Don't Let Jack Drive!

Chapter Ten

We twirl around clumsily on his bedroom floor where we've cleared a space for a dance floor. There is no music, but we both want to dance anyway. I step on his foot, mumbling a quick apology. Jack just laughs it off. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, trailing his finger along my jawbone and leaning down to kiss me gently.

"Are you sure that this is how you want to spend your sixteenth birthday?" He asks me, his lips brushing against mine. I bite my lip, nodding. I can't speak. I close my eyes and a grin slowly spreads across my face. "Okay," he finishes. My hands play with the back of his hair as we dance together a little longer. Eventually, we stop and Jack walks over to his half-broken stereo. I sit on the bottom of his bed and wait for the music to start. Blink 182.

"Is this-"

"From the new album. I put together a mix cd for you," he says. It's I Miss You. I look up at Jack and cock my head slightly, biting my lip again. I can still taste him and the wine we'd shared together. Neither of us say anything, but we both just know what's about to happen. I stand up and we both walk towards each other, reaching out. As we kiss, I realise he's waiting for me to make the first move - to make sure that I'm really ready. I feel my stomach flip and my hands start to shake. I slowly unbutton his checked shirt and slide my hands across his chest and shoulders, pushing the shirt to the floor. His hands move up from my hips to the hem of my t-shirt, slowly pulling it up and we break apart for him to pull it over my head. We look each other in the eyes for a moment, just holding each others gaze. We kiss again and my fingers blindly fumble for his belt buckle and then the snap of his jeans. He kicks them off and unzips mine, which fall to the floor and I step out of them, kicking them away. Jack bends one of his legs, slotting it between mine and gently pushes me backwards, down onto his bed. We kiss for a few minutes and Jack rolls over, pulling me on top of him, so that I'm straddling him. We pull apart again and he looks up at me, smiling reassuringly. I take a deep breath.

"Jack? Do you... Um... H-have a..." I stutter nervously.

"A condom? Yeah," he says, turning away from me to root through the drawer in his bedside table. He pulls one out, shows it to me and smiles. He lays it beside him and I lean down, kissing him hard. His hands reach up and after a few failed attempts, Jack successfully unhooked my bra. He slides it down over my arms and I lift my hands from his chest, catching it before it falls and throwing it at the wall. Jack blushes when he looks at me and in response I blush back at him. He smiles shyly at me and I smile back. I kneel above him as he slides my underwear down, his fingers gently brushing my scars, but not flinching and I move away from him as he pulls them off and throws them down. I hear him take a deep breath as he takes his boxers off. I get under the covers, watching Jack intently as he climbs in beside me. We're both breathing heavily already as we roll over to face each other, his hand on my hip.

"Jack?" I ask, my voice sounding quiet and far away.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I've never... Have you ever..." I start, unable to finish my sentences.

"Am I a virgin?" He asks. I nod. "No. I take it you are?"

"Yeah," I whisper, feeling myself blush yet again.

"It's okay, baby," he tells me, smiling and placing his hand on my face. "It's okay,"

"Okay," I agree.

"We don't have to do this," he tells me.

"I want to,"

"I love you, Bethany," he says, looking me straight in the eyes, a serious look on his face.

"I love you too, Jack," I reply. I mean it.

"Are you ready?" He asks me now.

"I am," I say, knowing in my heart that I am. He rolls away from me, fiddling under the comforter with the condom. He faces me again, gently pushing me onto my back. My heart is racing. I wonder if Jack can hear my heartbeat, because I certainly can. As if reading my mind, he starts to kiss my chest. I close my eyes. He climbs on top of me, leaning down to whisper in my ear as the song on the stereo changes. Feeling This.

"Got no regret right now," he whisper-sings to me.