It Starts With L (The Letters of Love Series Book 1)

  He nodded. “Of course I do. But I don’t let it stop me from doing things I like, even if they like it too.”

  “Country music though?”

  He shrugged. “What can I say? I love to line dance.”

  Arielle stifled a laugh. If she laughed at everything, he might think her to be nothing but an airhead. “Okay. What’s your favorite color? Food? Song?” The questions flew from her mouth and she could have fired off a bunch more, but somehow she stopped herself.

  “Blue, pizza, and you already know my favorite song. Anything by Journey.”

  “You’re such an old soul.” Arielle rubbed her nose against his, feeling brave.

  He grabbed her arms, pinning them to her sides. “If you keep that up, we aren’t going to be playing long.”

  Her cheeks flamed again, betraying her emotions. Just once she wished she could hide her feelings from her face. She tried to turn away, but he unpinned one of her arms to turn her cheek so she faced him again. Then he leaned down and touched his lips to hers, pulling away before she wanted him to. “I think it’s cute when you blush all the time.”

  “Glad someone does,” she mumbled.

  “Think of it this way…you never have to buy blush for your cheeks because you have the natural thing going on for you.”

  She laughed. “I never thought of it like that. Saves me money, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison came on and Blake began singing. “Wait. What color are your eyes.” He leaned closer to her face, examining them.

  “They’re hazel. Sometimes they’re brown and sometimes green, depending on what color I wear.”

  So after that, Blake changed the lyrics to “hazel-eyed girl.” Arielle’s heart swelled. Each moment she spent with him made her feel more special than she ever had in her life. A girl could get used to this, Arielle thought.

  Blake twirled a finger through a strand of her hair. “Okay. I’ve got a question for you. Why are you so shy?”

  “I’m not.”

  “You are too. Sure, you are different with me, but you still have your moments.” He dropped her hair, moving back into his own seat.

  Arielle shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I don’t have a lot of confidence.”

  “But you’re funny, cute, and intelligent from what I’ve seen. So why?”

  Again, she shrugged, not meeting his eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of a lot bigger than most of the other girls in our school.”

  Blake reached over, grabbing her hand. “And?”

  She placed her hands on her hips as good as she could and tilted her head. “It doesn’t fit with societal standards so it’s not normal. I get made fun of a lot and it makes everything hard for me.” Her voice boomed in the small car, and she realized she’d kind of been yelling at him, but she couldn’t help it. This subject always got her heated.

  “Look at me,” Blake said. “Just because you aren’t like other girls…well…it’s better you aren’t. Trust me.”

  Her features relaxed on her face as she searched his. “Where did you come from?”

  He laughed. “That one’s easy. My mom. Thank God, because I never want to be like my dad.”

  Blake’s father was a sore spot for him, but Arielle didn’t know everything about the situation. Their time together had been light and fun so far. She didn’t want to ruin it by asking him even more questions about the man.

  According to the clock glowing in the darkness, it was already seven. Another hour had passed and it felt like they’d arrived only moments ago. She could stay there with him forever and be content being late and in trouble at home.

  Since Blake had gone quiet, she tucked her hands under his arms and started tickling him, like he’d done to her in the parking lot after school. He laughed and tickled her back. Soon, she hopped out into the rain to escape, which had settled down into a drizzle again. He followed, pinning her to the side of his wet car. Then he kissed her, and she melted. He wrapped his arms around her and her hands went to his hair, and the moment was even more perfect. She might be ready for that French kiss after all.

  ***

  Blake dropped her off early, which worked out okay since she’d forgotten to call Jess and Arielle might be on the phone for a while.

  She turned and waved as she walked toward her front door.

  He rolled the window down. “Wait. I’ve got one more question.”

  Arielle turned, offering her best smile. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  “Will you be my girlfriend?”

  Inside, Arielle screamed with excitement. Her whole body felt warm and she wished she could spin around and dance, but somehow she kept her cool and nodded. “I would love to.”

