HisIndecentBoxSetpub (12 page)

I gave her a serious
look. “Having sex on the first date is moving too fast. Meeting
a guy's parents is the natural progression of a relationship.”

“
I'm
just not used to doing things like this.”

“
Well,
if you're really interested in this guy, then you're going to have to
get used to it.”

“
I
suppose so.” She frowned at her hamburger. “I just wish
we could put it off for a while. The sex is so good, but I just don't
feel ready for that step. It's a big step.”

“
It
is kind of a big step,” I admitted, feeling suddenly jealous.
Damien Reed had parents who I'd never meet because they lived in
Washington, not like he would want to introduce me to them anyway.
Maybe I could introduce mine to him through a parent-teacher
conference. Force him to meet my parents. How romantic is that? I
thought sarcastically.

“
What
about your guy?” she asked. “Is something wrong? You
don't look too happy.”

“
I
don't think things are going too well with us.”

“
Why
not?”

“
Well,
I wanted to have sex this weekend.”

“
Chey,
oh my God.” Her voice rose a few octaves in unmerited
excitement, as if the news was so incredibly shocking. “And?
Did you do it?”

“
No.
He said he wasn't interested in sex with me because I'm a virgin.”

“
What?”
Her expression turned confused.

“
I
know.”

“
Are
you sure he really has a penis?”

“
Oh,
I'm sure,” I replied, thinking of Damien's naked cock which I
had fervently sucked on over my panties.

“
What
about balls? Does he have balls? Because this guy doesn't sound like
a regular guy.”

“
He's
not a regular guy. I think that's the problem. He's very mature and
reserved.”

“
And
neutered, apparently. Seriously, what guy on the face of the planet
turns down sex?”

Damien Reed,
I thought bitterly.

“
If
he doesn't want you to be a virgin, then he could easily remedy that
problem. Common sense, right? I mean, what, does he want you to go
screw other people or something?”

“
I
don't know.” I shook my head in frustration.

“
You
should forget about that loser. If he doesn't want to have sex with
you, then there's something wrong with him. It's his lose.”

But I couldn't
forget about him. Damien Reed seemed to infect my every waking
thought that wasn't occupied by school. It was annoying but
uncontrollable.

“
I'll
figure out something,” I mumbled, sighing afterward.

Why couldn't he be
normal? Or why couldn't he have been a student? I wanted a
relationship, not this twisted . . . thing we had going on. Maybe
Tanya was right. Perhaps I should at least make an effort to forget
about him. The best way to do that was to replace him, but I didn't
have the patience to wait for Prince Charming to fall into my lap. I
needed someone now.

As if reading my
mind, Tanya asked, “Have you spoken to Chase lately?”

“
No,”
I replied thoughtfully, “but I think I'll give him a call.”

Unlike Tanya and I,
Chase had decided to take a year off of school before starting
college. He said he wanted to move out of his parents' house and
experience life for a while before he had to get serious again. And
so he had. A week after our graduation, he landed a job at the local
hardware store. By the end of his first month working, he saved up
enough money to get an apartment.

I stood outside his
door. The butterflies that plagued me every time I went to Damien's
Reed house had decided to accompany me to see Chase as well, though
this time the feeling was slightly different. Chase was familiar, an
old friend, but it had been so long since I'd seen or talked to him
that I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

He answered the door
with the same goofy ear to ear grin I was used to seeing on him. Why
I had stayed away so long, I didn't know. Yes, he had feelings for
me—feelings I wasn't sure I reciprocated, but at the end of the
day, we were still friends.

“
I've
missed you so much,” he said, embracing me as if he'd never let
me go. It felt good to be in a man's arms, strong and warm and
secure. Unlike Damien Reed, this man wasn't afraid to show his
feelings, and every one of them were completely sincere. He'd never
do anything to hurt me. Ever.

“
I've
missed you too,” I replied, pulling away from the embrace to
get a better look at him. Nothing had changed. He still towered over
me, still had blonde hair that he wore slicked down, still had
glasses. He was still my Chase. Good old familiar Chase.

“
Come
in. Come in.” He moved out of the way to let me inside.

The apartment was
small and cramped, and not the cleanest of places. This was
definitely a bachelor pad. Not the tidy cohesive kind of bachelor pad
that Damien Reed kept, but the just-out-of-high-school bachelor pad,
with mismatched particle board furniture everywhere, empty pizza
boxes on the kitchen counter, and carpet that badly needed a vacuum
run over it.

“
It
looks nice,” I lied, smiling politely as I took a seat on a
sofa that I was almost certain I'd seen in his parents' basement.

“
I
work
hard for it,” he said proudly, offering me a soda as he sat
beside me. “How are things going with school?”

“
They're
okay. Nothing too exciting to report.” Again, it was a lie, but
I refused to tell him about Damien Reed. Things were a bit strained
between us as it was. I didn't want to muddy up the water right from
the start.

“
Are
you getting good grades?”

“
I
think so, so far, at least.”

