We Were Us (10 page)

“I can’t, your mom.”

“What about my mom?”

“I like her, and I respect that this is her house, and I don’t want to lose her trust.” I said making my thoughts known to him.

“I see that,” he said. “Is Lauren staying the night again?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

He frowned. I didn’t know what he was so unhappy about this. I really could defend myself. I had tossed the sweaty guy off. No one had actually broken into my house. He’d knocked and I had stupidly let him in. It wouldn’t happen again.

“I don’t like you being alone,” Josh said. Concern played on his face.

“I’ll be fine,” I replied.

“Even with a crazy person out there?”

“Well he hasn’t been back so…” I didn’t know what else to say. I couldn’t stay at the Riley’s forever.

“I know.”

“Just take me home, okay?”

He kissed me again then grabbed my hand and led me back up the stairs.

It was amazing to me how quickly our relationship had progressed. I missed him when he wasn’t around. I craved his touch and kiss. I thought about him all the time. I thought about what we would do together and where we would do things. Sometimes it was sex, but I really just liked being with him and I wanted to spend more time with him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Josh picked me up promptly at eight. I had chosen to wear my dark blue jeans and a grey distressed t-shirt with rhinestones on the shoulders. It was a random impulse buy at the mall with Stefanie last fall. It wasn’t really my style, but it was cute. I wore my favorite, almost worn out turquoise suede flats. Josh was in jeans and a baby blue polo that accentuated his tanned skin and piercing blue eyes. His blond hair was mussed up just the way I liked it. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through it. He wouldn’t mind if I did though. The cab of his truck was filled with the scent of his cologne. It was sweet, warm, and clean and set off every sex trigger in my body. I wasn’t sure I would make it through this night.

“Hey there,” he said. He had helped me into his truck, raced around the front of it, and hopped in his side.

“Hey,” I said when he shut his door. “Where are we going?”

“Sonic, then it’s a surprise.”

“Sonic? The drive in? Really?”

“Hell yeah babe. Half priced shakes after 8 pm.”

“Babe? We have nicknames now?” I wasn’t so sure I liked it.

“I guess. I just kind of made it up.”

“I see. Well do I have to think of one for you?”

“Stud.” he said slowly like he was contemplating whether or not to even say it.

“Oh Geez.”

We drove on down the highway listening to the radio loudly and singing along. Living in a small town surrounded by farmland and other small towns severely limited our selection of restaurants to go to. Sonic, Pizza Hut, a Chinese place, and a few mom and pop places were about it.

It was a busy night at sonic. We ate at one of the tables and watched minivans full of yelling kids pull in and out of the stalls. Josh had ordered us both hamburgers with French fries, chocolate shakes and two sodas. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t like chocolate, so I drank half of it and pretended I was too full to finish. I don’t think he was too upset because he happily slurped down the rest.

The night air cooled as the sun dipped below the horizon, which really meant it was now eighty degrees instead of one hundred. We got back in the truck and I waited expectantly as Josh started the engine and turned on the A/C.

“Now what?”

“Now, you have to wear a blindfold.”

“What? Why?” Blindfolding was not part of the deal here.

“Yeah. I told you it was surprise. I don’t want you to see where we’re going. I might ruin it.”

“It’s getting dark out; I can barely see anything anyway.”

“Humor me, please.”

“There aren’t many places I don’t know about here.”

“Please?”

“Okay fine.”

I let him tie the blindfold on then I sat back against the back of the seat and waited for him to pull out of the parking lot. We pulled out of the parking lot and rumbled down the old highway. At least I think we did. Frigid air blasted from the vents. I desperately wanted to open my window and feet the blazing hot wind against my skin, but Josh had blindfolded me and I wasn’t sure where the window roller downer thing was. I wasn’t even sure if there was a window roller downer thing or if I had to push a button. I’d just be flailing my hand around until it landed on something familiar. That would be stupid. Moreover, I didn’t want to look stupid in front of Josh. Even though we had known each other for years, and we’ve had a few steamy make out sessions, it was different now. We had been spending more time together, more intentional time, he’s at my house all the time, he worried and cared about me and I, him. I had found myself thinking about him all the time, and daydreaming about a future together even though I didn’ plan on staying in Riverview.

