by Laura Clark
"I can assure you, she does not need any saving right now, man," Sam says as he pulls me in closer to him.
Trevor's eyebrows furrow, but he doesn't say anything else. He just stands there looking at me, dumbfounded. Is he waiting for me to confirm what Sam just said? It's weird having Trevor watch out for me when we barely even know each other.
"Yeah. You do not need to worry about helping us clean up, either. It's mostly done. We just need to get the last of the trash out of here and turn down the umbrellas. Did you drive separately from your parents?"
"No." He looks down and scratches his head as if he wants to say something else.
"Do you need a ride home?" I ask him. He glances back over at Sam suspiciously and bites his lip. He must realize he can't really do anything else, because he closes his eyes and simply shakes his head.
"I think Avery is going to give me a ride. My parents left hours ago." He stands there as if he doesn't really want to leave us alone.
Seriously, this guy is really confusing. He acts all weirdly protective and tries to keep me away from other guys. At the same time, he ignores me half the night, and spends all of this time flirting with my best friend. I can't tell if he likes me or hates me. Maybe he just doesn't want me to be with anyone else. That doesn't make sense, either. He makes my head hurt.
Finally, he turns around and starts walking toward the gate.
"Thanks again for introducing me to all of your friends, Patterson. I guess I'll be seeing you when I see you." He says this half-heartedly while waving his hand above his head once. Even though he is trying to be casual, I detect a hint of frustration in his tone.
Luckily, this is not something that Sam picks up on, because he simply says, "Later, man," as if they are the best of buddies.
Avery peeks her head around the corner and sees me with Sam. Her eyes are about as big as the full, bright moon. I love the fact that Sam has not loosened his grip on me this whole time, no matter who makes a sudden appearance. I wonder if the same would be true if it had been Kyle.
"Night Laila. Thanks again for everything. Give me a call in the morning, K? Bye, Sam." She doesn't say much or hang out long. She seems to get the hint right away, unlike the annoying and gorgeous green-hottie that shall remain nameless. Why do I keep thinking about Trevor? After all, I have the kingpin of hotness standing right before me.
Sam and I finish cleaning up, making sure to remove any evidence of alcohol. This would be my first and last high school party if my parents knew we were drinking.
We make our way back to the house. I am nervous about ending the night with Sam, especially since we won't really be going separate ways. I have so many questions. Will he walk me to my room, and finish that kiss that I so badly want? If he does, then what are we supposed to do?
He will be sleeping under the same roof, in the room right next to mine. Another vision of us together in the guest bed flashes back into my head. I have to laugh at myself because I didn't think there would be a chance that would ever really happen. Yet here we are, holding hands as we slowly walk back up to the house.
"Did you have fun tonight, lil sis?" he asks. I release my hand from his and pull back from him with a scowl on my face.
"What's wrong?" he asks as he tries to reclaim my hand.
"I don't like when you call me lil sis." I am looking down at our hands, hoping it is a sign that he still wants me. I know I am pouting like a child, but I can't help myself. The thought of him looking at me like I'm his little sister depresses me.
"Hey, I thought you liked it when I call you that." He tilts my chin up so I am forced to look at him. "It's been your nickname forever," he says while cocking his head to the side. He is staring at me so intensely that I have to look away. Once again, my cheeks are on fire.
"I know, but I don't want you to think of me as your little sister."
I search his eyes for understanding. His expression deepens into something more serious and sexy compared to the light, playful, and teasing way he was looking at me before. His determined, blue eyes are so focused on my lips now, that I start to tremble.
"If I really thought of you as my sister, would I be doing this?" His questioning voice is soft. He buries his fingers into my wet, tangled hair and presses his lips hard against mine. I melt into him, as his lips start to move against mine. When he slips the tip of his tongue into my mouth, it startles me at first, but it doesn't take me long to relax, and allow him to guide me.