  Blake grinned. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that. Now, be ready in the morning. I’ll pick you up and take you to school.”

  She bit her lip and nodded again. With a wave, she skipped into her house.

  Her mom and dad were sitting in the living room when she walked in. Dad stood. “Well, how did it go?” He paused, chuckling almost to himself. “Never mind. I can see it went fine by the smile on your face. I don’t want no details.”

  “Good. Hi, Mom, how was your day?” Arielle asked.

  Her mom ran a hand through her short brown hair. “Fine. Tiring.”

  Arielle nodded. “I’m glad your home to relax now.”

  Mom smiled. “Did you eat?”

  Arielle realized she hadn’t, but couldn’t now even if she’d been hungry. She shrugged. “Not hungry.”

  Mom laughed. “Go call Jess.”

  Arielle smiled. “Thanks, Mom.” She went to her mom, kissed her cheek, and disappeared into the other room. She grabbed the portable phone and took it upstairs. Even though she had her own cell phone, she didn’t use it much. For some reason she liked the house phone so she hoped her parents kept it around for a while. There had been talks of getting rid of it as of late.

  Jess picked up on the first ring. “Where have you been? I’ve called and called.”

  Arielle lay on her stomach on her bed. “I had a date with Blake.”

  “What? Spill!”

  Arielle told Jess everything, from the dance in the rain to the first kiss to all the other kisses. Jess stayed quiet the whole time and even a few seconds afterward.

  “Are you still there?” Arielle asked.

  “I’m digesting everything.” She paused. “I can’t believe you got your first kiss! I am so happy for you!” she squealed with excitement.

  “Me too. It was the best moment ever.”

  “Now what?” Jess asked.

  “Now I’m his girlfriend. He asked me.”

  “Ahh! I can’t believe this happened in two days.”

  “Me either.”

  They talked for a little longer about school and what Jess had missed. Which had been nothing, at least until after school. Then they chatted about Blake and Damien.

  Before Arielle could blink, it was almost ten o’clock. “Shoot, Jess. I’d better get to bed or I’m never going to get up for school tomorrow.”

  “Same. I’ll pick you up.”

  “Actually, I think Blake is picking me up tomorrow.”

  “Ooh. Good. Go with him. I’ll see you at school, then.”

  With a smile on her face, she said goodbye, ran the phone downstairs to the charger, and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Back in her room, she sat on the floor and wrote everything down in her journal. She never wanted to forget tonight, and now she wouldn’t. Then she turned the lights out and crawled into bed, putting a country station on the radio for the first time in her life. Maybe she’d give it a chance after all.

  ***

  Blake picked her up the next morning even earlier than he needed to. He stopped and bought her a doughnut and a coffee, which she hated but drank anyway, and together they rode to school. He held her hand in the hallway, something she’d always wanted to happen, and even walked her to her lock
er, where Jess stood waiting for her. Before he left, he kissed her, on the lips. In front of everyone…and she loved it.

  Jess jumped up and down in front of her. “Oh my gosh. You two look so cute together.” She grabbed her hands and made Arielle jump with her. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks, Jess. I’m pretty happy too.”

  The day flew by, Blake meeting her between every class, walking her to her next one, and kissing her goodbye, which had to have made him late for his own classes, but he didn’t seem to care. He wanted to spend every minute he could with her, and Arielle loved the extra attention she got.

  After school, he drove her home, but he didn’t leave. He hung around, talking with her dad, and they even did their homework together. After Mom came home and made dinner, he stayed to eat and got to know her mom some too. Both her parents seemed to like him.

  She walked him out when he left. “Thanks for coming over.”

  He smiled, leaning closer. “Thanks for letting me.” He kissed her. She couldn’t get enough of his kisses. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  A bit dreamily, she said, “Can’t wait.”

  Then he left.

