The Art of Life

by Carter, Sarah

  “This is ridiculous, you can’t do this! I will sue you! Let me go! She is a lying little bitch!” Howard yells. “I didn’t do anything!”

  “I had bruises you jerk!” I scream. “The police know. They took pictures!”

  ` Kent steps toward Howard, “I would learn to shut up pretty quickly, or I will have everyone leave the room, and you and I will spend some alone time together.”

  “You can’t touch me,” Howard growls.

  “As far as anyone knows you fell and hit your face on the floor on our way back here,” Kent snarls.

  Howard quickly shuts up. We all stand there for a while, just quiet. Suddenly there is a commotion behind us. We turn to see police officers coming toward us. “Here we go,” Jeremy whispers.

  They immediately ask a million questions. Jeremy explains who Howard is and what was going on. A female officer pulls me to the side and questions me. I have to tell them how I know it’s him, that I am positive. They talk over the radio and get the information from the station that they need. It’s a lot of noise and I start to tune everything out. Howard screams a lot that I am lying. Finally, a police officer takes off the zip line and puts on real handcuffs. When he walks Howard past me, I stare Howard down. He spits at me, but thankfully misses.

  Jeremy jumps toward him, but Kent grabs him.

  A little while the last officer says, “Alright, we will be in contact with Miss. Nimon. Try and have a good night.”

  “Yeah,” I mumble. We watch the officer leave.

  Looking down at me, Jeremy says, “Let’s get you home.”

  “Here,” I say, taking off his shirt. “You should put this back on.”

  “No, keep it on, I am fine,” he replies. I just nod. Jeremy looks up at everyone else. “We are going to leave.”

  Josh points towards the corner. “You can use the back exit. That leads to where your car is.”

  “Thanks,” Jeremy sighs. “Ready Isabelle?”

  “Yeah, bye guys.” They all wave.

  Jeremy takes me by the hand and we walk out. The ride home is a quiet one. He holds my hand whenever he can, which isn’t much when you drive stick. I pull his shirt close around me, because it is comforting. It smells like him, and that calms me.

  When we get up into the apartment, Jeremy only turns on one light. I go directly to my room and shut the door. Slipping off Jeremy’s shirt, I put it on my bed. I then take off everything else, and slide into some pajamas. There, now I feel better. When I open the door, Jeremy is standing there. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  I nod, “Yeah, actually I am fine, almost relieved. We caught him, they have him, and if everything goes right, he won’t be doing it again. That makes me happy.”

  Leaning back against the wall, Jeremy sighs, “I am sorry tonight was such a horrible mess. I am to blame for a lot of it.”

  “Why was it a mess, because of Howard? It is a good thing that he got caught. Other than that, I had fun.”

  His eyes look up at me. “Yeah, but I hurt you.”

  Now, I quickly look away. “I don’t know what you mean. I was fine.”

  “Isabelle, I should never have gone and kissed that girl, or danced with her. I just…..when you told me to do it, you were so serious. It felt like…..never mind. I am sorry that I ditched you like that.”

  “It’s okay Jeremy,” I whisper, staring at the floor.

  “Can you promise me something?” Jeremy asks.

  Looking back up at him, I ask, “What?”

  “Don’t ever kiss Josh again. I mean, I may actually have to hurt him next time.”

  That makes me laugh. “It was all out of fun. Anyways, he confirmed that I was a really good kisser. So, I am proud of myself.”

  “You are a great kisser,” Jeremy replies. “I told you that already.”

  “I know,” I groan. “But it’s you. You would probably still tell me that if I were horrible.”

  “I love kissing you,” he states, and as soon as those words come out, he freezes. I don’t even know what to say. It’s like my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth. We stand there for a bit, just staring at each other, when Jeremy finally says, “We should go to bed.”

  “Together,” I whisper.

  He doesn’t move his gaze from me. “That’s up to you.” I pause and don’t say anything. Jeremy looks away and says, “You probably shouldn’t, in case a guy asks you out.”

  “But nobody has,” I reply. “So….what does it matter?”

