Eighteen

Chapter 7 — Reconciling

Tuesday, December 29^th

Tom

I didn’t get Christina’s phone number before Christmas break and haven’t seen or spoken to her since school let out. I miss her like crazy and don’t know what to do. Has she even thought about me? What will happen when I see her at school next week? Will she still want to hang out with me? What will she say when I ask her out? I have so many questions and scenarios running through my head that it’s driving me crazy. I don’t even know if she’s thought about me while on vacation. I’ve tried to keep myself busy, so I won’t think about her as much, but it doesn’t help. This is the last week before we go back to school, and I can’t wait.

Lying on the couch, reading, and waiting for the laundry to finish, I jump when there’s a knock at the door. Pulling myself up, I walk to the door and open it. It’s Christina. Crap! I haven’t combed my hair, and I’m wearing this raggedy shirt. The look on her face gives me the feeling that I’m in deep shit. A mixture of emotions swirl within me…elation, excitement, surprise, dread, and worry. For a second, I wonder why she hasn’t come over before now if she knew where I lived, but I push that thought away and drink in her beauty.

“Well?” she says with a hint of irritation in her voice. She is standing there in a sort of superhero pose, her arms folded and her legs spread slightly.

“Uhhh…well…oh shit! Right! Come in.”

Mary’s advice pops into my head to not do or say anything before apologizing and asking her out. I stammer, trying to get my nerve for the right moment. I get her some water and show her around before we sit down at the kitchen table to talk.

“You hung the plaque I made for you on your wall?”

“Of course. I love it!”

Dad comes walks in, so I introduce him. He reminds me it’s Tuesday, and he’s going out for the evening.

“I don’t care if you have girls over when I’m home, but not while I’m gone,” he says.

“Uhm. Okay, Dad.”

When he leaves the kitchen, Christina mentions how tall and muscular he is. I explain that he played football in college until he had a severe knee injury and that he still works out to keep in shape.

“Tom?” she asks in a somber voice while staring at me.

“Yes?” I answer worriedly but trying not to show it.

“I have some questions, but I’m not sure I want the answers.”

“You can ask me anything, any time. Before you start, though, I need to tell you something.”

“No. Let me go first.”

“Okay.” Crap!

“Why won’t you ask me out? You never asked for my phone number and haven’t even tried to see me over vacation?”

I mentally gasp, and my heart drops into my stomach. “I’m really sorry I didn’t get your phone number. It was stupid of me,” I pause to take a breath. Should I just come out and tell her that I didn’t think she’d want to date me? “Our morning and afternoon swims have been longer than normal, and I’ve been working a lot. I’m not making excuses. I should’ve made an effort to see you. I’m really sorry!” I take her hand in mine and continue. “I hope you know that I really like you. I mean, I like you a lot. But I was worried about just showing up at your doorstep and having your parents tell me to go away because the holidays are usually family time.”

Her face softens with a slight smile. She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “So, it’s just a misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding and a lack of communication on my part. I’m sorry.”

Christina nods. “You should’ve come over because I’ve missed you, and my parents wouldn’t have told you to go away.”

My dad is ready to leave, so Christina and I find someplace private and quiet to continue our talk. It ends up being the laundry room of all places.

“Why didn’t you ask me out? We spent a lot of time together, but you never asked me out. Why?”

I don’t want to tell her how insecure I am about asking her out, but I know I need to say something. “Well…between our jobs, my workouts, and trying to catch up in all my classes, I didn’t think there was time to date. I gulp and worry that Christina heard it, “I wasn’t sure you’d want to go out with me, especially with the car I drive.”

“Your car? What are you talking about? I’ve never said anything bad about your car.”

“I know, but,” My face turns red as I pause, “I didn’t think you’d want to date me.” There, I said it. My heart pounds, and I’m afraid of what she’ll say next..”

“All you had to do was ask.”

I take a deep breath and push out the words I’ve been holding in. “I was afraid you’d say No.”

“Afraid I’d say no? What are you talking about? Why would I say no?”

The tone of her voice and the look on her face breaks my heart. Standing up, I take her hands and pull her in close to me. She’s warm and comfortable, and I love having her in my arms like this. Christina puts her hands against my chest, and I loosen my grip to look at her. Looking up at me, she inches her face close to mine, so I lean down and kiss her deeply. Her chest rises and falls as she breathes heavily, and her firm nipples press against my chest.

