Ghost Town - afi

20

I thought about it. I really wasn't sure where I stood with Peter, but he was nice and I would feel bad if I made up some excuse.

Grayson: No, why?

Peter: How would you like to have a Spiderman marathon at my house?

Grayson: Which Spiderman are we talking about? Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or Tom Holland? Careful this could make or break our plans

Peter: Anyone But Tobey

Grayson: You can pick me up at 8pm

Peter: Hang tight Mary Jane

- - -

Peter picked me up in his shiny black car. He looked nice in his khaki shorts and pastel checkered button up. He reminded me of the kind of boy that was in a fraternity and went boating in the Hamptons over spring break.

We made small talk as we drove to his house. But I was distracted when we passed by the hardware store. There was a big sign that read "closed" in the window and there wasn't a single car in the parking lot. There wasn't another hardware store in town that I knew of, so where had my dad gone? I made a mental note to ask him about it sometime when we were both home. It seemed like he wasn't around as much as he used to be.

Peter's house was ginormous. I should've known considering how much he had talked up his father's wealth the first time we went out. His entire house was like something out of an innovative tech magazine. Everything was modern and sleek in a way that made me feel like I had traveled 50 years in the future.

Peter was in the kitchen and I was sitting in the "home theater" as he called it. It was a massive flat screen tv with surround sound speakers in front of a sleek black leather couch that looked more like a piece of modern art than a place to sit. I had offered to help him prepare the snacks, but he refused saying that a guest should never be working in the kitchen.

He came into the area where I was sitting, sliding on his socks against the dark hardwood floors. He slid farther than he intended and nearly doubled over spilling the contents in his arms. I laughed at his almost wipe out and the sound echoed through his massive home. I stopped when I realized how the sound was magnified.

"It's ok, you can laugh. I know it sounds loud but it's pretty soundproof so really the sound is just bouncing back at you. Plus the only person that would hear you is my mom, and she's upstairs anyways." He explained.

"Do you want something to drink? We have soda, punch, and water." He set down a can of pop for himself and a large bowl of popcorn.

Just hearing the word punch made my stomach churn.

"I'll have a water please." I chimed.

"So polite." He smiled. "Don't eat all the popcorn before I get back."

"I'll try not to." I smiled back.

We made it through the first movie. It was fun, Peter and I made jokes as it went and ate plenty of snacks.

"You up for two more?" He challenged.

"You bet I am." I grinned as I got up to stretch. "I know I can at least do one more, but I might not make it through two on this couch."

"Oh thank goodness," He laughed. "I hate this thing! My mom bought it at a silent auction, and she loves it. But it's so uncomfortable. Honestly the floor is so much more comfortable if you're ok with that."

I nodded eagerly. I was grateful that he understood and that this portion of the house had plushy carpet.

I sat down and after pressing play for our second movie Peter took a seat next to me. Except unlike when we were sitting on the couch, there was no space between us. He motioned for me to rest my head on his chest and I did hesitantly. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him.

It was strange to be that close to him. He smelled of grapefruit and an icy tinge of mint. I couldn't help but compare the experience to being held by Ashton. I didn't melt into Peter's body the same way that I did in Ashton's arms. I felt like I was being held in place rather than being embraced. But I ignored the feeling.

Halfway through the second movie I felt Peter's other arm rest on my thigh. I shivered as his skin met mine unexpectedly. The movie went on and Peter's fingers inched up little by little. My heart was pounding, what was he doing? He began to rub small circles on the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. I wanted to run away, but I felt frozen. I wanted to scream, but the sound of my voices would just shoot back at me. My eyes glued to the screen, as I tried not to squirm in discomfort.

His fingers played with the hem of my shorts and I gasped.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

He looked back at me with thirst in his eyes. "I'm touching you."

"Don't you think we're moving a little fast?" I stuttered.

He chuckled darkly, "People have done worse things in one night."

He began to slip his fingers into my shorts, and I suppressed a scream of panic. I shot out of his arms and to my feet.

"Are you ok?" He asked in confusion at my sudden movements.

"Yeah, um may I use your restroom?" I blurted out the first excuse I could think of to get away from him.

"Sure, it's up the stairs and to your left." He directed nonchalantly. He obviously didn't realize that I felt severely uncomfortable which was strange to me. I thought it was obvious that I wasn't ready for what he wanted to do. I hadn't even answered his question of whether or not I would give him another chance romantically.

I passed Peter's room and found the bathroom. I leaned over the sink and stared at myself in the mirror. Harley's words echoed in my head, "When you're ready to act your age come find me." Maybe this was normal for people my age. Why couldn't I just do it? It was supposed to feel good to be that close to someone, but I just wanted to disappear. A lot of the girls at school would kill to be where I was with Peter's hands against them, but it felt wrong to me.

I accidentally knocked over the soap dispenser as I moved away from the mirror and gooey liquid dotted the counter. I opened the cupboards to find something to wipe it up with, I reached for a towel but my eyes landed on something else behind the bottles of shampoo and rolls of toilet paper. It was a clear plastic bag filled with little white tablets hidden under the sink. I figured it was probably medication, but then questioned my conclusion considering it was in a plastic bag and not a bottle with a prescription or label. I decided not to read into it too much.

After cleaning up the mess and building up courage, I headed back down the stairs to face Peter. To my surprise his eyes were closed and his head rested against the stiff couch. He was fast asleep. I felt a whoosh of relief wash over me.

I checked my phone, it was past midnight and he must've been tired. I decided not to wake him up, that way he could sleep and I could avoid the risk of him wanting to continue where he had left off. So I sent him a text for him to read when he woke up saying I went home because it was late. It wasn't a terribly far walk to my house.

I swiftly headed for the door, wanting to leave before Peter woke up and insisted that I stay. The house was fairly dark so I carefully made my way down the corridor hoping not to bump into anything. I finally made it to the front, and to my surprise so had someone else.

My eyes widened as I examined the tall figure in the dark. A large hand clamped over my mouth before I could scream. He put his finger to his mouth, telling me to be quiet then slowly removed his hand from my mouth.

"Ashton?" I whispered in shock.