19. Autumn
CHAPTER 19
AUTUMN
I walk in the front door and find Scarlett standing there with her arms crossed. “Hey, what’s up?” I ask.
“What’s up? You spent the night with Rogan and didn’t text me or call me on your way home like you should have. I have to wait to hear what happened until you’re home? Maybe we’re not best friends after all.” She pretends to sulk, but I know better.
“It’s nice to see you too.” I drop my keys on the table.
“Get your ass on the couch and tell me what happened,” she orders in a tone that leaves no room for arguing.
I head to the living room and plop down on one end of the couch. She sits on the other end, facing me. “Walk me through your night.”
“When I got there, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. There was a sea breeze, and it was so peaceful. We returned to his house and had sundaes with the leftover ice cream. And while I got ready for bed, he set up an air mattress on his three-season back porch.”
“Tell me he at least put a sheet on it for you.” She snickers.
“Oh, not only did he put a sheet on it, but he put a comforter and blankets and lots of pillows. It was so cozy.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet.”
“Yep. And he left the string lights that run around the edge of the ceiling on, so it was kind of romantic.”
“Get to the good stuff. Did he sleep with you?”
“He said he’d sleep on the couch and I asked him to sleep with me. He was a perfect gentleman.”
“Really? So you didn’t get lucky?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Her eyes go so wide, I can see the whites around her irises. “You had sex.”
“There was no penetration. Well, not with a penis anyway.”
“You got finger banged?”
“Yeah, and he went…” I point to my vagina.
“Down?”
“Yep.”
“Oh my God.” She claps her hands and kicks her feet. “I’m so happy for you.”
I laugh. “Thank you. I feel a little like I lost my virginity.”
“Well, you kind of did in a sense.”
“Actually, I kind of did in more than one sense. Guess how.” I smile and wait for her to reply.
She purses her lips, twisting them from side to side, her eyes looking toward the ceiling. “I’ve got it! He gave you an orgasm.”
“Yes.”
“Whoo. Now you know what you were missing out on.” She moves her shoulders side to side, dancing in her seat,
I laugh and say, “I knew already.”
“Yeah, but it’s always more powerful when someone else gives you one. If they know what they’re doing anyway.”
“It was mind-blowing.”
“How did you leave things?”
“I asked him if he’d want to be in a relationship with me and he said yes. And then he asked me to be his girlfriend.”
“Get the fuck out.”
“I’m serious.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him yes.”
She jumps to her feet and races over, diving on top of me. She holds on to me like a koala. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. Now, get off of me, please.”
She laughs and falls to the cushion beside me. “I can’t believe you agreed. I thought for sure you’d fight him off for much longer.”
“You know, I wanted to, but he’s so easy to talk to. He makes me laugh, and I’m comfortable around him. I’m sure I’ll freak out later about it. Especially when I have to go to work. There wasn’t anything in my contract that said I wasn’t allowed to date a player, but I want to make sure we’re professional whenever we’re at the stadium.”
“Definitely. It’s best to keep your relationship separate from your work.”
Rising, I stretch my arms over my head. “I need to get some work done.”
“I might take a nap. I was up late finishing a project and then didn’t sleep well.”
“Aww, did you miss me?”
“I did, but I’m happy you were with Rogan. I’m still shocked about the relationship thing.”
“Why? Because he’s a football player?”
“No.” She scowls. “I’m not surprised because of that. I saw how he was with you the other day at his house. He looked smitten, and even his friend Cooper told me Rogan has it bad for you. You’re the reason I can’t believe it. I figured if he tried to lock you down you’d fight him tooth and nail.”
“Right? Who am I? I don’t even know myself right now.”
She grins. “I love seeing you embracing life and running with it.”
“Or embracing Rogan,” I joke. “But I couldn’t take the chance of missing out on such a great guy.”
“Especially after he made you come.” She winks.
“Exactly.”
We park near the VA Beach Boardwalk and get out of Rogan’s Jeep. The sun is setting and the sky is a breathtaking mix of orange, yellow, and pink as I stare out over the horizon. The beach is less crowded than I anticipated, and the evening air is warm but not stifling. Late August is always my favorite time of the year, even though it’s bittersweet with the end of summer’s approach.
Rogan clasps hold of my hand and drags in a deep breath through his nostrils. “Something smells good.”
“Hmm, it does. What food is it? French fries?”
He sniffs the air. “I smell popcorn.”
“Ooh, yeah. Me too.” I focus on my next few breaths. “I think I smell funnel cake.”
“Yes. It smells like a carnival.” Rogan grins at me. “Shall we walk?”
