by Beth Rinyu
“So, are you missing me as much as I’m missing you?” she asked.
“More,” I replied.
She smiled up at me and I moved in closer, finally tasting the lips I had been yearning for all day. She looped her arms around my neck and ran her fingers through the back of my hair. “Does this feel as weird to you as it does to me?”
“What?” I asked.
“Standing here in our parent’s kitchen, making out.”
I smiled and shook my head. “No, it feels right to me. Everything about it feels so right.”
She pulled my neck toward her and our tongues intertwined once again. My hands began to wander under her shirt as our kiss deepened.
“Ah-ha! I knew it!” I quickly backed away from Carrie to find Gia standing behind us with her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised. “I think you two have a little explaining to do!”
“Gia, do not say anything to Mom or Ben just yet.” Carrie pleaded.
“I – I can’t believe you guys kept this from me! I gave you intimate details about the penis of the man I’m sleeping with and you two kept something like this from me!” She seemed genuinely hurt.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have been offended at all if you didn’t share those details with me,” I chuckled.
“We just wanted to keep it between the two of us right now. I swear, we were gonna tell you really soon,” Carrie said.
“Well, I don’t know.” Gia stuck out her bottom lip and pretended to pout. “I think I’m a little tense over this, I could use a massage.” Carrie rolled her eyes and began to rub Gia’s shoulders. “You’re gonna have to do better than that or I just may slip to Mom.” Carrie began to rub harder. “Ouch, not that hard…you bitch!” I couldn’t hold back my laughter at the two of them.
“Actually, Gia, I think I could use a little massage…..or I just may have to slip to Mom about the much older man that you are dating…. as in closer to her age!”
Gia, let out a deep sigh. “Fine, we’re even! Congratulations…..jerks!”
“We love you too, Gia!” Carrie responded with a laugh.
Gia, wrapped her arms around both of us pulling us into a hug. “Seriously, it’s about damn time!”
***
After we left the barbeque, Carrie and I headed to the crowded lakefront beach for the annual Fourth of July fireworks. She rested her head on my shoulder as we sat on a blanket, staring up at the sky. For the first time ever, I felt like I was exactly where I belonged with the person I most wanted to be with. Her hand moved under my shirt and my body delighted as her fingernails gently trailed over my back.
“Sup, guys!” I looked up to find Teigan holding hands with a blonde haired, blued eyed girl who reminded me so much of Carrie when she was younger. He looked at me and back at Carrie with her hand up my shirt, and a smile stretched across his face. “I thought you guys said you were just friends.”
“Yeah, well, we decided to take your advice,” Carrie replied.
“Seriously?” Teigan asked with a sense of pride.
“Seriously.” Carrie replied, building his self-esteem a little bit more. “So, who is this?” Carrie asked.
“Oh, this is Emily.” Teigan grabbed onto her hand.
Carrie raised her eyebrow. “Oh, Emily, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Thanks, you too.” She blushed with her reply.
“Oh, Em, this is Carrie and Jason. They’re my…”
“Friends.” I finished for him.
Teigan stared at me, looking a little surprised by my answer.
“Yeah, they’re my friends,” he said with a sense of satisfaction.
“Oh, Teigan, there’s Megan,” Emily said as she looked over at the group of teenage girls.
“Okay, I’ll be right over.”
“K…it was nice meeting you guys,” Emily said as she went running over to the group all huddled together.
“Well, well, well. Look at you. You’re a working man now and you got a girl,” I teased.
Carrie was grinning from ear to ear.
“Well, it’s only a part-time job,” Teigan said. He looked over at Emily. “She’s pretty hot, don’t ya think?” Carrie and I both laughed. “I’m really glad to see….” He looked down at Carrie’s hand in mine. “You guys are meant to be together. You have the same heart.” I looked at him strangely. Sometimes he surprised me with the things that came out of his mouth and not always in a bad way.
“Well, I got tired of listening to him beg,” Carrie teased.
“Yo, Teigan!” A group of teenage boys approached him. I recognized two of them immediately. Tommy and Josh Diller, they were cousins and well known in town by the police for getting into their fair share of trouble.
Josh looked over at me and his eyes widened. He began to fidget his hands within his pockets. “Stayin’ out of trouble, Josh?” I asked. I knew that was a dumb question. As much as I hated to admit it, kids like him were what kept me employed. I didn’t see the same willingness to change in him and his cousin like I did with Teigan. I knew that underneath it all, Teigan was trying to break free from the world these kids were in.
He let out an uneasy laugh. “Tryin’.” He nervously cleared his throat and looked away.
“Are you chillin’ with us later?” Tommy asked.
“Umm…I’m not sure. I’m kind of hanging with Emily tonight.”
“Ah, man she has you whipped already. Just hit that shit and quit it,” Tommy said.
I noticed Carrie paying particular attention to how Teigan was going to respond.
“Maybe I’ll catch up with you guys later,” he said.
“Whatever, dude!” They said, walking away.
I wanted to tell him not to. I wanted to tell him that they would only get him into trouble but I think he knew that already. It was up to him to be responsible and make the right choice, and I was hoping more than anything that he would.
