Chapter 13
Graham, Then
Sunny: Meet me in the field once this is over?
A smile tugs on the corner of my mouth as I glance up, finding Charley across the room.
She’s surrounded by my sisters and a few other friends, not looking in my direction, but the twitch to her lip tells me she knows my eyes are on her.
In a short black sundress and a pair of combat boots, with her black hair cascading down her back in loose waves, Charley is a dream.
She’s breathtaking, and as she laughs at whatever her friends are saying, I can’t look away.
Me: We continuing the celebration over there, just the two of us?
Her eighteenth birthday was a few days ago, so my sisters threw her a party at our house today.
It’s been going on for a few hours, but I got home not that long ago from work.
I scored a part-time summer job working in the kitchen at the old diner near the high school.
I’m not doing a whole lot of cooking, mostly on fry duty, but it’s been fun… kind of.
Sunny: Yup, and I know of a perfect way we could do that… ;)
Heat blooms low in my stomach as I reread the message, wondering if Charley means what I think she does. I lift my gaze again, this time finding her already looking at me, and the smirk she’s wearing and the flirty glint in her eyes tell me all I need to know.
Me: Oh, really? Do tell, Sunny, I’m dying to know.
My pulse quickens as I wait for her response to come through.
It’s been a few months since the first time we kissed—my first kiss—and we’ve been secretly seeing each other ever since.
A couple of nights a week when I’m not working, we’ll meet in the field or I’ll sneak into her room through her bedroom window.
We’ll talk, listen to music, drink a little bit sometimes, and fool around.
After secretly pining over Charley for years now, all of this still feels so surreal.
Last week, we were in her room late at night, kissing and dry humping, and it started to go further than that when she unbuttoned my pants, but then her dad woke up and we heard him in the hall so I had to leave quickly.
Ever since then, I’ve been dying to do more with her, and I know she wants to too because it was her who made the move to open my pants, but we haven’t yet.
Mostly because she’s been pretty busy with my sisters and getting ready to go off to college, and I’ve been working as much as I can before football practice starts and I have to quit.
The phone vibrates in my hand, and it feels like an aphrodisiac, with the way my body responds.
Sunny: I think you know what I want to do. Maybe come…prepared.
Fuck yeah!
It’s happening.
Charley and I are having sex. Tonight.
Me: I’ll be there…
Having spent the afternoon in a hot kitchen, sweating my ass off, I decide to duck away from the party and take a shower.
It’ll kill the time too, because now I’m antsy as hell for everyone to leave.
In the bathroom, I clean up the scruff on my face, then decide to do a little trimming below the waist before hopping in the shower.
My stomach is full of butterflies, and if I’m being honest with myself, I’m kind of nervous too.
This will be my first time, and even though we’ve never explicitly discussed it, I have a feeling this isn’t hers, so I’m worried about being bad at it, or not living up to whatever expectations she may have.
My junior year starts soon, and I’m probably one of the only guys still a virgin in the grade, and the fact that I’m one of the star football players makes it more embarrassing.
It’s not that I’ve never had the opportunity to hook up with girls, I just…
I don’t know, haven’t wanted to. I think maybe I was holding out, subconsciously, in hopes of doing it with Charley for my first time.
That always felt more like a pipe dream until recently, but now that it’s happening, I feel like I could throw up from the nerves rushing through my system.
Once I’m out of the shower, I take my time getting dressed, deciding on a simple pair of jeans and a band tee, not wanting to look like I over thought it, even though I did.
Then I run some gel through my hair and get it how I like it.
By the time I’m done with all that, I’ve successfully killed about an hour, but given the fact that I haven’t heard anyone in the house, I’m guessing the party isn’t over yet.
Meandering downstairs, I grab a Gatorade from the fridge before popping outback to steal one of the burgers my stepdad grilled earlier, catching Charley’s eye as I do. She walks over inconspicuously, eating a few chips out of the bowl on the table beside me.
“Did you get all cleaned up just for me?” she asks, her icy-blue eyes dragging down my frame before coming back to my face.
“Maybe I did.” A smirk slides into place as I hold her gaze.
“I like that,” she drawls. “You look hot.”
“So do you, birthday girl.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes twinkle. “Wore the dress on purpose.”
Heat races down my spine, but before I can respond, Charley’s pulled away when Georgia calls her over.
Almost everyone has left, and it’s really just my sisters and her, so I’m hoping she’s able to go home soon.
After I finish eating, I head upstairs again to brush my teeth.
Then I spray on a little of the cologne Charley seems to love before slipping my feet into my brand-new Nike’s.