I sighed to myself. He was within arm’s reach, but he felt like a million miles away because I had this stupid blindfold. I wanted to touch him or hold his hand, but finding his hand would be impossible so I just resigned to sitting quietly in my own little corner of the truck.

“I need a drink.” I said after a time. “Can I have some of yours?” I asked. I was suddenly thirsty

“Sure, just grab it.” Ugh really. That would mean more flailing of hands. I had no idea where the cup holders were.

“Can you hand it to me?”

“Nope.”

“Jerk.” He chuckled. “Can I take off the blindfold?”

He chuckled again. “Nope.”

“Jerk.”

I leaned forward in the passenger’s seat and felt around to my left for cup holders. Nothing. I felt lower between the seats.

“Dang it! Where is it?” I let the annoyance show in my voice.

Josh was laughing at me again. I should have just kept my drink. Instead, I had tossed it after we’d finished eating. He said he was taking me somewhere after dinner, a surprise, and I didn’t want to have to pee every five minutes. Now I was dying of thirst and I really needed a drink.

“It’s between your legs, isn’t it?” I knew the answer before he said anything.

“Maybe.” He still had a laugh in him.

“That’s okay; I don’t want your penis soda.”

“What?” He burst out with a laugh.

“I don’t want to reach over there.”

“My penis is in my pants and nowhere near the soda.”

I really needed a drink.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, scooted into the middle seat, and buckled the lap belt. Josh breathed in deeply and coughed as he let it out. He shifted in his seat shaking the ice in the cup. Damn it. I was going to have to reach blindly between his legs. Fine, I could play games too.

I placed my hand on his upper thigh. This caused him to tense immediately. Good. I slid it down to his knee and back up, then squeezed it down to his inner thigh. I felt the cup against the back of my hand, so I swiped it.

“You are bad,” he said.

“You have no idea.”

I heard him suck in a breath and gun the engine. I was thrown back against my seat at the acceleration.

We rode in silence after that, so I left my hand resting on his leg while I sipped on his soda. The radio fuzzed randomly here and there. I could tell it was getting darker; the sun wasn’t blazing through the window anymore. Josh had finally turned down the air conditioning. The road had gotten bumpier too. Maybe a dirt road or an old pot holed one.

The radio fuzzed in clear on a song we both recognized. I would turn it up, but again, flailing hands.

“I love this song!” Josh said and turned up the volume.

“Really? Why?” I liked it too.

“It’s a love song. They are talking about being in love.”

“Actually, they aren’t.”

“Yes they are. He’s saying he misses it when she was his,” he sang along to the words to reiterate his point. “See, you are mine again. It is a love song. This should be our song.”

“No. They’re talking about a lost love and remembering a time when they were together.”

“Well I never want to forget us together.”

I had to admit, even though he was wrong about the song, his sentiment was sweet.

We bumped along the road for a little while longer, turning here and there. I wondered if he was trying to throw me off somehow by making random turns. It worked if he was; I had no idea where we could be.

“Where are we?” I asked when we finally stopped.

“We’re here,” he teased.

“I gathered that. Can I take the blindfold off?”

“Not yet.”

Without another word, he exited the truck leaving me alone in the dark. He must have been getting stuff from the back because the tailgate slammed open the closed, rattling the whole vehicle. The passenger’s side door popped open. Josh grabbed my arm, pulled me gently across the seat, and lifted me out of the truck.

“Now?”

“Almost.” His whisper sent shivers through my mind and body. I wanted him. There was no denying it anymore.

His hands fell from my back to my hand as he pulled me along beside him. It smelled sweet and green, like honeysuckles, and a little of damp earth. The familiar trickling of water told me instantly where we were. The cool night breeze whipped around me and I sighed. The heavy stalks of corn shivered and the leaves shook in the wind. Josh had brought me to my favorite place. The river.

“Are we at the river?”

“Yes. How’d you guess?” He sounded a little sad.

