Coach gave us a short practice so I was done earlier than normal. Charlie’s hockey practice wouldn’t be out for another hour so I texted him to let him know I was done and that I would walk back to the dorms to change and maybe see him later. I was about half way to the dorms when my cell chirped with a text. Thinking it was Charlie answering me I pulled it from my pocket. It wasn’t Charlie but Noah, he was asking where I was. We hadn’t spoken since our sort of talk in the computer lab so I texted him that I was headed to the dorms. When I got there he was outside the doors waiting for me. His long frame was leaned against the building and his arms were crossed over his chest. When he heard me approaching he turned his head and smiled.
“Hey.” He seemed in way better spirits today.
“Hey what’s up?”
“Nothing much, I actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out for a little bit?” I glanced at the time on my cell, Charlie would be done with practice in under an hour and would more than likely be heading this way after.
“I sort of have plans already Noah, I’m sorry.” His face fell
“With the hockey player right?” I nodded my head. Noah snorted. “So the rumors are true, you guys are actually together now? Man you really don’t waste any time do you Ashton?”
I was shocked, I had never seen this side of Noah. He was coming off very snarky and I didn’t care for his tone at all. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you calling me a slut or something?”
“If the shoe fits.”
I looked at the ground. This was not the friend that I knew. Noah had always been sweet, and fun. He never acted this way. I did not know this person standing in front of me right now. I let out a calming breath. “I’m sorry if me being with Charlie upsets you Noah, honestly I don’t even know why you’re mad at me right now.”
“Tess was right, you are fucking clueless, aren’t you?” Had he been talking to Tessa? And about me. I was beyond confused with the situation. Before I could say anything he stormed off away from me. I felt terrible; in a matter of minutes he had broken me down to a small pitiful mess. He was so angry. I went to my room and threw my back pack on the floor. I was not going to be sad, I was not going to allow another person to hurt me emotionally. Suddenly I was no longer upset, I was straight up pissed off. How dare he say those things to me, who did he think he was? He was supposed to be my friend, especially when I had been nothing but a good friend to him. I didn’t deserve his attitude. Letting my emotions get the best of me, I ran from the dorms in the direction that Noah had. I started running as fast as my legs would carry me, needing to let him have a piece of my mind and for him to know that the way he was treating me and talking to me was unacceptable. I rounded a bend and could see him off in the distance. I yelled his name and he stopped, I ran the rest of the way to him. He still was turned away from me, his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. I was out of breath and even more angry.
“Don’t talk to me like that Noah, I don’t deserve it.” I bent over and put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Between my anger and the running I could barely get my words out. He just stood there still not speaking. I was so over this.
“You have no right Noah, none at all.” I said he still didn’t turn to look at me nor did he say anything.
“How about this, when you grow up and feel like having an actual conversation about all this, why don’t you come find me. Until then, I don’t think we should be around one another.” I turned and began to walk away when I heard his footsteps behind me so I stopped.
“Oh now you feel like talking??” I turned and ran into his chest, he was so close to me now.
“I’m done talking Ashton it obviously gets me nowhere” he stated. The next thing I knew, Noah’s mouth was on mine asking for entrance. It was brief and rough as I pushed him away wiping at my mouth.
“What the hell Noah?” I questioned loudly. He just stood there staring at me while breathing heavily.
“You should be with me Ashton not him, please just give me a chance.”
Tess had been right the entire time, how had I not seen that Noah had feelings for me? We had hung out numerous times and he had always been a buddy. When I first got here I had thought he liked me, but after our little moment during the three legged race nothing else ever happened between us. Sometimes he got a little friendly, flirting, but it was never anything that made me feel he really did like me, just joking around. Looking at him right now all I seen was a tortured boy. Had I led him on without even knowing it?
Before I could say any sort of reply to that I heard the piercing sound of screeching tires, I twirled around just as Charlie came jumping out of his truck, he was stalking towards us in a fast pace.
Shit this was bad.
“Get away from her,” he barked out. I stepped away putting some much-needed distance between Noah and myself. Charlie came over and pulled me until I was behind him. Glaring at Noah, Charlie stood in a defiant stance, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse Noah threw his head back and let out a throaty laugh that one could only consider borderline creepy. He leveled his head again and shot Charlie a counter scowl.
“Dude shut up, let’s be honest we both know you aren’t going to do anything to me, you can’t.”
Charlie’s teeth were clenched so hard I thought he might actually break his own jaw. “Ashton get in the truck.”
I grabbed his arm and gave him a pleading look, I had to do something to calm down this situation before it exploded beyond repair. “Charlie come on let’s just go okay, it was nothing really, I promise.”
His head swung around to look at me, his eyes filled with furry. “Nothing? I saw it! He fucking kissed you! Don’t tell me it was nothing.”
I flinched at his words and the intensity in which he threw them at me. “Yeah, he did try and kiss me but it was a misunderstanding. Please, let’s just go before you do something you regret.” They both stood there in a stare down. I was so over this pissing contest.
