After three months of seriously dating and confessing their love for each other, DeShawn decided that it was time for her and Eric to consummate their relationship. He respected and loved her which meant everything. DeShawn had no reservations that Eric deserved to experience her on a different level. She was already on birth control pills from her previous relationship but felt that she needed advice from an experienced person since Bobby was her first and only.
“Hey, bestie! It’s about that time and I need some advice,” DeShawn said excitingly into her phone.
“Advice about what?” Torria asked.
“You know… Sex,” DeShawn said in a whisper so Dawn wouldn’t hear in the next room. She definitely wasn’t ready to start talking about her sex life with her little sister.
“Wait a minute! You and Eric haven’t had sex yet?”
“Nope.”
“How is that even possible? Y’all been dating for months.”
“It hasn’t felt right until recently. We just shared the L-word a few days ago and it seems right.”
“Aww, how cute! Y’all in love,” Torria teased.
“Shut up.” DeShawn laughed.
“I’m still shocked, though. The funny part is that I just met Christopher not too long ago and we’ve been having sex.”
“Wait, what? Eww! Why? And how come you didn’t tell me?” In her mind, DeShawn had the right to feel disgusted.
Torria chewed loudly on her bubblegum and nonchalantly stated, “Because it’s not a big deal.”
“But Christopher? Really?”
“What’s wrong with him? He’s fun and we have a good time together. Nothing more and nothing less.”
“I will never understand how you can just casually give your body to someone that hasn’t earned it.”
“What do you mean by ‘earned it,’” Torria asked with a slight attitude in her tone.
“I mean Christopher isn’t your boyfriend and he isn’t showing you that he respects and honors you. Plus, y’all aren’t working towards a healthy relationship,” DeShawn explained.
“Are you serious right now? You feel like just because you’re dating Eric that he has ‘earned’ the right to have you sexually? That’s stupid!”
“Eric loves me and wants to build a family with me. He has earned my love by being an important person in my life that cares for me.”
“And just because I’m not officially dating Christopher means that he’s not important to me or cares for me? He’s my friend and we have a lot of fun together. And some of that fun includes having sex.”
“You know what? Forget it. We can just agree to disagree because I really don’t want to fight with you. All I wanted to know is how I should approach Eric about me being ready for sex but you threw me off with your confession.”
“Agreed. Let’s just drop it. And I don’t know how you should approach Eric. Just talk to him, I guess. Anyways, I need to study for an upcoming quiz so I will text you later.”
Before DeShawn could even say goodbye, Torria hung up the phone. She knew that her best friend was feeling a certain way about their conversation but DeShawn knew that she was right. Why should Torria have sex with a guy that she wasn’t committed to or with a guy that couldn’t bring anything to the table to enrich her life. Christopher was a bum in every sense of the word and her best friend deserved more than that. She was bothered but decided that she would give Torria a day or so to cool off from their disagreement. With everything going on, she couldn’t help but feel that the older they got, the more their differences became prevalent.
DeShawn then decided to text Eric about moving their relationship to the next stage of dating. Text messages were less embarrassing for her because she didn’t want to come across as desperate. She paced her bedroom back and forth while trying to think of the perfect way to address the situation since Torria provided no help. She didn’t want to come across as inexperienced but she also didn’t want to give the impression that she was a pro. She wanted to sound flirty without setting herself up for something that she couldn’t achieve. With one last deep breath for confidence, she grabbed her phone off the charger and texted Eric.
Me: Hey!
My Eric: What’s up?
Me: I was thinking that it’s time for our first sleep over…
My Eric: Really??
Me: Yeah.
My Eric: That’s cool. When do you want to stay the night with me?
Me: Are you free this weekend?
My Eric: For you I am.
Me: Then Saturday it is. I’ll come over after work.
My Eric: Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait.
Me: Me either.
DeShawn placed her phone back on the charger and sat on her bed while doubts filled her mind. Did she just ruin everything? Was it too soon? Would Eric think less of her because it had only been a few months? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Eric never pressured her or even brought up the topic of sex. It was never discussed between them and she just figured that Eric was respecting her. Maybe she was rushing it and Eric wanted to wait. DeShawn was confused and hoped that she made the right decision to open a door that could never be closed again.
#
Saturday night came quicker than DeShawn anticipated and to say that she was nervous was an understatement. She felt like a virgin even though she wasn’t. Initially, she had wanted to wait until marriage before engaging in sexual relations but fell into the trap of curiosity. The only reason she even had sex with Bobby was because she thought that they would always be together. She intended for Bobby to be her first and only partner for life, but now Eric was in the picture and she was trying to decipher her conflicting emotions. If the relationship with Eric didn’t work out, then that would be two separate guys that she shared her body with and she was worried about that. DeShawn didn’t possess Torria’s openness and didn’t want to have multiple sexual partners. She cared about herself and her body, but would Eric respect her enough to treasure that as well?