“I can hear and smell it. I can smell the cornfield. Are you going my way to get there?

“Yes.” He was leading through the maze of corn, our own secret mission.

“I used to come out here after school to get away sometimes,” I blurted out. I’m not sure why I decided to share that bit of history.

“Away from me?” He stopped. He moved in front of me and lifted the blindfold. He was face to face with me. His blue eyes stared into my green, not that I could make out the color of his eyes in the pitch-blackness around us.

“Sometimes. When we broke up it was hard on me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For what happened while you were here. I liked you Jenna, but it was just an awkward situation. I was an idiot. That was not how you deserved to be treated.”

“It’s okay.” I looked down at what I thought might be my feet. It was hard to tell in the dark.

“It’s not okay.” He lifted my chin with his fingers until I was looking into his eyes again. There wasn’t even a moon. There was no light.

“Okay.” It was all I could think to say.

“Come on.”

He grabbed my hand, turned on a flashlight and continued to lead me through the cornrows. The light of the flashlight bounced along the path ahead of us. The rushing of the river was getting louder and the cornstalks were thinning out until they disappeared completely.

“We’re here,” I said.

He let go of my hand so he could spread the blanket out and I noticed he had two. He set the cooler down in one corner and the flashlight on top of it. I looked around and we were on the bank of the river, just off to the side of the muddy area. Grass grew thick and wild here.

“I come here too but at night.” He pulled me down onto the first blanket, then threw the second one around his shoulders and pulled me to him so I was leaning against his chest, his mouth close to my ear so his breath tickled.

“I’m afraid of the dark,” I admitted.

“What? No you’re not.” Josh was actually laughing at me.

“I am, actually,” I said dead serious and turned to look in his eyes. Well, look the best I could because it was so dark and I could not see an inch in front of my face.

“You don’t have to be scared with me, Jenna.” I thought again that he might kiss me but he didn’t. He just pulled me back against him and wrapped his arms and the blanket around me. I settled in and let him hold me. I did feel safe with him.

“Watch,” he whispered.

I looked up into the night sky to see the billions of stars that dotted the sky. I was not good with astrology, but I was able to find Orion, one of the dippers, and I could see the Milky Way. As I was star gazing something streaked across the sky in my peripheral vision.

“Did you see that?” Josh squeezed me with excitement.

“I think so.” I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for to be honest. I knew geese migrated through this area, but I couldn’t imagine Josh would bring me out here at night to see them. Especially since, I had an unnatural fear of birds flying over my head.

It happened again, but this time I saw it. A shooting star.

“Wow,” I said in wonderment.

“There’s a meteor shower tonight and there is no moon so we’ll be able to see all of them.”

“That’s amazing. How did you know about this? It’s so beautiful.”

“My mom told me.”

“Ah. You’re mom planned the date,” I teased.

He rocked me in his arms a little and laughed.

I settled back into Josh’s chest and rested my head against one of his shoulders. The longer we sat amongst the sweet corn, the more meteors started to fall. They shot across the sky in all directions, some with long tails, and some with shorter tails, all leaving glittering trails behind them.

We sat wrapped up in each other for over an hour watching the stars fall, but it felt like no time at all. The air was warm but the breeze was cool betraying the fact that it would probably be a scorcher tomorrow. I leaned back further into Josh’s broad chest and rested my head against his shoulder. Josh shifted behind me and lowered his head so we were touching cheeks. His warm breath fluttered against my neck. White-hot liquid desire seeped into my veins and traveled throughout my body. I shifted against him this time and he tightened his arms even more around me then brushed his hands up and down my arms. I wanted him to kiss me.

God must have been listening because Josh’s soft lips pressed gently against my exposed neck. He kissed me repeatedly following the curve of my neck down to my collarbone. I unfolded my hands from the blanket and caressed his rough, lightly stubbled face. He pressed harder against my neck causing me gasp with desire. I turned toward him and guided his face to mine. He hesitated, hovering centimeters in front of me. I moved in closer, brushing my lips against his. Still he paused. Was he teasing me?