by Beth Rinyu
He checked us in and we were shown to our room by the innkeeper. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask,” she said, leading us into the room.
“Wow!” I whispered, looking around the ocean view suite that was done up in various shades of blue and yellow which added to the light and airy feel. Nautical paintings were tastefully arranged among the walls, and just outside was a small bluestone and brick patio with two Adirondack chairs facing the water. “Jason, this is just so romantic.” He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me hard. We had been so busy these past few weeks with work that it hadn’t left any time for us. I was realizing at this moment just how much I missed him. That was confirmed by the way my body was responding to his kiss. “I thought we came here so you could sleep?” I teased as his tongue slid down my neck.
“I will, but right now I want to make love to my beautiful girlfriend.”
***
Jason was sound asleep as I lay next to him, tracing my finger along his face. As my body came down from its Jason-induced high, worry started creeping in. We hadn’t had sex in almost two weeks, and it didn’t dawn on me to tell him that within that time, my doctor had taken me off the pill to see if that’s what was triggering my migraines. Since I thought we were staying at his mom’s this weekend and sex would be out of the question, I didn’t think condoms were necessary. Then he had to go and plan this romantic little getaway and kiss me the way he did. I should have told him to pull out. I should have told him before we even started anything, but I wanted him just as much as he wanted me. Since we had gotten together, we had never gone that long without having sex. I tried to put it out of my mind, telling myself I was worrying needlessly. I had read somewhere that even after coming off the pill, it’s still in your system for a month or so…at least I thought that’s what I’d read. It sounded logical enough so it had to be true. I tried to focus on that rationale instead of my doctor’s voice in my head telling me to make sure I used another means of protection. God, sometimes I was so stupid! I wasn’t able to lie there any longer and drive myself crazy overthinking. I leaned over and kissed Jason on the cheek before hopping out of bed and getting dressed. There was a whole beautiful beach to be explored just outside my window, and I was going to check it out to get my mind off things.
***
“Carrie! It’s so nice to see you again, honey.” Jason’s mom pulled me into a hug when we entered the party.
“You too!” I responded, hugging her back. Jason’s mother was gorgeous. She was the epitome of class. I envied her keen sense of style. Of course, her tall, thin figure only added to it, allowing her to pull off every outfit she wore flawlessly. Her long, dark hair was always impeccably styled or pulled back in a chic ponytail. There was no doubt between her and Ben that Jason would be anything but beautiful. She was always so warm and welcoming.
“Jason!” Olivia, Jason’s little sister, shouted throwing her arms around him. “Happy birthday, beautiful.” Jason said, bending down to give her a kiss. She and Jason had the same mother but different father’s. Jason shared the same opinion I did when it came to “half” brother and sisters. There was no such thing. “You’re growing up way too fast. And you better not have a boyfriend.”
Her face reddened. “Jason!” she looked away in embarrassment. “Carrie! I didn’t even see you standing there,” Olivia said.
“Happy birthday, Olivia! I can’t believe how much you’ve grown since I last saw you.”
“Yeah, and I finally got my braces off!” She smiled, proudly showing her teeth.
“So, did you want to meet my boyfriend?” She giggled and raised her eyebrow at Jason.
“Not really.”
She shook her head and grabbed his hand. “Well, too bad! And be nice!” She demanded as she led him off into the crowd.
“Come sit down,” Jason’s mother said, leading me over to an empty table. “My mother and father are around here somewhere. I know my mother is really looking forward to seeing you, too. She was ecstatic when she found out you and Jason are finally together. She’s always said that you were the one for him.”
I smiled just hearing that. “So, Jason said you guys are moving back in a few months.”
She sighed heavily. “Yes, we are. Tim’s getting transferred back to the New York office. We close on the house in two weeks. It will be so nice to be close to Jason and my parents again, but I am so not looking forward to the move.” She looked over at Olivia, laughing away with Jason and her friends. “Olivia is devastated; her junior year, starting a new school. It’s gonna be tough on her.”
I knew exactly how Olivia was feeling, I was that girl once, but luckily for me, I had found a friend who was now the love of my life. I looked straight ahead and smiled, remembering the first time I had ever laid eyes on Jason:
It was my first day in my brand-new high school. I was feeling awkward to begin with, not knowing anyone else but my sister; and even more uncomfortable when I found out that we didn’t have the same lunch, leaving me sitting all alone at the lunch table. I buried my nose in a book, eating my pizza as I tried to block out everything and everyone around me. When I lifted my head for a brief second to take a sip of my water, my eyes locked with the cutest boy I had ever seen, standing in the lunch line. All I could think about as I stared at him was the Disney princes in the collection of DVD’s that I would watch over and over again. He was beautiful, and my stomach fluttered at the site of him; with his light brown hair, his greenish-gold eyes, and the way he stood with confidence. I knew right away that he was one of the untouchables. That’s what we would call the popular kids in our old school. His mouth turned up into a tiny smile causing me to inadvertently smile back. My stomach was now doing cartwheels, and suddenly this mystery boy was a lot more interesting than the book that I’d been pretending to read. And then I saw her, the beautiful blonde girl that was in my first period Art class. She came up behind him covering his eyes and letting out a loud laugh…and just like that he had forgotten all about me, turning around and planting his lips on hers. My head instantly dropped back to my book. What the hell was I thinking? Someone like him would never be interested in someone like me. That was confirmed, when Kayla Felix, the perky, social butterfly who was also in my art class took a seat next to me. “Don’t even waste your time.”