I am no longer second-guessing myself. I even find myself matching his movements with ease. There is nothing gross or slobbery about the way Sam kisses me. In fact, I am surprised by how natural it feels. This is only my second real kiss, and yet it feels like I've done it a thousand times before. My body is now soup. I feel like every last bit of me has seeped into every crevice of him, as we tighten our embrace and fuse our bodies together.
We pause for a moment to catch our breath. We are both panting hard. I can only imagine how flushed I must be right now. He runs his strong, soft hands down the back of my neck, sending a fresh patch of goose bumps sprinkling down my arms.
"Cold?" he asks, even though it is a warm summer evening. I have a little sweat dripping from my forehead, but that is probably more from the kiss than anything else. I simply shake my head. He leans into my neck and starts placing soft gentle kisses just below my earlobe. This new sensation is so strong that it makes me moan out loud. Even though I am completely embarrassed by this, he doesn't stop. In fact, it's almost as if hearing me makes his kisses become more urgent.
He runs his hands down my arms and moves them to my lower back, tracing his fingers up my spine slowly. He tugs at the neck of Kyle's giant t-shirt lightly.
"I don't know why, but this t-shirt drives me crazy. I guess it's because I know what is underneath."
I look at him curiously.
"I mean you in that purple bikini . . . not . . . ." He pauses for a moment, not finding the right words. He must be giving up because he finally just shakes his head. It's not like him to get tongue-tied like this. I place my hand behind his head and smile.
His eyes begin to smolder. He's the one who moans this time, before returning his lips to mine, but I don't detect any embarrassment from him. We kiss under the moonlight until my lips are almost swollen and sore. It is sweet and romantic, yet hot and passionate.
"I guess we should go to bed at some point," I say softly. His eyebrows shoot up and an amused expression spreads across his face. I roll my eyes. "I mean that we should go to sleep. Me in my bed and you in your bed." I can't help but smile as I watch Sam's eyes dance around playfully, as God only knows what is playing out in his head.
"Can I walk you to your room? I mean, if we were on a date, I'd walk you to your door before leaving, right?" he asks hopefully. We are holding hands, and swinging our arms back and forth playfully, the way children do.
"Is this like a date?" I ask, curious to see what he thinks.
"Not really, but I'd like to take you out on a real date some time. You deserve to be treated right, Laila. You are really special."
Even though we are not on an official date, I do feel special with Sam and he just said that I am. Oh. My. God. He thinks I'm special. I lean my head on his shoulders, as we stroll across the deck towards the house.
When we get upstairs, I notice Kyle's door is securely shut. I wonder what he would think about Sam and me, together as a couple. Would he be cool about it like he was with me drinking, or would he want to punch Sam for messing with his little sister? Kyle can be really hard to read sometimes. One minute, he acts more like a friend than my brother, and then the next, he gets overly protective and kind of authoritative.
"I made up the guest room for you. There are fresh sheets on the bed, and I left clean towels on the dresser." My cheeks heat up as the thought of us in that bed together (with the sheets rumpled and twisted around our bodies) pops back into my head yet again. What is wrong with me?
"I don't want to say
good night," he whines playfully, while brushing the pad of his thumb lightly across my cheek.
I peer up into his beautiful, blue eyes. I don't think I could ever get bored with looking at them. They are so full of concern, passion, and depth. You look into them once, and you know there is a rich story to tell. I still can't believe those eyes are looking at me like this.
"Me neither," I whisper. He gently pulls my head up so our lips lightly graze each other one last time. I want more, but I have a feeling I will always want more with Sam.
"Good night, Laila Patterson. And to be very clear, you are not my little sis." He gradually pulls away, and backs slowly into the guest room, as if he doesn't want to stop looking at me.
I am standing here, like an idiot, for way too long after he shuts the door. I finally close my bedroom door softly behind me. I slide my back down until my legs are tucked under my arms on the floor. I rest my chin on my knees, and think more about what had just happened. I'm absolutely stunned. I feel as if my body is floating. The weightlessness is so overwhelming; it's like my body is filled with helium, and nothing could ever pull me back down.
