Undeclared (The Woodlands) - By Jen Frederick Page 0,83
hurt you and your relationship wasn’t even physical. Now he is going to be your first. When he leaves you, it is going to be a million times worse.”
When he leaves you. Those were the only words that really penetrated. I suddenly felt so cold. “God, why is the air conditioning so high here?” I asked with false cheerfulness. I looked down at the red concoction of lace and ribbons. In my little fantasies, I hadn’t gotten to the part where Noah left me. My heart stuttered a little.
Putting an arm across my back, Lana said, “Enjoy your time with him. He’s a great guy, and he’s perfect as your first. But be careful. He’s hurt you once. He has a bad track record of stringing you along and then backing out once he’s got you. Maybe he just likes the conquest.”
“Just sex then?” I picked up the red number. I didn’t know if I could do that and still guard my heart from him. But maybe the uncomfortable scratchy lace would be a reminder that this wasn’t about being comfortable and safe but about trying new and different things. Just this once.
***
Noah came and got me before the party started. He told Lana that he’d pay for a cab for her, but she declined. She was going to play designated driver for Amy and a group of the sorority girls. Noah left Lana with six wristbands. “Give them to whomever you want. Just show them at the gate to get in.”
Noah, Finn, and I went to a warehouse store to pick up plastic cups, napkins, chips, bottled beer and liquor. The other guys were in charge of obtaining the keg.
When we returned to the house, Noah went upstairs to lock all the doors. “The locks are pretty flimsy,” he explained. “But having a barrier prevents most people from trying to use our rooms.” Finn pulled out some yellow crime tape and draped it across the stairs.
“Do you really think that tape is going to prevent anyone from going upstairs?” I asked.
“No,” admitted Finn, “but it might deter some, and that’s worthwhile.”
Their video game consoles and laptop computers were all toted out to Finn’s car and placed in his trunk. He and Mal drove away and returned about twenty minutes later in Mal’s sports car.
“What is that car that Mal drives?” I asked as I saw it pull into the driveway next to the kitchen door.
“A McLaren. You like it?” Noah asked, coming up behind me and putting his chin on my head. It was a really gorgeous car. Silver, sexy and low slung. I didn’t really know much about cars. Uncle Louis drove a big Bentley, and Lana had a zippy BMW. I didn’t have a car because I didn’t like to drive. I could count on having Lana or Josh drive me most places I needed to go.
“It’s pretty neat.”
“It also cost more than hundred grand,” Noah said flatly.
“Really?” I guess I knew that there were cars like that but it seemed crazy. “And Mal owns it?”
Noah spun me around. “Yeah. You want a ride?”
I shook my head vigorously. “No. I’d be too afraid I’d accidentally scratch the interior with my finger or something.”
He looked at me, his hands on my upper arms. He started to say something and then stopped and kissed me hard. Thoughts of the car dropped away and all I could think of was how much I didn’t want to party with anyone tonight. Instead, I wanted to go up to Noah’s bedroom and lie down and show him this red teddy, as the saleslady had called it, and see what his response would be.
Instead, Noah stopped kissing me like he had a hundred times before. One of these days, he wouldn’t stop, but instead we would kiss and touch and love each other until the sun rose. Maybe even tonight.
Noah lifted me onto the corner counter in the kitchen. The stove sat just to the right of my legs, but I guess that no one would be cooking tonight. The keg was positioned outside on the patio.
The long sectional sofa that usually sat in front of the fireplace and big screen had been carted upstairs. All that was really left was their ten-foot long table and a multitude of chairs surrounding it. The house looked even more cavernous. Even the flat screen had been removed from above the fireplace.
“Three parties ago, the TV suffered a near-miss,” Finn explained when I asked him about