“Huh?” I moved my eyes to hers.
She tilted her head to the boy that I had just been daydreaming about. “Jason Wilder. He only dates cheerleaders and girls that look like Barbie Dolls.” She rolled her eyes. “Like Kiera Bentley…the biggest bitch in this school.”
“Who’s that?”
“The one with her tongue down his throat.”
I looked over and quickly looked away at the site of the pretty blonde who was making out with him right in the middle of the cafeteria. “Wow, I guess she’s not embarrassed by putting it all out there.”
“Yeah, well, she just wants to make sure that the whole school knows he is hers!” She shuddered before taking a bite of her apple.
I looked over at the two of them once again. He was definitely out of my league, but for that brief second, I was imagining my lips on his instead of hers...
“I may sound like a bitch, but I’m so glad things didn’t work out with Ashley. She was no good for Jason,” Jason’s mother said, bringing me back from my trip down memory lane.
“Yeah, I didn’t care for her too much either.” That was putting it mildly.
“Call it mother’s intuition but I knew that girl would just end up breaking his heart someday. Thank god he came to his senses before he let that happen.” I nodded in agreement. “Jason tries to play the tough guy, but he’s got a really sensitive side. He definitely gets that from me.” She raised her eyebrow and smiled.
“I know.” I smiled back. I had seen that side of Jason many times and I loved it. Even though he was so much like his dad in some ways, he was also the total opposite in others. Ben was by no means the sensitive type, and I think
that’s what attracted my mother to him so much. I, on the other hand, was attracted to a guy who wasn’t afraid to put it out there and express his feelings, and Jason was exactly that type.
“Did you want to dance?” Jason leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“Sure.” He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. His muscular arms wrapped around me and we began to sway back and forth. My stomach fluttered the same way it did when I saw him standing in that lunch line all those years ago. The only difference now: he was no longer untouchable, he no longer belonged to someone else, and he was mine. Forever.
***
Jason
“Hey Jas, can we stop here for a minute?” Carrie asked as we passed a pharmacy on our way back to the Inn.
I pulled into the parking lot, and she hesitated with her hand on the door. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Umm….well, I was kinda hoping you’d go in.”
“For what?”
“Umm….condoms.”
I creased my eyebrows in confusion. “But you’re on the pill.”
“I was, up until last month. My doctor took me off on a trial basis to see if that’s where my headaches were stemming from.”
“But, wait. Carrie, we just had sex this morning.”
She let out a deep sigh. “I know. I should have said something then, but I just wanted you so badly, and I didn’t want to ruin the whole little romantic getaway that you planned. I’m sorry for being stupid, Jason. Please don’t be mad at me.” She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
I leaned over and pulled her into a hug. “Hey, it’s okay, Carrie. I mean, you hear about people trying for years to get pregnant. What are the chances of it happening that one time?” She raised her eyebrow at me. “And, you know what? So what if it did? I know that there’s no one else in this world that I want to be the mother of my children. It’s gonna happen someday, this would just make it sooner rather than later.”
She was silent for a moment, and I was hoping that I wasn’t jumping the gun with what I had just said. The smile that came across her face told me that I hadn’t. She pressed her forehead up to mine and kissed me on the lips. “Just when I thought I couldn’t love you anymore. I can’t wait to have babies with you, but for now, let’s make sure we’re covered…..no pun intended.”
I nodded and laughed as I got out of the car and walked inside. If this had happened with anyone else I would be freaked out and on pins and needles for the next month, but with Carrie it was so different. And if I was being completely honest, a small part of me was hoping that maybe she was. I smiled thinking about how far we had come from high school and the first time I ever really paid attention to her, realizing just how special she was:
My eyes focused on the cute, little blonde chick that had just walked through the door. I had seen her around school so many times but didn’t know her name. I knew she was a junior, which meant she was super smart to be in this class with all seniors, none of whom wanted to be here because the class was hard as hell. She looked around for an empty seat, deciding on the one that was closest to her and right in front of me. She looked directly into my eyes and bit her bottom lip. I couldn’t help but stare at her, taking in her beautiful blue eyes and the fact that she was even cuter up close. She looked away and cleared her throat before taking her seat. I breathed in the faint scent of raspberries when she moved her hair to one side and twirled it around her finger, giving me the perfect view of her sexy, bare neck. A smile stretched across my face as I sat back in my chair and tapped my pencil on the side of my head. Maybe Calculus class wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
That cute little girl had grown into an amazing, beautiful woman, and I no longer had to sit behind her, staring at her, letting my overactive teenage imagination get the best of me. I was living out all the fantasies that I once had about her. It was all real now, and it was a thousand times better than anything I’d ever imagined.
