ask.
He leans in close. “I was a freshman virgin, too.”
My mouth sags. “No, you weren’t.”
“Yup.”
“You?”
“I didn’t really date much in high school,” he says. “There were people who were interested, I guess, but they never seemed interested in me. I was always Glenn’s kid or Melanie’s little brother. That’s one reason why I didn’t want to keep living at home for college, even though my parents literally live like ten miles from campus. I moved out and into the dorms and I was just… Drew.” He looks at me and smiles. “It was nice, you know? No bias. No expectations. I could just… be me.”
“That sounds nice,” I say, thinking of me and Jenna. “So, when did you…?”
“About two weeks into the fall semester,” he answers. “Some girl at a Delta Xi party, actually. Rush week.”
“That’s… nice.”
“Eh.” He shrugs. “If I could go back… I’d probably do it all again. Who am I kidding?”
We chuckle.
“But it wasn’t anything special,” he says. “I don’t even think I was ready for it. I just did it to do it.”
I exhale hard as I glance at my still prominent cleavage. “Well, after tonight, I can definitely say that I am not ready for it, either.”
“That’s okay with me,” he says. “Honestly, I’m a little relieved. I’m not ready, either.”
I furrow my brow. “You’re not?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t realize it until we got on that couch,” he muses. “It’s not a race to the finish line with you. I don’t want to rush this. Do you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Then, we won’t. We can just... let it happen when it happens. It’ll just make that night even more special when we get there. Okay?”
I smile. “Okay.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Are your balls all right?” I ask.
He laughs. “My balls are fine. A little discouraged, but they’ll pull through.”
“Good,” I say with relief.
“Now, are we okay?” he asks.
“Yes. We are okay,” I say. “More than okay.”
“Then, would you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
He smirks. “The next time you have a concern about us, come talk to me. Don’t go to Jenna.”
I laugh. “Deal.”
“Don’t get me wrong, she’s great, but... I think she might be giving out some bad advice.”
“I think you might be right.”
Drew leans in and kisses my forehead. “You want to go back in and talk over that movie?” he asks.
“Sure. I’m just going to put on some panties first.”
He tilts his head. I wave a hand.
“It’s a long story,” I say.
He stands up and offers me his hand to help me off the floor.
“Then, later...” I say, making him pause, “maybe we can come back in here, and...” I twitch. “Not rush things, obviously, but we could talk some more?”
“Sure,” he says, his eyes as soft and warm as his touch. “I’ll stick around.”
He stares at me for longer than I expect. I shift slightly, feeling a little self-conscious as the feeling curls around my gut.
“What?” I ask.
Drew steps toward me again. He leans in and places a strong finger beneath my chin, playfully forcing my head up. He hovers an inch away, his eyes roaming my face.
“When we get there, you and me...” His lips graze mine. “Fireworks.”
He kisses me one more time, deep and powerful enough to make my ankles sway.
“I’ll be right out,” I say, breathless.
Drew smiles. “I’ll be waiting,” he says.
Chapter 22
Drew
The sky drifts from black to blue. The sun will come up soon.
Have we really been here all night?
Heidi shifts on the bed beside me. Eyes closed. Fully clothed in her black skirt and blue blouse. Our feet rest entwined at the foot of the bed while we share the same over-sized pillow.
She opens her eyes and exhales with a smile. “Sorry,” she says. “Did I drift off again?”
I chuckle as I touch her arm. “Yeah, you did.”
“I’m really not used to the whole staying up all night thing.”
“You’re young. You’ll learn.”
“How long was I out?”
“A few minutes, maybe.”
She grins. “What were we talking about?”
“I don’t remember,” I say honestly.
I slide my hand up her arm. She twists her wrist and our hands fit together with dancing fingers.
The front door opens and closes across the house.
“That’s Jenna,” Heidi whispers at her closed door. “She’ll be so disappointed in me.”
“We could always make some noise,” I joke. “Give her something to be envious about.”
“No, that’s okay. Thanks for offering to help me look cool, though.”
I nudge her chin and she tilts up, happy to oblige. I want to tell her something witty, something that will boost her