“
Good.
Good.” He looked at the table in front of us, avoiding my gaze.
“Meet any guys?”

Now that was an
awkward question. “No.” I smiled at him. “You meet
any girls since I last saw you?”

His face lit up at
my answer. “No. I've been too busy working to have time for
girls. I mean, I'd make time for the right girl.”

He looked so timid
and adorable. Completely the opposite of Damien Reed.

“
I'm
sorry about how things ended with us. I mean, last time we spoke,”
I said.

“
Oh?
I didn't think things ended too badly. I mean, you basically just
stopped talking to me.” He shrugged.

“
I
know, but it was a shitty thing to do. I just didn't know how to cope
then. But I do now.”

“
What
do you mean?” He gave me a confused look.

The butterflies in
my stomach took flight, and I couldn't believe what I was about to
say, but I forced the words out, none the less. “I know this is
kind of out of the blue, but I was wondering if you wanted to have
sex.”

“
What?”
His mouth gaped open in shock, and I thought his jaw might hit the
floor.

“
I've
been thinking about us . . . a lot lately. I think I do have . . .
those kinds of feelings for you. I just need to be sure, and I think
that if we slept together, it might help me to make up my mind.”

“
Oh,”
he sounded a bit disappointed, or confused. I couldn't tell which
one.

“
I
mean, I can totally understand if you don't want to. I know it's
really weird me coming over here after so long and asking this.”

“
It's
fine,” he laughed softly. “I want to, I just don't want
you to think that's the only thing I want. We haven't seen each other
in so long. I had thought you were trying to forget about me, to be
honest.”

“
No.
I just needed a break, to sort out my thoughts and feelings,” I
sighed, worried he would reject me too.

“
So,
you've really been thinking about me this entire time?” He
looked hopeful.

“
How
could I forget about you? We spent all of high school together?”

“
Yeah.”

“
The
truth of the matter is that I've been holding onto my virginity
forever like it's something sacred, waiting for a worthy guy to give
it to. I don't think there's anyone more worthy than you. You've
stuck by my side for the past four years, through thick and thin,
through good times and bad. Even when I pushed you away, all it took
was one phone call for you to welcome me back with open arms. How
many other guys would do that?” My words were completely
sincere. Even when life had been crazy and upside-down in the past,
Chase had always been there, my rock. He had been my friend, my
companion, my protection, the warm arms that held me, the shoulder I
cried on, the nonjudgmental face that listened to my problems.

“
Wow,
Chey.” He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by my words.
“I didn't know you thought of me that way.”

“
I
do think of you that way. I've just never said it before.”

“
So,
you're still a virgin then?” he asked timidly.

“
Of
course I am, you dope.” I smacked his arm. “I didn't just
come up with that whole speech to lie to you.”

“
Sorry.
Sorry.” He winced away. “So, if we have sex, does that
mean you'll be my girlfriend?”

“
No.”
I shook my head. “It means I'll have a better understanding of
my feelings for you, hopefully. We can see how things go from there.”

“
Wow.
You've really changed a lot.”

“
What
do you mean?” I gave him a queer look.

“
I
mean, I didn't think you'd ever be willing to sleep with someone
you're not dating.”

“
Well,
you're not just someone.”

He sighed, getting
that dreamy lovestruck look in his eyes that I'd only seen a handful
of times. “Thanks. That makes me feel good.”

“
You
should feel good. Now, are you down or not?” I asked with a
smirk.

“
I
think I'm down.” He nodded, scooting a bit closer to me.

Our first kiss was
far from romantic. Chase leaned forward, awkwardly putting his arms
around me. We craned our necks at the same time, in the same
direction, and then both giggled as we simultaneously tried to
reposition.

“
This
isn't going to work,” he said, sounding slightly agitated.
“Stay still.”

This time, I
straightened myself, allowing him to come to me. Our lips met, and
electricity raged through me. The sparks were good, but they weren't
Damien Reed sparks. Why did I have to think of him at a time like
this.
Stop it, Chey. Stop it.

I let Chase lead
while I followed. His kiss was a lot rougher than Damien's, infused
with lustful passion. While Damien had been reserved, Chase felt
recklessly wanton, his tongue working to explore every centimeter of
the slick cavern of my mouth. It was a bit overwhelming, but still
felt good. Our lips made wet noises as they moved together.

Already, Chase was
overpowering me, pushing me down on the sofa. I could feel the thick
bulge of his crotch pressing between my legs, and I parted them
reflexively, though the sofa beneath us made it a bit difficult. My
hand slipped down, moving to grip his member, rubbing it over his
pants. It felt absolutely enormous, though I had half expected it.
High school girls talked, and word on campus was that Chase was hung
like a horse. That didn't seem to be a lie.

“
Bed,”
he murmured around my mouth, breaking away from the kiss to take me
by the hand and lead me to the bedroom. His bed was unmade, and it
looked like the sheets hadn't been changed in a while. I scowled at
it, but said nothing, staring at the light switch while Chase pulled
off his shirt.