After texting her mom that she would be spending the night with Torria and ensuring that Dawn was stable, she drove almost an hour to Eric’s off-campus apartment in Houston. When she finally arrived, her nerves were getting the best of her and she actually sat in her car for a few minutes before getting out. She knew that she couldn’t back out on her word but she was definitely having second thoughts. She slowly walked up the steps to Eric’s place and could hear her heartbeat rapidly thumping. Her stomach felt upset and she thought about leaving then texting Eric that she was sick but decided to stay true to her word. She carefully knocked on the door and waited for Eric to answer. She knew that the minute she saw him, her life would forever be changed.
After satisfying their temptation of lust, they shared a steamy shower together then cuddled in bed. DeShawn experienced a connection with Eric and honestly felt love for him. Eric asked her to trust him and she did, which was followed by unprotected sex. In the back of her mind, she knew that she would regret not taking all means to protect herself, but in that moment, all she could think about was Eric. She was still unsure if he was “the one” but the physical connection made her want to believe that he was. The sexual act between them tied them together more than just in the status of their relationship. It was an unspoken bond and a feeling that she had never experienced with Bobby. Even though she didn’t reach the level of physical satisfaction, DeShawn was emotionally consumed with joy and happiness. They now shared a spiritual connection which brought contentment and comfortability.
Due to her being lost in her own thoughts, Eric asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing I guess. I just feel very connected to you and it’s a new feeling for me,” DeShawn stated with honest shyness.
“That’s what I wanted you to feel. I want us to be connected on all levels. I will never hurt you or put you in any type of harm. It’s just you and me now. Okay?” Eric demanded from her as he looked deeply into her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s you and me,” DeShawn confirmed then feel asleep in his arms.
#
The next morning, DeShawn woke up to discover that Eric had already left the apartment and returned back with breakfast. He seemed excited and couldn’t wait for them to finish eating before taking her on a Sunday outing. He wouldn’t tell her where they were going but told her to dress comfortably and to bring a jacket and socks. He promised it would be special and that she would love it. DeShawn figured they were going bowling which would have been a fun date until Eric parked at The Royal Alexandria Mall. The luxury upscale mall was a major attraction for the city of Houston and included the most high-end department stores and designer shops. At first, DeShawn figured Eric was about to take her shopping, but then she realized where he was directing her.
“No way! Really?” DeShawn asked as joy filled her heart.
Eric just smiled as they walked hand in hand to the ice rink located inside the mall.
“I can’t believe you remember me telling you about how much I loved to ice skate as a kid.”
“Not every five-year-old wanted to be an Olympic Figure Skater.”
“Don’t judge my silly childhood dreams.” DeShawn laughed as they laced up their skates.
It had been years since DeShawn had been on the ice but she still wanted to impress Eric with her skills. Even though her mind remained positive that she could still perform her own self-taught ice skating tricks, her body refused to comply and she fell hard on the ice within the first fifteen minutes. She would’ve been humiliated if Eric hadn’t fallen while laughing at her. He crawled over to her and they both helped each other up. Eric wasn’t much of a skater but he was trying to master the simple motion of moving forward to keep up her with her speed. DeShawn eventually let him hold her waist as they skated together, ignoring the chaos of the mall.
They stopped a few times to take pictures of them together and a few of DeShawn posing as a self-proclaimed professional skater. They couldn’t stop laughing at each other and in that moment, DeShawn knew that she belonged to Eric. As they skated their final lap around the rink, they saw an elderly couple skating together as if they were invisible to the world. They expertly moved on the ice as the older gentleman lead his wife. The love-struck expression remained on their faces as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes.
“That will be us one day,” Eric whispered into her ear as DeShawn smiled knowing that she felt the same way.
Afterwards, they headed to the food court and stopped at a popular coffee shop. Since DeShawn wasn’t a fan of the caffeinated beverage, she opted for hot chocolate instead. They sat at a nearby table and tried to warm up.
“Today has been incredible. Thank you.” She wanted him to know that she was appreciative of him listening to her.
“You’re welcome but I have one more surprise. Close your eyes.”
“Is it money? You can just place it in my hand,” DeShawn joked.
“No, silly. Just close your eyes.”
DeShawn did as she was told and heard Eric get up from the table. He neared her and she felt something cold touch her neck as he instructed her to open her eyes. She looked down to see that he had placed a silver necklace with a figure skating charm on her. A clash of emotions filled her as she looked back at him.
“Let this necklace be a reminder that your dreams will always be my dreams.” Eric intensely held her stare. “I love you.”
There was nothing but pure love on his face as DeShawn leaned over and deeply kissed him to make him aware of the passion in her soul. Even though her feet were killing her and she was certain that the skates had rubbed the exposed area above her sock raw, she was blissfully happy. Eric’s love for her was real and she wanted to love him with everything inside her. She could feel herself falling but she wasn’t completely there yet. Even still, she was beyond grateful to have just spent the most perfect weekend of her life with him.
“And I love you, too.”