“Fine you two stay here and kill each other but leave me out of it.”
I started walking away. I sort of heard Charlie say something to Noah before he came up behind me and hustled me into his truck.
“Charlie I don’t feel like doing this right now.” I looked at him, he had that serious look, like the one he had the day of my volleyball tryout.
“Get in the truck Ashton.” Here it was only our second day of officially being a couple and we already had this much drama?
Ugh.
I hesitantly got into the passenger side of his truck and he closed the door behind me. Getting in the driver’s side, he peeled out as I watched Noah’s retreating back as he walked back to the dorms with his head down.
“Where are we going?” I asked. He was driving too fast and his hands were turning white because he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly. I spoke softly.
“Charlie please….d-don’t be mad at me.” His face softened and he finally took his eyes off the road and looked at me.
“You don’t need to be scared of me Ashton, I would never hurt you.”
When he pulled into a driveway of a two story, white and blue house, and shut of the engine, I looked at him puzzled.
“Charlie where are we?”
“My house.” He was being so short with me, I knew he was mad but I didn’t know who he was angrier with, me or with Noah. I didn’t know how to make this situation better. I was lost, I didn’t know the first thing about having an angry boyfriend. I followed him hesitantly to the front door.
Entering I looked around the open floor plan that was the kitchen and living room. It was the homiest feeling house I had ever seen. There were pictures of Charlie at various ages all over the walls and it smelled of some kind of home cooked food. It was clean and everything had a proper place. This was what a home should look like I thought, nothing like the house I had grown up in.
Charlie grabbed my hand and led me to a flight of stairs pulling me u
p them.
“Where’s your mom?”
“She plays cards with my aunt and a couple friends tonight she won’t be home for a while.”
“Oh.” I was suddenly very nervous, this would be the first time we would be alone minus our small encounters in his truck and the gym. I wasn’t sure what he was expecting from me and I wasn’t sure what I would be willing to do. Whenever Charlie and I had done anything physical it was like my body took over and I couldn’t control myself. I wanted him way too much. Just the thought was terrifying but also exhilarating.
We stopped at a room at the end of the hallway and he pushed the door open dropping his bag on the floor. I stopped in the doorway, he turned and looked at me, “This is my room.” Taking a couple steps inside I looked around the room. It smelled of him and I loved that. All over his walls were hockey posters and signed jerseys, he even had a few trophies on a bookshelf. His eyes never left me as he watched me looking around. When I came to the huge poster of an almost naked girl by his bed I made a face but didn’t say anything. I turned around and he was still watching me. I could see the tension he still held. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his middle hugging him and looked into those piercing green eyes. He let out a deep sigh and put his arms around me too and I felt some of his tension melt away. “Charlie I’m so sorry, I promise I didn’t kiss him back, I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I know, I saw you push him away. I wasn’t mad at you, I just saw it happen and then I saw red. I really wanted to kill the kid.” I was so relieved he was not angry at me. It was understandable he was mad at Noah hell, I was mad at Noah. I didn’t want to talk about Noah right now, I had my arms wrapped around Charlie and we were all alone.
“So you have me here in your room and we are all alone…now what?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know, I thought maybe we could do a little of this,” lowering his lips to mine.
“Oh yeah? What about this?” I put my hands under the back of his t shirt touching his bare skin for the first time and running my finger nails up and down his back. He arched and made a little noise causing me to giggle.
“You don’t play fair baby.”
I licked at his smiling lips. “You like the way I play.” I said in my best sexy voice. He was bringing things out in me I didn’t even know I had. He pushed me back gently until I fell softly on his bed.
“Yeah I do.” He looked down at me with hooded eyes; I bit my bottom lip waiting for him to lay his body on top of mine. Before I could even register what he was about to do he reached behind his neck grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. I had seen a lot of guys shirtless before but nothing even came close to what stood in front of me now. No eighteen year old guy should look this good. His skin looked lightly sun kissed and he was completely toned everywhere. He threw his shirt somewhere off to the side and all I could do is stare; believe me any girl with a pulse would do the same thing. My eyes trace down his sculpted chest and arms to his abs, that are amazingly perfect and dipped into the inch of exposed boxers; all I wanted to do was touch him. Charlie’s laugh snapped me out of his hot body stupor. I looked at his eyes, embarrassed that I had been caught gawking.
“So I guess you like what you see?” Him and that damn cocky smile. I swallowed, my voice came out just above a whisper.
“You are perfect,” I couldn’t believe I had just said that to him out loud but it was the truth. He finally lowered himself on top of me and moved the hair out of my face in a surprising tender way.
“Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing.” With that, we started kissing passionately my hands were on his back his skin felt so good under my hands. We had made out in his truck before but right now in this moment I wanted more. I pulled back and kissed his neck while running my hands up and down that washboard stomach of his. He reached down grabbing my hands and then raised them up, pinning them above my head.
“Baby you can’t do that to me I won’t be able to control myself.”
“I don’t want you to control yourself, Charlie I want you right now.” my entire body was throbbing and I could feel my blood pumping through me with every beat of my heart.
