Page 17 of My Sweet Cherry
“Yes.” I giggled. “And dessert.”
“He bought you dessert and you didn’t even sleep with him?” Isabella’s eyes were wide like she agreed with Amy.
I shrugged. “I mean, I almost did. I got nervous, but he was really sweet about it.” The way we had shared the last piece of pie, passing the same fork between us and laughing when some dropped onto the bed, flashed across my mind, and I smiled when the butterflies in my stomach remembered too.
Amy and Isabella exchanged a look that I couldn’t quite read—one that made them both lift a single brow. Then Isabella shrugged. “Well, was he a good kisser, at least?” she asked.
“Oh my God. He wassucha good kisser.” My cheeks warmed, and I didn’t have to hear them giggling to know I was blushing. Suddenly, I could feel his lips on me again. Then the phone rang, and the image of him was gone. I was just sitting on my bed.
The phone rang a second time, and Isabella jumped up from the end of the bed, grabbing it and answering. “Hello?” she sang into the receiver, twirling the cord that connected it to the base on the wall around her finger. “Beth? Yeah, she’s here.” My heart leapt into my throat when she said my name. When it started pounding erratically, I nearly choked on the anticipation.
Isabella put the phone to her chest and giggled, a huge grin tugging at her cheeks. “Speaking of the devil,” she said, definitely loud enough that Carter could’ve heard her. I cringed. “It’sCarter.”The way she dragged his name out and rocked her head back and forth made me want to disappear.
“I’ll take it,” I said quickly, jumping up from the bed and reaching for the phone. Isabella stretched, reaching to where she knew I couldn’t reach and holding the phone there. I jumped, huffing when I missed the phone. “Let me have it.”
She looked at me, then at the phone, smirking before she handed it over. “Hello?” I answered as quickly as I could bring it to my ear.
“Hey, cherry.” His voice was lower through the phone, and the butterflies in my stomach started to spin in circles again. “So you’ve been talking about me, hmm?” I knew he’d heard her. I glared at Isabella, and she started to laugh, presumably guessing why I was giving her the look. She winked.
“It’s not like that.” I tried to giggle, hoping I played it off as casual and not nearly as forced as it felt.
When Carter chuckled, I felt it in my core. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ve been thinking about you, too.”
“You have?” I twisted the cord around my finger and watched it unravel before repeating the action. He had been thinking about me too? Even after I didn’t put out?
“Yeah, I have. What are you doing later?”Anything he wanted to do.“Let me take you out.”
I nodded, realizing he couldn’t see me. “Okay. I would like that,” I said, acknowledging I still had an audience when Amy giggled. “When?”
“Tonight. I’ll pick you up at six?” I looked at my watch, both relieved that I had enough time to get ready and disappointed that I would have to wait so long to see him. My nerves and excitement weren’t going to relax while I waited.
“Six is perfect.” I was already mentally digging through my closet for something to wear when he hummed.
“Good,” he said. “It’s a date.”
“Wow,” Carter said when I walked out of the front door to the dorm. “You look amazing.” He leaned against the side of his car, taking his time to enjoy a slow once over. It was like he was memorizing every detail of my outfit. When he reached the end of my borrowed-from-Amy-and-shorter-than-usual denim skirt, he lifted his brows.
I felt the slow movement of his eyes down my legs when I walked the rest of the distance to the car. “Thanks. So do you.” I pointed playfully at his casual sweater that fit a little tighter on his arms and his faded jeans.
“Come on, get in,” Carter said with a chuckle, reaching over and opening the front door. I slid into the leather seat before he leaned down, putting one hand on the roof of the car and keeping the other on the door. “I want to take you somewhere.”
When he closed the door, the butterflies that were following me around raced for my throat. “Where are we going?” I asked when he climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You’ll see.” Carter winked, and a strand of hair fell across his forehead. “It’s a little spot I know just outside the city.”
He started the car, and I settled into the comfort of the seat and the anticipation of not knowing where we were going. I trusted him though. And based on the excitement on his face, I couldn’t wait to see where we were going.
When he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, he pulled a purple tape from his pocket. “I made this for you,” he said, sticking it in the slot on the stereo.
“What is it?” I asked, sitting forward in my seat when the excitement made it impossible to relax.
“It’s a tape. Just a couple songs I think you might like.” He reached forward and turned the knob on the stereo, and the music got louder. “Songs that make me think of you.”
Upbeat music started playing, and I recognized the new song from the radio. When Carter started to bob his head, I threwmine back and laughed. Then the lyrics started, and he belted them out with the music. “And you want my love,” he sang dramatically, and I laughed again. “Well that’s alright.” Joy bubbled in my stomach along with a feeling I didn’t recognize—it was carefree, fun, and felt like static in my veins.
“Well it will be there for you, morning, noon, and night,” he continued, pointing at me. He chortled, shaking his head. “Oh come on, cherry! I know you know the words. Don’t make me sing it alone!”
I couldn’t remember the last time laughter rolled from me so effortlessly. “But you gotta be good,” we sang at the same time. “And do it right.”
