“You’re welcome baby.” He leaned in for a kiss and my mouth eagerly invited him in. His tongue parted our lips as my tongue met his in a sensual dance. His mouth eventually found my neck and ear, where he kissed, licked, and nibbled until I couldn’t take any more.
“I’m ready,” I gasped, breathless.
“What?” Parker exclaimed, pulling away.
“I’m ready. I…I…want you.” Even though Parker and I had been together for the past four years, we had never passed that imaginary line. We both wanted to be fully ready before making any mistakes.
“Are you sure?” Parker asked, amazed. He had been ready for this moment much earlier than I was, but amazing as he was, he never pressured me.
“Positive,” I answered, as I slowly began unbuttoning his shirt, grazing his neck with my mouth.
Without missing a beat, Parker lifted me up and gently laid me on the bed, climbing on top of me. His kisses were more eager now. And it seemed as though we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
Slowly, he helped me sit up enough to remove my dress. “Wait,” I exclaimed, breathlessly.
“What is it?”
“Do you have one?” I asked; making sure he was prepared.
“Of course…What do you take me for?” He stuck out his tongue at me before adding, “It’s going to be magical, I promise.” And with that, I let Parker take the lead. I was going to lose my virginity tonight and for once, I was completely sure of everything. Parker would keep me safe. He was the one for me, always and forever.
Nineteen – A Friendly Confession
Parker
“Come on, admit it, you like her.” Bo raised his eyebrows suggestively at me.
“Maybe you like her,” I responded sarcastically.
Madalynne was that girl next door; the one who you knew your entire life; the kind of friendship it was inevitable one person would develop feelings. But I never saw her that way.
“No seriously,” I continued. “You’re always bringing her up…why don’t you ask her out?”
Bo looked shocked that I could have even suggested such a thing. “It’s not that way Parker; I see the way she looks at you.”
“Well I wonder if she’s noticed you stalking her,” I joked, attempting to avoid the conversation altogether.
Madalynne was my best friend, she had been my entire life; I never wanted to endanger our friendship. But I couldn’t help feeling intrigued after the comment my brother made. “Do you really think she likes me?” I asked, attempting to sound as disinterested as possible.
“Maddy is one of a kind; girls like her don’t come around every day, and if you haven’t figured that out yet, then I worry about your romantic future,” he answered before heading to his room.
I pondered this for a long time after he left me. Was there something he could see that I couldn’t? What did he know?
Ever since Madalynne and I had crossed that intimate line, it was literally all I could think about. One thing on my mind 24-7. Sex. And it was amazing. I couldn’t wait until the next time and the time after that. The anticipation was literally killing me. I wanted to rip her clothes off every time I saw her; it was a very distracting predicament. Especially at school.
“We should get away this weekend,” I whispered into my girlfriend’s ear seductively, kissing it lightly as I did. We were stationed in front of her locker before first period.
She grinned, tucking her cheek in as she did so. “What are you proposing?”
“You, me, alone…” I murmured, my hands gripping her hips.
“That sounds amazing…” she trailed off.
“But…?” I could feel it coming.
“Something isn’t right at home. My parents have been tense and short with one another, my father has been late near every night. I know it’s close to a boiling point.”
“So, what does that have to do with you?” I asked, innocently.
“Parker, I’m scared my father is going to leave again…and we are going to lose him forever. I don’t know if I could handle that right now.” Madalynne looked at me, her eyes watery.
I pulled her in tight to me, stroking her hair. “No matter what, we can get through anything as long as we are together.”
She shot me a grateful glance, pulling away. “I need to get to class and so do you.”
I sighed, knowing she was right. “Well the offer is on the table if you decide otherwise.” I kissed her quickly then began heading towards my homeroom.
I was halfway to my destination when I caught sight of my best friend. It appeared as though he was punching a wall.
“Whoa!” I ran up to him, grabbing his bloody knuckles and wrapping them quickly in my shirt. “What the hell is going on Dylan?” I had known Dylan practically my entire life—he was not a violent person. His outburst had me surprised.
“It’s no big deal Parker, really. I just overreacted.” He was trying to play it off so I would drop it. But I wasn’t biting.
“That’s not what it looked like to me. Tell me what is going on,” I demanded.
