Divided (12 page)

He took me to Riverside Park and parked his car in a hidden parking lot. I had jogged through the park a couple of times but I had never seen this particular lot. “Let me guess. This is a parking lot in a park?” I said sarcastically.

“Yes, but this is also known as the make out spot, high school kids come here when the sun sets.”

I attempted to swallow my nerves at his response. “So how many times have you been here? Do you have a permanent parking spot?
Reserved for Ryan Kraft
.” I said with air quotes.

“No, I use to come here when I was younger, when I couldn’t bring girls to the house. But now I have a really big comfy couch.”  Maybe I was reading this all wrong, we were on his couch and he never tried anything with me. Maybe he only saw me as a friend. Maybe there was no sexual tension between us after all.  I looked out the window and I felt my face change.

“But.” He said. “I had this smoking gorgeous woman with me there earlier, I had to leave the house and drive around to clear my mind so I wouldn’t hold her captive and never let her go.”

I turned to him and poked his ribs causing him to laugh out loud. “What? It’s the truth.” He said between his chuckles.

We stayed parked in his car and watched the joggers and bikers in the park as they went by. My mind wandered to the last time I made out in a car. It was a few years back. Marco and I had just started dating and we were all out for Caitlyn’s graduation party. He wouldn’t quit trying to cop a feel, so I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the car. We started to make out and I began undoing his clothes and he lifted up my dress when there was a tap on the window. The cops luckily were nice enough and just asked us to go home back then. The funny memory quickly brought a frown to my face. Every time I thought of Marco, I inevitably thought of Trish. There they were going at it like rabbits and never once did it ever cross my mind that he could be having an affair. Or sharing sexual transmitted disease between. God what if he had something and passed it to me.  I only saw the gynecologist once a year. I wasn’t due for a checkup for another two months. What if I had something now and had no clue? My mind wandered off to the what ifs.

“Hello… Earth to Alani?” I shook my head to clear my thoughts as Ryan’s voice came to me. “Oh sorry.” I said.

“Are you ok?” He asked. I was so out of it I hadn’t felt his hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” I exhaled the words.

“You’re pale as a ghost.” He moved his hands from my shoulders and placed them on my cheeks.

Leaning into his hands, I responded. “I’m fine. Just…” I took a deep breath. “Fine.”

“Are you sure?”

I bowed my head, knowing I needed to deal with this before anything between me and Ryan happened. I shook my head to his answer.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. How could I tell him? I knew that eventually I was going to have to face my problems but this was just the worst. I took another deep breath and decided today was the day.

“I need to go to the doctors.” I finally said, my eyes looking up at his and down again.

“Why what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” He asked putting his hand to my forehead

“No, I feel fine.” I pulled his hand away.

“Then what is it?”

Releasing a breath that was trapped in my lungs I began “We didn’t get married because he cheated.”

“Okay, what does that have to do with you going to the doctor?” He said cautiously.

“If you would let me explain…” I said, my eyes snapping up at his.

“Sorry.”

“Two days before the wedding, I decided to surprise Marco at his office. I found him banging his secretary in his office and he wasn’t using any protection.” I managed to get it all out in one breath. I had been holding on to that for such a long time. Everyone knew that Marco had cheated, but telling Ryan felt like I was finally confronting my problems.

Ryan didn’t say a word so I added. “Marco and I just used birth control.”

“I see.” He chimed in, as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to blurt it all out at you but you asked and it has been on my mind for a while now. I..I’m…I’ve been worried about how his indiscretion could effect me.”

He pulled me into him and all my fears and embarrassment over telling him my story vanished. His soft lips touched the top of my head. The heat that rose from my heart and into air was enough to melt glaciers. Ryan’s lips were now my kryptonite. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of him.

“Do you want to go right now?” He asked as he pulled away. My forehead instantly missing the touch of his lips.

“Now?” My eyebrows furrowed.

