Page 17 of Cry For You

“Hmm?” he mocks, stopping what I’m doing with his hands. He pulls me between his legs with his hands on my hips.

“Hmm…nothing,” I say, not looking at him.

He presses his lips against my neck. As much as I like it, my eyes do a quick look around to see if anyone is looking. I know I’m with him, but I’m still under age in a bar, and I look every bit of my actual age. The next word out of his mouth is like he’s reading my mind.

“Don’t worry, you’re with me. My boss knows. No one’s going to give a shit, as long as I don’t hand you a drink, and you stay out of sight over here.” I nod, looking at him. “Good. Put your hands on my shoulders and touch me. I missed you.”

My cheeks are on fire. “How could you? I was sitting here by myself for two hours, watching that girl touching you and whispering in your ear.” I’m trying my hardest not to pout like the kid I feel like.

“There’s the, hmm.”

I turn my head, and he puts his face in the line of my vision, smiling and gripping my hips tighter, leaving no space between us.

“We went on a couple of dates a long time ago. We were only talking just now.”

“Uh-huh…” I say skeptically.

“She asked me who my little friend was.”

“What did you say?”

With a broad smile, he gives me a peck on the lips. “I said, my girlfriend.”

“Okay,” I say, somewhat relieved.

“Come on, Lacey, what do you think I would say?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug.

“You should. I told you; I’m in this. I’m not changing my mind. If I ever do, you’ll know. I don’t see that happening. You’re kind of stuck with me.”

“I don’t mind; you’re growing on me.” I crack a smile, feeling relieved.

“Is that so?”

I nod, reassured he still wants to be with me. Feeling daring, I say, “Tell Maxi to keep her eyes and hands off. She was drooling over you like a slab of meat. You’re my pork chop, not hers.”

He laughs, gently yanking a piece of my hair. “I’m reduced to a slab of meat? How sexist.”

He gives me another kiss, the ones I like the best—the kind that drive my insides crazy, mixing me up. He packs all my things away for me and carries my bag. I couldn’t help but ask on the way home, with his hand clasped around mine, when he parked a block from my house to walk me to my door.

“A friend of a friend of mine heard something about you.”

“Yeah, what was it?”

“Nothing really bad…she said something about you sleeping around with half the girls in the school when you were there.”

He smiles. Not a trace of irritation, always patient with me and my doubts. “Believe it or not, I haven’t slept with that many people,” he says in an even tone. “I can count on one hand how many.”

“You can?”

“Yes. What, you think I sleep with everyone I go out with?”

“Well, yes.”

He smiles again, bringing our joined hands up, kissing the back of mine. “Young Lacey, I have higher standards than that.”

Brows knitted together I ask, “So what do you do at the end of the date?”

He gives a light chuckle. “Whatever I want or don’t want. Going out with a girl and having sex with her is not the end game for me.”

“What is?”

“That we had a good time. It doesn’t need to include sex.”

I think about it and what those girls said. From the Landon I know, and what he’s said, I believe he’s not like those guys who only care about having sex with a girl for bragging rights, or just to pass the time. “I can respect that.”

“I told you, Lacey, I love you. I don’t know what I’m going to do to prove it to you, but I will. Something that will last forever.”

A few months after that, he did. He placed my name over his heart. He made me believe in forever. Until the unthinkable happened.

---