by Diana Currie
“I don’t think so. Now that I know what he really thinks of me. And honestly, it’s true that I don’t like him putting football ahead of me. I want someone who’ll put me first.”
I didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. Sometimes Rachel could be a little egotistical and selfish. But Ethan’s known that about Rachel for years and he’s still always had feelings for her. I didn’t particularly think three months apart was the end of the world, but for someone like Rachel it was. I rubbed her shoulder and told her everything would be alright.
We spent the next few hours watching movies and finishing off all the sweets in the house. Rachel seemed to be feeling a little better by the time I finally decided to call it a night. She thanked me for listening and not judging her.
“Rachel, you and Ethan are both close friends of mine and I love you. He’s been crazy about you forever. If it’s meant to be then you’ll find a way back to each other. Just give it some time,” I said.
“Thanks, Hannah.”
“Anytime.”
*~*
The first week of summer vacation was absolutely crazy. Saturday I bid farewell to Rachel and Shane who were on their way back to Pittsgrove. I was shocked when Shane dropped his car keys in my hand and told me to be gentle with his “baby.” He told me that since neither Ethan nor I had a car in Newark he was left with no choice but leave his Firebird with us. He didn’t want me taking public transportation. I couldn’t argue with that and thanked him. I hugged them both goodbye and watched as they drove off in Rachel’s red convertible.
The next morning Ethan moved in. It only made sense to have him stay with me since he needed a place and I had two empty rooms. He refused to sleep in Rachel’s room since the breakup was still in effect so he was sleeping in the small third bedroom upstairs next to mine. It was a little inconvenient to not be able to walk around in my underwear upstairs like I was accustomed to doing but I had to admit I was happy to have a roommate again.
I started my job at the UD daycare the following Monday. Together with four other students we washed the room from floor to ceiling and assembled cribs and changing tables. The room we were in was on the second floor of the Rec center. One of the girls I’d be working with throughout the summer was named Carrie. She was an art major and offered to paint a mural on one of the cinderblock walls. I was fascinated by her talent and watched as she transformed an old aerobics classroom into a welcoming place for children to play. By the end of our first week you would never know that room hadn’t been built with the intention of housing babies and toddlers.
I spent every night with Ethan, watching TV or playing video games. He was teaching me how to play Geometry Wars since I refused to play the first person shooters he loved. We hadn’t spent this much time together since high school. I’d forgotten how much fun he could be. I made him dinner every night and he was excessively grateful for the mothering. We didn’t speak of Rachel. I figured if he wanted to talk about her then he would bring it up. She hadn’t even called me since leaving with Shane the previous week. Rachel hadn’t liked the idea of Ethan living in the house while she was gone but thankfully she was mature enough not to pitch a real fit about it.
I hadn’t heard from Shane either, except a text to say they made it home safe. I knew he’d been planning to spend some of summer vacation with Wendy and the longer I went without getting a call or text from him the more I was afraid he’d run off to Connecticut where she lived. On the other hand, I didn’t think I could handle any more of Shane’s descriptions of how “sexy” and “intense” she was so maybe it was best he hadn’t called. I figured if he had gone to Connecticut Ally would have dialed me pronto to find out what I thought of her.
I wondered how his family was adjusting to having the foster child in the house. I sent a few messages back and forth with Ally on Facebook and commented on the pictures she posted of her and Casey. From what I could tell she was a petite girl with long brunette hair and an attractive young face. They both looked happy to have each other’s company and I was looking forward to meeting her. I had to wait until July 4th when I was going home to visit my dad.
My second week at work everyone focused on collecting toys and books to fill the shelves. Another coworker, Derek, installed child safe locks on the cabinets and doors. Carrie’s mural was coming along nicely. I kept myself busy by washing all the incoming donated items such as bouncy seats, high chairs, and bottles. I cleaned the bathroom thoroughly and disinfected the toys. I was really in my element with this job!
On the Wednesday afternoon of that week I was checking my phone and saw I had a missed call from Aiden. I listened to the voicemail with a smile on my face. I could tell by the tone of his voice he was anxious to see me.
Hi Hannah. I wanted to see what you were doing the rest of the day. We couldn’t go out into the field today on account of all the rain so I’m on my way back to campus. If I don’t hear from you I’m gonna go over to the Rec center’s pool for a while. Um, hope you’re having a good day. Bye.
His call came only an hour earlier so he was probably still in the building. I quickly finished what I was working on and said goodbye to Carrie and the others. I hadn’t been to the swimming pool since the campus tour during orientation so I made a few wrong turns on my way. Finally, the smell of chlorine led me into the massive room that housed the university’s pool.
There were only a few people there and I spotted Aiden right away. He was swimming laps on the far end of the Olympic sized pool. I walked over to his lane and watched his head bobbing in and out of the water. He spotted me from the middle of the lane and waved. When he reached the side of the pool he pulled off his goggles and ran his hand over his face.
“Hannah, what are you doing here?” he asked cheerfully and a little out of breath.
“I got your message while I was upstairs so I thought I’d come meet you. Are you still up for hanging out with me?” I replied.
