Chapter Seventeen
I woke up the next morning to Jared kissing me and whispering, "Laura, baby, you need to wake up."
I groaned and turned over, my eyes opening to meet his. "What time is it?"
"A little after seven," he said simply.
I shot up in bed. "Seven in the morning?"
"Yeah." He frowned. "What's wrong?"
"What happens if the girls find out I wasn't in the room?" I asked frantically.
"We could go get free breakfast in the lobby," he said. "Then you could tell them that's where you were."
I considered this and relaxed. "Okay."
"I would never want to get you in trouble," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you sooner. I wasn't thinking."
"It's fine."
His hand lingered along my jaw as he smoothed my hair out of my face.
We got up a few minutes later, and he let me use his toothbrush because I didn't have mine. He held my hand as we headed to the event center where they'd set everything up. I made myself tea and toasted a bagel, but he loaded his plate up and got us a table in the corner of the room.
"It's the most important meal of the day," he told me as he stuffed his mouth full of scrambled eggs.
"I'm not a big believer in breakfast," I explained. "Sorry."
He shrugged. "More for me."
He occasionally nudged my feet under the table, smiling at me every few seconds.
"What?" I asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Sometimes I have trouble believing you're actually my girl," he said. "So I can't stop looking at you. Sorry if that's a problem."
It wasn't a problem, it was adorable.
I wondered if I was glowing. I thought having sex might make me feel a little different, but I wasn't sure. All I could think about was us. Together. When he looked at me with a troublesome gaze, I was in for it.
We'd only been together for a couple of weeks, but it felt like so much more than that. And I knew, deep down that I was undoubtedly, utterly his.
I left him at the elevator. He opted to take the stairs for the sake of appearances. I figured that would be a decent means of keeping things on a low profile. I wasn't ready for an ambush.
He reached for me, trying to sneak a kiss, but I stopped him.
"I have to keep my hands off of you," I warned.
He shook his head. "I beg to differ."
Giggling, I stepped into the lift and watched him until the doors closed.
"Where were you, Laura?" Shea asked when I walked into the room.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Risa was in the shower and Gen was still asleep, meaning it was just me left to brave the inquisition. Shea was clearly suspicious, even crossing her arms over her chest as she eyed me.
"I got up early and went to breakfast," I lied smoothly. "It's free."
I wasn't sure she believed me. There was no way she could know about Jared, right? She hadn't seen him with me at the mall—or so I hoped. I'd been careful about our relationship thus far. I had to be careful not to trip up.
I ignored her stare and tried not to look guilty as I packed my stuff.
We were getting on the bus soon enough. Surprisingly, most of the girls ended up near the front, right by where Jared was sitting. It was no coincidence that I picked the seat behind Jared, and thankfully, Shea stayed a few rows away. Risa sat beside me, offering me the blanket she brought.
Jared reached back like he had before to take my hand, and I hid it under the blanket. After a brief squeeze, he texted me.
Jared: Can I take you home today?
Me: Sure.
Jared: And can we maybe detour to my apartment?
Me: ...why?
Jared: Because I want to get my beautiful girlfriend naked again
Risa, who was very clearly reading my texts, choked on her breath and started hacking violently. I turned crimson as she turned away, traumatized enough by the messages to stop being nosy.
"You okay, Troy?" Jared asked.
"Y-Yeah," she stammered out, staring me down.
I'd have a lot to explain later.
Long after we got back to the school and the parking lot cleared out, Jared and I lingered by his car. I took a step closer to him, my hand resting against his chest. I swallowed, looking up at him hesitantly. We were so close now, alone in the parking lot for no one to see. All I wanted to do was kiss him.
So I did.
Soft and slow, my lips molded against his. He kissed back without expectation, absent of our usual urgency. We had done the most intimate thing we could do, and because of that, it felt as if everything was slowing down.
He pulled away, forehead resting against mine for a few seconds. "I wish I could spend all day kissing you."
"I wouldn't mind that," I told him.
He set our bags in the trunk and turned back to me. He shut the trunk, backing me against his car to kiss me again. All I could think as his mouth settled into that rhythm of ours was how much I wanted to climb into his back seat. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted to kiss him until I forgot my name.
"It's you and me, baby," he said. "I see that now more than ever."
I felt him press against me, the hard line of his body running along my soft curves, and I wanted him so badly it ached. Desperately, I stared at him, trying to find the words.
I wondered if he could tell what I was thinking, because he said, "We better get to my apartment."
The drive was too long. The anticipation of what was to come made it impossible to wait at any stop signs. Both of us were in a rush, ready to park the car and make a break for it.
