Page 29 of Naive in Love

I relax, wrapped in his arms, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. This close to him, I can feel his strong chest and six-pack abs. I want to run my hand over his chest and abs but keep still. We lay listening to each other’s breath in comfortable silence.

* * *

“So…tellme about you and Preston.” I begin to taunt Lena after everyone finally leaves that evening.

"When he came into the room last night, he asked if he could sleep with me.”

I’m shocked. I can't believe he would come right out and ask that. She notices my surprise and starts laughing. "No, not ‘sleep,’" she air-quotes then continues, "Sleep, sleep."

I giggle, waiting for her to continue.

"He was really a gentleman, and my gawd, he is hot!! That is such a dangerous combination. He said he wants to come down and see me again and for me to try and make it to Houston to see him. I figured I could give seeing him a try. What have I got to lose?" I watch her talk about him as her face takes on a dreamy quality. I wonder what I look like when I am talking about Caleb. Do I get that dreamy expression?

I head to my room early, sleepy from the long weekend. I lay in my bed, reflecting on the weekend and realize how erratic my emotions have been. Caleb is still a work in progress, but I appreciated the way he conducted himself on Saturday. He was definitely not perfect, and there was still some hostility, but he kept his temper in check.

9

Driving homelast night after my last class and getting ready for Thanksgiving, has been a whirlwind. My mom and I are cleaning up after Thanksgiving lunch when she asks, "So how is everything going with Caleb?"

"It's fine."

"What's wrong?” she pushes.

"Nothing."

She looks at me with inquisitive eyes, knowing there is more to my response.

"It's just that Caleb doesn't like some of my friends. And he is overprotective when it comes to me and other guys.”

“That doesn’t sound good to me, Sophia. You’re young and have plenty of time to settle down. Right now, you should be having fun, not committing to someone trying to hinder your growth and experiences. Think about that, please.”

“I know, but he is different when we are alone than when we’re out among friends. He is sweet and generous when it’s just the two of us.”

“Be careful is all I am saying,” she says, smiling.

My phone begins pinging with text messages.

“What’s going on?” my mom asks.

“Party at Leslie’s land. Paige and Bree said they are headed here in an hour to pick me up.”

“Go get dressed, and I’ll finish up.” She hugs me with wet, soapy hands. “But not too late, so we can spend the day together tomorrow. Shopping and getting our nails done?”

“Sounds perfect. Thanks, Mom.”

* * *

We getout of the car and walk toward the party. There is a DJ set up in the large, covered carport area and a couple of kegs and tables, where people are playing beer pong and flip cup. Familiar faces are mixed in with quite a few new ones I have never seen before.

As I’m talking with an old friend, Jamie, I notice Ethan standing by one of the kegs with a couple of girls.

“What’s got your attention?” Jamie asks. I hadn’t realized I’d stopped listening to what she was saying.

“Huh? Sorry.” I shake my head. “You were telling me about rush.” I continue to listen to her sorority stories when someone hugs me from behind, kissing my neck. I spin around to find Ethan smiling down at me, his arms still around my waist.

“I was waiting for you. When did you get here?” Ethan says happily.

“Just a few minutes ago. Paige and Bree picked me up. Who did you come with? I’ve never seen you at Leslie’s parties.”

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