Page 45 of Something New

"Yeah, you weren't in Atlanta, and he asked about you that night. He was probably planning this birthday party. If you're lucky, you'll get to see him in his birthday suit." Jonathan let out a laugh when he said that, but none of this was happy or funny to me. Something within me had changed, and the thought of going with Jonathan to Miami for a weekend of debauchery had no appeal. It wasn't that I felt obligated to John-Michael, and it wasn't that I had gone so straight that I no longer knew how to have fun. It wasn't either of those things—I simply didn't want to do it. The idea of a trip to Miami sounded tiresome and not at all appealing.

"Shy?"

"I'm here."

"Ha, I thought I'd lost you there for a minute. I wouldn't be surprised if you passed out."

"When is this supposed to happen?"

"Oh, it's Halloween weekend. His birthday is in late October, so he always has a Halloween party, and we're going! Oh, my gosh, this is seriously the best thing that's happened to me in, like, forever. Your wish is my command. I am officially your servant."

I didn't want a servant. It was midnight and it had been a long day. I was riding a high from the time I shared with John-Michael, and this news did nothing for me. All I wanted to do was tell John-Michael about it so that he could help me figure out a way to get out of it.

"I might," I said. "We'll see how it goes."

My statements didn't make much sense to Jonathan.

"What's that mean?"

"I still need to talk to Nick. None of this is situated. If it doesn't go through, I can see about helping you out with your rent this month."

He laughed, thinking I was joking. "It's going to be amazing. Thank you for being such a rockstar, Shy, and for letting me ride your coattails. Halloween in Miaaammmmiiiii, babyyy!" he hollered.

"Okay, send me his phone number and I'll talk to him about it and see if we can work anything out."

I got off of the phone with Jonathan, and he texted me with Nick Butler's contact information.

I didn't call Nick right away. I slept on it that night, and when I woke up the next morning, I felt like I was in love with John-Michael and didn't want to jeopardize anything we had.

***

A lot had transpired by the time I went to see John-Michael at school the following day. We both had classes and we met up on campus at a neutral location. It was a small area with wooden benches built under some trees. It was shady and relatively private, and I was happy when he mentioned it as a place to meet.

I got there first, and I sat and waited for him. I noticed when he was walking up the sidewalk, and I left my things on the bench and went over to him. Excitement coursed through my blood in a way no drug could replicate. He was solid and stable and he added so much to my life. He was completely irresistible, so gorgeous that he made my head spin. He was smiling at me, and I expected to give him a quick hug of greeting, but he reached down and kissed me on the mouth when we embraced.

I kissed him back, holding onto him and smiling when he pulled away.

"I didn't know that was okay on campus," I said.

"We're not in the classroom, and I don't think anyone really cares."

I reached up and kissed him again. A light, sticky one, letting my mouth linger on his for a second or two. We smiled at each other when I pulled back, and his dark eyes were full of mystery and promise.

"Come sit by me," I said, pulling him along.

He easily followed.

"How long before your next class?" I asked.

"I can stay for about ten minutes."

"My teacher emailed about my next class," I said. "It's canceled. I can go up to your mom's and get E if you want."

"Mom was going to meet me in Wake Forrest."

"Even better," I said. "I can get him a little early and we can hang out and make some dinner."

He smiled at me. "You sound so domesticated."

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