After leaving the lake, Carrie came back to my place. We lay on my bed and watched TV after creating fireworks of our own. My mind couldn’t help but wonder what Teigan had decided and if he’d made the right decision or if he was out giving his dad more grief.
“So, how long do you think Gia will last with this one?” Carrie asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
“I don’t know, but she seems pretty impressed with a certain part of his anatomy.”
She let out a loud laugh. “I think Gia is always impressed by that part of the anatomy no matter what the shape or size.”
“What about you?”
“What?” she looked up at me and giggled.
“Are you impressed by that?”
“Well, that’s not the first thing I look for.” I raised my eyebrow at her. “First, I look for someone with a great personality. Someone I can laugh with and hold an intelligent conversation with. Then, he’s gotta be absolutely adorable. I love me a guy with dimples.” I flashed her a smile and she smiled back, tracing the dimple on my cheek. “Then, there are his eyes. I like guys whose eyes tell a story.” She totally lost me with that one. “You know, like they change colors depending on their mood. Brownish gold with flecks of green when they’re sick, olive green on the outside and bluish gray on the inside when they’re happy and then a deep gray when they’re sad. I know every single color for your every single mood, Jason, and don’t ever forget that.” She stretched her neck and kissed me on the cheek just as her hands wandered down to that certain part of my anatomy. “Now back to the question at hand.” I threw back my head and let out a chuckle. “This right here is the most absolute perfect one I have ever seen…..I’m sure Mr. Extra Skin on his bologna has got nothing on you.”
“Ah, Carrie, you know how to kill the mood!” We both began to laugh.
She climbed on top of me and took my face in her hands. “Yeah, but I know how to start it right back up again too, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you do!” I grinned and pulled the covers over our heads ready to create another round of fireworks.
Chapter 21
Carrie
Jason and I had officially been together for one month and three days. We were still managing to keep our relationship from my mom and Ben, and I hated it. I didn’t like keeping secrets from her, but I didn’t want her to needlessly worry about the “what if’s” of Jason and I being together as a couple, but I knew we had to tell them soon. It was only a matter of time before one of us slipped up in front of them.
I was babysitting Luke for my Dad and Amber, and I was ecstatic when Jason agreed to spend the day with us.
“Okay, so we should be home around eight and we’ll swing by and pick him up,” my dad said.
“That’s fine. He can spend the night if he wants.”
“Well, I would say that’s a great idea, but then I’ll be picking him up at three in the morning. He always says that he wants to do sleepovers, and then ends up waking up and freaking out in the middle of the night. So I’ll just spare you the drama.”
I laughed as I looked at Luke who made himself right at home on the sofa watching cartoons. “We’re gonna have lots of fun today, Luke. Jason is coming over and maybe we’ll go to the carnival.”
“Jason! Cool!” His deep brown eyes widened. Luke loved Jason and would always tell him that he wanted to be a police officer like him when he grew up.
My father laughed at Luke’s excitement. “So, everything is good? Have you heard any more from Brett?”
“Yeah, everything is great and no, I haven’t heard from him and I’m perfectly fine with that.”
He nodded. “He wasn’t the one for you, Carrie.”
“Yeah, I know that now.” I looked away, wanting so badly to tell him that I had found the one for me.
“He’s out there somewhere. You’ve just got to find him.”
“I know and I have. I found him a while ago and just never wanted to admit it.”
He looked confused before donning a slight smile. “Jason?”
I nodded, feeling a little guilty that I was sharing this with my dad before my mother.
“Wow!” He rubbed the side of his cheek like he was deep in thought.
“Before you say anything…..yes, we have thought this through. I love him dad….I really do, and if he were to ask me to move to California with him, I would drop everything in a heartbeat and go.”
“So, he was the soulmate that you were talking about?” I nodded. “Well, he’s a good kid, that’s for sure.”
I let out a giggle. “You weren’t saying that when you found out I slept over his house.”
“Well, that was a little different, you were so much younger then. Does your mother know yet?”
I shook my head. “No, so far just you and Gia. I know that she’ll be happy after I sit through her five-hour lecture.”
We both began to laugh. “Well, if you both know that this is what you want, then I’m happy for you, but if things don’t work out, it may get to be a little weird, given the situation with your mom.”
I knew what he was saying, but that was never a determining factor. Jason and I knew what we had was forever so we wouldn’t have to worry about the aftermath of a breakup. Nothing could ever come between us. I shook my head. “That’s never going to happen.”
“You’re a good girl, Carrie. You deserve to be happy.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly.
“Jason!” Luke popped up from the sofa and ran over to Jason as he walked in the door.
“What’s going on, buddy?” I never tired of watching Jason with him. He always had so much patience with him. He took the time to answer all of his questions and seemed genuinely interested. “Hi, Mr. Maynard,” Jason said as he walked in further.
“Jason, please call me Alec,” my dad said, shaking his hand. My father and Jason began to strike up a lengthy conversation about Jason’s job while Luke waited patiently, vying for Jason’s attention. I placed my arm around Jason’s waist and he looked down at me, seemingly surprised by my forwardness in front of my dad.
“He knows.” I looked up at him and smiled.
