“Can we leave now?” I asked.
“Yes,” Bill said. “It was a pleasure being your lawyer, Karma. Let’s just hope we don’t ever have to do it again though.”
“I agree.”
I still hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Bodie, but I really wanted to get out of here. Kayleigh had brought me a change of clothes, so I went to the closest restroom and changed. When I was done, I looked in the mirror over the sink. It was the first time in days I’d gotten a look at my reflection. I looked like shit. My face was thinner, and my hair was greasy. I was surprised anyone wanted to be close to me at all. Thankfully Kayleigh had included a hair tie in my clothes, so I put it up in a messy bun. I left the restroom and handed the orange uniform to the guard who was waiting for it.
“No offense, but I hope to never see you again,” I said to her.
She actually smiled at me. “I have a feeling our paths won’t cross again. Good luck,” she said and walked away.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I said, as I turned to everyone who was waiting for me. Bodie laughed but my mom frowned at me. “Sorry mom.”
She smiled and put her arm around me. “I’ll forgive you this time. Now let’s go.”
We left the building and got into a large black SUV.
“New ride?” I asked Bodie.
“No, it belongs to West Security. I gave your dad the keys to mine to use while they’re here.”
I’d clearly missed a lot in the last few days, but I knew someone would fill me in. We ended up at the hotel that mom and dad were staying at. The room was huge, and I knew that Bodie was paying for it because there was no way in hell my mom would ever get a room this fancy.
“I really want to sit down and talk to you, but I desperately need a shower.”
“Of course, honey,” mom said. “Take as long as you need.”
She showed me to the master bathroom. “Use anything you need. I’ll leave some clothes on the bed in case you want to change again.”
“Thanks mom. I love you and I’m so glad you and dad are here right now.”
“You can thank Bodie for that. He’s taken care of everything for us.” And with those words she left the room.
I put the shower as hot as I could stand it and stepped under the water. It was the best shower I’d ever had. I washed my hair twice, shaved my legs then stood under the water until I was turning pruny.
I eventually got out and dried off. Walking into the bedroom I saw brand new clothes with the tags still on them. As I was getting dressed, I noticed a lot of noise coming from the main part of the hotel room. I opened the bedroom door and saw the room was full of people. There was a banner that said “Congratulations!” and balloons everywhere.
“Surprise,” Bodie said quietly, as I closed the bedroom door.
“You did all this?”
“Yeah. I thought you could use some fun.”
“You’re the best,” I said, hugging him.
He hugged me back and whispered, “We need to talk Karma, but not now. Later, after the party. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed.
“Now, go have a good time,” he told me. “You deserve it.”
He stayed where he was, but I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away.
****
Bodie
I watched her until she was surrounded by people that cared about her.
“You’ve got it bad,” Major said.
“Huh?” I didn’t even know he was there.
He chuckled. “Karma, you’ve got it bad.”
There was no point in lying now. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I have no idea. She’s been through so much these last few days; I don’t want to make things weird or awkward.”
“Has she said anything to you?”
“Not really. We haven’t been alone, but I told her we need to talk after the party, and she agreed.”
“Are you going to tell her you love her?”
“I don’t love …” I cut my words short because that would have been a lie. I did love her. “I hope one day I can tell her, but tonight isn’t the night for that.”
“Good luck, man. You’re going to need it.”
Major went straight to Kayleigh and pulled her in for a kiss. I remember not too long ago telling him he was a pussy for falling in love, and now, here I was, in exactly the same position. I shook my head but found myself smiling.
****
A few hours later the party was winding down and almost everyone was gone. I hadn’t really spoken to Karma much all night, so I went over to her when there was a break in the conversation.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. Are you having a good time?”
“Yeah. It’s still hard to believe that nightmare is over.”
“Are you still up for talking?”
“Yes. We really need to.”
“I have a room here for the night. When you’re ready to talk come to room 2014, it’s down the other hallway near the end.” I handed her a key card.
“Okay. Are you leaving now?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you in a bit.”
She nodded and I left her parent’s suite. I figured she’d be a while, so I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until I found a car show. I was looking at the TV but not really seeing it. There was a lot going on in my head.
I was worried about how this talk with Karma was going to go. I really didn’t know if she’d had feelings for Anthony and if she did, what was she feeling now? Did I want to start a relationship with Karma after all the shit she’d just been through? What was I going to do if she didn’t have feelings for me?
“Fuck,” I said out loud. I hated feeling this way. I went out to the balcony for some fresh air.
I don’t know how long I’d been out there when I heard the door to the room open and close.
“Bodie?” Karma said.
I left the balcony and went back into the room. “Hey,” I said, feeling more nervous than I did this morning at the hearing.