“Absolutely. I didn’t know you were going to be here,” he said bobbing in the water.
“Yeah, the daycare I’m working for is on the second floor,” I gestured towards the ceiling.
“Sweet. Well, I’m done here so just back up so you don’t get wet,” he warned.
Aiden gripped the concrete wall of the pool and lifted himself out in one effortless motion. He towered over me, water running down his skin. I was suddenly privy to a much better view of his body than the night we fooled around in his dorm room when I had been too nervous to really look. I tried not to gawk at his body now but failed miserably. I was eye level with his chest which was smooth and muscular. He had just a sprinkling of dark black hair between his nipples and abdominal muscles to die for. The droplets of water clung to his skin and it was difficult to hold back from reaching out with my tongue to lick them off.
“Hannah?” he said, trying to get my attention. He was grinning at me, obviously pleased by my reaction to him.
“You never told me you were a, ah, swimmer,” I said awkwardly. I finally blinked and focused on his face which made him laugh.
“I prefer the beach but this will have to do for now,” he said.
Aiden leaned over and shook out his hair like a dog would after coming in from the rain. I jumped back from the spray of water drops and he took a step towards me playfully.
“Aiden, stop!” I giggled.
He stood up straight and said, “Give a few minutes to change and I’ll meet you outside the locker room, okay?”
I told him to take his time and went out to the hall to wait. He was there to meet me in just a few minutes and we walked out the main entrance together. He hadn’t been kidding about the rain. It was coming down in buckets. We scurried across campus huddled under his umbrella to his dorm room. It was really eerie to be in campus housing knowing practically every room was empty. Aiden had to live in a different room than he had the last time I visited him. All the summer residents were staying in Laurel, the smallest of the dorms.
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sp; Aiden shook out his umbrella in the hall and fumbled with the key in the lock. This room looked similar to all the others on campus but it was a single. One bed meant there wouldn’t be any interruptions from friends or roommates this time. The space was a bit of a mess but I let it go. I was more worried at the moment about what Aiden had envisioned earlier when he invited me to “hang out.” He pulled off his sweatshirt and I was relieved to see a black t-shirt underneath.
“Are you hungry? We can order a pizza. I have zero food in here,” he said apologetically.
I smiled and said, “Yeah, a pizza sounds good.”
Aiden ruffled my damp hair as he passed me to get to the Little Tony’s menu on his desk. I took my shoes and socks off since they were soaking wet and curled up on his bed. After ordering our dinner Aiden turned the heater up a little and snuggled next to me. I was cold so the heat from his body was welcomed. He had a little television balancing on a milk crate and was flipping through the channels with the remote looking for something to watch. When he stopped on the baseball game he looked over at me for approval. I smiled and nodded.
“Do you really wanna watch the Phillies? I wasn’t sure if you were humoring me when you said you liked baseball,” he said.
I blushed slightly and replied, “Well, maybe a little. I’d like to watch it with you though. Can you help me understand what’s going on?”
His expression told me he was excited by the idea of teaching me about baseball. We spent the next few hours enjoying the pizza, the game, and each others’ company. I sat between his legs with my back supported by his chest. He wrapped his arms around my middle and spoke softly into my ear.
“So, you see the little picture of the baseball diamond in the top left corner of the screen? The yellow dot there means a player is on second base. Now he’s in scoring position if his teammate can get a hit,” Aiden explained. “The numbers next to the diamond that say 3-2, that’s the count. So there have been three balls thrown and two strikes. A 3-2 is a full count. The next pitch is either going to strike out the batter or walk him.”
We watched the next pitch get thrown and the batter, who I learned was Jimmy Rollins, hit the ball back into the stands.
“Was that a ball or a strike?” I asked.
Aiden chuckled and said, “Okay I stand corrected. He swung but hit the ball foul so there has to be another pitch.”
I groaned and leaned my head back on his shoulder looking up at his face. “This is confusing, Aiden.”
He kissed my cheek and said, “We can watch something else, honey. I don’t want to bore you.”
I was taken by surprise to hear him use a pet name with me. I could hear the affection in his voice and I liked it.
“I’m not bored,” I said honestly. “Maybe just in need of a temporary distraction?”
I found myself inching closer to his neck and placing a kiss there. His skin was soft and he smelled like cologne and chlorine. He turned his head towards me, his lips drawn to mine like a magnet. He kissed me gently, and I sensed his momentum slowly building. I tensed up when Aiden’s hands started wandering from their resting place around my waist. We turned toward each other to allow our kiss to continue more comfortably and he pulled his left hand under himself for support.
I wished I could read his mind or somehow figure out what he expected me to do. I reached my hand up to his face and felt the rough stubble with my fingertips. He pulled my shoulders back with his left hand so I was once again leaning against his chest and attacked my neck with his mouth. I let my head fall back on his shoulder and took a deep breath. I felt Aiden’s erection poking me in the back. I was nervous that I was letting him get too excited, although I was pleased that he was as affected by our activity as me.