My dad let out a slight laugh. “I’m happy for the two of you. Now, if I could only get your sister to go after someone I approve of.”
“Yeah, Mom doesn’t know about that one yet either.”
My dad held up his hands in defense. “Yeah, well, warn me when she finds out so I can plan on being out of town.” Jason and I both began to laugh. We knew exactly what my mother’s reaction was going to be to that. “I had nothing to do with that one. Carrie, you can attest to that. All I did was invite the guy over….your sister did the rest.”
“Don’t worry, Dad, I got your back!”
***
Luke kept us busy all day long. We started off at the aquarium, then the arcade, and ended with the carnival. It was so much fun to hang out with him and just seeing him and Jason interact made it even more enjoyable. I took Jason’s hand as we sat on the bench waiting for Luke to get off of the pirate ride that he’d gone on about a dozen times already. “Did you have fun today?” I asked.
“I did. Luke’s a cool kid.”
“Yeah, you’re really good with him. You’re going to make a great daddy someday.” I silently scolded myself after saying that. Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear it. I knew that I could talk to Jason about anything, but sometimes baby talk would freak out even the most sensible guy.
He looked at me and smiled and a sense of relief washed over me. “I hope so.” He squeezed my hand tighter and my stomach tingled.
I rested my head on his shoulder and ripped off a piece of Luke’s cotton candy that I was holding and placed it in his mouth.
“I’m so happy, Jason,” I whispered.
“Me too,” He placed his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of Luke coming off the ride. The smile that was plastered across his face was priceless. “Please, can I take a picture of you and Jason?” Luke pleaded.
“Sure!” I responded.
”Over by the Ferris Wheel!” he shouted, after I gave him instructions on how to work my phone.
Jason stood behind me and wrapped his arms tightly around my body. Luke didn’t even have to tell me to smile. I had been sporting an extra-large grin all day long that was impossible to wipe away. When Jason whispered, “I love you,” in my ear, that grin went from extra-large to super-sized. Three little words that I had heard him say so many times before took on a whole new meaning. I always knew that Jason had loved me. But with his arms wrapped tightly around me, and his body pressing against mine, I now knew he was in love with me and it was the best feeling in the world.
***
Jason
After Carrie’s Dad picked up Luke, we ended up going back to my place and Carrie spent the night. It felt so good to be waking up with her in my arms. The rain was beating down on the roof, and I had never felt as content as I did at that moment, making me wonder why I didn’t let her know how I was feeling a long time ago. Just watching her yesterday with Luke and how caring and patient she was, made me admire her even more. She was going to make a great mom someday, and maybe I was jumping ahead of myself, but I couldn’t see her with anyone else’s children but mine. I couldn’t believe how strong my feelings were for her, but I guess when you keep them bottled up for years it’s bound to happen.
"So, what are your plans for today?” Carrie asked. Her eyes looking even brighter first thing in the morning.
"I told my dad I’d help him hang sheetrock in the house he’s working on."
“Sounds like fun!” she giggled.
“Yeah, loads.”
“Today is your last day off for a while.” She sounded disappointed. Not that I wasn’t feeling the same way, I would much rather spend the day in bed with her than working my ass off in some insanely hot house that probably didn’t even have air conditioning. But I told him I would help him out weeks ago, so I couldn’t back out of it now.
/> “I’ll see you later?” I asked, sweeping a strand of her hair from her face.
She looked up at me and smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Hey, I don’t have to meet my dad until another hour.”
“Well, then, let’s make the most with the time we have.” She looked up at me and grinned. I pulled her on top of me ready, willing and able to make the next hour something she would never forget. I felt like I couldn’t get enough of her. It was so much more than just sex with her. For the first time in my life I was attaching feelings to it. Strong feelings and even though it was awesome, it scared me a little.
***
“With a few minutes to spare and still time to drop you off on the way.” I laughed as I tried to catch my breath.
She let out a little giggle and kissed me on my forehead.
“Jason!” I heard my dad shouting from the front door.
“Shit!” I whispered. I sat up and threw on my shorts, wondering how the hell I was going to explain this? Carrie sat up and began to laugh. “What’s so funny?” I asked.
“I’m just having a little flashback.” She slipped on her clothes, not appearing nervous at all.
“I thought I was meeting you at the house?” I said as I stepped out into the kitchen.
“Yeah, well I’ve been trying to call you all morning. I thought you were still sleeping.”
“Oh…umm….well. Listen Dad, can I just meet you at the house….I, umm, got a chick…” I tilted my head in the direction of my bedroom.
“Oh….okay. Sorry.”
I let out a sigh of relief when he turned around to leave.
“Hey, Ben!” Carrie exclaimed as she came walking out of my bedroom.
What the hell was she doing?
My dad’s eyes widened as he looked at me, then Carrie.
“Ah, man, please tell me this is not the chick!”
Carrie smacked me lightly on my arm. “Hey, did you refer to me as a chick to him?”
“Well, I had to think of something to get him out of here.”
“Gee, thanks!” he responded.
“Ahh….sorry, Dad, but I didn’t think Carrie wanted Melanie to know just yet. Guess I was wrong.”
