Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2

            “Thank goodness you’re home! Come into the kitchen and help me finish making dinner.” Though I was not addressed, I knew that this was directed towards me. Having waved goodbye to Alex, I closed the door behind me and walked into the kitchen where my mother was busy sprinkling cheese on top of a lasagna. I picked up the head of lettuce that was on our grey marble counter top and began ripping off and washing the leaves in our sink. Over the noise of the strong current of water pouring out of our faucet and cleaning the lettuce I could barely hear my mother escape from the kitchen and run upstairs; but I knew that she had. This is how making dinner always worked. My mom would start everything, but as soon as I entered the kitchen she would rush upstairs to finish getting ready and leave me to finish all the prep work. So as my mother finished doing her hair, I put the lasagna in the oven to brown and whipped up a Caesar salad and a side of garlic bread.

“Oh Abby, thank you so much honey. I honestly don’t know what I would do without your help. I figured this was a quick enough dinner to make, but when Conner came over it was just so out of the blue! He’s been in the living room now for quite some time now. I better go keep him company. Honey, take the lasagna out when it’s done? Thank you!”

At that she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to be with Conner. Conner was my mother’s favourite of dates. He barely ever showed up, maybe once every few months. I suppose that’s what made him so appealing to my mother; his sense of mystery. In my opinion, he was way below my mother’s level. He was probably in jail all those months that he wasn’t around my mother. I’ve always hated Conner, as good looking and charismatic as he is. Not only does he “go-out-with” my mother, but he hits on me as well. When a man twice your age starts making passes at you, I whole-heartedly believe that you have the right to consider them pond scum. The worst part of it was that he did it when my mother was in the washroom, so she could never see. I’ve told her about it, but she always tells me that he’s only kidding, that he’s just trying to be flattering. No matter how she justified it, I personally found his attempts disgusting. With Conner over I knew my mom would want the house to herself, and with that came a great idea. Since tonight I was going over to Alex’s house…why not stay overnight? I could tell my mom that I’d be staying the night at Amelia’s house. My mom would think that it would be a great idea, because not only would it get me out of the house, but she knew that Amelia would be sure to remind me to take my pain medications. I just hope that Alex will go for the idea. It won’t be the first night that we’ve spent together, but it is a school night.

After taking the hot pan of lasagna from the oven and walking into the living room I prepared to make my mother a deal she could not refuse. “Mom, I know you’ll be busy tonight, so would you mind if I slept over at Amelia’s house? She and I can work on our homework and I can just go to school straight from there tomorrow. Does that sound okay?”

“Oh…Well, it is a school night…Alright, Abby. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, just don’t you two girls stay up too late now, okay?”

“Yes mom, we’ll go to bed early.” My mom was so easy to fool. Though I’ll admit, sometimes I do feel bad about using her selfishness in order to be selfish myself…but in this way I thought we would both be happier.

I packed my backpack up with an extra pair of clothes, and a bag of toiletries which included my toothbrush. Along with the essentials to spend the night at Alex’s, I brought along my unfinished homework, knowing that Alex would want me to do what I  had to do before indulging me in what I wanted to do. I threw on a light sweater and walked out the door without saying good-bye. My mom knew where I’d be, and if she needed me she would call my cell phone. I was already anxious to see Alex and I had barely made my way down an entire block yet. The fresh summer breeze was intoxicating. The floral scent of lilacs filled my nose and I closed my eyes for a brief moment while walking, taking my time to enjoy the little things in life. I finally turned the corner and hit George Street, Alex’s street. I only had to walk one more block and I’d be to his house. The big oak trees lining the boulevards made the slight breeze feel cooler against my exposed neck and calves. I made it to Alex’s house quicker than I thought, the walk was easy enough, but getting into his room without his parents’ knowledge proved to be a bit more difficult. I hade to climb the garden trellis to be able get into his bedroom window, and in doing so I usually managed to get a few scrapes here and there. Alex always left his bedroom light on for me, so that I could make out the trellis clearly. Even in the summer, past 8 o’clock it got kind of hard to make out certain objects. I made sure that my back pack was on and secured before climbing the trellis from the ground to Alex’s second-floor window. Once I got to the top, I lifted the window up and open and climbed in, thudding to floor and losing any sense of grace or dignity I had before climbing in.

“Smooth baby, real smooth.” Alex laughed gently and got off his bed to help me off the floor.

“Well, I’m getting better, don’t you think?”

“Hmm, no, not really. Sorry.” At this we both laughed; after all, it was true.

Alex handed me a can of Coke and made room for me on his bed. Sitting down, I opened the can of soda and stared down at my feet, wondering how to ask Alex if I could spend the night.

“Okay, Abby, out with it.” I looked up to see Alex staring at me intently. I hated the fact that he could see right through me, it made it so hard to surprise him.