As good as this felt, my inexperience was humiliating and I didn’t know what to do but lay there and allow him to take the lead. My arms lay limp at my sides so I turned my palms inward and placed both hands on the sides of his thighs. He let out a little moan and continued touching me in new and exciting ways. I breathed in deep and he tightened his grip. It felt better than I could have imagined and just as I was summoning up the courage to tell him so, his hand slipped under the low collar of my shirt. I wasn’t expecting him to be that bold but I didn’t push him away. It felt too good. He wasn’t trying to remove my shirt or unhook my bra for which I was thankful. He didn’t need to either, because the way he was currently touching me was enough to get him the response he was obviously looking for. I was self-conscious about the sounds that were pouring out of my mouth but couldn’t stop them. Aiden suddenly released my breast in favor of bringing his hands together to work the fly of my jeans.
My rebuff caught in my throat as he whispered, “I want to make you feel good, Hannah.” It was hard to argue with that.
He unzipped my pants and slipped them down just enough to ease his right hand inside. “Oh, Hannah,” he moaned as I raised my arms over my head and linked my fingers behind his neck. As I thought about how uninhibited I was being my breathing became heavier. I trusted him and tried not to over think what was happening.
Aiden’s fingers and his whispering in my ear gently coaxed me into experiencing new sensations that left me breathless and limp in his arms. I had no idea until that moment just how good my body could feel. He kissed my cheek and neck as I slowly recovered. I turned around to face him, hugging him tightly to hide my face from his gaze. I was reminded of the bulge in his pants and wondered what I should do.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
I slowly pulled back to look into his eyes. They were wide and hungry, but he made no movements to encourage me to touch him. I felt relieved that Aiden wasn’t expecting anything specific from me. I half expected him to glance down suggestively or brazenly take my hand and place it on his crotch, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t thinking those thoughts. He was patient and respectful, and was looking at me with nothing but adoration. I felt safe with Aiden and realized it hadn’t been as scary to take the next step with him as I had been thinking a few months before. I was still reeling from what he had just done to me and felt myself eager to see him experience the same sensation.
“Aiden, lay back,” I instructed softly.
We shuffled down the bed so we were lying side by side. I lightly grazed my fingernails down his chest and fisted the loose end of his t-shirt in my hand. I pushed his shirt up his torso exposing those glorious abs once again. I traced the lines over his stomach until I reached the place they disappeared under his pants. I leaned my head in to kiss his lips while my fingers stumbled over the buttons on his jeans and slid down the zipper. Then I froze.
I looked at him and said shyly, “tell me what to do.”
Without speaking he guided my hand. After a few moments I nodded to tell him I understood and I wanted him to let go. Aiden laid one hand down on his chest and the other stroked my hair. His eyes shut tightly and he groaned. I liked that sound very much and it gave me the confidence to keep going. Aiden’s audible response slowly became more urgent and intense. After a few minutes he gripped the mattress with one hand and my back with the other. Aiden cursed under his breath and groaned once more as his body relaxed and fell back against the mattress. He slowly opened his eyes and grinned at me. I snuggled back down in the crook of his arm and he sighed.
“You’re amazing, Hannah. Do you know that?” he asked.
I smiled shaking my head to his flattery. I’m sure my cheeks gave away my embarrassment. We lay there for a few minutes before Aiden sat up enough to pull me back against his chest again and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“What? Philadelphia’s losing now?” he complained, looking at the television.
I giggled. “Are they? I hadn’t even noticed.”
He hugged me a little tighter and placed a kiss on my cheek. We finished watching the game that way and when it finally ended I stood up to stretch.
“I should get home before Ethan starts to worry about m
e,” I said.
Aiden looked out the little window over his desk. “It’s still raining hard. Let me drive you home.”
“Thanks, Aiden, but I drove to work this morning,” I replied.
“Oh, I didn’t know you had a car on campus.”
“I don’t, but Shane left me his before he went home,” I explained.
Aiden raised one eyebrow. “Shane just… left his car with you for the whole summer?” he questioned.
“Yeah. He didn’t want me taking public transportation in the city. I told him he could drive my truck since no one’s using it but he said he wouldn’t be caught dead behind the wheel of that monster.” I laughed remembering the disgusted expression on his face when I offered him the key to my truck.
“Okay, then. Can I walk you to Shane’s car?” he asked.
“Yes,” I smiled and he took my hand as we made our way down the hall to the stairwell.
He kissed me goodbye in the parking lot of the Rec center and watched as I drove away. I thought about Aiden the entire way home. I’d spent more time with him since summer began than in the whole time I’d known him. I was starting to miss his company on days I knew I wouldn’t see him. What was even more shocking was that I realized I hadn’t spoken to Shane in almost three weeks and I wasn’t losing my mind yet. Maybe it was because I was pretty sure he was with that Wendy girl and I really didn’t want to think about how they were spending their time together.
Or, maybe it was actually possible that I could care for another person the way I did for Shane?
CHAPTER 10: INDEPEDENCE DAY
As I pulled into the first parking space outside the house I noticed Ethan had left the light on for me. I ran up the front steps and found the door unlocked.
“Ethan? I’m home,” I called out.
He came around the corner from the living room with his cell in his hand.
“There you are. I guess I can call off the hounds.”