I turned off the TV and we sat on the couch.
“Let me start, okay?” Karma said.
“Sure.”
“So, these last few days have been crazy and scary, but you’re the reason I’m sitting here right now and not in jail. Everyone at the party told me how you didn’t give up until you were able to find a way to prove I wasn’t guilty. Bodie, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for doing that. I know that without you I would have been convicted and put in prison. My life would have been over, but you saved me.”
“I had to,” I told her. “I knew you were innocent and being set up. I wasn’t going to let you go to prison if I could do something about it.”
“No one but my parents have ever done anything like that for me. I knew under your player attitude you were a good guy.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do, and so did everyone in that room tonight. My parents think you’re a saint.”
I chuckled. “They’d be the first ones to think that.”
“Well, they do. Thank you for making sure they got here and everything you’ve done for them.”
“I wanted to make it as easy on them as possible.”
“And you have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
We were both quiet for a minute. I wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but then she pulled out a folded-up piece of paper.
“I know it was you who was responsible for this and I need to thank you. After that first night in a cell, I was scared and terrified I’d never leave. These messages were a lifeline to the outside. Never in my life had I ever been so happy to see some familiar handwriting. This was the first time you saved me over the last few days.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept quiet.
“Bodie,” she continued, “I probably read your message a hundred times over the last five days. I
believed you when you said to trust you. I’ve had lots of time since Friday to think about a lot of things, and one of those things was you. I realized that you are one of the few people in the world that have my trust. When I told you the reason behind my nightmare, that was big for me. You are only the fourth person to know anything about what happened to me.”
Karma tucked the paper into her pocket and took my hands in hers.
“I realize that you wouldn’t have done any of this unless you cared about me and I care about you too, but after everything that’s happened, I have to focus on me right now. I have to make sure my life is where it needs to be, and I have to do that on my own. I can’t jump into another relationship until I know what I want.”
I looked at her. “I understand,” I told her. And I really did, but she’d just said the last words in the world that I wanted to hear.
“I should probably go,” she said.
“Yeah.” Even I could hear the disappointment in my voice.
I walked her to the door. She handed me the key card back.
“I’ll see you in class tomorrow?”
“Yep. I’ll be there.”
She opened the door and left, and I felt like a piece of my heart went with her.
“When did I become such a girl?” I said out loud, shaking my head at myself.
I didn’t realize how much I wanted a relationship with Karma until she walked out that door. I knew we’d still be friends, but it was going to be hard.
The last thing I wanted to do was go to class in the morning, but I’d missed enough over the last week. I kicked off my shoes, striped down to my underwear and crawled into bed. I closed my eyes, and of course, thought about Karma.
Chapter 39
Karma
I knocked on the door to my parent’s hotel room.
“Karma?” mom said, when she answered. “I thought you were going to see Bodie.”
“I was, I mean I did,” I said, and walked in.
“Honestly, I thought you’d be spending the night there,” she said.
Ignoring what she said, I asked, “Do you think I’m a selfish person? And answer me honestly, please.”
“Sometimes, but we all can be selfish sometimes. Why are you asking?”
“I had a lot of time to think in that cell and I realized that for the most part I behaved selfishly. I did what I wanted to do, had fun when I wanted to, and I really didn’t care what people thought.”
“What does this have to do with Bodie?” she asked.
“All night I heard people tell me what he did to save me, and all I can think about is, would I have done the same thing? I’m not sure I can answer yes to that.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. Karma, you are a very giving person when it comes to people you care about. If Kayleigh needed your last ten dollars, would you give it to her?”
“Yes.”
“Would it matter what she needed it for?”
“No.”
“If it came down to having to come back home because your dad was very sick, would you give up your scholarship to come home and help me?”
“Of course.”
“But you’ve worked your entire life to get a diving scholarship at a good school.”
“Sure, but you and dad are more important than that. You’ve given up so much more than that to raise me and give me what I needed.”
Mom hugged me. “Karma, those aren’t the acts of a selfish person. Now, tell me what’s really going on with Bodie.”
“I guess I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“The first time I try an actual relationship, I almost ended up going to prison.”
“You know that Bodie isn’t like Anthony.”
“I know, and I guess that was just an excuse because what Bodie and I have right now is really good. We’re friends and I know I can count on him. What if we try for more and it blows up in our faces”?
“That’s always a possibility honey. But right now, I want you to just say the first things that come into your head about Bodie. Don’t think about it, just talk.”
“I like being around him. He makes me laugh. I can trust him. He’s fun. He’s sweet but hides it from people. He makes me feel safe.” I stopped as soon as I said that, but I realized it was true.
“I think you have your answer honey.”