“Well, Alex, I have a proposition to make you. My mom has one of her one-night-stands over and so she’d like the house to herself…and I was hoping that maybe it’d be ok for me to sleep here. I know it is a school night, but we can finish our homework first and everything should be ok. We can go right to school together tomorrow.” While proposing this I looked directly into his eyes, pursing my lips a little to make a puppy-dog sort of face that I knew Alex could not resist.

Alex laughed a light-hearted laugh at my attempts to be persuasive. “With that face, how could I possibly say no? But one condition, okay?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Homework gets done first. I’ve already finished mine, but I can set up some blankets on the floor for a make-shift bed, for me of course. You’ll be sleeping on my bed.”

This simply would not do. “Alex, your bed is plenty big for two.”

“Abby…it just wouldn’t be right. Please, don’t take offence to this, but I don’t trust myself to sleep in the same bed as you.” While he was speaking his face flushed but his eyes conveyed the message that he was truly sorry for disappointing me.

“It’s okay, I understand. But if that’s the way it has to be then I want you to take the bed. I don’t want to be putting you out for the night.”

“Absolutely not. My house, my rules. You get the bed, I’ll take the floor. Now, let’s get started on that homework, shall we?”

Admitting defeat I took out my school books and began working away. Luckily there wasn’t much work to do. As I scribbled away answers in my notebook, Alex went to his closet and pulled out a quilt and grabbed an extra pillow from off of his bed. The idea of him sleeping on the floor wasn’t appealing to me. This was his room after all, and it was my fault, I was intruding. I’ll admit, I would have liked to sleep with Alex, but after the last time I could see why he didn’t think it was a good idea. When we tried that before, it felt so nice, sleeping in the warmth of his arms, but the teenage hormones ruined it. Feeling his breath on my neck made me want to get even closer, so I did. After a while we were kissing and I placed my hand under Alex’s shirt, feeling the heat of his chest. This stopped it. Alex gathered my hands and put them to my chest. He explained to me that he didn’t want to take advantage or make me feel obligated. Sometimes he was too responsible.

“Okay, all done.” I said as I shoved my binder back into my bag.

“Took you long enough, Missy. I’ve been lonely watching television all by myself.”

Climbing up off the floor I sat next to Alex on his bed and started watching a documentary on the finding of a black mummy outside of Egypt. It was interesting enough, but the effects of the day were starting to catch up with me and I began to yawn.

“Abby, I’m going to go the bathroom to get changed. While I’m in there, you can change in here. Just open the door a crack when you’re ready for me to come in.” With that he grabbed a pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt and started down the hall after shutting the bedroom door lightly.

I grabbed my bag and dug around for my pajamas. I had packed a pair of bottoms, but I was missing a top. Hoping Alex wouldn’t mind, I went into his t-shirt drawer and threw on a Stroke’s band t-shirt. After packing away my clothes from the day, I pulled a brush through my hair and opened the bedroom door just a crack. Lying down on Alex’s bed, I put my nose to his pillow and inhaled. The scent was phenomenal, smelling just like him. Throwing the blankets over me I curled up and let the warmth envelop me. Before long I heard the door creak open and then shut.

“Alex,” I said sitting up. “I hope you don’t mind, but I grabbed a t-shirt of your to wear to bed, I forgot mine.”

He looked me over, eyes lingering a little longer than normal. “I don’t mind, it looks a lot better on you than it does on me. You look beautiful, Abby.” Shutting off the light Alex got down on the floor into his bed for the night and sighed.

The pale moonlight filled the room, making everything look silver. Knowing I shouldn’t, but not caring, I climbed off the bed and laid next to Alex on the floor. Putting my arms around his waist I whispered, “Shh, just let me.”

Another sigh escaped his lips but his warm hand covered mine around his waist. I took it as a sign of his defeat. Score: one-nothing for Abby. Trying my luck to the limit I pressed my body against his. Surprisingly, he rolled over to face my, hugging me to his body.

“You’ll be the death of me, Abby.” Alex said in a low, raspy voice that made my stomach turn over in anticipation.

“I know Alex. I’m not sorry.” Alex’s lips found my neck in a surprising hurry and I gasped, sucking in some much needed air. Feeling a sense of hope I wrapped my arms around his neck and met his lips. This was definitely a surprise, by now Alex would have stopped this, but I wasn’t going to give him the chance. I unlocked my arms around his neck and began to peel off his t-shirt. To my shock, he let me. He even started to put his hands under my shirt, feeling around my waist. I gasped at the contact, his hands searing into my flesh. As his hands worked their way over my stomach, Alex’s tongue found mine. He tasted like mint, from his toothpaste. Mint and something else, something inexplicable, but I loved it. Alex continued drawing a path of fire over my stomach, down my side and lingering on my hip. For some reason the intensity scared me. When his hand reached down to my thigh I froze, and so did he.

“What’s wrong Abby?” As he said this his voice sounded surprisingly calm, level.