Chapter Eight: The Never-Ending Brunch
I don't sleep very much. Just knowing that Sam is sleeping in the room next to me is enough to keep my mind awake and racing with an endless stream of thoughts and questions. Where do we go from here? Are we a real couple now? What is Kyle going to think? What will my parents say? I'm not sure I'm ready for my family to know. For now, I just want to keep Sam all to myself, without having to deal with everyone else’s reactions.
The questions keep flowing through my mind. How is this supposed to work when he goes back to school? Is he going back to campus with Kyle for the whole summer, or is he going home to Portland?
Here I am again, letting my mind drift to unknown territories. I have no idea if Sam even sees this beyond tonight or even this weekend. He said I was special, but how many times have I heard about guys saying things like that, to make girls do things with them that they otherwise wouldn't? If he were really like that, would he have left me standing at my bedroom door last night?
I'm not even a hundred percent sure I would have had enough will power to stop him, had he tried to do more. No, I'm pretty sure I would have let him pull me into that guest room, to live out every part of my forbidden fantasy. I'm glad that he didn't though, because I know I'm not ready for that.
As I smooth my comforter over my bed, and carefully place my throw pillows on it, I wonder about what Avery will think. For a brief moment, I completely forget that she already knows. When I recall the look on her face after she saw us together, I laugh to myself as I fall back onto my freshly made bed. She is going to give me so much trouble, especially since I lectured her about what a bad idea it would be for us to date college boys.
I'm anxious to talk to her and see what she thinks, but it's still pretty early. I did promise I'd call her today. After all, I'm sure she is dying to know what is going on. Surely, this is important enough to justify an early morning call.
I dig my iPhone out of my purse, chastising myself for forgetting to charge it. There is only about four percent of juice left. I plug it into my charger and slide the bar with my thumb to unlock it. Apparently, I have missed five text messages between last night and this morning. The first two texts are from Avery.
Avery Brooks: OMG! You and Sam???!!! It took everything in me not to jump up and down and start screaming when I saw his gorgeous arms wrapped around you! :)
This makes me laugh. It's true. Avery doesn't usually hold back, but I am so grateful she chose to spare me further humiliation last night. She didn't think much about embarrassing me in front of Trevor earlier in the evening, but I've decided to let that go, since she had enough good sense not to do it to me in front of Sam.
Avery Brooks: So, when did this happen? Did he kiss you? Was it good? Why am I even asking? It's Sam Woodson! Of course it was good!!! This is so exciting! I can't wait to hear all about it!!! You better call me the minute you wake up! I want deets!!!! OMG! So happy for you! Xoxo :)
I laugh. She is seriously going to break the exclamation point button on her phone. The third text is from Allie from last night.
Allie Summers: OMG- Great party! Everyone had a blast. You definitely need to have more parties this summer. BTW- what's up with you and Devon? He seemed really pissed about something and then he just left without saying goodbye to anyone. Call me. Night. XO :)
The fourth text is also from last night, but I don't recognize the number.
(267) 317-8807: Hey, it's Trevor Maddox. I just wanted to make sure you are ok?
My stomach churns when I see his name. Why wouldn't I be okay? Does he think Sam is some sort of creep? How did he even get my number?
The last text is also from him, but it is from early this morning. I wonder if he always gets up so early in the morning when there is no school. I am definitely not a morning person. On the bright side, I doubt he stayed up half the night making out with Avery, if he was up early texting me. This thought makes me smile a little, but I'm not sure why.
Why do I hate the idea of them dating so much? It's not like I don't have Sam. Wait, do I really have Sam? He said last night that he wants to take me out on a real date, but he never said when. We didn't talk about how we would break the news to Kyle or my parents. I still have so many questions.
