Chapter 3 #5
He shrugs into his beaten up leather jacket, and then holds mine out to me with an eyebrow lift.
I turn and step back just a fraction more than I need to, and he helps me into my coat.
The gorgeous leather smell mixes with the citrus freshness of his skin, and my knees actually tremble a little.
That’s…interesting. It’s never happened before.
I’m not one of life’s tremblers. “Thanks,” I whisper, turning my head to look up at him.
His face is mere centimetres from mine, and he seems glued to the spot as we look at each other.
His eyes soften, then darken, and I feel certain that if I could hear the thoughts visibly running through his mind right now, it could melt me and have me pinning him to the nearest wall and kiss him until he’s dizzy.
Once again, his eyes travel to my lips and linger there…
and then he looks away and steps back, turning down the metaphorical thermostat.
He indicates towards the door, and the mask he wears is back on.
It slipped just now, but he’s not willing to take it all the way off.
He locks up, and we start walking towards my car. There’s not much time to chat, but I try anyway.
“I’ll be sleeping on my front tonight.” One side of his mouth turns up. “Do you sleep on your front, too? Or on your back?” I ask him. “I think I read somewhere that the majority of people sleep on their side.”
He looks thoughtful, and then taps his back and shrugs.
“On your back?” He nods. “Apparently that’s a healthy position to sleep in.
It’s meant to reduce tension headaches and sinus build-up.
” How sexy. I giggle, taken aback by how unpolished I’m being right now.
It’s a rare person that makes me nervous enough to blather so haphazardly.
“Apparently there’s all sorts of reasons why I shouldn’t sleep on my front, but I seem to wake up in that position more often than not, regardless. ”
His smile becomes enigmatic, like he’s having thoughts he isn’t willing to share. My own are along the lines of waking up on my stomach, with him entering me slowly from behind, so…
We reach my car, and for a few long seconds we just stand there awkwardly, looking at each other.
Words usually come to me pretty easily - if people were asked to describe me, the word ‘loquacious’ would top most lists, with some rather less charitable people calling it “verbal diarrhoea” - but I have no idea what to say to him.
With anyone else I felt attracted to, I’d establish whether or not the feeling was mutual as quickly and efficiently as I could, and then act on it.
But I know instinctively that I can’t just put my cards on the table and lean in for a kiss with Dean.
He looks at me like he wants to eat me, but he’s holding me at arm’s length.
Is that why my feelings are barrelling towards a full blown schoolgirl crush after meeting him only twice? Because he’s not so easily get-able? We’ve spent a fair amount of time together in terms of hours, but why him? Why now? Why is my pulse excited and my stomach tingling?
“Do you need a lift home?” I manage. He shakes his head slowly with a sweet smile, pointing up the road and holding up two fingers before tapping his wrist. Two minutes…
Oh. “You’re two minutes that way?” He nods, pleased that I understood him.
“Fair enough.” Back to silence again. “Well…see you next time?” His smile grows in agreement, and he takes a step back.
I get into my car and drive away, and he’s in my rearview mirror the entire time, staying in place until I’m safely on my way. It makes me like him even more. Someone raised that man right.
And when I get home, there’s a text waiting for me from an unknown number.
It’s the photo of my newly tattooed back, with the words, Looks really good on you, and will look even better when I’m done. And now you have my number, too. Dx
I smile until my face aches, feeling it radiate all the way to my toes. As I fire back my response, it occurs to me that I don’t usually smile like this, ever.
You do great work. Couldn’t be happier with it. I enjoyed myself tonight, by the way. X
He doesn’t respond.
Fifteen years ago
I park my dad’s Subaru in my usual place behind the bleachers and get out, leaning against the door and shoving my sunglasses back up my nose.
Calista will be done with her cheerleading practice in a few minutes, and I can give her a ride home.
But this time I gotta concentrate on the road, and not on the way her little cheerleader skirt rides up her thighs as she sits next to me, because last time I came too close to clipping the side mirrors clean off…
“Deano!”
