by Laura Pavlov
I drove Clem to school in the Bug and we picked up Gigi on the way. We stepped out of the car and Alec was standing there as if he were waiting for us.
“I guess King Douchebag is back,” Clem whispered and we all three chuckled.
I stepped out of the car and he moved toward me. Clem and Gigi waved and kept walking. “Hey, Addy. Good to see you.”
“Yeah. You, too. Did you have a nice time in Florida?”
“Sure. I missed you though. Ty told me he hung out with you a few times. Said you and Jett are together now? Is that true?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and his blue eyes searched mine.
I knew Ty was in an awkward position. We’d all hung out a lot over break and Alec was his best friend. He wouldn’t like Ty being friendly with Jett, and I’m sure he would punish him for it. Alec had a vindictive side to him that I hadn’t seen often, but I’d seen it enough times to know it existed. I’d always thought it was something he’d outgrow with maturity, but looking back, I think I made excuses for the things that I didn’t like about him. I just accepted them because I thought I was supposed to.
“Yeah. It’s true.” I crossed my arms over my chest and squared my shoulders. I didn’t owe Alec an explanation nor did I need his approval. But it would sure make life easier if he didn’t make this into a big deal.
“Interesting. How long has this been going on? Did it start when we were still together?”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “You’re unbelievable. You cheated on me, Alec. This is new, and I owe you nothing. So, you don’t get to ask me questions about my relationship.”
“Your relationship? Give me a break. That dude doesn’t date. He’ll just try to fuck you and then leave you for someone new.”
“No, I’m pretty sure that’s your MO,” I hissed, aggravated that I was even having this conversation.
“If you fuck him, I swear to God, Addy, I won’t forgive you.”
I fell forward in laughter. “You won’t forgive me? Are you kidding me with this? You cheated on me. Multiple times. We’re done. I am dating someone and I’m actually happy for the first time in—” I paused because I didn’t want to be cruel. But I was happy for the first in forever. Everything felt right. Not forced. Not convenient. Not comfortable. Not arranged. What I had with Jett was exciting and passionate and real.
I looked up to see Jett standing with Shaw and Coco thirty feet away, watching me. He wasn’t storming over in a jealous rage, but he was making sure that I was okay. He tipped his chin up. Letting me know he’d jump in if I needed him to. My stomach fluttered just like it always did when I was around him.
“I’m not fucking around, Addy. I made a mistake. You need to get over it.”
“No. You need to get over it. Move on, because I have.” I turned and walked away. I was done with this conversation. There was nothing left to say. My hope was that we could find a way to be friends once all of this settled.
“You okay?” Jett asked, lacing his fingers with mine like it was totally normal. When this school year started, I’d never have thought in a million years I’d be here. Holding hands with Jett Stone just a few months later. But just the simple act of reaching for my hand… it settled me. He had a way of doing that without even trying.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“I’d like to smack that kid upside the head,” Coco hissed. “How did you date him for so long?”
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”
And that was the truth.
The four of us caught up to Ivy and Ty who appeared very uncomfortable about walking with us. Alec wasn’t going to make this easy on anyone. But it didn’t matter. Because his opinion was no longer a factor in my life.
The next few weeks went by in a blur. I’d applied to a few more schools because I’d come to the conclusion that I didn’t want to go to Texas State. I didn’t know if I had a chance of getting into TU as I’d gone rogue on my essay, so I was going to have a back-up plan.
“You have a birthday coming up.” Jett and I were sprawled out in the hammock facing one another and he played with the rope bracelet around my wrist. My mother hated it. I think the twine represented the new me in a way, and she wanted nothing to do with it. She continued to go to all of Alec’s basketball games with Mama T, and I found it disheartening. She’d barely attended her own daughter’s cross-country races, but she’d support Alec to the ends of the earth. My father didn’t go with her anymore, and I’d heard them arguing about it several times. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that my parents were basically fighting because I’d ended my relationship with Alec. Jett was right—her obsession with it was not normal.
“Good memory.” I smiled up at him.
“You brought heart cookies and cupcakes every year to school for as long as I can remember. Of course, your birthday is on Valentine’s Day. It’s very—”
“Very what?” I asked, and my tongue dipped out to wet my bottom lip.
“It’s very Adelaide Edington of you.” He laughed.
“I have to say, I don’t mind having a birthday on Valentine’s Day. I wish we’d been together on your birthday though.” Jett’s birthday was in September. I’d remembered it because he had always been the first birthday in elementary school when we were growing up. His gram was a great baker, and she’d always make delicious treats for the class. Jett was the first in our class to get his driver’s license.
He was born to lead.
“Oh yeah? What would you have done if we were together?” His fingers moved to my hair, brushing it out of my face. My heart raced at his touch. It always did.
“I’d have kissed you every time I saw you.” I chuckled. But I meant it.
