"So get this. Last night I was singing in the shower, and it was all fun and games until I got shampoo in my mouth and after that, all I could sing was soap opera.

I rolled my eyes at my best friends 'punny' jokes. Not.

"Jeez, how big of a gob do you have if you manage to get shampoo in it?" I asked to which he flashed a grin in return, probably thinking of another one as we walked to school together.

I didn't have to wait long.

"Knock knock." He suddenly said.

"Whose there?" I asked, humouring him.

"A broken pencil."

"A broken pencil who?"

"Nevermind, it's pointless." He said before laughing as if he had told the funniest joke in the world.

"Ha." I replied dryly.

He suddenly stopped and looked at me with a serious expression, not one I was used to seeing on his face, his green eyes boring into mine.

"On my tombstone please write, 'Not appreciating my puns when I was alive was a grave mistake.' "

I let out a breath I was holding and shoved him on his arm, "Not funny, Taylor."

Laughing his infectious laugh, I couldn't help but smile as he placed an arm around me, "Hey, I was thinking, I'm ready to stop being a cactI and ready to start being a cactUS. What do you think?"

My breath halted as I looked at the person I had started to like more than a friend and wondered if there was more to this pun than the usual ones. But before either of us could get a word out, I felt someone's arm link into my own.

"Hello, my lovlies." Said Kirsten- my other best friend whom I had known since toddler years- slipping into the conversation easily. "Guess what I did?"

"What"? Asked Taylor, moving his arm from me to bunch his hands into his jacket pockets, against the autumn cold.

"I lost my phone. I tried ringing it on my sisters, but the bloody things on silent." She said with a puff of annoyance.

"So you basically lost your phone and it's on silent?" Asked Taylor, raising an eyebrow to which Kristen nodded her red head glumly. "That's too bad. If you liked it, you should have put a ring on it."

"Oh my god, Taylor. So help me god, I gonna kill you if you keep up with these puns so early on in the morning." She said, glaring at him behind her glasses.

Ignoring her threat, he continued to speak.

"Did you hear about what happened to my mate David the other day?" He asked.

"I didn't know you had a mate called Da-"
Before Kirsten could finish the sentence, Taylor interrupted her.

"Poor David had his ID stolen. Now we just call him Dav."

I let out a little chuckle, "Okay, that was kind of funny, I got to admit."

I was rewarded with a breathtakingly handsome smile that made my heart skip a beat.

"Stop humouring him, Allison. He's just going to continue until I physically tape his mouth shut." Kirsten said.
I was glad I was walking in the middle of them both just in case Kirsten carried out with her threat. "Just as well you don't have a girlfriend yet, you'd drive her nuts with your puns."

"I do have one." He replied smoothly, staring straight ahead as Kristen and I whipped our heads so fast to look at him.

"Since when? Why didn't you tell us? Who is she?" Trust Kirsten to talk faster than she could breathe.

"Well, she's not from here. She's from another nation."

"Which nation?" Asked Kirsten, and before he opened his mouth to answer, I knew what it be.

"My imagiNATION. Lol." He said.

Kirstens eye was twitching by now but I couldn't help but be relieved that it was just another pun.

"Hey, I was thinking..." Taylor said.

"A really bad idea." Piped in Kristen.

"What if..."

"What is it, Taylor?" I asked, glancing at him from the corner of my eye to see an expression of confusion.

"What if Cinderella was a baking slave instead of a cleaning slave, and her name was Mozzerella?"

I genuinely did not know how to answer that.

Kristen did, as always.

"I do. Hallelujah. The school doors are in sight. I shall be off before I kill Taylor."
She let go of my arm and gave me a small wave and flipped a middle finger at Taylor who only smiled in reply before she turned around and quickly walked towards the school entrance where already other students were making their way in.

There was a brief silence only to be broken when Taylor opened his mouth again.

"You know...if you were a triangle, you'd be acute one."

Even though my heart skipped a beat, I kept my voice steady, "Taylor, you're puns could use some work."

"Can I tie your shoelaces? I don't want you falling for anyone else." He said as we began to walk to school.

Was it me or were his usual long strides a lot shorter today.

"I value my breath so it would be nice if you didn't take it every time you walked past."

"Taylor, stop it." I said, getting annoyed. What was it with him today and all the puns? I knew he'd drop a couple here and there but today was the most he said ever.

He stopped suddenly and turned to face me, his pretty eyes on me, causing me to me blush.

"Are you a practice room? Because I want you and I hope you're not taken."

I threw him a small glare, "Stop playing with my feelings, jerk."
I turned and walked without him, angry at myself for letting his puns get to me. But these puns were hitting a lot closer to home than I'd like to admit.

I felt a warm hand encircle my wrist and tug me gently until I was facing Taylors sheepish smile.

"Look, I don't know how to say this. But I really do like you. More than a friend. So, would you like to go out with me?" He asked, his ears turning red as he cleared his throat, looking at the ground. When I didn't speak, he carried on talking, "I didn't know how to say it so I thought I'd try with puns...I'm sorry if they offended you."

I looked at him, my mouth agape in surprise.
He finally looked at me, when he didn't get an answer and must have confused my expression with rejection because his face fell, before he smiled again- one that didn't reach his eyes.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with my confession. Forget it was ever said."

I grabbed onto his jacket arm, not allowing him to go.

"Are you a broom?" I asked with a grin so wide it threatened to split my face, "Cos you swept me off my feet, since last year." It was his turn to look surprised, making me smile, "It took you long enough, Taylor."

He threw his head back and laughed and without a care if other students were looking or not, he picked me up and twirled me around making me squeal in surprise, before putting me back on my feet and planting a soft kiss on my lips.

"Do you mind if I walk you home after school? My mum always told me to follow my dreams." He said, his face close to mine and I laughed, nodding my head, too happy to speak.

Who knew a morning filled with puns would see my best friend becoming my boyfriend.

Life sure worked in punny ways.

Word count- 1290