Some tenants interrupt us when they come into the laundry room, so we walk to a patch of grass under the two large elm trees. There are shrubs on each side of us, giving us some privacy. Sitting on the curb, I wrap my arms around her. Christina rests her head against my arm while we catch up with what we’ve been doing over our vacation. We kiss some more, our tongues tangling and dancing while our lips are pressed together.

“Tom?”

“Yes.”

“I have another question.”

“Okay.”

“Were you serious about breasts?”

“You mean about liking them? Absolutely.”

“No, I mean when you said that more than a mouthful is a waste.”

“Yes.”

“What about mine? Aren’t they more than a mouthful?”

“I don’t know; I’ve never seen them. But from what I can tell, they’re perfect, and I love them.”

She lies back on the grass while undoing some of the buttons on her blouse, making it evident she’s not wearing a bra.

“Show me.”

I look around. “Right here? You want me to do that out here?”

“Yes. It’s getting dark; nobody’ll see us.”

When I lean down to kiss her, the pile of leaves crunch under her head as they flatten. I can tell she wants this as much as I do because of how frantic our kissing becomes. My hand slides under her blouse to squeeze her firm tit as I kiss down her neck towards her chest. I undo the rest of her buttons and dip my lips into the valley between her boobs, kissing her lightly. My tongue glides to her nipple, and I draw it into my mouth. She gasps as I flick her hard nub with my tongue and pull it gently between my lips. I let go of her nipple and kiss her again, pushing my tongue into her open mouth.

“I love your tits. They may be more than a mouthful, but they’re awesome.”

“You’ll have to revise your saying, I guess.”

“I guess so.”

Smiling, my face plunges back into her, kissing and licking her nipples. Christina holds my head tight as she combs her fingers through my hair. Pulling her nipple between my lips, I roll my tongue around the areola while gently sucking. Opening my mouth wider, I take as much of her breast into my mouth as possible. Creating a vacuum with my lips, the tip of my tongue plays with her nipple. Her moans delight my ears, so I move to the other side and repeat my actions. I don’t care that she feels my hard cock pressing against her leg. One of my hands moves to her belly, and she reacts by rocking her hips. She moans again.

Christina pulls my head away and gazes into my eyes. Her chest rapidly rising and falling with her heavy breathing. Sliding my hand lower, she presses her pelvis against my fingers. Her beautiful blue eyes hypnotize me. I’m her puppet and will do anything she wishes. Another moan escapes her lips, and the skin between her eyebrows crinkle as she looks at me intently. She’s trying to speak. I’m worried that I’ve taken things too far.

“Tom?”

“Yes.”

“It isn’t fair that you’ve seen me, and uhm…felt me, but I haven’t seen you.”

“What do you want to see?”

Christina sits up, her open blouse flowing in the light breeze as we switch positions. She sits on my legs and unbuttons my jeans.

“I want to see…your…thing.”

Fighting the urge to reach up and engulf her tits in my palms, I let her have her way with me. She opens my jeans and sees I’m going commando, and a mischievous smile comes to her face as she pulls me out to fondle and inspect me. The headlights of a passing car illuminate us for a brief second, so she ducks down, dropping her chest against mine, and I instantly wish I’d removed my shirt.

“Why don’t we go inside,” I offer.

“But your dad said I couldn’t be in the apartment when he isn’t home.”

“I know, but he probably won’t be home until sometime tomorrow. He’ll never know.”

“Let’s go.”

We get ourselves together, and I lead her upstairs by the hand, making sure none of the neighbors see us.

I sit on the edge of the coffee table while Christina turns to face me. Placing my hands on her hips, she spreads her legs and straddles me. Sitting down, she attacks me with her lips. My hands wander freely around her beautiful body as we furiously make out. When Christina pulls her lips from mine, she leans away and looks into my eyes.

She smiles, grabs the hem of my shirt, and slowly lifts it over my head before removing her own. Her hard nipples press into my chest as we resume kissing. Christina slides her hand down my belly. I can only assume her goal is to reach into my crotch.

I want to make it easy for her, so I stand up. She wraps her legs around my waist, lifting herself higher, so her head is above mine. The whole time we keep our lips sealed to each other. I reach under her to undo my pants, and she suddenly pulls her face from mine, shaking her head. She releases her legs and drops to the floor.

