Chapter Ten
The rest of winter break was glorious. Jason and I spent as much time together as possible, and it felt like we had been together for much longer than a few weeks. I knew him so well in so many ways, yet there were still so many new things I was learning about him. It felt both comfortable and exhilarating being with him.
After winter break was over, I got to experience what it was like having my boyfriend attend the same college as me. Meeting between classes and eating lunch together may have sounded banal, but it was something I had never experienced before and I found it exciting. Pretty soon, it felt like we had been together forever. Jason’s life and mine weaved together, bound tightly by our connection. Our lives settled into a routine, where most of our time outside of classes were spent at Jason’s house. My relationship with Jason’s family, especially his mom, was rekindled, as we spent a lot of time just sitting with her and talking, since she didn’t leave the house much unless it was to go to the hospital for her treatments.
My mom came to visit his mother a few times as well, and Mrs. Mayors always perked up when they started talking about the old days and the challenges of raising us. We had to re-hear stories of the mischief we caused when we were young, and it would have both our moms gasping for breath as they laughed. Jason and I both grinned and beared it, because we were happy for anything that would bring some levity into his mom’s life.
Before we knew it, it was the last day of classes before spring break. I was walking with Shelby from the college library when I heard footsteps behind me approaching quickly. I turned around and my heart swelled when I saw Jason. I didn’t know when I would stop feeling excited every time I saw his athletic figure coming towards me, his dark hair glinting in the sunlight and his eyes bright and blue, looking happy to see me.
“Daphne,” he said, sounding a bit breathless, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiled widely at me. “I was calling your name for a while.” He glanced at Shelby, smiling at her as well. “Hey, Shelby.”
“Hi, Jason,” I said, feeling lighter and happier just by his presence. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“Blame me,” Shelby said, sighing dramatically. “I was busy filling her in about my catastrophe of a dating life. She was probably so horrified by my latest date that she blocked everything else out.”
I laughed at her disgusted tone. Shelby had had a string of bad dates, and her latest one did top all the others. Jason grinned at her sympathetically.
“Senior year is almost over,” he said. “Wait until we get out into the real world to find a good guy.”
Shelby scoffed. “I doubt things will get better then. It’ll just be jerks with jobs.”
I was happy that Jason and Shelby had struck up an easy friendship these past few months. It made it fun when we all hung out together. Shelby filled Jason in about her latest dating catastrophe as we continued walking. We both commiserated with her when she told us the guy argued that splitting the bill down the middle was unfair because her entree had been a dollar more than his. After calling him every insult we could think of to call him cheap, Shelby waved goodbye since she still had one class left for the day while we were done.
After parting ways with Shelby, Jason slung his arm over my shoulder. The weight of his arm felt safe and grounding. The scent of his cologne was like a familiar hug wrapping around me.
“My mom’s scan was this afternoon,” Jason said as we walked towards the parking lot. “We’re just waiting on the results.”
Mrs. Mayors had finished her last round of chemotherapy and was now waiting to see if it had been effective in eliminating her cancer. I felt my stomach churn in nervousness. I was praying that the cancer would be gone and she wouldn’t need further treatment. Jason and I decided to go to his house since we couldn’t concentrate on anything else until the results came in.
“Jason!” Eric yelled when we stepped in through the front door. “Mom’s cancer-free! The scan was clean!”
I could see the profound relief on Jason’s face as he heard the news. He hugged his brother, and I could see Eric’s eyes welling up with tears. I stepped back, wanting to give them some privacy, but Eric turned to me after their embrace. I was surprised when he hugged me as well, but his joy just seemed to be overflowing.
“She did it, Daphne,” Eric said, his voice thick with emotion. “She beat it.”
I hugged him back, my own eyes filling with tears. I saw Jason watching us with a smile on his face.
“Mom and Dad are in the living room,” Eric said when we parted. “C’mon.”
Jason grabbed my hand as we made our way to the living room. More hugs were had, and I couldn’t stop the tears when Mrs. Mayors hugged me tightly and thanked me for being there for her.
They decided to have a celebratory dinner at home, since Mrs. Mayors was still gaining her strength back. I tried to excuse myself, since I wanted to give them private family time, but they insisted I stay.
Everyone was in high spirits, and we talked and laughed, along with shedding a few tears, over a fancy takeout dinner of steak and lobster. I soaked in the joy in Jason’s eyes. He looked as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he could finally breathe.
After dinner, Jason drove me home. We didn’t talk much on the drive, but Jason would periodically squeeze my hand he was holding, and I could feel his happiness.
“I forgot about tomorrow in all the excitement,” he said when he pulled into my driveway. He put the car in park and turned to me.
“What’s tomorrow?” I asked, puzzled. Tomorrow was Saturday, and while we spent most weekends together, I didn’t remember having any specific plans for tomorrow.
“I made a reservation for us.”
“Where?” I asked. “Is it somewhere we’ve eaten before?”
Jason shook his head slowly. “Not a restaurant reservation. A hotel reservation.”
I swallowed audibly. Jason and I had gone as far as we physically could in a car, but we always stopped short on actually making love, since he insisted he didn’t want our first time to be in a car. We had never discussed when or where we would be together for the first time, but obviously Jason had been planning. My pulse quickened rapidly and my body reacted instinctively. I suddenly felt overheated.
Jason glanced at me when I didn’t say anything. “Only if you want to. No pressure.”
“I think a hotel room is a good idea,” I said, taking a deep breath. I was more than ready to go to the next level with Jason, but I was also nervous. I had never been with someone before, and I was afraid my inexperience would make me awkward.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 5,” Jason said. “Do you think your mom will be okay with you staying the night somewhere else?”
I straightened my shoulders. “Of course. I’m an adult.”
In reality, I knew I would tell my mom some excuse. Probably that I was spending the night over at Shelby’s. I didn’t think my mom would exactly object to me spending the night with Jason, but I also didn’t want to discuss something so personal that hadn’t even happened yet.
Jason leaned over to give me a gentle kiss, smiling at me softly. “Tomorrow, then.”