“I guess, I just don’t think I can go any further, Alex.” I said through swollen lips, still trying to catch my breath. It had felt good, but my nervousness was definitely a sign that I was not ready. How could Alex be so calm when here I was on edge?

“Abby, sweetheart, that’s ok.” He laughed! Alex actually laughed! What was going on here?

“Alex, what am I missing?” I sat straight up and looked down at him.

“Honey, I can’t go further either. Maybe what just happened there is proof enough for you that we shouldn’t sleep together. I don’t want to do anything that you’re not ready for, love. We’ve still got time, after all. Let’s just lay here and sleep, nothing else, okay?”

So that’s why he was so unguarded with me, why he didn’t hesitate to let go. He was trying to make a point to me. I was relieved in a way, and I did better understand. “Okay Alex, I’ll go back to bed, your bed, and I promise I won’t try that again…tonight, at least.”

He chuckled again. “Sleep tight, Abby. But just know, I enjoyed that as much as you did.”

I climbed back into the covers of Alex’s bed and let the warmth and soothing scent send me to sleep. The fact that Alex felt the same as I did was a comforting thought, neither of us had to be pressured; we could just let it happen when the time felt right. All these hormones were confusing to me. It was astonishing how clear and blank your mind can go when you’re so overwhelmed with emotion. In a way, I was glad that I did finally get a moment of clarity. As much as my body responded to Alex’s touch; something was just off, I couldn’t explain it. Who knew my mother could be right about something? She had told me to wait until the time was right, and though my senses felt like the time was right, my head didn’t. I counted myself lucky to have a boyfriend like Alex, someone who also wanted to take their time and just let things happen. That was one of the reasons I loved him, because he was so understanding.

* * *

“Abby! Come on, this is the last time I’m going to try to wake you. You’ve only got a half of an hour to get ready before school starts.” I opened my eyes and shot out of bed. Had I really slept so late?

“Alex, your parents have left for work by now, right?” I asked hopefully.

“Yes, they left just over an hour ago. Why?”

“May I use your shower then, please? I don’t want to go to school like this, my hair is a nest.” I was uselessly trying to brush my hair with my fingers, looking to Alex and hoping that he would see the necessity of a shower.

“Yes, Abby, you can. Just hurry, okay? We don’t have much time. While you get ready I’ll go and make us breakfast. Oh, and you can grab an extra towel out of the linen closet in the hall.” He half smiled at me as I stood up and started making his bed. Finishing quickly I went into the closet, grabbed a towel, and headed towards the bathroom as Alex headed downstairs to the kitchen.

The master bathroom, like the rest of the house, was beautiful. Alex’s mother dabbled in interior design, and she had renovated the whole house from top to bottom. Most of the house was decorated to play up the antique quality that the house had originally, but like the bedrooms, the master bath was redone to be modern and comfortable. There was beautiful stone for the vanity, floor tile, and the shower nook. The walls were painted with a mossy green that was both warm and relaxing. The whirlpool bathtub was the size of a hot tub and behind it was a window, looking over the backyard and its garden. I let my feet travel across the cool stone beneath them and started to take off my pajamas. Dropping the towel on the towel rack, I hopped into the shower and turned on the water. This shower was definitely modern as well. It was built in the nook of an old closet, so it was fairly deep. There was no curtain or door to close but it still felt private and secluded. The thing I loved most about this shower, though, were the shower heads. There were three, and they all came at you from different sides and angles. I let the hot water pour over my head, soaking my hair and taming it instantly. I grabbed a bottle of Alex’s mother’s shampoo and worked it onto my scalp with speed, remembering that I had to hurry. I rinsed my hair quickly and threw in a bit of conditioner to make my hair manageable. After washing my body and rinsing off completely, I got out of the shower and ran down the hall to Alex’s bedroom with the towel wrapped around me. It took only a few minutes to get dressed and throw the towel in the hamper before I was packing up my bag and bounding down the stairs to meet Alex. I only had time to towel dry my hair, but that was good enough. I simply pulled my hair up in a ponytail and was good to go.

“That was good timing, Abby. Here, I made us some Pop Tarts.” He handed me a strawberry Pop Tart and started eating one of his.

“Alex, this is what you call making breakfast?” I said with a laugh.

“Hey, it is when we have to leave the house in five minutes. I’ll make it up to you at lunch, anyway.” At this I groaned, wishing I hadn’t said anything. While I did appreciate the effort, I hated Alex, or anyone for that matter, spending money on me. As we walked out the door and headed toward school I wondered how my mother was, if Conner had left already, if my mother was sad or happy. I’d have to talk with her tonight, just to make sure that she was okay.

Reviews

[deeps]

I love how you are so descriptive with your writes.
You are really good, i like your style
I see no harsh words used at all and I find that wonderful.
This is a well written chapter here.
I can feel well feelings expressed in this and emotions
being protrayed as well.
Simply amazing I must say.

[CassieLynne]

again BRAVO!!! :D