Page 25 of Revive

“And you don’t think we’re too young?”

“I think we’re too young to do it right now, but not too young to know it’s right. and by the smile on your face, I think you agree.” He pulls his free hand out of his pocket and a ridiculously girly squeal leaves my mouth as he places the petite, delicate gold band on my ring finger.

“You got a ring?”

“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s real, and I saved hard for it.”

He’s so proud, it makes my heart want to burst. I rise out of his hold and turn to face him. “You don’t need to buy me gifts, Drix.”

“I know, but I want to, and if I can, I will.”

My hands on his chest, I lean down and kiss him quickly. “Drix.”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I can’t wait to marry you either.”

The kiss starts off slow, as usual, but this time, the love passing between us feels as if it could set the world on fire. I’ve never felt so much for one person. When he touches me, I don’t want to stop, and when he kisses me I pray it never ends. And now the flutters at the pit of my stomach, make it impossible to put the brakes on it because I know where I want to go next.

But I’m scared.

I love Hendrix. So much, I want to make him happy in every single way. It’s what boys want and I want to go to the next level with him, but I feel if we go all the way, we’ll have nothing else to look forward to for the rest of our lives.

I want to keep things moving and keep things interesting, but I don’t want to rush.

We have forever, right?What’s the rush?

“I can hear you thinking, babe. Stop.”

“I’m not,” I lie.

“You are? And I’m happy to wait.”

I hide my face in his chest. “How did you know?”

“One day you’ll realise that there’s nothing about you I don’t know. We will get there, and it will happen exactly when it’s meant to.” He shifts slightly so my chin is resting on his chest and he can hold my stare. “Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

Six Weeks Later

The loud shrill of the bell echoes throughout the school, and the end of the year is finally here. Hendrix and I have been waiting for the school holidays for what feels like forever. To be able to see each other every day and not be bogged down with all the school work we’ve had creeping up on us lately.

Hendrix and I made a deal, we wouldn’t let our relationship interfere with school, so we wouldn’t jeopardise our future. Drix wants out of here, away from his mum and away from his past. Me? I said I would follow him wherever.

My relationship with my mother was as good as any teenager’s could be. I told her what she needed to know, and she reminded me not to grow up too fast. I was an only child with a dad I didn’t know or care to find.

That was the one thing Drix and I had in common, deadbeat dads. Their lives were too important to include us, or their dislike for our mothers was too much of a hurdle to ignore. Whatever their excuses were, they soon didn’t matter. We just want our future to be fresh, bright, and everything two hardworking kids deserved.

“So, you and Drix going to have sex this summer?” Bethany asks as we pack up our books.

“What is your obsession with me and Drix?”

“You bagged the hottest guy in school and you’re such a prude about it all. You’re never together, too busy studying.” She sits on the edge of my desk, hands behind her, chest protruding out, trying every which way to make sure everybody knows how attractive she is. “And if you’re not careful, he’s going to leave you for another girl. A girl who would be glad to have sex with him.”

Bethany was supposed to be my best female friend, but since Hendrix and I got together, her jealousy has spiked my insecurities to an irrational and uncontrollable level.

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