I turn my head, grinning as Seth and Rashon, two of my friends from the track team, approach me with friendly smiles .
“Hey, man.” Wait. Something feels…strange. In my throat. The vibrations of talking feel tickly and strange. I shrug it off. I’m fine, and by the time they’re next to me, it’s forgotten.
“S’up… Pay-per-view weekend, you down?” Every time there’s a WWE pay-per-view, the whole track team heads to Seth’s to watch it. His mom’s marinated chicken wings and a few sneaky beers from his dad, and it’s a guaranteed good evening with a great crowd.
“You ever know me to miss one?” I quip, and he fistbumps me with a grin.
“?a c'est bon,” he replies. “Waitin’ for Callie?”
“Always,” I joke, looking in her direction.
She’s just packing up and laughing at something her friend Latanya Cormier is saying.
Whenever my girl smiles, I smile, and I feel my mouth stretching automatically.
It makes Seth and Rashon snort, but I couldn’t give a fuck.
She’s so goddamn cute, and sometimes I just enjoy watching her, seeing her laugh with her friends, and the way her long, thick dark hair sways as she moves.
“Nom de Dieu, after all this time, you still got it bad for her,” Rashon teases, and I nod happily.
“Yeah, you’d better believe it.” I don’t mind my buddies teasing. I don’t give a shit about the harsher ‘pussy whipped’ comments from the douchebag contingent at Nolan either. They’re just envious that I get to live my life as Calista Lopez’s boyfriend, and I can’t blame them for that.
She notices me, and her smile deepens as she waves. I grin openly at her, and Rashon’s hand waves in front of my shades. I don’t react. “Nah, he’s gone,” he laughs to Seth.
“Uh-huh,” I agree. There’s that weird tickle feeling in my throat again.
I take my shades off and wink at them. “Catcha later, guys. Gimme a call about the weekend.” I look back at Callie, who’s now crossing the field towards me.
The green and yellow Nolan High cheerleader uniform shows off her gorgeous figure, which I know damn well both Seth and Rashon are glancing at appreciatively, but for me, it’s always been her eyes that slay me the most. Huge, brown doe eyes, full of warmth and cheerfulness.
I think I fell in love with them first, and the rest of her soon followed.
They head away with a good natured goodbye, as they know my attention is all hers now.
I smile at her. “Heyyyyyy. ”
“Where y’at, hot stuff?” she asks, smiling back.
My shades go in my back pocket as I walk the last few paces towards her, swinging her into my arms until she’s squealing and giggling.
Her long, chocolate brown hair has been pulled back into a ponytail, and I give it a gentle tug to pull her head back as I capture her lips with my own.
“ Now I’m good,” I murmur, and our foreheads press together.
Callie’s been my girlfriend since the end of sophomore year, when she kissed me in the first ten minutes of our first date at a house party, and things between us just keep getting better and better.
I wasn’t in the least surprised when I heard our senior yearbook was naming us Cutest Couple.
Show me a cuter couple in the entire school, I guarantee you won’t find one.
Callie sighs happily and pulls me in for another smooch. We’re not exactly strangers to public displays of affection, and have gotten a few reprimands and a detention or two from the more stiff-assed teachers.
A flash of one of my teachers, angry and yelling and covered in warm blood, slams into my head, but it’s gone as soon as it arrives, before I have a chance to react.
Her tongue peeps out to seek mine, and she tastes like her favorite blue raspberry bubblegum. I bet her tongue is blue, just like in one of my favorite photos of her.
A flash of pink hair in my mind as I savor the flavor.
Raspberry sports drink… And an orange one for me…
I flinch, confused by the weird mental flashes. Callie doesn’t notice. But it starts to bother me. Between them and the weird feeling in my throat…what’s up with me today? Am I getting sick?
Her hand is on the back of my neck, and she continues to kiss me deeply, the way we do when we’re fully alone and can really let loose, and I fall back into the rhythm of this until I’m smiling against her mouth.