Dylan sighed loudly, obviously frustrated. “Someone is trying to blackmail me.”
“Blackmail you?”
He nodded.
“What could someone possibly have on you?” Furthermore, why would anyone want to hurt Dylan?
The bell rang out a shrill cry announcing our tardiness. “Hey man, you want to get out of here?” I asked.
Dylan nodded, glancing down at his injured hand. “Is Maddy going to be okay with you skipping school?”
“Well, first of all, Maddy isn’t my mother. And secondly, you’re my best friend—what else could she expect of me?” And then we turned and walked out of our high school.
We ended up at Dylan’s house, his parents were at work, so we had the house to ourselves.
“You ready to talk about what happened back there?” I asked as he threw me a root beer from the fridge, while also grabbing one for himself.
“It’s not a big deal Parker, really.” He avoided the question again, sitting down at the dining room table.
“Someone is trying to hurt my best friend? I’d say that’s a pretty big deal,” I countered, taking a seat across from him.
He sighed, defeated. “Someone is threatening to release a video of me, a video that could change everything—and not for the better.”
My ears perked up. “What’s on the video?”
“We can just say a handful of intimate moments between me and the person I’ve been seeing.” He cleared his throat.
“How intimate is this footage?” I asked, wearily.
“Oh, nothing too incredibly bad. Just heavy kissing, panting, and maybe even some grinding.”
I laughed at his assessment of what might be on the blackmail tape. “I could see why you would be worried about that getting out…it would really hurt Kendall. But I have to know, who is the girl?”
Dylan looked pale white. “It wasn’t a girl…it was Kenton Jacks.”
When the words didn’t seem to faze me, Dylan exclaimed, “I’m gay!”
I couldn’t help chuckling at his outburst. “I know.”
“What? What do you mean you know?” His voice was at a record high and cracking.
“I mean, I know. You forget I had a gay brother. I’ve gotten better at recognizing it with time.”
“Well, why didn’t you say anything sooner?” He was angry at me, and I couldn’t blame him.
“I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. I knew you would, I just wasn’t sure when,” I answered, popping open the can and taking a gulp.
“When did you know?” Dylan asked, a shocked expression plastered on his face.
“Well, I did think it was weird when your DVR filled up with Sex and the City and Will & Grace. But I wasn’t entirely positive until the other day when you snapped at Maddy. I saw the way you defended your friendship with Kenton, and I knew there was no way you could have formed as tight of a friendship as we have
in a couple weeks. So it could have only meant one thing.”
My phone began buzzing, a text from Maddy coming through. The screen lit up illuminating her message.
Where are you? I haven’t seen you all day and unless you’re avoiding me, you left school. At least let me know that you are okay.
“Are you going to tell Maddy?” Dylan asked me in a nervous tone. He knew if I shared his intimate confession with my girlfriend it would eventually travel to his ex.
“It’s not my secret to tell.”
Twenty – Life Only Makes Sense with You
Madalynne
My palms were sweaty beyond belief knowing my first date was hours from beginning. I had pictured this night for years; Parker would meet me at the movies where we would awkwardly sit for hours, wondering who would make the first move.
The other night Parker had surprised me by showing up unexpectedly and crashing a group date I was on. And then he took my breath away by kissing me in front of all of our friends. It was my first kiss…and it surpassed anything I could have ever dreamt up.
“You’re going to do great.” Mason peeked in at me from the hallway. “He’d be a fool not to realize how wonderful you are.”
I shot my brother a thankful glance before pulling my long, dark hair up into a tight ponytail. Mason’s opinion meant more to me than anything in the world growing up.
“I have something for you.” He entered my room slowly, shielding his surprise in the palm of his hands.
“What is it?” I asked, curiously eyeing his closed fist.
“I thought you could use some luck.” His eyes twinkled as he opened his fist, slowly.
Inside was the tiniest, most delicate four leaf clover. I had never seen one before in my life and it fascinated me at my young age.
“What if I lose it?” My eyes grew wide with the possibility.
“I trust you Mads,” my brother replied, calling me by his personal nickname.
“Thank you,” I exclaimed as I jumped up from my bed to hug him tightly. I had been so fortunate to grow up with a loving and supportive brother who really was there for me through everything.
