A girl I didn’t know hugged Nathan and kissed him on the cheek. He spun her to the side. “Carmen, this is my Gabriella,” he introduced me.
I wanted to burst the way he claimed me as his.
Carmen practically squealed and kissed me on both cheeks. She was glamourous and thin with perfect makeup and perfect accessories. I was completely envious of the easy manner in which she greeted Nathan and smiled at me as if she hadn’t noticed me at first, but was delighted that I was there. “Gabriella, such a delight to meet you. Oh honey, you look like you got a little sunburn.”
I glanced down at my arms. I was a little pink. “We were out riding,” I said. “This will turn into a tan in a day.”
I lied. I would stay pink, and then everything would freckle. I hated it. I wanted perfectly smooth tanned skin like the woman in front of me. I would be spotted at the end of the summer no matter how much sunscreen I slathered on.
Nathan kissed my shoulder, as if he knew what I was thinking. He gave me a wink, and I relaxed. I hated feeling awkward around his friends. And even though I knew he had done magical things to my body earlier, and would again before we parted ways for the night, I still couldn’t help but be a little afraid he would change his mind and want to go home with one of the beautiful, polished women that were always at these parties.
Carmen left, and was replaced by another woman, equally perfect, kissing his cheeks, kissing mine. What was this lifestyle that I had no clue about?
I dragged Nathan into the area of the patio in front of the DJ booth. This was how I had seduced him the first time, this was where I knew he was mine, on the dance floor. With his hands on my hips, we moved back and forth, in the give and take that fit with the salsa style dance music the DJ played. I loved to dance, I loved to move. It must be why I loved being on the back of his bike as he raced through the streets.
As the night wore on, I found myself with my feet in the pool. I would have loved to go swimming, but I didn’t have party appropriate swimwear. I didn’t look like a model, and I suspected that was definitely a requirement to be allowed in a bathing suit at this party. Not that anyone said anything to me, and only a few people snuck sneaking glances at me. This was a party for the thin, rich, and beautiful. I was neither thin nor rich. But I had to think that I was beautiful because Nathan looked at me like I was. And his opinion was the only one that mattered to me.
Nathan handed me a drink in another red plastic cup. He sat next to me, keeping his legs away from the edge of the pool, and out of the water.
“You look pensive this evening. What are you thinking?” I loved how he wanted to know what I was thinking. It wasn’t always about him.
“Stupid stuff,” I said. I wasn’t feeling as confident as I had earlier when he had been kissing me.
“I was thinking too, all day actually.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I was thinking we should get married at some point. What do you think?”
My stomach clenched. I had to force myself to breathe and not jump up and down. His words were not what I had initially thought they might be.
“That wasn’t a proposal, was it?” I laughed nervously.
“Not yet. Just thinking, we’d be good together. Don’t you think so?”
We were good together. I thought it was an amazing idea. I wanted to say, ‘I do.’
“Hmm, hmm,” I hummed out a positive reaction while dampening down the excitement I felt. Nathan wanted to marry me.