I scroll down to read Trevor’s second text, which I had patiently ignored while reading the first one. Sometimes, it is hard not to skip ahead and read them out of order.
(267) 317-8807: Hey, it's me again. I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to all of your friends. I had a really good time. Let's hang out again soon, ok? Talk to you later. :) T
I smile when I see the letter T next to his smiley face.
Me: Hi. Sorry I didn't see your text until now. I'm fine. You do not need to worry about Sam. I've known him forever and he's a great guy. Glad to hear you had fun. I think my friends really like you.
I start to type I like you, but I quickly delete it before sending it. Thank God.
Me: BTW- I'm glad you are back in town and I'm up for hanging out, too. Just say when. :)
I hit send and immediately regret it. Did that sound desperate? I re-read my text and groan. It sounds like I am waiting by the phone for him to ask me out, as if I will clear my whole schedule for him, the moment he is ready. Ugh. Texting is supposed to shield you from verbal diarrhea, but not when your fingers are faster than your brain.
I re-read his texts again, trying to apply more meaning than is probably there. Once again, I am completely baffled by Trevor Maddox. The more I learn about him, the more I like him. This both excites and terrifies me.
Maybe, we can become good friends? I don't have any close guy friends, but I feel so at ease with Trevor. It's almost like we've known each other our whole lives. In a way, we have, because our parents have been good friends for so long. Then again, if you let three years go by without exchanging a single letter, text, email, or phone call, you can hardly consider yourselves friends.
I think about he and Avery driving home together last night, and wonder what the deal is with them. I know it's still early, but it doesn't stop me from calling her to find out.
"Hello?" Her voice is groggy. She sounds a little bit annoyed. Yep. I definitely woke her up. Somebody needs to, or she'll sleep till noon. She's even less of a morning person than me.
"Good morning, sunshine," I say cheerfully.
"Is it really morning already?" I can almost see her squinting her eyes dramatically.
"Yes, it is, and it looks like we are going to have another gorgeous, sunny day in Brookville." My cheeks are almost hurting; I'm smiling so much.
"Laila, you sound like the stupid weather man. Do I need to remind you that ninety-eight degree weather is not gorgeous? It's too effing hot to even breathe properly." She sighs. "Speaking of hotness, holy hell on wheels, you have got to dish. What is going on with you and Sa
m? I thought you were hitting it off with Devon. Then, before I know it, he's history, and your body is wrapped under Sam's seriously hot, Abercrombie arms."
I giggle a little at Avery's Abercrombie reference. I tell her how Devon wasn't really doing it for me, and how I even tried to get him away, just to see if Sam was the reason I was distracted. I decide to leave out the part about Trevor interrupting us, right as Devon was about to kiss me. I still don't know what is going on between her and Trevor. I don't want to confuse things for her, if she really does like him.
I tell her everything about last night, from our almost kiss in my brother's room, to how Sam got jealous of Devon. Then, I tell her about when we really did kiss, and how completely amazing it was.
"I knew he'd be a good kisser. I mean, not that I wanted to find out for myself. I mean I knew you'd like it. You know what I mean." Hearing Avery stammer over her words makes me chuckle. She is usually so smooth, while I am the one with my foot in my mouth.
"So, what now?" she asks.
"I don't know. I guess we go out on a date? I'm not sure how long he'll be in town. Kyle has to go back to school on Monday. He's taking a few summer classes. I'm guessing Sam is, too. Otherwise, he'd be home with his parents in Portland." The thought of him going back to school makes my stomach ache.
"Well, it sounds like you guys need to have a talk, so you can figure things out. I would wait until your date, or even after your date, before you bring it up again, though. You don't want to assume it will work out, based solely on how hot and heavy it was last night."
"Hot and heavy? Really Avery? You act like it's the 1950s or something."
She laughs at my response. "So what? I have a little old-school in me. It just makes me more interesting, don't ya think?"
I shake my head, knowing she is probably winking right now. Avery really is quite a character.