  “Isabelle,” he says, “You are the one who needs to answer that. I am going to get into my bed. If you join me, that’s great. If not, I will see you in the morning.” He stands up and walks towards me. Jeremy gently kisses me on the forehead, but lingers there for a minute. When he pulls away, it’s like something is suddenly missing. I watch him walk into his room.

  I stand there for a while, just staring at his door. I have no idea what to do. Slowly, I turn around and walk into my room. I don’t get into bed, I just kind of sit on it. Jeremy’s shirt is on the end. I bend over and pick it up. Bringing it to my face, I smell it, and it smells so good.

  “Are you seriously sitting there, smelling my shirt?” I hear from my doorway.

  Throwing it down, I squeak, “No! What in the hell are you doing in here? I thought you were going to bed.”

  “I decided that I didn’t want to sleep alone, and since you crawl into my bed all the time. I am coming into yours tonight.”

  “Umm,” I say, as he walks into my room. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  Jeremy jumps onto the other side of the bed and looks at me. “Why would it be a bad one?”

  “I don’t know,” I whisper. He pats the bed next to him. Against all my better judgment, I lay down. We pull the covers over ourselves, but I don’t roll over to him.

  “Am I suddenly repulsing you?” He inquires.

  Turning to him, I say, “No, why?”

  “Usually you cuddle up to me, but tonight you are like five feet away.”

  “Sorry,” I reply. “I just….”

  Jeremy sighs. “I really hurt you tonight, didn’t I?” I don’t say anything, but look away. “Isabelle, I feel horrible.”

  “Did you like it?” I softly question.

  “Kissing her?” He asks. I nod. Taking a deep breath, Jeremy replies, “Not really. It’s very hollow when you kiss a stranger. The male side of me was excited, but the emotional side of me wasn’t very happy.”

  I look back at him. “That sounds really stupid.”

  “Just trust me Isabelle, it meant nothing. At least when I kiss you it means something. I should have stayed by you tonight, and I learned my lesson. You kissed another boy.”

  “But, I am going to kiss other boys and you are going to kiss other girls. Shouldn’t we be okay with that?” I inquire.

  Staring up at the ceiling, Jeremy says, “I guess you are right. I don’t think I will ever be okay with you kissing boys, but I think that is the territorial, protective side of me.”

  “Ah,” is the only reply I give. With that I roll over and lay my head on his chest. “I don’t want to see you kiss girls. It makes me feel weird.”

  “The territorial, protective side of you, huh?”

  “I guess,” I mumble. “Let’s just go to sleep, and deal with this all later. I am tired.”

  Jeremy kisses the top of my head. “Okay.”

  “I want to go out again,” I sigh. “Just next time, let’s stick with each other.”

  There is a soft chuckle from Jeremy. “I think that’s a good idea. Night Isabelle.”

  “Good night Jeremy,” I reply, snuggling up to him.

  Chapter 22

  The next morning I wake up staring at Jeremy’s chest. I close my eyes and then snap them open. We are lying here, with our legs completely intertwined, and my right hand is holding his left one. Our fingers are clenched tight together, and Jeremy has them pressed to his chest. When I actually move my head up, our faces ar
e merely inches apart. My stirring seems to wake him up. Jeremy tilts his head down so that we are nose to nose. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” I whisper.

  Jeremy places his forehead on mine and closes his eyes. I am not sure what to do. This feels so good, so incredibly good, but I know it has to be wrong, right? I start to pull my hand away and Jeremy seems reluctant to let it go. Not wanting to yank, I just twist my hand. He lets go and rolls over to lie on his back. “Sorry,” he mumbles. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

  “That isn’t it,” I say, scooting next to him. “I just wanted to get up.”

  He turns and looks at me. “You are pretty this morning. Your hair is messed up curls that are hanging in your face.”

  “Ewwww,” I groan, putting my face in his chest.

  “No,” he reassures me. “It’s cute.”

  I look up at him and our faces are really close. “You are cute every moment of every day, so I don’t think I need to tell you that.”

  “Hey, it’s still nice to hear once in a while, especially coming from you,” Jeremy says.