I check my phone after hearing Grace shut the door to her room right next to mine, my heart pounding when I notice a new message from Charley.
Sunny: Meet me there in 30 minutes.
Me: You got it.
The butterflies swarming around in my stomach multiply as I busy myself, trying to kill time. About ten minutes before I leave, there’s a knock at my door. Shit.
“Come in,” I call out.
Grace pokes her head in. “What are you doing?” she asks before adding, “Wanna do a movie night?”
“Can’t,” I blurt out. “I’m going over to Landon’s house soon.”
She huffs a breath. “Really? That’s lame.”
“Tomorrow?” I suggest.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Popular.” Grace rolls her eyes before closing my door on her way out.
If it were up to me, we would’ve told my sisters already.
Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is, but Charley is convinced they’ll hate her if they knew.
As if anybody in my family could ever hate her, she’s practically the fourth daughter.
I’m hoping once she goes to college, she’ll become comfortable enough to tell them because the sneaking around gets old.
Especially when we’re all in the same place, like we were today, and I have to pretend like nothing’s there.
I want to be able to hold her hand in front of people, kiss her freely.
The walk over to the field is a jittery one, my heart about to beat right out of my chest. Strolling through the rows of sunflowers, my stomach tightens as I spot Charley.
She’s sitting on a blanket, in the spot she’s always in.
Her back is to me, long, dark hair pulled over one of her shoulders, and her hands are planted on the blanket behind her as she looks up at the sky.
It’s not quite dark yet, but it will be soon, and there’s a few stars visible already.
Charley must hear my footsteps because she glances over her shoulder, a smile spreading as our gazes meet.
“Hi,” she says softly, and I wonder if she’s as nervous as I am.
“Hey, Sunny.” Sitting beside her, I mimic her position, my eyes never leaving hers. “You enjoy the party?”
Biting her bottom lip, she nods. “I did, but what I was really looking forward to was being here, with you.”
“Me too. Been thinking about getting you alone all damn day.”
“Really?” She smirks. “All day, huh?”
I nod. “All week, actually. We’ve barely seen each other.”
“I know, I hate it.” Charley groans, letting her head fall back. “But we’re here now…” she murmurs before fisting the front of my shirt and pulling me into her.
Our lips collide, and as my tongue slips into her mouth, she tastes sweet and, like always, it’s easy to lose myself in her kiss.
She lies down, and I settle between her legs, my hands planted on either side of her head as everything intensifies.
Her warm, soft hands slip under my shirt, exploring my back as both of us become more frenzied by the minute.
“Did you bring one?” she asks breathlessly as my lips leave hers and trail across her jaw to her neck. I nip at the flesh, feeling her body tremble under mine.
I nod, my heart going a mile a minute, but I can’t tell if it’s more from nerves or arousal. Maybe both.
“Do you wanna…” Charley doesn’t finish her sentence, but she doesn’t have to. The question sits loud and clear between us.
Pulling back to look in her eyes, which are dark and hooded, I say, “Are you sure? We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”
Her full pink lips are parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath she takes, and even in minimal lighting, I can make out the beautiful flush to her cheeks. “I am ready,” she says, voice raspy and doing all kinds of things to my insides. “Are you?”
My throat is tight and my skin tingles as fire swims through my veins just below the surface. I nod. “Yeah, I am too.”
A small smile tugs on her mouth before her lips are on mine again.
The kiss starts out heated and rushed before shifting to a more slow and sensual pace.
My entire body is thrumming with desire, every touch and grind against one another getting us closer to what we both want, and when it comes time for me to grab the condom from my pocket, all I can think about is Charley, and this moment, and how this is really about to happen.
Ripping a corner of the foil wrapper with my teeth, she holds my gaze as I roll it on, my palms sweaty, and my hands shaking the entire time.
Sitting back, I hold her darkened gaze as I drag her panties down her legs, tossing the black lacy material beside us before settling on top of her again.
The blood is roaring in my ears, and I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous.
Charley reaches up and cups my face in her palm, caressing my bottom lip with her thumb.
“Just breathe,” she says, as if she can sense my racing heart. Bringing her legs around my waist, she pulls me closer, and I drop my hands on the blanket on either side of her head. “Go slow and kiss me.”
My lungs fill with air, and I press my mouth to hers, feeling a little bit of the nerves roll off my body. And then the outside world fades away as I give myself to her.
To Charley.
The girl I’ve always loved, the one I know I always will.
This is happening. It’s her and me, and it’s better than I ever could’ve imagined.