“Shit! Where is it?” I cursed loudly to myself, rummaging through my dirty clothes basket and virtually every set of jeans I owned.
I had been frantically searching for my precious memento I refused to go anywhere without--when my father arrived an hour ago, and a disagreement had already begun between my parents.
I could think of no better torture than being subjected to their drama any longer.
“Then move out!”
I plugged my ears to block out my parents’ voices. This was the fourth time this week they had been at each other’s throats. Why couldn’t my parents simply get along? Ever since my father had started driving that new co-worker home, things had got ugly between him and my mother.
She said she couldn’t trust him, and I didn’t blame her. But she was overly paranoid. Calling his work all the time, just to make sure he was there. Sneaking a peek at his emails, and demanding to see his phone log every night, just for peace of mind. She was overdoing it, and I knew if it continued, my father would leave her.
My father was no saint. And my mother had good reason to have trust issues. But it had been over a year since my father had broken that trust. An ex-lover of his had shown up back in his life, all of a sudden, over a year ago, and as my father put it, was very persistent.
I don’t believe my father ever stopped loving my mother. I just think he made a terrible mistake, and every day after that he tried vigilantly to regain her trust. That’s why I loved my father. He made a mistake, owned up to it, and spent every waking moment trying to make it better.
I sighed heavily, my heart full of pressure, realizing there was a possibility the clover was gone for good. Either that or my mother had washed my jeans; something she knew very well not to do. But with all the stress going on in my household, I couldn’t put it past her. This was not the time however to ask her such a trivial question.
“You are never home; you come home late every night!” My mother’s voice broke into my thoughts.
Angrily, I hopped off my bed and rushed downstairs. “Mom!” I barked, interrupting her rant. “You need to calm down, you’re overreacting.”
“Madalynne, go to your room, your father and I are having a discussion!” my mother hissed back at me.
My father sent me an apologetic glance.
Tears began forming at the back of my eyes. “Mom, you are the one breaking up this family, not Dad! It’s been over a year, and he’s done nothing but try to salvage this. If you don’t stop we are going to lose him!” And with that, I grabbed my coat and ran out the front door, slamming it on my way out.
I could still hear my father’s voice calling my name as I ran out the driveway and down the street.
It was raining now and pretty hard, but I didn’t care. I just continued running, it was the only thing that could keep my mind off of my father leaving. I didn’t want to have to face that reality until the time came. We had already lost so much as a family…losing him would crush me.
I finally reached Parker’s driveway; I had been running in the downpour for quite some time, and I was drenched. I knew how haggard I must look; I’m sure my makeup was running; but I didn’t care. All I wanted was to be enveloped in Parkers warm arms, and to feel his soft lips against mine.
Walking up Parker’s driveway, I was a little hesitant, why should I bother him with all of my problems? But seeing his handsome face reassured me that everything would be alright.
As I went to knock, the door opened suddenly, and Parker’s handsome face was peeking out at me. “I thought I heard something,” he exclaimed softly. “Maddy? What are you doing? You’re soaked!” Parker pulled me inside quickly and led me to the closet, where he grabbed a huge towel and wrapped it around me. “Are you crazy? What were you doing out there in the rain goofball?”
I was shaking from my wet clothes and hair, and replied by shrugging lightly, embarrassed.
“Well, let’s get you out of these clothes.” Parker grabbed my hand and led me into his room.
Luckily, I kept extra clothes at Parker’s just in case. His parents were unlike any I had ever met before. They were unconditionally trusting and allowed me to stay over whenever my parents were at each other’s throats; much like tonight.
After I changed, Parker joined me on the bed.
“Sorry for barging in, it’s just my parents…” I felt the need to explain.
“Shhh.” Parker pressed his finger against my lips lightly. “You have nothing to explain babe. You know I love spending time with you.” He leaned in close to my face and kissed my forehead. “I missed you,” he whispered gently into my ear.
He could take my breath away with one touch. Even the simple sound of his voice had a calming effect on me. How he made me feel was incredible and indescribable. “I love you,” I murmured, then pressed my lips to his in an eager kiss. The kiss lingered on and I heard myself moan in his mouth. “I’ve missed this, I’ve missed you.”