  “Well then,” I start. “You are hot this morning.” I go to roll over on top of him, and he quickly shoves me off and sits up. Taken aback, I say, “What did I do?”

  Snorting Jeremy replies, “Um, nothing in particular. Can you go make us coffee?”

  “Yeah sure, but why are you acting so funny?”

  Looking away, Jeremy slightly snaps, “Just go make some coffee Isabelle.”

  That makes me feel a little sad and rejected. I get up and go into the kitchen. While the coffee is brewing, Jeremy comes out and joins me. “Sorry about that.”

  I turn away from him. “I don’t understand what I did wrong.”

  “Trust me, you did nothing wrong,” Jeremy chuckles and sighs at the same time. “Isabelle, if you think about it, I think you could figure it out.”

  Spinning around, I just look at him. “What could I possibly figure out?”

  Jeremy groans and rubs his face with his hands. “A guy wakes up with a girl pressed against him in such an intimate matter, it makes certain things happen.”

  My mind blanks for a little while and then my eyes get huge. “Oh….OH! Oh my gosh, I am sorry.”

  “Why in the world would you apologize?” Jeremy laughs. “I am the one embarrassed.”

  “You’re embarrassed?” I ask.

  He takes a deep breath. “Yeah, just a little bit.”

  “SCORE!” I exclaim, raising my hands in the air. “I found the one thing that embarrasses you.”

  His eyes nearly roll into the back of his head. “What are you going to try to do, arouse me in public now? Otherwise, I am not sure how you are going to benefit from this embarrassment.”

  “I could try doing that,” I reply, tapping my chin. “It may make things interesting.”

  “You know part of me is going to tell you not to, but then the guy part of me is like….I’m game.”

  “Pervert,” I giggle. “I am not doing that.”

  Getting a very mischievous grin on his face, Jeremy says, “But it could be fun.”

  “What,” I laugh, “run my foot up your leg under the table?”

  “Sweet goodness, yes!”

  With a dead stare, I say, “No.”

  Snapping his fingers, Jeremy sighs, “Damn.”

  “The coffee should be done soon,” I moan, turning around.

  Jeremy comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “It was nice to wake up to you this morning.”

  “Obviously,” I giggle.

  “Oh jeepers,” Jeremy moans back. “This is going to be funny all day isn’t it?”

  Nodding my head, I reply, “Pretty much.” Suddenly, he starts biting my neck and it tickles. “Stop it!” I squeal.

  “Never!” He shouts, going on to tickle my sides. I twist to get out of his grasp, but just end up on the floor. Jeremy sits on top of me. “Are we going to stop bringing up my awkwardness this morning?”

  “Talking about bringing it up,” I shriek, because he tickles me more. After a few seconds, I finally yell, “I give, I give, no more!”

  He stops and looks down at me. “I will always win.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I retort. “Now get off of me.”

  Standing up, Jeremy extends his hand out and I take it. “What do you want to do today?” He asks.

  “I have no idea. Do you have anything in mind?”

  “I want to spend the day with you and I want to get some warmer clothes for winter, so you and I shall go shopping. No Cassandra this time,” he states.

  “Shopping for you sounds fun,” I comment. “See you dressed all sexy.”

  That makes Jeremy raise an eyebrow. “Have me dress all what?”

  My cheeks light on fire, “I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”

  “Mmhmm,” he hums in reply. “I know my sexual animalistic pull is strong.”

  “Yes, it fills my nights with the most tantalizing dreams,” I sigh sarcastically.

  Jeremy chimes, “Really?”

  “No,” I reply, trying not to laugh.

  We have our coffee and then get ready. Jeremy makes me drive, which isn’t nerve racking like it usually is. I am pretty comfortable doing it. I even park the car with no problem. “You are getting better,” he points out.

  “I know,” I say, “I am so proud of myself.”

  He smiles and takes my hand. We walk in and the mall is actually busy. It is a Sunday afternoon after all. The first thing we do is go to the guy’s store. I wander around behind Jeremy as he looks at stuff. I grin and pick up a shirt. “I like this one.” It is a dark purple button up.