“I’m ready.” We walk down to the boardwalk that runs parallel to the beach. “Why is this called a boardwalk if it’s made of concrete and not wood?”
“I actually know the answer to this because I wondered myself. It used to be made of wood until 1926 when it was destroyed by a fire.”
“I didn’t realize it was that old. How many miles long is it?”
“Three. I can’t believe you haven’t been here before.”
“I said I’d been to some restaurants and to a music festival, but all of that was down at the other end. I’ve never walked the whole boardwalk.”
“This is my favorite part of this area. I love walking on the beach, but sometimes it feels like too much work, and having a boardwalk is a nice change.”
People ride by us on bikes and scooters and runners jog by as we stroll along, taking our time. “Whoa, what’s that?” I point to what looks like a large statue ahead of us.
“It’s King Neptune.”
As we approach, I can’t take my eyes off of the bronze creation. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s thirty-four feet tall to the point of his trident.” He points out some other details I missed, and I enjoy his enthusiastic delivery. He can’t help but be charming.
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“I did a tour when I first moved here and I remember some of what I learned. This statue is amazing, so of course the details stuck with me.”
“We need a picture of us standing in front of him.” I wave to a couple of teenage girls. “Hey, would you mind taking a pic of us? I figured you’re the generation that knows how to take the best pictures.”
They both smile, and one of them says, “Sure.”
I hand over my phone, and Rogan and I get into position in front of King Neptune. He wraps his arm around me, drawing me close, and we smile. I retrace my steps back to the girls. “Thank you so much. Would you like me to take your picture?”
“No, thanks.” With a quick wave from each of them, they walk away.
I look over the pictures, and I’m impressed with how great they came out. Rogan comes up behind me, peering over my shoulder. “Look how great we look together.”
I lean my forehead against his cheek. “You’re right. We do.”
I put my phone away and we wander along once more, Rogan taking hold of my hand.
“I love this time of day,” he says. “When everything is winding down and you get that sense of peace that’s hard to achieve during the work day.”
I nod, glancing over at him. “I think that feeling is magnified when you’re near the ocean. It’s one of the reasons why Scarlett and I wanted a beach house.”
“It is. The whole world slows down near the coast. And it’s the most beautiful place to live,” he says.
A soulful tune drifts over to us, and we follow the sound to a street performer playing a saxophone. We stop to listen, and Rogan draws me into his arms and starts swaying us from side to side. My arms slip around his neck as I smile up at him. “This is perfect.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead and I can feel him smile. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. What do you think about grabbing some fried dough or ice cream?”
“Yes to either.”
“We need to cut across to Atlantic Avenue. There are plenty of good eats there and some shops you might be interested in.” I let him lead me, my head pivoting from side to side as I take in our surroundings. We come to a well-known ice cream shop, and we move to the window and place our order. It only takes a couple of minutes and then our ice cream cones are being handed to us. Rogan places the money down on the counter while I grab some napkins for us.
Returning to the boardwalk, we find a bench to sit on while we lick at our ice cream and watch the sky darken. “I’d rather be licking your pussy,” he says, making me choke.
“You should warn me when you’re about to slip some dirty talk in unexpectedly. I could choke to death if you don’t.” He laughs, and I say, “That’s funny?”
“No, but you are. I like knocking you off balance in the proverbial sense. It’s fun to see your reaction.” He wipes his hand on a napkin.
Ignoring him, I lick my vanilla soft serve and stare out at the water. A mother and father pass by with their toddler son walking between them.
“Do you want kids?” Rogan asks.
“I think so, but not for at least four or five years. What about you?”
“Yes. My genes are too good to not reproduce.”
I snort. “You’re a dork.”
He smiles. “How did you know I was kidding?”
“I was just hoping you were.”
He finishes his ice cream while I’m still eating my cone. I take a final bite and hand the rest over to him.
“You don’t want this?”
“No. I’m all set.”
“Thanks.” He hands me a napkin and I wipe a sticky drip from my finger. I watch as he crunches away on the cone, and I feel a deep sense of contentment I haven’t felt before. He notices me watching him. “What?” he asks.
“I was just thinking that for the first time in my life, I have everything I could want. I love my house, my new job is great, and I’ve got a boyfriend—it feels so surreal to call you that.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You have time to get used to it.”
“I’m glad you suggested this. It’s nice being out in public with you. And as a bonus, no one has recognized you.”
“I like being out with you too. I get to show you off.” He wraps his arm around me, pulling me into his side. “We should head back soon. We both have to work in the morning.”
I sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. How about five more minutes? I’m not ready for this feeling to end.”