His mouth came over mine, and I tangled my fingers in his hair. I couldn’t get enough of him. His hand glided up my side, grazing my breast and I arched into him. I wanted more. But he was insistent on taking it slow. Everyone that looked at Jett saw this rugged football player, a fighter, a bad boy on a motorcycle… but I saw him for who he was.
Gentle and kind.
Patient and honest.
I loved everything about him. How he made me feel.
Safe and wanted.
Cherished and loved.
He tipped me back as he hovered above me, taking our kiss deeper. His hand slipped beneath my cardigan and tank top, and his fingers traced the hard peaks over my lace bra. He cupped my breast and squeezed as he moaned into my mouth. I ground up against him, and I could feel how much he wanted me, because I wanted him just as bad.
His hand moved behind me and unclasped my bra. His fingers took turns teasing each of my breasts and my breathing was out of control. I continued rubbing up against him as the most sensational feeling took over my body. An unbelievable need burned inside me. His hand moved down to the waistband of my jeans pausing at the button.
“Is this okay?” he whispered between labored breaths.
“Please,” I whispered.
He continued to kiss me as he slipped his hand down, teasing my most sensitive area over my lace panties. My hips bucked and moved of their own volition. Grinding up against his hand.
“Let yourself go, Ace.” He covered my mouth with his after he spoke.
I gasped as the most intense orgasm ripped through my body. I’d never known I could feel that good from just kissing. And touching. But here I was, writhing beneath all his hardness as I rode out every last wave of euphoria.
“Oh my god,” I whispered, covering my eyes with my hand.
This was embarrassing, right?
We hadn’t even had sex, and here I was crying out my release like a fool.
He pulled my hand away from my face. “Don’t cover yourself from me, ever. That was fucking beautiful. I’ll be rubbing it out to visions of you coming apart just grinding up against my hand for years to come. No
pun intended.”
We both laughed and I shook my head. “That’s never happened before. I mean, with another person.”
Oh my god. Stop talking. Shoot me now.
“That’s because you dated a selfish prick—so, of course you had to touch yourself because he was too lazy to do it for you. I love giving you pleasure, seeing you come apart like that.”
“One day at a time,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him and settling my head on his chest as he adjusted my jeans and rolled me on top of him.
“So, what do you want for your birthday?”
“I have everything I want,” I said, staring down into his gorgeous dark eyes. It was the truth. Jett and I were together. I had amazing best friends. I was figuring out what I wanted in the future and making it happen. Aside from the distance I felt from my mother, I’d never been happier. I wished she could be happy for me.
His hands reached behind my back, beneath my top, and I shivered. “Just fastening your bra.” He chuckled at my reaction.
“You were pretty smooth the way you unlatched it so quickly,” I said, trying to hide my smile.
His gaze studied mine. “Was it okay that I did that? I mean, I know it felt good, but I don’t want to push you, Ace.”
“You’re the one holding back, not me. I’m ready for more. I’m ready for everything.” I raised a brow, demanding him to tell me differently.
“Not holding back. Trust me, I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you. But I want to do it right, you know? You deserve that. You deserve everything.”
He stole the air from my lungs with his words. He had a way of doing that to me.
“You know what I want for my birthday?”
“What?” He smiled up at me and my stomach dipped.
“I want you to come to my family birthday dinner. Mama always makes my favorite, and I want you to be there.”
He nodded. “Done.”
“Thank you. She’s really not that bad, I promise.” His body tensed beneath mine, and I ran my fingers over his arm to help him relax. My mother had been pretty awful to him every time he’d come over to pick me up and the few times he’d come to hang out in the basement and watch a movie. I went to Jett’s house much more often. It was small and cozy, but most importantly, I was welcome there. I felt it every time I walked through the door. I hated that my mother didn’t treat him the same way. My father and Clem loved Jett.
I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but I was afraid to say it first. I didn’t know if he felt the same way. He treated me like he loved me. I now knew the difference. Alec never loved me like this. He loved me like I was his possession. Something that belonged to him. Not something he cherished.
With Jett, everything was different.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Doesn’t really matter if your mom likes me. It only matters if you do.” He stroked my hair, and I closed my eyes.
“I do. I like you a lot,” I said. Wanting to say everything. Tell him how much I loved him.
“I like you a lot too, Ace.”
He pulled out his phone and he read me another chapter from Twilight. We were on the third book, and it had sucked us both in, even if he wouldn’t admit that he liked it. We’d watched the first movie together as well.
I settled against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as he read the most romantic book of all time to me.
And I wished I could freeze this moment because I never wanted it to end.
The girls and I were meeting downstairs for our usual catch-up. I waved to my mom who was on the phone with Mama T, per usual when I walked in. I pointed to the basement to let her know the girls were meeting me downstairs.
“Thirty minutes, Adelaide,” Mama said as she covered the phone with her hand.