“Ashton you have no idea how badly I want you too but are you sure? We really don’t have to, we can take it slow.” But I didn’t want slow, I raised my hips in answer. I could feel how much he wanted me he closed his eyes. When he opened them I could tell his resolve was crumbling by the second. I wiggled my hands out of his grasp and began to unbutton my shirt. His eyes watched my trembling fingers until my shirt fell open and I exposed myself to him for the first time. He drew in a ragged breath as his eyes looked me over.
“God you are killing me.” When his mouth finally found mine again, our bodies were crushed together. The skin on skin contact was out of this world; his hot skin pressed to mine would be my undoing. His mouth trailed open-mouthed kisses down my neck to right above the top of my bra. We were all hands and mouths and it felt so good. He was just about to unclasp my bra when we heard a door close downstairs and then a feminine voice yelled up the stairs.
“Charlie, I’m home sweetie.” Charlie sprang up from the bed like it was on fire.
“Shit that’s my mom.” We both frantically started to get our clothes back on.
“Be right down mom.” He yelled as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
I couldn’t help, it I started giggling putting my hand over my mouth to quiet it. He looked at me like I was insane but then a small smile crept up on his face as well. Being caught in the heat of the moment was something I had never experienced, it was something so high school and the small damaged girl inside me loved that at that moment I actually felt my age of seventeen. Charlie reached for my hand pulling me up off the bed to my feet.
“Well come on, I guess you get to meet my mother.” Giving me a quick peck.
Oh crap.
Meet his mother? Was he out of his mind? We had been dating for two days and already we had drama and now I was meeting his mother? This relationship was moving in fast forward. Charlie looked a little nervous but for a guy that claimed to have never been in a real relationship before he was noticeably handling it better than me. From what Charlie had told me, he was very close with his mother so I felt myself start to panic. If she didn’t like me I am sure that would be a deal breaker for him. Heading down the stairs I whispered to him.
“Have you ever done this before, because I haven’t. I’m not ready for this.”
He squeezed my hand tighter “Don’t worry she won’t bite.”
We entered the kitchen where a short, slightly round lady with dark hair and complexion, was bent over, getting something out of the bottom of the refrigerator.
“Charlie how does Lasagna tonight sound?” Turning around to face us, her eyes landed on me. I gave a small smile. Charlie just stood there like a dear caught in the headlights. Please say something! Her eyes went to Charlie and then back to me again. Wiping her hands on her apron she stepped closer to us and extended her hand out to me.
“I’m sorry, it seems as if my son has forgotten his manners, I am Charlie’s mom Anna.” I let go of Charlie’s hand that was holding mine so tightly, it was on the verge of pain. I shook her hand.
“Ashton. It’s so nice to meet you, Charlie has told me some wonderful things about you.”
A look of love spread across her face as she looked at her son. Then silence fell upon us. Charlie cleared his throat finally speaking for the first time since we came down stairs.
“Well I guess I should get Ashton back to the dorms now, we were just…studying.”
His mother had turned and was stirring something cooking on the stove. “Ashton, would you like to stay and have dinner with us? I have plenty of food.”
I looked up at Charlie and he had a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I would love to Anna, thank you. Can I help with anything?”
The three of us sat at their kitchen table and ate the m
ost delicious dinner I had had in a very long time. Conversation was kept light. Mostly about school and I was relieved for that. When we were all done, I helped Charlie clear the table. We were standing side by side washing dishes at the sink when he nudged me playfully with his shoulder.
“I think my mom likes you.”
“She is great Charlie, no wonder you two are so close, she seems like an ideal mother.” I dried my hands on a dishtowel and looked out the kitchen window. Seeing how good of a relationship Charlie had with his mother made me feel like I had completely missed out. They sat at the kitchen table and had dinner together almost every night. She asked about his day. She loved him. She supported him and never abused him. I wonder what it was like to have a parent like that.
He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “You okay? I know the last few hours have been pretty intense with Noah and then ambushing you with meeting my mom.”
“I am fine, it was a little nerve racking at first. You okay? You know, with everything? I haven’t scared you off yet?”
He chuckled and kissed the side of my neck. “You are not going to be able to get rid of me that easy beautiful girl.”
I DROVE Ashton back to the dorms after we finished dinner. I was caught off guard when my mom grabbed her up in a hug and told her not to be a stranger. Pulling up into the parking lot, I turned off my truck and looked over at my girlfriend. She was so beautiful and all mine, it was still a little hard to believe.
“Thanks for sticking things out with me today.” She scooted over closer to me and kissed me softly.
Pulling away, she looked into my eyes. “Isn’t that the whole point of me and you being together? To stick things out with each other?”
I laughed, “Yeah I guess it is, not the whole point though.” Kissing her again, I moved my hands into her hair; she let a small moan escape her lips.
“Okay I have to go in before we get carried away…again. That seems to happen to us a lot.”
“See you tomorrow.” With that, she jumped from my truck and into the dorm building.
Getting Out Page 9