He’s such a crazy man. Of course, I wanted to do this for him.
I’m this close to letting him do the deed. We’ve done everything else. Everything else. He’s touched me in some shocking places that I found undeniably arousing. He’s let me explore his body just as thoroughly. We’ve definitely turned our initial attraction to each other into an intense summer fling and though I’m trying my best to keep it light and flirty and sexy and dirty, I’m starting to have feelings for him.
Ugh. Big mistake.
But he’s so cute when he laughs and he laughs a lot. He’s such a gentleman, always holding doors open for me and asking my opinion on everything. We can talk about anything, though I don’t go too deep or too personal and for some reason, he respects my unspoken boundaries. He doesn’t go too deep or personal either and I’m fine with that.
Sort of.
There’s something so comforting about the way he rests his hand at the small of my back as we’re walking. It’s like this protective gesture that makes me feel so taken care of.
I love it.
I shouldn’t. But I do.
We’ve been having such a good time, full of lazy summer days and long, intense nights wrapped up in each other, I hadn’t been paying much attention to the calendar and I know the days are just flying by. I should’ve been paying attention though because Gabe took my hand last night, kissed the top of it and announced, “We’re leaving in two days.”
Two. Days. My mouth had dropped open in shock. “Wh-where are you going?”
He made a face. “Back to Texas. That’s where I’m from originally. That’s where my parents still live. I’ll hang out at the family homestead for the rest of the time until school starts back up.”
The family homestead. He made it sound so quaint and cute. So country and Texas-like. I bet it’s a sprawling mansion that makes my little house look like a closet. And why don’t any of these Walkers have southern accents? I swear they’re so rich they won’t let accents affect their speech. “Oh.” I nodded. “That sounds nice.”
I’d lied. It sounded horrible because it meant that Gabe wouldn’t be with me anymore. And I didn’t like that. At all.
“So we’ll need to make the most of these last two days.” He’d gathered both of my hands in his and pulled me closer. I’d gone reluctantly because I felt pouty and sad. “I want to take you to dinner tomorrow night,” he’d murmured close to my ear.
We went out but not much. We’d gone to see a movie—which ended in us sitting in the back row making out and groping each other. A few casual dinners, a few nights out back at that frozen yogurt place because he loves it so much. But the way he said he wanted to take me to dinner, it sounded serious.
Like fancy, expensive restaurant serious.
“Where?” I’d asked.
“I need to figure that out first,” he’d admitted with a soft chuckle. “Let me get back to you on that.”
He’d texted me the name of the restaurant this morning along with the time he’d made our reservation for and I looked the place up. Talk about fancy…
Mama called a lot too, wondering what I was up to, why I rarely talked to her for any length of time. I’d told her I made friends—true—and that I was having a great time—also very true. And I was definitely being a good girl when she asked because yes, she really asked me that.
That was the one lie I told my mother. I wasn’t being a good girl. I was a total sinner in Mama’s eyes. But oh, it felt good sinning with Gabe on a regular basis.
So incredibly good.
I started getting ready for our serious dinner date a while ago. I took a shower and shaved every bit of my body. Put enough lotion on my body that there’s not a spot on my skin that isn’t extra soft and fragrant. Conditioned my hair and blew it dry, taking the time to run my rounded brush through it and give it some curl and bounce. It’s loose and wavy, falling past my shoulders and looking extra shiny. Might be that expensive hair serum I found in the guest bathroom that someone left behind.
Now I stare at myself in the mirror, still a little unsure of the dress I chose. It’s black with thin spaghetti straps that crisscross in the back and dips low in the front, offering a subtle glimpse of cleavage. The fabric clings to my form yet doesn’t make me look too curvy or dumpy. I found it at a discount store last week when I’d been out shopping with Gabe and Sydney and somehow he convinced me to buy it.
Maybe it had been the way his eyes lit up when he saw me after I tried it on. Or the way he tried to shove me back in the dressing room so he could have his way with me. I’d had to shove him right back out and he’d been sad. Flashing me puppy dog eyes combined with a wicked grin, I’d almost pulled him back into the dressing room so he could have his way after all.
Then I remembered that was a bad idea and told him to go wait for me at the front of the store where the cash registers were. He makes me want to lose complete control and I need to be careful, especially when Sydney was around. We needed to be on our best behavior so as not to freak her out. But she’s not around tonight.
And hopefully he’ll appreciate my choice of attire tonight for dinner. He’s supposed to come pick me up in approximately fifteen minutes. I’ve been ready for the past twenty.
I guess you could call me a little anxious.
I grab my tiny black purse that was on the counter, open it and pull out a deep, velvety red lipstick, a color I never wear but have owned for a few months. I brought it with me here on a whim, not having a clue where I would wear it.