We kissed in the stairwell. We stumbled the way up to his front door.
We kissed.
And kissed.
And kissed.
Until I couldn't breathe without saying his name. I couldn't think about anything except him.
We got inside his house and he slammed the door shut behind us. Immediately, my fingers were rushing to get his shirt over his head. I braced myself against his bare chest as he nibbled down on my bottom lip, his mouth slipping down to my jaw.
He backed me into the wall, his hands sliding down to the hem of my shirt. He kissed my neck as he took it off. I wondered if he could feel how fast my heart was beating under his mouth, I wondered if his was beating that fast too.
Then my pants were gone. Then his hands were everywhere and I wasn't nervous anymore.
In nothing more than my underwear, he lifted me, fingers digging into my hips as he laid me down on the couch. He was above me now, shuddering as my fingers traced along his belt before sliding it through the loops.
Another kiss, this time all the way down the center of my chest down to the dip in my navel just above my panties. He slid his jeans down his legs, hands sliding up my waist to unclasp my bra.
The last of our clothes fell free and he was hovering over me, the question evident.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his pupils dilated with lust. "If you're still sore, we don't have to—"
"Yes," I murmured, the word sounding like a groan. "I want to."
We kissed again, just briefly, before his mouth parted from mine.
There was a second where he reached over the side of his couch, fumbling for his wallet in the pocket of his jeans. I heard the sound of the foil packet crinkling as he tore it open with his teeth.
When we finally collided, time stopped. My head lolled back, and as my eyes closed, he kissed each eyelid and slowly began to move.
"Laura," he whispered.
It was the last thing either of us said for a long time.
***
I was lying on his bed in my underwear and one of his t-shirts, pressed against his chest with his arms around me as if I might go away if he didn't hold on tight. He was in his boxers, his breathing still a little heavy from what happened a few minutes ago. I had one set of fingers threaded through his, head arched so he could drop small kisses down my neck.
We hadn't talked much today, but we didn't really have to say a word to understand what the other person was feeling.
"Hey, Jared?" I said, breaking the silence.
He stopped kissing me and my skin ached at the loss of his mouth. "Yeah, baby?"
"Can I ask you about Alison?"
He sighed, answering with reluctance. "Obviously I would prefer you not, but yeah. My past is not a secret and it's yours to know about."
I shifted closer to him, enjoying how comfortable the weight of his body against mine was. "Did you love her?"
He hesitated all of a second. I didn't know if it was because he didn't know or if it was because he didn't want to tell me. "I didn't know what love was back then. I was sixteen. Why do you ask?"
"I guess I was just wondering," I said quickly.
"Did you love Mitch?" he asked.
I shook my head, gagging at the thought of still being with Mitch. "No, I never did. I wanted to, but it never got to that point. Why?"
"Guess I was just wondering." He drew me in for a long, slow kiss.
***
Dinner came soon enough.
Jared set the pizza on the counter and scoured the kitchen for paper plates, groaning when he didn't find any. I stood in the kitchen wearing his shirt again, playing with the hem as I watched.
When he grabbed a paper towel to eat off of, I cringed and asked what he was doing.
"I don't want to wash any dishes," he replied.
I shook my head, reaching for some plates from the top shelf. He laughed as he watched me stand on my tip-toes. After a moment, he finally helped me.
He handed me a slice with pepperoni and we ate like that in the kitchen, me sitting on the counter, him leaning against it. After we were done eating, he stood between my legs and kissed me on the mouth before I broke away to do the dishes.
He sighed. "You're killing me, baby."
I rolled my eyes. "I can live with that. You can't live in a mess forever."
As I poured some dish soap on the first plate, his hands found my hips and his chin rested on my shoulder. He stood behind me as I cleaned up after us, loading the plates into the drying rack when I was done.
"I'm a lucky bastard," he mused. "I got me a girl who will do the dishes for me."
"I can't cook to save my life," I informed him. "So I'll do the dishes as repayment for you getting me dinner."
He glanced over at the clock. "When should you be home?"
"I should probably leave soon, just so I can see my dad when he gets home," I answered. "I haven't talked to him in days. We're both busy. Plus, I miss my mom."
"I can't wait to meet them," he told me. "They sound like amazing people."
"They are," I said.
"Someday?" he asked. "Someday can I meet them?"
"Of course," I promised. "Someday."
Though I didn't know when that would be, or what would happen when it came to be, I intended to make good of my promise.
We kissed a little longer, and then he took me home like he said he would.
And for the rest of the night, my spirits were high, and I was happy beyond belief in ways I knew I would never have the words for.
***
hope y'all are holding up well
signing off,
mads