Christina unbuttons my pants, kneels, and then pulls them to the floor, so I step out of them to stand naked before her. She looks up, takes hold of my erection, and uses it as a handle to stand.

I sit down, and she buries her fingers in my hair while pulling my lips to her stomach. I kiss and lick her belly button, which elicits a giggle; it’s a light, sweet laughter that’s music to my ears. Next, I undo her pants, pull them to the floor, and kiss her mound over her panties before removing them.

Reaching around, I caress her ass…her beautiful ass and coax her to sit on my lap again. My shaft presses between us as we kiss, and the only thought running through my head is how bad I want to fuck her. My hands roam up her back, and into her hair, where I feel small pieces of broken leaves entwined in her curls; pulling away to look into her eyes, I study her face.

“I’m kind of itchy from being on the grass. How would you feel about taking a shower with me?” I ask.

“Together?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like that.”

I kiss her again. We stand, and I lead her to the shower by the hand.

Christina

A shower? He wants to shower with me? The only guy I’ve ever showered with was Brad. Tom is different, though, and I’ll get to feel his tight ass in my hands and touch him wherever I want.

“I’d like that.”

I’ve already seen most of his body in his Speedo, except for his cock, and his bare ass. Seeing him now, completely naked, makes my mouth water. We stand up, and he takes my hand as we go into the bathroom. He’s been so gentle with me. I didn’t intend to go this far when I came over this afternoon, but as I look in front of me and see his tight, manly ass, I decide it doesn’t matter what my intentions were.

The room steams up as he has me face the wall with my hands over my head. I feel an electric shock of arousal as he lathers my shoulders, and the suds drip down into the crevice between my cheeks. He massages my back, lightly running his fingers down my spine and around my waist. I want his touch lower; with my thoughts, I will him to touch my ass.

He kneels, washing my legs and feet before returning to my butt. Sliding a finger between my cheeks and under me, he cups my mound. His thumb circles my clit, and I can’t help but arch my back and spread my legs to give him better access. He grips my labia between his fingers and squeezes. As he massages me with the lather, I melt into him.

Taking the showerhead from the wall, he rinses the soap off me before kneeling back down and sliding his fingers back into my crevice and invading me. I want him inside so badly that it aches. His lips kiss my butt cheeks as he fingers me, and I get very wet. Standing, he puts his arms around me, and his cock presses against my back. I want him bad! He turns me around, and we kiss deeply and passionately.

It’s my turn now.

Taking the soap, I liberally apply it to his wet skin. Gliding my hands around his hairy chest, I massage his pecs. He raises his arms, so I continue my journey to wash him and make him face the wall as he had me do. When I finish his back, my hands slide lower to his tight glutes. I kneel while kneading them. Letting my fingers trail between his legs, I gently grasp his balls. I pump his length with a firm grip to get him nice and soapy. Regrettably, I let go so I can finish washing his legs and feet. When I finish, I stand up and use the showerhead to rinse him off. He turns around, takes me in his strong arms, and holds me tight as we kiss again.

We get out of the shower, dry off, and I wrap my wet hair in a towel. Tom removes it and runs his fingers through my curly locks, fluffing it as he wipes my strands down with the soft terrycloth.

Carrying me to his bed, he places me on my back and kneels over me, kissing my forehead, my nose, and then my lips. Our tongues twine like mating snakes, but then he breaks our kiss, leaving me gasping. His warm breath wafts across my neck and then my collar bone as he kisses my jugular notch and squeezes my boob. Gently pinching and pulling my nipple, he finally puts his mouth on it to repeat the actions with his lips and tongue.

He leaves my tit and slides down the center of my torso, past my belly button, to my clit where his lips form around it, and he gently sucks. I gasp at the incredible feeling when his tongue flicks my button. He slides a finger into me while continuing to pay homage to my clit. My breathing becomes erratic, and the muscles in my legs convulse. His mouth moves lower, his tongue enters me, and I hear him slurping my juices. I’m amazed that I’ve come when we haven’t even had sex yet.

I try to slow my breathing and get my brain to process my emotions and feelings. When his mouth leaves me, and I don’t feel his touch, I open my eyes. He’s poised over me with his lips right above mine. I reach up, grab the back of his head, and pull him into me. We kiss deeply. I can taste myself on his lips and tongue, and I like it.

