by W.J. May
***
Natalie lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. With her finger she traced her lower lip. She recalled the way Ryan had kissed her deeply and passionately that night at the lake. Chills ran up and down her arms. She’d loved the way his body felt against hers and how he’d held on to her. The same way he did when she’d nearly fainted during orientation. She longed to see him tonight but her inner voice reminded her to take things slow.
Her phone chimed. She opened her eyes and picked it up. Ryan’s text message flashed across her screen:
Can’t meet up tonight. Kronberg’s having a big shindig next Friday night and we’re busy helping out. Not sure what time I’ll leave.
She sighed and her heart ached. Regardless of what that inner voice told her, she wouldn’t be able to see him after all.
She texted him:
No problem. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow. Did you see Lise?
He texted back:
Yeah, we’re working together. She told me to tell you she’ll be at the dorm later tonight. I’ll give you a call when I get to my apartment. Gotta go. Bye beautiful ;)
Natalie’s heart soared. Beautiful. Beautiful. She held the cell phone to her chest. Ryan always knew the right thing to say, every time. If only she was as gifted with communicating her emotions to him.
She searched her phone for the right emoticon. She found a smiley face blowing a kiss in the shape of a heart. Perfect. She pushed the send button. Ryan flooded her mind. Everything about him felt so right, so natural. She’d never felt this way about a guy before. Not even with Tony. She winced at the thought of Tony and her kissing. Why did she make such a stupid mistake and have sex with him? Why didn’t she save herself?
If only she’d gone out with Ryan first, she would still be a virgin. She shook her head in disgust. Despite her mistake, she couldn’t believe that Ryan wanted to go out with her. It was unbelievable that he valued sex the way she did. Never in a million years did she peg him to be that type of guy; saving himself until marriage. That was practically unheard of when it came to a guy. Only girls did that sort of thing.
Giggles and smiles poured out. She was actually going out with Ryan Garrett! What would her old high school friends think? They wouldn’t believe her. One thing for certain, he was with her because he truly liked her and not because he wanted to get in her pants. She refused to mess things up with him regardless of how uncontrollable her desires were. She’d respect his promise.
Her phone rang and she quickly picked it up. Her Aunt Sharon’s picture showed up on the screen instead of Ryan’s.
“Hi, Aunt Sharon.” Natalie sat up in her bed.
“Hey darling. How’s school going? Have you started your internship yet?” Sharon sounded a little winded.
“I started summer classes today and tomorrow will be my first day at Kronberg. Are you okay? It sounds like you’ve been running.”
She sighed heavily. “Yeah, I’m scurrying around the condo, trying to pack. I’m headed to Europe and wanted to remind you to stop by this week if you can.”
“Sure. No problem. I’ll stop by Wednesday.”
“Oh that will be great. Like I said, if you want to spend the night here you are more than welcome. I won’t be back until the end of July so I need for you to check on the place each week.”
“Okay, no problem.”
“Well, gotta go. I’m staying at Chad’s tonight so he can take me to the airport in the morning. Tell your mom I said hi. Luv ya.”
“I will. Be careful and have a good time. Bye.” Natalie hung up the phone. She got up and went over to her dresser and changed her clothes. Since Ryan had to work late, she decided to workout and grab a bite to eat afterwards. Besides, the workout would help her get a good night’s sleep and be ready for her first day at Kronberg.