  “I agree, it’s a nice color,” Jeremy replies. “Pick out my size.”

  We go through the clothes and I pick out a few sweaters. I do have to say they are all fitted and will show off his body nicely. Bonus for me, okay, I really need to stop thinking that. I mean, it’s alright if I admire, right? He tries on some of the shirts, but being the typical guy, he just stands there with the fitting room door open. So, I am FORCED to watch him take his shirts on and off. Sigh, this is such a hard job.

  Finally, Jeremy seems content on what we bought. I made him buy an awesome pair of pin striped pants that looked great on him. As we are walking through the mall, I suddenly stop at a window. “Those are so pretty!”

  Jeremy stops next to me, and says, “The pajamas?”

  “Yeah, oh my gosh, it looks like a kimono, sort of. It’s like something you would see on TV, very pretty.”

  “Well then, come on.” Jeremy grabs my hand and pulls me into the store, and it’s the lingerie store…..should be interesting. When we get to the pajamas, I look through the racks. “These are all so pretty. Very sexy and adult like, not like the flannel pajamas I usually wear.”

  “Get what you want Isabelle,” Jeremy replies. “You don’t have to wear flannel pajamas if you don’t want to.”

  Getting a little bit daring, I say, “Really? I can wear something more adult?”

  “You can wear whatever you want, I don’t mind,” Jeremy replies, not even looking at me.

  I pick up something off a rack and turn around, holding it against me. “Well then, what about this? Would you rather me sleep in this at night?”

  Turning to look at me, Jeremy’s eyes bulge out of his head. “Isabelle,” is all that he can say.

  “What?” I chirp. “You were the one who said you wouldn’t mind me walking around in my bra and underwear, I don’t see how this is much different.” I walk over to him with the lace nightie. “I mean, would this cause a….problem….for you? I wouldn’t want you to feel suddenly….,” and I emphasize, “AWKWARD.”

  Jeremy looks me dead in the eyes. There is a hint of hesitation, and then he says, “Why do you think it would be awkward?”

  Sighing dramatically, I say, “I guess it wouldn’t be. I should have known better than to think you would have the same reaction as
if other girls were wearing it.” The look on Jeremy’s face is priceless. “What?” I ask. “Am I wrong?”

  Unable to meet my gaze, Jeremy looks at the ground. “I…..” he starts, “I need to walk away.” With that he turns and does exactly that.

  My jaw hits the floor. I quickly put the nightie back and dart after him. “Jeremy!” I yell, when I get near him. “Stop.” I grab his arm and pull him to a stop. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  He turns and looks at me. “It’s not that. I just. What am I supposed to say to you? What would be inappropriate? I mean, we joke around, but if I said……I just can’t….fine, yes, you would look hot as hell in that, and probably make a whole lot of thoughts run through my head, but is that wrong?”

  I stand there staring at him. Finally, I whisper, “No, I don’t think it would be wrong. I say you are sexy all the time. You know I see you that way, but I would never do anything…..” Crap, yes I would and have. “Let’s just drop the subject okay. I will get normal pajamas and we will stop talking about lingerie.”

  He opens his mouth and the closes it. “Alright,” he finally sighs. “Pick out what you want.”

  Shaking my head, I say, “No, we should just leave.”

  Now scoffing, Jeremy snorts, “Don’t be ridiculous. If you want more adult pajamas, we will get them for you. Come on, I am not embarrassed by that.” With that, he grabs my hand and pulls me back through the store.

  When we get back to the apartment, I wash all of Jeremy’s clothes and hang them up. He told me to just throw them in the dryer and I rolled my eyes. “I am doing the laundry from now on,” I state. “You don’t put these things in the dryer.”

  “So, let me get this straight, if I screw up on the chores, you will just do them? Hmm, I think I will like that,” Jeremy teases.

  “I will clean up after you. I don’t mind,” I say. “I am used to keeping house, anyway, I have to do something to repay you.” I open the closet door and take out the broom. When I close it, Jeremy is standing there. He snags the broom from me. “Hey!” I exclaim. “I am going to sweep.”