I nodded and jogged downstairs just as Gigi and Maura came in. Coco and Ivy were right behind them and we all settled in our usual spots.
Ivy dropped the enormous book on the table and laughed. “We may need two books for senior year.”
“Good. Then we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Coco said, leaning back on the couch and propping her feet on the table.
“Okay, who wants to start?” Ivy asked.
“Kyle and I are calling it quits.” Maura shrugged and Ivy paused before writing it down.
“What?” I asked. “You guys seemed so happy over break.”
“We were. But he’s staying at school this summer for an internship and I’m leaving for school in the fall. We’re still going to talk all the time, I’m sure. And I’ll see him when he’s home. But it’s too much pressure trying to keep a relationship going when I have no intention of going to TU. I didn’t even apply there, not that I’d get in. So, it’s just not realistic.”
“Are you okay with it?” Gigi asked.
“I am. He said he’d still come take me to prom if I wanted him to, but I don’t know if that’s the best idea. I think we both need to put a little distance there, you know?”
“Okay. Maura is on the market,” Ivy said, scribbling into the book as she wriggled her brows.
Maura laughed. “I’m hardly on the market. I think I just want to enjoy these last few months together and head off to college with no attachments, you know?”
“Good. We can be the only single ones together,” Gigi said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
“Well, I guess I should say it. Ty and I had sex. The deed is done. The canary has landed. Yadda yadda. Boom.” Ivy folded her arms over her chest and stared at us as if she’d just told us the weather.
Coco squealed and jumped to her feet. “I’m shocked. You were hanging on to that V-card like Addy’s mom is holding on to hope that she and Alec will get back together.” She bellowed out a laugh at her own joke. “Tell us everything. How was it?”
“I’m not a girl who kisses and tells, but I will say this… it was so much better than everyone said it would be. Ty is, well, he’s amazing. And he wrote me a song, you guys.” She paused and placed a hand on her chest. Ty was a budding country singer. It started with him singing in church when we were growing up, but a music producer had discovered him last year and he’d started performing at a few country music festivals over the past few months. His voice was amazing. “It was worth the wait for sure. But I don’t want to talk about it anymore, because I think it should be something that is just for Ty and me.”
“Damn. You’re all so virtuous. Paste that V-card right in there and date it,” Coco said, before falling back on the couch. “Well, I’m thinking of taking the plunge with Shaw. He is just so… I don’t know. Hoootttt.”
I laughed. “You really like him, huh?”
“It’s not like you and Jett. But it’s pretty damn awesome,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you two are just oddly connected. I never saw that with you and Alec. You never seemed like you fit to me. It always seemed so forced. It looked good on paper, but there was nothing really there. You never laughed together or seemed like you had deep conversation. But you and Jett…”
“I have to agree, Addy. I need a cold shower whenever I’m around you two. The way he looks at you—it’s… something to see.” Ivy fanned her face with her hand.
I couldn’t hide my smile. Because that’s how I felt. “I really think I love him, you guys. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I may have said the words to Alec, but this is the first time I’ve actually felt it. It’s that can’t live without you kind of love, which is scary because we’re taking it one day at a time.” I shrugged. I loved that I could say anything to them and never had to worry about being judged.
“You could both end up at the same school,” Gigi whispered, because she knew my parents didn’t know yet that I’d applied to several schools. Mama had refused to discuss it, and we weren
’t speaking much about anything lately.
“Maybe. He’s signing his letter of intent at TU this week, and that’s a long shot for me.”
“What does Jett say?”
“He says I should go wherever I want to go and shouldn’t consider anyone else when making my decision. He encouraged me to apply to more schools and have options. But we don’t talk about the future. We made a deal at the start of this, that we would take it one day at a time. I never had that with Alec. It was always expected that I’d go along with his plan. He wanted me to go to the school that he wanted to go to. He never considered what was best for me. Jett is so different. He wants the best for me.”
“That’s how it should be,” Coco said. “And he’s not even trying to get in your pants. Damn, that boy is something.”
I shook my head and felt my cheeks heat. “Well, it’s become challenging for me not to beg for more. The way he makes me feel…” I said, shaking my head and trying to tamper down my thoughts.
“I’m happy for you. You deserve this,” Maura said, leaning over and squeezing my hand. “How about your mom? Is she still being a royal bitch to him?”
“He’s coming over for tacos tomorrow night for my birthday. His mom has me over all the time, and he’s never come to dinner with my family. My dad and Clem love him, but my mom is still desperate for me and Alec to get back together. I wouldn’t get back together with Alec even if Jett weren’t in the picture. There’s nothing there. I just had to step away to realize that. I wish she’d just be happy for me.”
“That woman has such a stick up her ass, she wouldn’t know happiness if it slapped her in her botoxed face.” Coco huffed.
“I’m putting that in the book,” Ivy said through her laughter.