Tom

Her nectar is intoxicating as I drink her in; I’m immediately addicted to her. When she relaxes, I crawl up, place my elbows next to her ears, and rest my weight on them. Then, before leaning down to kiss her passionately, I consume her beauty.

She wriggles herself from under me and tells me to lie on my back. Christina sits on top of me, straddling my cock between her wet folds as she grinds against my abdomen.

She then turns around and positions herself with her pussy above my face as she takes me in her mouth. She’s irresistible, and I can’t help myself: I place my hands on her cheeks and lift my mouth to her. Her tongue slides along my shaft as she sucks hard, and then I feel the back of her throat as she takes me deep.

“I’m going to come,” I say.

“Mmmm.”

The noise she makes vibrates along my shaft, but she doesn’t release. I come hard, and she still doesn’t let go until I finish. She licks my length up and down and turns back around, and we kiss deeply again. I taste myself on her tongue, but I don’t care. I love the way she kisses, and I’ll take her any way I can get her.

She takes her lips from mine, and we gaze at each other again.

“I want you inside me. Do you have protection?”

“My dad has some condoms.”

“Go get one.”

She sits up as I get off the bed to go into the bathroom. At that moment, I realize my dad’s condoms may not fit me, but I’m willing to risk it. All I can think of is fucking her.

Opening the drawer, there are two sizes; the regular ones must be extras from a party my dad threw and should fit just fine. Grabbing a few of the smaller ones, I go back to the bedroom.

Christina turns her head and looks at me; she is on her back with dark curls wrapped around her face, highlighting her deep blue eyes. She gives me a soft, seductive smile that reaches deep within me, causing a strong sexual hunger. Her fingers softly probe her bush while her other hand caresses her tits. Kneeling on the bed between her legs, I rip the foil packet open and stroke my cock a few times to get it hard again before rolling the latex sleeve down my rod.

Sliding my finger between her folds, I make sure she’s wet enough before I put her feet on my shoulders and line myself up. When I slip my cock into her slick pussy, her brows furrow, but she smiles and lets out a groan. I go slow at first and then pick up the pace as we get our rhythm. My cock thrusts into her at a steady pace while her hands knead her breasts. She grunts and moans while taking short breaths. Her hips rise off the bed, and she rocks them faster, so I pick up the pace. Her muscles tighten, and her body becomes rigid as she comes again. I pull out just in time for my balls to fill the condom with warm sperm.

I flip her over and tell her to get on her knees. She raises her ass in the air, and her aroma overtakes me. I lean down and spread my tongue wide as I lick her wet pussy. My tongue glides up from her clit and nestles into her hole, where I slurp some of her juice. I continue up to her asshole, and when my tongue circles it, she jumps.

“Uh…what are you doing?”

“Licking your cum off you.”

“From my ass?”

“There was a little there too. Didn’t it feel good?”

“I don’t know. It startled me when your tongue touched me there.”

“Relax. I promise you’ll like it.”

I put my tongue back on her rosebud and circle it, licking gently. After her first moan, I know she wants more, so I place my tongue at her entrance and push in slowly and pull back out before circling her rosebud again.

She’s incredibly wet, so I get on my knees, roll another condom on, and press my cock into her to fuck her doggy-style. She grasps my sheets in her fists as she holds on.

“Faster…harder,” Christina grunts.

I increase my pace, and my balls slap her clit as I slam into her. I’m going to come again, so I pull out, slide the condom off, and shoot my cum on her ass and back. After I come down from my high, I grab a t-shirt and wipe her off. Then I flip her back over, so we can make out some more.

We try several positions and go through three more condoms before finishing. When we’re finally spent, we quietly cuddle in each other’s arms, absorbing the evening. I’m in heaven, and Christina is my angel. I look at the clock and see it’s one in the morning.

“Look at the time! When are you supposed to be home?”

“I’m an adult and don’t have a set curfew.”

“Won’t your parents wonder where you are?”

“No, they left for a few days, so I’m home alone.”

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

“What about your dad’s rule? He said that you couldn’t have girls over when he isn’t home.”

“If he comes home tonight, he’ll be too drunk to know that you’re here. So if we need to, I’ll sneak you out without him knowing.”

She agrees to stay, so we take another shower and crawl back into bed.