Chapter 24
Carrie
The weeks were flying by. Jason was finally switched back to day shift, and we were spending most of our nights together. I didn't think we could be any closer than we were, but waking up with him each morning, I realized we really were the couple I always dreamed being a part of. We were meeting up with my mom and Ben for dinner, and I couldn’t help but think how happy I was that we’d come out and told them about our relationship. I hated feeling like I was sneaking around when we were around them, and now we didn’t have to. We always had so much fun hanging out with the two of them and for being our parents, they were actually pretty cool. In addition to Gia, my mother was my other best friend. I loved that I had such a close relationship with her and could tell her almost anything. I knew that certain things would come with a lecture, so those were the things that I either chose not to tell her or just endured her maternal speeches. As much as I hated to admit it, she was usually right.
"Yo, Wilder!" Jason turned around to greet the two guys and girl that had just walked into the bar area where we were sitting, waiting for my mom and Ben to arrive.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
"Not much."
"Carrie, this is Ed, Ron, and Jackie."
"Oh, hey." I smiled, assuming that they were two guys that he worked with and the gorgeous brunette was one of their girlfriends.
"Carrie? I remember you!" The girl said, her beautiful smile matched the rest of her face.
"Oh, I'm such a scatterbrain sometimes. Have we met before?" I felt like such a fool - I hated when I couldn't remember people.
"You failed to come to a complete stop." She laughed.
I was hoping that the look on my face didn't give away my thoughts. How was this even possible that this was the same girl? The day I’d seen her, she had her hair slicked tightly back in a ponytail, her face void of any makeup, and if I had to guess at the time, no fashion sense whatsoever. Now, here she was with perfect, luscious curls, just enough makeup to accent her high cheekbones and her deep, brown eyes, wearing the cutest skirt that had me dying to know where she’d gotten it from. "Oh, yeah. How could I forget? You just look so....different.”
"Yeah, well that's all part of the uniform." She flashed her gorgeous smile once again.
I nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"You guys hanging here for a while?" The guy I thought had been introduced as Ron asked.
"Actually, just waiting for my dad to get here for dinner."
He nodded. "Well, if we're still here when you're done, come have a drink with us."
"Sounds good," Jason responded.
"Nice meeting you, Carrie," the two men said as they headed off to the other side of the bar.
"Yeah, you too."
"It was nice seeing you again. Glad it was under different circumstances this time." The girl laughed. I gave her a fake laugh back and watched as she moved closer to Jason, putting her hand on his arm. "Good seeing you too, Jas. I miss our midnight shifts together."
What the hell? Was she just flirting with him right in front of me? Well, of course she was, she thought I was his sister after all, so what would it matter to me? Suddenly I was feeling like I was in an incestuous relationship with my brother.
"Yeah, good seeing you too, Jackie." Jason responded, half-heartedly. I breathed a sigh of relief when she walked away, staring at her as she strolled off to where the other two men were sitting.
"Wow! I would have never guessed her to be the same girl." I said, as my eyes remained focused on her. "She's actually hot!" Jason shrugged and took a sip of his beer. "You know she called me your sister that day." He gulped down the rest of his beer and didn't respond. "Well, is that weird for you?"
"What?" he asked.
"That people are going to think that you’re dating your sister?"
He let out a light chuckle. "Carrie, I don't give a shit what people think. Why? Does it bother you?"
"Well, no, but she was kinda....flirting with you."
He grabbed my ha
nd and pulled it up to his lips. "Well, if she was, I didn't notice." I looked in her direction once again and eyed her up as she threw her head back and did a shot with the two guys she was with before letting out a loud laugh. She fit right in with the in-crowd. Suddenly, I was feeling like that awkward, nerdy girl back in high school who didn’t fit in.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” Jason asked, seemingly reading my thoughts.
I finally focused my attention back on him. “Hmm….oh, nothing.”
He stared me a little longer, obviously knowing that my nothing meant something.
“Sorry we’re late, I got home later than expected and then I had to wait for Ben to shower.” My mother’s voice broke the intense gaze that Jason and I had on each other. She leaned down, giving us each a kiss on the cheek as Ben and Jason jumped right into conversation. My mother ordered herself a glass of wine and took a seat next to me at the bar. “No wine for you?” She asked, looking at my glass of ice tea.
“Oh, no. I’m already tired, wine will just make it worse.” I didn’t want to tell her the real reason I wasn’t having a glass. Even thinking it in my own head sounded pretty silly, my period wasn’t even late yet, but Jason and I did have unprotected sex, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
“So what’s been going on? I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever.” It had actually only been two days but for us that was forever.
“Nothing, just been busy at work.”
She nodded and stared at me a little while longer. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Why?” Just as I responded, Jackie let out a loud cackle from the other side of the bar, causing me and mother to look her way.
“Well, someone’s having fun.” My mother teased. I let out a loud sigh and stared at her a little longer. “Okay, Carrie who is she?”
“I don’t know. She works with Jason.”