  Dad sat in his chair when she walked through the front door. “You two sure seem to have gotten awful close awful fast.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Arielle said.

  “I’m kind of glad. He’s a nice boy. I can always tell. He is a keeper.” Dad winked at her, then turned around and started rocking.

  Mom came in, sitting on the couch. “He does seem like a nice boy. I can’t wait to get to know him better.”

  Arielle smiled and nodded. Then she went to her room to finish her homework. Her parents liked him and her best friend liked him. Could it be any more perfect? A sinking feeling swam through her stomach. The other shoe would drop soon. Nothing ever stayed this perfect in her life. She hated when she thought like this, but she couldn’t help it.

  Either way, she’d never been this happy, so that other shoe had better stay in the air for quite a while.

  Chapter 7

  The Double Date

  Arielle loved having a boyfriend. Every single thing about it. The week flew by and soon Friday came.

  When Arielle arrived at school, she met up with Jess in the hallway. An idea had formed in her head last night and she couldn’t wait to tell her friend. “Why don’t we do a double date tonight? It’s Friday, after all.”

  “That’s a great idea. Wait here. I’ll go ask Damien,” Jess said.

  “Hurry. The bell is going to ring soon.”

  Arielle waited, the hallway clearing out with every passing minute. Her heart started beating faster as the first bell rang. When the second bell rang, her stomach dropped. She couldn’t wait much longer…

  Jess ran down the hallway, giving her a thumbs-up.

  Arielle returned the sign and ran to her class, making it just as the final bell rang. She put her hand over her chest to calm her racing heart as she slid into her desk.

  As she pulled out her notebook, a smile stretched across her face. Tonight would be so much fun, hopefully. Even though Damien and Blake didn’t like each other much, it would be nice to spend a little time with Jess. She hadn’t been seeing her as much lately.

  Maybe it would end up being the perfect night.

  ***

  Jess and Arielle walked arm and arm into the bar. Arielle’s stomach churned. She didn’t know what to expect since they were heading to a bar, but according to Blake, kids could get into the sports area until nine at night. Since it was seven, they were okay.

  As they strolled past the bar and into the back area, eyes followed their every move. They stopped in front of the pool table where two older guys were shooting. They picked their cue sticks up as Arielle sat on the red leather sofa, Jess plopping down beside her.

  “What are two pretty ladies like yourselves doing in this bar? Especially two as young as you?” the guy with the big black beard asked.

  “We aren’t here to talk with the likes of you,” Jess rebutted.

  The guy put his hands up as his golden-haired friend chuckled beside him, elbowing him. “Man, she sure told you, Teddy.”

  “Yeah, well,” black beard, aka Teddy, said. “Guess I know when to keep my mouth shut after all.”

  Arielle pulled her phone out. It was past seven, three minutes past to be exact. “They’re late.”

  Jess brushed her hand over Arielle’s arm. “Oh stop, Ari. Seriously! They will be here.”

  The ting, ting of the door jingled and Arielle bent around the edge of the couch in time to see Blake walking toward her. He was all muscle and good hair, wearing a blue shirt and dark denim jeans with a black leather jacket over it, but his lips were pressed together with determination. When he saw Arielle, he smiled, making his eyes twinkle even in the dim bar lights, and her heart fluttered.

  “Dreamy has arrived. Well, your dreamy…where’s mine?”

  The bell over the door jingled again. Damien walked in. “You spoke too soon, Jess.”

  “Guess I did.”

  Arielle stood and greeted Blake with a hug. “Hey you.”

  He leaned back and gazed down at her. “Hey yourself.”

  “You got me here, so what’s the plan now?”

  Blake grinned. “Need you ask? I mean, a couch and dim lights…”

  She mock-slapped him in the arm as he laughed. “You’d better be kidding.”

  “Oh, I am, but the look on your face was worth it.” He kissed her cheek. “I thought we’d play some pool since there are four of us. Might be fun.”