My hands cup the tops of her thighs, and I think briefly of the times when she’s allowed my hands to play a little further up…
“Get a room, bitch!” Latanya calls out cheerily, and we laugh as we pull our mouths apart, still barely an inch away from each other.
“That was a very friendly hello,” I remark, running my lips along her forehead. “Please tell me what I did to deserve that, so I can do it again…and again… ”
She giggles. “You mean apart from just existing, right?” She looks down and plays with the edge of my t-shirt. “Well, here’s the thing… Latanya has a point.”
I frown. “She does?” I clear my throat, the buzzing feeling when I talk getting stronger again.
Callie looks up at me, and the look in her eyes makes my dick perk up and take notice. “I wanted to ask you…” She hesitates, biting her lip.
With my thumb, I ease her lip from her bite and kiss it, making her smile at our shared joke.
She bites her lip a lot, and I always joke that I need to kiss it better.
Honestly, this girl gives me all the feels.
“I’m listening, baby. Ask me.” I look at her curiously, because Shy Callie is both rarely seen and incredibly charming.
Her eyes are huge and dancing with happy nerves as she takes a deep breath. “Luke Dennings’ after party…” she begins, trailing a fingertip up my chest.
My own eyes widen, and my heart rate kicks up a notch.
“Yeah…?” I croak. If she’s saying what I think she’s saying, then I just became the happiest, and horniest, eighteen year old boy on the planet.
Luke’s after-parties are legendary: kegs for miles, fruit punch that’ll knock your head off, and a ludicrous amount of lockable bedrooms in his enormous mansion.
His parents basically let him have as many parties as he wants because they’re never there, always working long hours.
As long as he cleans up and no serious damage is done, they don’t care.
Or maybe it’s their way of soothing their own guilt about never being around for him and leaving the housekeeper in charge.
So it’s known at Nolan High that Luke’s house is a safe place to hook up. Better a bedroom in a luxurious mansion than the back seat of your car, any day. It’s not the only reason why Luke is incredibly popular, but it sure is an important one.
Is she saying what I desperately want her to be saying?
She looks at my mouth. “Think you could reserve us a room? You know…for his next one?”
Holy shit! She IS!
She laughs fondly at the stunned, delighted look on my face.
“Um…YEAH,” I say a little too loudly, pulling out my phone and texting Luke right th e fuck now.
My girlfriend, who has me so in love with her that I smile like a jackass all day every day, has just told me she’s going to make my biggest wish come true.
We’ve gone reasonably far together, usually wandering hands while parked up somewhere secluded, and that’s been great, I’ve loved every second…
but it’s also driven me half crazed with longing every time.
But she hasn’t been ready, and that’s one hundred percent fair enough.
I’ve never once asked her for more than she was prepared to give; she’s led the pace every time.
And now she’s just told me it’s happening, it’s on, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to concentrate on anything else ever again.
So I am going to speak to Luke today and make damn sure we get one of his rooms. I will pay him any amount of money to secure it.
I will carve out my own kidney and hand it to him if he wants me to.
Callie laughs, and it’s the best sound. “Eager much?” she teases.
Unable to find the words, my blood burning through my veins, I cup her face and kiss her hard, trying to show her how much she means to me.
How much that night in our friend’s bedroom is going to mean to me.
To get to make love to her at last, taste her, sink into her, hold her as close as we can get… I can hardly wait.
Jeez, I’d better buy some condoms. Pretty sure I used all the ones my dad gave me when me and the track guys made gag water balloons at Seth’s Christmas party. Man, we were wasted.
She breaks my kiss and grins at me. “I just thought it might be kind of…special this way. Even if it is a total cliche, you know,” she rolls her eyes adorably, “losing our virginities together at Prom, but…it’s a tradition for a reason, I guess?” Her nose crinkles as she shrugs.
Prom Night cannot come fast enough for my liking.