“Yes, right now. We can go to the care station.” Ryan didn’t wait for me to respond, he pulled the car out of the parking lot and headed straight for the care station that was located on the opposite side of town.  We walked into the waiting room; I filled out the necessary forms and provided them with my insurance information. Ryan and I sat in silence as we waited for the nurse to call my name. 

The green chairs were agonizing and I couldn’t sit still any longer. Every possible outcome was crossing my mind. I began to crack my knuckles when Ryan reached over and grabbed my hands. He intertwined our fingers together and pulled the back of my hand straight to his lips.

“It’s going to be ok. I promise.” He said softly.

“Easy for you to say.” I bowed my head. “You aren’t the one going to find out if your junk is no longer functional.” His laughed distracted me.

He got up and spoke to the receptionist. I thought he was asking her how much longer I had to wait, he was probably afraid that I would run. He walked back and sat next to me. “What did she say?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged his shoulder sitting next to me.

“Alani LaBelle & Ryan Kraft?” The nurse called a few minutes later.

I looked at Ryan wondering why his name was called. He instantly reads my mind “So you don’t have to be alone, I decided to get tested as well.” I started laughing. I laughed so hard that I had to stop walking. “What is so funny?”

“Do you know how they check guys for STDs?” I ask him.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “Blood test?” Oh this was going to be good.

“And they insert a Q-Tip in your pee pee hole.” I told him though fits of laughter. Ryan’s face changed the second he realized what I said. I wrapped my arms around his and drag him towards the nurse. “Come on lover boy.”

Our nurse Emily directed us to the back of the office where our blood was drawn. She then directed us into two different rooms. I was instructed to leave my shirt and bra on but remove everything else. I quickly changed, hopped on the examination bed, and pulled out my phone to text Ryan.

Me: You ok?

Ryan: Yes never better. I’m just about to get something shoved in a very small hole.

Me: Now you’ll know how it feels to be a woman losing her virginity.

Ryan: Not funny.

I put my phone down as doctor walked into the examination room.  “So Miss LaBelle, what brings you in today?”

“Well doc, my ex-fiancé was cheating on me with some bimbo and I just want to make sure I didn’t catch anything.” I said, trying to joke about the situation.

“I see, please lie back.”

I had been doing this exam since I was sixteen so this wasn’t anything new. It wasn’t pleasant but I knew it had to be done, just like a teeth cleaning.  Dr. Dill was quick and efficient. I sat up and he asked me if I had any questioned so I asked the only one that I was really concerned about. “How long do I have to wait for the results?”

“Well since we really don’t have many appointments today I’ll ask that the lab to do these right away.” He noted the file and left, allowing me to change.

He walked out and into Ryan’s examination room next.  As I was getting dress I heard Ryan complain, “That whole thing has to go in?” I laughed softly and walked out to wait for him in the waiting room. I wanted to give him his privacy.

Ten minutes later Ryan met me in the waiting room, his face twisted into a grimace. I bit my lips so I didn’t laugh at him. He was walking more like he just had a prostate exam.

“Are you ok?” I bit down on my bottom lip trying to contain my laughter.

“No, they violated me.” He complained, looking back at the door.

“Well, thank you for going through this with me.” I wrapped my arm around his waist letting my hand rest on his firm abdomen.

He pulled me in and kissed my forehead. “I’d do anything for you, Bug.” My heart softened and another brick from my guarded wall fell down. “So where to?” I asked. I didn’t know if he was going to be a complete baby and want to stay in bed the remainder of the day.

“Let’s go swimming.” He pulled me tighter around him.

“You do know its forty degrees outside?” I asked.

“I know, that’s why we have an indoor water park.”  He joked tapping the tip of my nose with his finger.

Ryan drove me back to my hotel; luckily I brought a bathing suit with me, I had needed one for the steam room at the spa. It was smaller than I would want it to be for a family water park but it would have to do.

Splashers of the South Sea, was a 40,000 square foot indoor water park filled with water slides, tubes and a lazy river. It was a constant 86 degrees and because it was a school day there was barely anyone there. I walked into the girls locker room to change. Ryan apparently carried a pair of water shorts and clean clothes with him at all times.