Wednesday, December 30^th

Tom

I wake to sunlight out my window and realize that I’ve had the best sleep ever with Christina next to me. Our skin pressing against each other is, to say the least, very enjoyable. I love feeling my length nestled between her cheeks when we spoon. I love feeling her breasts press into me when we face each other. I love having her in my bed, next to me, when I wake up. I feel her stir, so I turn on my side and watch her eyes slowly open.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I say.

She smiles and kisses my chest. “Good Morning. Is your dad home?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t hear him snoring.”

We get up, get dressed, and get out the door, not even eating because we don’t want to take a chance on getting caught.

“Can I see you later today?” I ask as I drive her home.

“Are you asking me out?”

“Yes.”

“About time! Yes,” Christina answers.

“How ’bout I pick you up at four, and we’ll get something to eat and take it from there.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you at four o’clock,” she says. I drop her off at her house and walk her to her front door. She gives me a quick kiss before unlocking the door and walking in. The door closes, and my heart skips a beat. I walk back to my car, wanting to jump in the air and click my heels. I don’t ever remember being this happy.

Dad is home when I get back, and he looks better than I thought he would.

“Where’ve you been?” he asks.

“Running errands,” I reply as I hold up a small plastic bag from the store.

He nods and hands me a list of things he wants me to do. It isn’t too long, and I should be able to finish it with ease. He goes to his room and shuts the door–I presume to sleep off the effects of last night–as I go into the bathroom to put away my purchase. I eat some breakfast and finish my chores before getting ready for my date with Christina. A date with Christina! I have a date with Christina! There’s no way to describe the joy in my heart when I think about Christina.

Christina

I daydream about Tom while painting my toenails. My long hot bath felt good and helped ease some of my sore muscles from last night…Last night…OH MY GOD! The phone rings and brings me back to reality. It’s Nicole.

“Hey, you didn’t call me. I guess everything’s good now?”

“Good? We made love all night, and I slept at his place.”

“You did what?” Nicole gasps.

That’s the last thing she expected to hear. “Turns out…he does know how to treat a woman. I’ve never had so many orgasms in one night. We did things I’ve never thought of doing.”

“What? Girl, you have to give me the scoop!”

“It was just a misunderstanding. He was afraid to ask me out and didn’t think my parents would appreciate him coming over during the holidays. We took the most incredible shower together! His fingers worked magic on my pussy. You wouldn’t believe how good his cock feels inside me! He played with my asshole! UGH, my pussy aches just thinking about it.”

“He played with your what? What is he, some kind of freak?”

“I know, it’s weird, but it felt good!”

“Wow! It was that good, huh? Why was he afraid to ask you out? He’s definitely not shy around you.”

“He didn’t think I’d say yes, and he’s embarrassed about his car. It’s almost like he hasn’t dated much and doesn’t understand the etiquette.”

“So…do you have a date with him now?”

“Yep. Later today, and I’m hoping for a repeat performance.”

“Again? Already? Give it a break and see how things go before you do it again!”

“You don’t understand, Nicole. He makes me feel soooo good, I mean, really, really good!”

“It’s your life. I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”

“In the morning,” I say, hanging up the phone.

Finishing my toes, I think about what to wear on my date. I picture myself in different outfits, and then I have a lightbulb moment. I’ll go commando.

Tom

It’s four o’clock on the nose when I knock on Christina’s door. She steps out and is as beautiful as ever. Giving her a warm hug and kiss, I tell her that I’ve missed her over the past few hours.

She smiles at me and asks, “Where do you want to eat?”

“How do burgers sound?”

“Great! Maybe we can go back to your place afterward?”

“My dad’s home.”

“Good, I can go inside then,” she says with a wink.

She tells me about a small stand with good chiliburgers that is within walking distance of my apartment. We go there, and while we eat, we talk about last night. I was afraid she’d have some regrets, but she feels quite the opposite, to my relief. I ask her if I can call her my girlfriend, and she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. I take that as a yes. We finish eating and go back to my apartment, and when we get inside, Dad is kicking back in his chair reading.

“Hey Dad, you remember Christina?”

“Sure, how are you?”

“Great, thank you.”

“We’re going into my room to study.”

“Where’s your books?”

“Uhh…in my room.”

“Uh-huh, have fun, and don’t get into trouble.”

