***
"Sadie." He kissed the top of my head.
I slowly opened my eyes. I had definitely been caught in a compromising situation. My hand had slid underneath the front of his shirt while I was sleeping. I was basically molesting his abs. Geez, who needed a superhero when their boyfriend had abs of steel? I internally rolled my eyes at myself. Eli wasn't my boyfriend. We hadn't had that talk yet. But we spent every second that we could together. And I did love having my hands on his skin. What was I doing?
"Sorry," I said and immediately removed my hand.
"I wasn't complaining." He placed his hand on my lower back and shifted forward so that our bodies were still pressed together. "And I was wrong. Your bed is much better than mine. Or maybe it's just because you're on it with me."
I studied the top two undone buttons of his shirt. I wanted to see him. I wanted to see all of him. My hand shook slightly as I deliberately put it back on his abs.
"You're making it incredibly hard to move slowly with you." His voice sounded strained.
"I don't know if that's really what I want."
His hand slid to my ass.
"I'm trying to be respectful, but you're killing me, Sadie."
I could be whoever I wanted to be. My past meant nothing. The present was all that mattered. And Sadie Davis just so happened to be a little looser than Summer Brooks was. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought his lips down to mine.
He groaned into my mouth as he rolled over on top of me. I wanted his hands all over me. I never thought I'd feel safe enough to be in this position. But Eli was perfect.
"God, Sadie, you're so beautiful." He kissed me again as he pushed my hoodie and t-shirt up the sides of my torso, his palms flush with my skin. "Tell me to stop and I will. Just say the words."
His touch was like fire and ice. I wanted more, but at the same time, I did want him to stop. I wasn't sure I could handle it. I closed my eyes tight. No, I didn't want him to stop. My whole body felt alive. I needed this. I needed to move past my fears. "I don't want you to stop." My voice sounded small, but I meant it. I never wanted him to stop.
"Heyo," Kins said as she walked into the room. "Oh." She coughed awkwardly and Eli's hands fell off my skin.
"Sorry, I'm going to go," she said.
I pushed on Eli's chest, but he was already sitting up.
"Hi, Kins." My voice sounded oddly high-pitched. "No, you're fine, I actually have another class to get to."
"Oh, um..." her hand was still on the doorknob. "I didn't mean to walk in on you guys, my classes just keep letting out early. This college thing is easy."
I laughed. "That's because you haven't started any of the assignments yet."
"I think I've started the same ones that you two have." She winked at me.
Oh my God, Kins.
Eli cleared his throat. "I should probably get going too. See you tonight?"
The look in his eyes made me gulp. There was a promise in his gaze. A promise of what tonight would entail. I nodded and he kissed my cheek. Part of me was glad that Kins had walked in. I wasn't ready for the questions. I awkwardly touched my neck as Eli left the room.
"Hot damn, girl. I really am sorry I interrupted."
"No, it's fine. Nothing happened. We were just taking a nap and..."
"Making out like nobody's business?" She laughed.
Exactly. "I probably should get to class."
"Oh, before you go, here." She handed me a note. "I got all excited because I thought Mr. RA wanted to be alone with me. But there was one for you too. Apparently part of his job is talking to all of us every now and then or something."
I looked down at the note. I was supposed to meet with him at 3:30. "I'm supposed to be at work at 4. Do you think I should see if he'll reschedule?"
"I'm sure it won't take long. Although, I'm hoping my session will take longer, if you know what I mean?" She raised both her eyebrows. "You know...like what you and Eli were just doing."
I laughed. "No, I got it. I just thought it was a rhetorical question."
"There is nothing rhetorical about the things I'm going to do to him. I can't wait for you to meet him so we can drool over him together. Although, your mind already seems preoccupied by Eli."
"It is."
"So, you really like him?"
I smiled. "I do." I slid off the bed and laced my shoes back up. "He makes me feel so...safe."
Kins laughed.
"What's so funny about that?"
"The adjective you used to describe him makes him sound incredibly boring."
"He's not boring at all. We have a lot in common. He's a gentleman and I like that." I really liked that.
"Well sometimes the guys that seem too perfect are actually the weirdest ones. He's probably a freak in the sack."
"Kins!"
"I'm just kidding. Kind of. And who really cares if he is hiding something under that perfect smile? He is seriously gorgeous. Did his abs feel as good as they looked?"
I laughed. There was no such thing as being too perfect. Right? I shook away the thought. I couldn't trust Kins' judgment when it came to men. "Okay, I'm leaving." I pulled my backpack over my shoulder.
"See you later," she said. "I can't wait to hear about how tonight goes."
"I can't wait to hear about how your date with Mr. RA goes. Hopefully a little better than the other night."
"Well it couldn't go any worse. I can't believe those bitches got there before me and monopolized his time all night. We did make eye contact a few times though. And don't you forget it."
"I don't think you'll let me forget it."
"Hardy har har. Well, during my meeting with him tonight I'm going to make him jealous. I have that date with Patrick tonight, so I'm going to rub it in his face."
"Solid plan."
"I thought so. Now I just have to figure out what to wear."
"See you later, Kins." But I wasn't even sure she heard me. She was already rummaging through a drawer of clothes, if you can even call those tiny pieces of fabric clothes.