When I walked out of the locker room Ryan was waiting for me. He was leaning with his back on the wall, one leg holding his weight. He was just staring at the wall. I took the time to admire his body. He had broad shoulders that made him seem taller. His abs were perfectly cut into six lickable pieces and his arms were the perfect size to grab if he was on top of me rocking my world. He caught me staring and kicked off the wall causing a blush to heat my cheeks.

“My turn.” He took my hand in his, lifting my hand up.

“What?”

“To admire you in that sexy little thing.” If it was possible to blush even more, I would have. My body turned beet red as he stood back and looked his fill of me from head to toe. He bit his lower lip and shook his head. “What?” Releasing my hand I questioned him trying to hide my body with my hands.

“You are so lucky that there is no one here. This body of yours would have all the little boys humping their water tubes.” He said, taking several steps forward and getting intimately close to me.

I pushed him away from me. “Not funny.”

“Don’t be mad at me, it’s just the truth.” He whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the lounge chairs to put down my belongings and my towel. As soon and I removed my cover up, Ryan came up behind me and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed, kicked and smacked his ass in an effort to have him release me. Instead, he jumped right into the lazy river. I was surprised the water was a nice warm temperature and not the arctic cold that I was expecting but when I came up for air I made sure to splash water at Ryan.

“That was so rude,” I said still splashing him.

He shrugged his shoulders and pushed a water tube in my direction. I jumped on and rode the current of the lazy river. Ryan was right behind me; I decided it was time for pay back.  

I waited until I saw stairs so I could easily escape. I paddled with my hands to the wall and held on with my feet until he passed me. He was completely zoned out with his eyes shut. As soon as he passed me I slowly slid off my tube and treaded quietly to him. As we get close to the stairs I reached for his tube and flipped him over then ran like hell.

I heard Ryan behind me as I made my way out of the pool. “Oh you are so going to get it.” I was too afraid to look back so I focused instead on each step before finally looking back to see that Ryan was only a few feet away from me. I pushed harder and ran right into the slide in front of me. 

“Your ass is mine, Alani.” I heard. I laughed at his comment; my stomach filled with butterflies. I was excited and scared at the same time.

My heart was pounding as I slid down the water slide. As soon as I hit the pool I swam with all my might and headed for the kiddie area jungle gym. I could hear his feet slapping the floor behind me and knew he was close.

As I was about to turn he grabbed me by my waist and swung me around a couple of times before he placed me down right in front of him.  We were both laughing so hard that it was a shock to us when a bucket filled with water spilled on top of us. I didn’t think, I just wrapped my arms around Ryan’s waist and felt as he hugged me in an effort to shield me from the water. It wasn’t something that you could plan but his first reaction was to protect me.

After the water was done pouring over us; I looked at him while still hugging him. He looked down at me while brushing pieces of my hair that were stuck to my cheek away. His eyes were soft, and filled with joy. I felt the urge to lift myself on my toes and kiss him. But I didn’t.

“Don’t be mad, I was just getting you back for throwing me in the pool.” I told him.

His hand remained on my cheek as his thumb stroked it back and forth. “I’m not mad, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” His eyes continued to stare deeply into mine, his hand stoking my face, both lost in the moment. I bit the side of my lower lip as his thumb came down across it. My heart was pounding in my chest. My attention focused only on him until I heard the sirens for the large bucket above us.

 I reached for his arms leading us toward the bigger slides and guided us that way. My arm stayed wrapped around his lower back and he had one hand over my shoulders.

We went down a couple of different slides, some together and others with single tubes. I enjoyed the ones that we go down together since Ryan had to hold on to me tightly.  We rode every slide three times over before we decided to grab lunch. .

After lunch we hopped in the Jacuzzi, and I reveled in the jets hitting my sore feet. Ryan was across from me and the second he saw how much I was enjoying the jets on my feet; he pulled one of my feet towards to him and started to massage it.