be sleeping
'Stead of dreaming about you