  Arielle nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Arielle turned in time to see Jess lean forward, whispering something in Damien’s ear. He smiled at her, his face lightening as he smirked. They were kind of a cute couple. It seemed as if Damien and Jess were doing much better lately. It made Arielle realize she’d done the right thing by stepping back and letting them work their issues out. Instead of butting her nose in all the time.

  Jess laughed and spun around, running to Arielle’s side. “Okay. So, Damien and I are going to go take a walk on the boardwalk.”

  “You can’t call that a boardwalk, Jess. It’s a few boards nailed together that you can walk on.” Arielle frowned. “But we were going to play pool together. The point of a double date is to have two couples doing something together, not splitting up.”

  “Whatever. So not the point! We need some alone time. You two have fun.” She winked and went back to Damien, grabbing him by the arm and all but pulling him out the door.

  Arielle sulked as she joined Blake’s side. “Guess pool is out. They want to be alone. So much for spending time with my friend.”

  Blake rubbed his hands up and down her arms and kissed her forehead. “Sorry. But we can still play pool and I bet we’ll have fun.” He tapped his chin, then turned in a circle until he faced her again. “Well, we could have but it looks like all the pool tables are taken, so how about we go for a walk of our own?”

  Arielle shrugged. “Fine. Guess that’s okay.”

  “Good thing.” Blake’s tone left no room for argument.

  Arielle’s eyes opened wide. “Excuse me?”

  He chuckled. “I’m kidding. Again.”

  “You’re full of it tonight, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe. But tell me you don’t like it and I’ll stop.”

  Arielle pressed her lips together and walked a little faster, trying to keep up with Blake’s longer legs. He held her hand until they made it outside, then he wrapped his arm around her back.

  This hadn’t turned out to be the perfect night Arielle had hoped it would be. She couldn’t believe Jess had gone off to spend time with Damien alone. Arielle had made these plans to get some time with her friend because she hadn’t seen much of her the past few weeks. She missed her.

  She tugged her bubblegum pink shirt down since it had started to ride up. The last thing she needed was her stomach showing. Could this night get any w
orse?

  Blake cleared his throat. “Ari. What’s wrong?”

  “Everything. This whole night…it was supposed to be Damien and Jess hanging out with us.”

  “So you don’t like being alone with me?”

  She stopped in front of an old barber shop, putting her hands against his cheeks. “That’s not it. You know I like being alone with you, but I haven’t seen Jess a lot since we started dating so I wanted to make that up to her.”

  “Maybe she is okay with it, even though you didn’t think she was. It might be my fault that Damien didn’t want to hang out, though.”

  Arielle scrunched her forehead. “How so?”

  Blake ran a hand through his hair. “We kind of got in to it. A couple times.”

  Arielle licked her lips, which had turned so dry she couldn’t stand it. “Oh, well, I guess. If he doesn’t like you, that’s his loss. Guess I’ll have to spend a day without you here and there to spend more time with her.”

  “Okay, I guess I can handle that. Maybe…”

  She laughed and they started walking again, a comfortable silence wrapping around them. Blake held her hand and it didn’t take long for her palm to feel sweaty. She stopped herself from yanking her hand back and wiping it on her jeans at least two different times.

  After a few minutes, Blake tugged on her hand when they came upon a bench just past all the shops lining the street. She sat beside him and he sighed. “So, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay.” Arielle almost stopped breathing, but somehow remembered to take a breath at the last minute. It was a close one though. She thought she might choke.

  “So, in a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving. I have to go home for the holiday. Do you think you could come with me? I would love for you to meet my family.”

  Arielle smiled. “I wish I could. There’s no way my dad would let me though. Or my mom. They are so overprotective. They haven’t known you long enough to let me go to South Carolina with you. No way.”

  Blake shrugged. “It isn’t far.”

  Arielle laughed. “It isn’t, but you are a boy and my dad barely lets me go on dates with you.”