“But don’t you think it’s too soon? I mean, I was with Anthony for over two months and then the whole jail thing. I don’t know if jumping into a relationship with Bodie is the responsible thing to do.”
“Sweetheart, how long have you known Bodie?”
“Since the start of the school year, so like eight months I guess.”
“And how long have you been attracted to him?”
I grinned. “Since the first time I laid eyes on him.”
“When did you start to like him as a person and not just someone to have sex with?”
“Actually, after the first, and only, time we had sex.”
Mom smiled. “There was a connection, right?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“The same thing happened with your father and I the first time we slept together.”
“Ew, mom, I don’t want to hear about you and dad.”
She laughed. “Just like I don’t want to hear about your sex life either. But you needed someone to talk to and here I am.” I groaned because she was right, as usual. “So,” mom said, “what does your heart, not your head, tell you?”
I didn’t answer right away because I was thinking. I allowed myself to go back to the night we had sex and remembered how right everything felt. It wasn’t just two bodies coming together, it was more. Bodie had never said it, but I was sure he’d felt it too.
“I’m going to give it a chance,” I finally said.
“Good. Now, go tell him.”
Smiling at mom I left the room and practically ran down the hallway to where I knew Bodie was. I knocked on the door.
“Karma?” he said, when he opened it.
I walked in and closed the door. I could tell he was confused. Not giving him a chance to say anything I walked him backwards until we were at the couch. I pushed him down and straddled him.
Before he knew what was happening, my mouth was on his. He moaned and kissed me back, then he stopped.
“Wait,” he said, a little breathlessly. “What’s going on?”
I giggled at the look on his face. “I was wrong, Bodie. I think we should try this and see where it goes.”
“Huh?”
“It’s time to be totally honest. I’ve had feelings for you since we had sex, but I did my best to not acknowledge they existed. I didn’t want to ruin what we had so I pretended everything was the way it was before. Anthony was the perfect distraction, but I’ll admit, I thought about you a lot. You and I had a safe relationship as friends, and I didn’t want to lose that. But it’s come to my attention that I can sometimes be selfish in a good way. And I want to be selfish with you Bodie. I want you and I want to see what we can be together. That is if you want the same thing.”
I’m not sure what part of that really got to him but his mouth was on mine as soon as I finished talking. It was a wildly desperate kiss that made me a little crazy.
He stood up, taking me with him. My legs wrapped around him and he took us to the bedroom. Gently he put me on the bed and stared at me.
“Yes, Karma, I’d like to see what we can be together.”
I know I had the biggest grin on my face because I could see he meant what he said. Bodie bent over me and placed a kiss on my forehead and worked his way to my neck. I was already squirming under him.
“I need to feel you,” I told him.
He got the hint and slowly took off my shoes, jeans and t-shirt.
He smiled. “I was hoping I’d get to see you like this again.” Then he took off my bra and panties. I swear he touched every single part of my body with his hands and lips. My whole body was on fire. I�
�d never felt so desired in my life.
“Bodie, I think I might spontaneously combust if you don’t put your dick in me right now.”
He chuckled. “We need to work on your patience, but right now, your wish is my command.”
The heat of his body was gone, but only long enough for him to put a condom on. No more words were said as he entered me, and I knew this was going to be so much more than last time.
He took his time, even though I could tell it was killing him, his movements were slow and controlled, but the look on his face wasn’t. I could see the desire written all over him. He didn’t stop looking at me the entire time. I think that was more intimate than the sex.
Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Bodie, please, I need more.”
He understood and started moving faster. I was gripping his arms so tight I was sure I was leaving marks. I could feel my orgasm building. I exploded with the most intense orgasm of my life and the only word out of my mouth was Bodie. He came right after me. Hearing him say my name with such passion was something I’d never forget.
After a few minutes, we came down from our highs. He disposed of the condom and came right back to me. We got under the blanket and he pulled me as close to him as I could get. It felt so right, and I’d never been more content. In that moment, I knew I’d made the right decision and couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
Epilogue
Bodie
“We’re going to be late,” I said to Karma.
“I’m almost ready,” she told me.
I chuckled. I’d learned in the last few months that “almost ready” meant it would be at least fifteen minutes until she came out of the bedroom.
After the semester was over, Karma and I got an apartment with Major and Kayleigh. I guess apartment was putting it mildly. It was half the floor of the building, so it gave us enough space, so we didn’t all kill each other. The girls would have to go back to the dorms when school started but I was pretty sure Major and I were going to keep this place.
Twenty minutes later, Karma emerged from the bedroom and my eyes nearly popped out of my head.
“I hope you’re going to put something on over that.”
All she had on was a tiny red bikini.
Diving in Deep (A Bay State University Novel Book 2) Page 28