We start making out as soon as the door closes. I love the way she kisses me! She lies back on my bed, and I crawl on top of her as she wraps her legs around me, locking me against her.

We play tonsil hockey as my hand creeps inside the bottom of her shirt, and she moans in my mouth. I release her lips and unbutton her blouse only to discover she’s not wearing a bra. I kiss her neck and throat and then down to her breast to lick around her areola. I gently kiss her nipple before flicking it with my tongue. There’s a knock on my door, and we freeze.

“I’m going to bed. You two stay out of trouble.”

“Okay, Dad.”

I hear him shut his door and know we’re home free. “I’m going to get some condoms before we get started.”

“Uhh…I’ve already started,” she says to me, with a smirk on her face. “Won’t your dad notice them missing?”

“No, I got more. I replaced what we used last night and stashed the extras where he won’t see them.”

I grab a few packets, and when I return, Christina has her blouse off and is removing a shoe.

“Here, let me help you,” I offer while kneeling to finish removing her shoes and socks. Unbuttoning her jeans, I learn she’s going commando, so I lean in and gently kiss the top of her mound. Next, grabbing the bottom of her jeans, I tug them off to get her completely naked.

She gets up and pushes me onto the bed as she says, “Your turn.” She kisses my chest as she removes my shirt and sucks a nipple into her mouth. It surprises me how arousing it is when she plays with it. Next, she unbuttons my jeans, pulls them down to my knees, and then kneels to take my cock in her mouth. She swirls her tongue around and then drops me out of her mouth so she can remove the rest of my clothing.

Facing me, she sits on my lap, and we continue our passionate kissing. Her aroma hints of roses, so I let her know how sweet she smells, and she tells me she took a bath in scented water before getting dressed for our date. She pulls a condom from its packet and rolls it down my cock, and then sits on top of me as I lie back.

She slides up and down on my prick, slowly, while rocking her hips. When she leans forward, I suck one of her nipples into my mouth and then let it go with a pop. Leaning down, she licks my lips, so I suck her tongue into my mouth, and we kiss. She sits back up and bounces harder until she comes.

We roll over, and she locks her heels around my ass. I slap my cockhead against her pussy before sliding it into her, nice and slow. I push until I’m all the way in and then pull out just as slow. She moans and groans, and when I’m almost out of her, I thrust quickly. I pump at a steady pace until my balls tighten.

“I’m going to come,” I say.

“Not yet. Fuck me…ugh…yeah…RIGHT THERE!”

I slow my pace to give Christina more time.

“Now…come now,” she urges.

I thrust in hard and hold myself inside her while I come. Then, remembering condoms can leak, I pull out quickly and set my deflating cock on her stomach. She unlocks her feet and lets her legs fall as I collapse on my side next to her.

We’re drained of energy and lie in each other’s arms talking when she tells me that she wants to be home before her parents get back.

“What time will they be home?”

“I think about ten. Their flight comes in at nine.”

I look at the clock, and it’s already nine. “We better get a move on!”

We get dressed, and I take her home. After walking her to her door, we kiss with all of our souls. I realize that I’ve fallen in love with this woman sometime in the past few weeks and didn’t know it until now. She could ask me to walk on hot needles, and I’d do it.

“When can I see you again?” I ask.

She gives me a puzzled look and says, “Tomorrow. Unless you don’t want to.”

“Are you crazy? Of course, I want to see you tomorrow.”

“Does that mean you’re going to ask me out then?”

“Christina, will you please go out with me tomorrow?”

“Yes. What do you want to do?”

“Oh…uh…I don’t know.”

“Well, it’s New Year’s Eve, and some of my friends are throwing a party. Want to go?”

“Sure. What time does it start?”

“Eight.”

“That’s cool. I work until five.”

“How about we find someplace open and grab a bite to eat beforehand?”

“That sounds awesome.”

“Great! What time will you pick me up?”

“How about six-thirty?”

“I’ll be ready.”

“Cool. Find something that’ll be open, so we don’t have to drive all over looking for a place.” I request.

“Okay.”

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pull her tight against me, and our lips meet in a passionate kiss. My heart swells, and I feel like I’ve become a part of her. I’ve never felt anything like this before, and I don’t want it to end, so I keep kissing her. She pulls back and gives me a warm smile as she loosens her arms from around my neck.

