Page 79 of Rock Out Together
It told me he really did care. Maybe even loved me.
Although I liked the pictures he’d asked his friends to take, my favorites were the two selfies Jason had enlarged and printed. One was the night of prom before we’d hit the dance floor. The second was in July. We’d been out at the lake—with Emma and Cameron instead of his friends as usual—and we’d had a day in the sun: a picnic and playing in the water, and I’d taken a few pictures that day of all of us. But the intimate selfie of Jason and me smiling at my phone was my favorite. We both looked so happy, as if we didn’t have a care in the world.
And that night, we’d done a little more than kissing.
Still, I was a virgin…and appreciating this sweet gesture from Jason made me want to change that.
Made me want to believe in the future we had together.
And I could feel my heart expanding in my chest, the love I’d held for him growing larger. No, that wasn’t it. It was that I was allowing myself to admit for the first time just how much I loved him.
“Thank you so much,” I said, kissing him in appreciation. Then I said, “I have something I want to give you too.”
“Yeah?”
Nodding, I bit my lip, feeling a little self-conscious and unsure how to say it. I shifted my gaze to his chin as I willed the courage and then forced myself to look in his sapphire eyes once more. “I think I’m ready to…” It was a few seconds before he raised his eyebrows and I nodded, whispering, “Make love.”
His eyes grew wide in the cutest way. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“When do?—”
“Friday night sound okay?”
“I can hardly wait.”
The thought of joining with Jason in the most intimate of ways distracted me all week…but I was again floating on cloud nine.
Friday night finally arrived, bringing with it the sensation of being wound like a watch, tighter and tighter. I was so glad my mom and dad weren’t there when I got home from school, because I took a shower in preparation for my evening with Jason.
And I wore my favorite pink bra and matching panties underneath the miniskirt. It was still warm out, so I was able to get away with wearing a white tank top.
I packed a small overnight bag as well.
I’d told my parents earlier in the week that I’d be spending the night at Emma’s—and my bestie had my back. She’d spent the night with Cameron at prom and her parents thought she’d crashed at my place. I’d considered doing my hair and makeup to make myself look a little sexier but knew better. My parents would have known immediately that something was up if I didn’t act and look like I usually did when I went to Emma’s.
It was hard enough keeping myself focused instead of acting giddy.
Jason had wanted to pick me up but we both knew that would blow my cover. So, after giving both my parents a hug, I walked out of the house and got into my car. As soon as I approached the stop sign at the end of the block, I started laughing—almost hysterically.
I’d done it!
I turned right, driving to Emma’s house and found myself continuing that way—but then, two blocks before I got there, I turned and started driving in the opposite direction toward Jason’s. It was as if I had done such a good job at lying that I’d fooled myself in the process.
Or maybe it was because I was anxious…and overly eager at the same time.
But we were keeping it from Jason’s parents too, so I parked my car in front of the neighbor’s house.
And then I waited.
Just a few minutes later, Jason pulled up next to me in his car. I jumped out of mine and locked it before getting in the passenger side of Jason’s. After giving him a quick kiss, I said, “What if my mom and dad drive over here tonight and see my car?”
As Jason started driving down the block, he said, “You said they’re never in my neighborhood.”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be okay.” With his left hand still on the wheel, he squeezed mine with his right. And he was right. We’d talked about this over and over, wanting to make sure we hadn’t missed any details. And my parents were likely having a romantic evening of their own without me there.