“I’d better get inside.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“You’d better.”

Thursday, December 31^st

Tom

I’m up early and have already eaten, dressed, and am brushing my teeth when Dad walks out of his bedroom and says, “You two were pretty loud last night.”

“Oh…sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” he says with a weird smile on his face. “You’re not going to get her pregnant, are you?”

“Uh, no.”

“Is she on the pill?”

“Uh…I don’t think so.”

“How do you plan to prevent it? From what I heard, you two were going at it pretty good.”

“We used condoms.”

His eyebrows rise, and he opens the drawer where he keeps the rubbers and says, “Really?”

“I saw what kind you had and went and got some. We used a couple of yours, but I replaced them with what I bought.”

“Go ahead and use what’s here. I prefer that to you getting her pregnant. Keep one in your wallet, just in case.”

“Uhm…okay. In that case–” I grab the condoms I stashed away and put them with the others “–I’ll add these to what’s already in the drawer.”

My dad snickers. “You expecting a lot of action?”

“I hope so.”

“Is she jailbait?”

“No, Christina’s eighteen and a senior like me.” I pause, wondering if I should ask him my next question. “Uhm…Dad?”

“What?”

“I know you said that I can’t have girls over when you’re not here, but will you make an exception for Christina?”

“Why should I?”

“Well…since you’re cool with us having sex, I don’t want to have it in the back of my car or somewhere strange. I’d rather be here, where we aren’t out in public.”

“Hmmm. Okay, but be careful. If you guys make a mess or get in trouble, then that privilege will be revoked. Only Christina, though, no others, at least, not until I meet them first.”

“I promise, Dad. We’ll be good, and we won’t get in trouble.”

He smiles and gets in the shower as I finish my business and leave for practice. It’s a short one today because it’s New Year’s Eve.

***************

When I pull up to my apartment after work, Christina sits at the bottom of the steps. I walk to her quickly, and she stands with a smile on her face. I pull her in for a quick kiss before heading upstairs with her.

“What are you doing here? I thought I was going to pick you up?”

“I know, but I got bored and figured I’d come over. We can leave from here.”

“Can’t say it’s going to be more exciting waiting for me to shower and get ready. So how’d you get here?”

“Nicole. We were goofing around, and she offered to drop me off on her way home.”

We walk inside to an empty apartment. Dad’s not home because he went to a party, so we have the place all to ourselves.

“Uhm…won’t you get in trouble if your dad comes home and finds me here?”

“No. He’s at a party. Besides, he said you could be here when he’s not home.”

Christina breaks out a huge smile. “Really? That’s awesome!”

Christina follows me into my room, and I strip down to get in the shower. She pulls me down on the bed, and we make out.

“I’m all sweaty and gross,” I say.

“I know, but I couldn’t resist.”

We sit up, and I tell her about the rest of the conversation with my dad this morning.

“We got busted last night.”

“We did? What happened?”

“We were too noisy.”

“Uh-oh!”

“It’s not a big deal; Dad and I had a good talk. He wanted to know how we will prevent you from getting pregnant, so I told him about the condoms. He’s even cool with us having sex here, as long as we’re careful, don’t make a mess, and don’t get in trouble.” I change the subject. “What time did your parents get home? Did they have a good trip?”

“They did. They got home around ten and were bringing their bags in as I was getting out of the shower.”

“That was close.”

“Yeah. We sat and talked about their trip and what I’d been doing while they were gone. They want to meet you.”

The blood drains from my face, and she laughs, asking what’s wrong.

“They want to meet me? Is everything ok?”

“Of course, it is. Don’t be paranoid. They want to meet the guy I’m hooked on.”

“Oh. Cool. When?”

“I don’t know. Whenever. By the way, I made an appointment later this week with my doctor.”

“You did? Is everything ok?”

“Uh…yeah.”

“Why do you need to see the doctor then?”

“I’ve decided to go on birth control pills, so we don’t have to use condoms, and I’ll need a prescription.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you needed a prescription for them.”

She smiles at my naïve response and says, “Yep.”

I get up, shower, and then get ready for the party. Christina tells me about an open diner, so we go there and have dinner before heading to the party.

***************

I feel out of place, standing around and not knowing anyone. Well, not anyone, because I do know Nicole and Jim. Christina is standing next to me when I feel someone bump me from behind. I turn around, and there’s a Hulk standing there wearing a letterman’s jacket with a football on it. The guy is about an inch taller than me and outweighs me by a good thirty pounds. He has a beer in his hand and a mean look on his face.

I turn back around, and he grabs my shoulder and pulls me back to face him.

“Man, what’s your problem?” I ask.

Christina turns around and stands in front of me, and starts yelling at the guy.

“Get away from me, Brad,” she says.

The guy’s face turns meaner, and it looks like there will be trouble, so I tell Christina to get behind me. She’s reluctant at first but then moves out from between us.

“Who the fuck do you think you are going out with Christina?” Brad asks.

“Who the hell are you to tell me not to?” I step forward and stand about two inches from his face. He pushes me, but I’m ready for it, and it knocks him back a couple of steps. He may be big but apparently doesn’t know how to use his body weight.

Christina leans forward and yells at Brad again. “You have no right to tell me who I can and can’t date.”

The veins in his neck pop, and his face turns red. I hear someone behind me push Christina away, and stand right behind me. But I’m not going to turn around and look because it’ll take my eyes off of Brad. Christina has told me about this asshole, the football team’s big star, and I’ve had a feeling we’d eventually run into each other.

“Dude, you’re drunk. You best move on and not start any trouble you can’t finish,” I warn.

I know I’m being an instigator, but I want this guy to know I’m not a pushover. He hands his beer to one of his football buddies and balls his fist up. I quickly gauge our distance and know that if he swings, he’ll make contact. So I plan my next moves very carefully.

Adrenaline races through my body, making me tense. I’ve only been in a couple of fights; once in middle school–I got pounded–and the other was last year at school. I’ve read several Louis L’Amour books with fight scenes and have tried some of the moves described in his novels. When I was younger, I was clumsy at best, but right now, I’m determined to be better than Brad in this fight. I don’t want this to be a long brawl because I figure if I don’t take him out quickly, he’ll pummel me. So, I plan to give it everything I have with each punch.

I’m ready for his right hand to come around, and when he brings it, I duck down at the last minute and then bring my fist up with full force to meet the underside of his jaw. This rings his bell, and he stutters back a couple of steps. He swings at me again, lower this time, and his punch lands in my abdomen, taking the breath out of me.

I get in a crouching stance, step into him, and throw a left hook, hitting the other side of his face. I follow my left with a right hook, aimed at his Adam’s apple, which knocks him back, and he falls. I stand over him and tell him to stay down, or he’ll end up in the hospital.

There are audible gasps in the room as I stand over this asshole. Apparently, nobody has ever faced him before, but I wasn’t about to let him be a bully, and I wasn’t going to be his punching bag. My main concern, though, is Christina. I don’t want Brad or anyone else messing with her. So I turn around to find her and see a guy on the floor with a couple of football players attending to him.

“What happened to him?” I ask Christina.

“When you ducked, Brad hit Joel, square in the jaw, and knocked him out.”

“Isn’t he the quarterback?” I ask.

“Yep.”

I chuckle, which causes my muscles to ache where I got hit, and we walk away. The rest of the night is fun, and when midnight comes, Christina and I kiss passionately to ring in the New Year. As we leave, I look around to see if Brad will make any more trouble, but I don’t see him or his football buddies. So I write him off and don’t think about him anymore.

I take Christina home, and we stand on her doorstep, making out. She looks at my bruised knuckles and kisses them. I tell her not to worry about me and that I’ll be fine. But I tell her to let me know if Brad bothers her anymore.

“Will I see you tomorrow…eh…I mean later today?” I ask.

“I think we’ll both be too tired.”

“Uh…sure. Uhm, how about Monday?”

“Monday? What about this weekend?”

“I work long hours this weekend and won’t be home until really late.”

“Oh. Okay then, I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Would you like a ride to school?”

She wraps her arms around my neck and snickers as she says, “You’ve already given me a few rides.” She kisses me. “No, Nicole always takes me to school.”

“Okay, then I’ll see you at school on Monday.”

She kisses me again and asks, “When are we going out again?”

“Next week, I have Wednesday, Thursday, and the weekend off. So any of those times that’s good with you.”

“I have Thursday and the weekend off. I see the doctor on Thursday after school and have to study for an important exam on Friday. I work until seven Friday night.”