Loving You Differently

Thirty Five

Aria Adkins

I'm hot. And sweaty. Austin is the definition of warmth, his body always radiating heat like a furnace. His words, his touch, hell, his entire demeanor, constantly singeing my body, heart, and soul.

It's hours after our.. ahem, activities, and we're both still wide awake. We lay wrapped together, tangled in the sheets. The moon casts dim lighting through the slits of the blinds, covering us in its white hue. Austin's palm strokes my back and his quiet, deep chuckle vibrates in his chest beneath my cheek.

"Nah, I was a nerd in high school. Braces, glasses, the whole nine yards," He says.

I tilt my head back and meet his eyes, my brow raised in amusement. "I have a very hard time believing that. I mean... look at you."

Austin's lip twitches. "Are you flirting with me?"

I roll my eyes. "Please, you know you're hot as hell. That ego on the other hand..."

"Yeah, that was nonexistent back then, too," He snorts.

"That's too bad."

"Careful," Austin pinches my waist. I twist his nipple in return, laughing when he lets out a sharp hiss.

When we both have our hands to ourselves, he asks, "What about you? What were you like in school?"

I sigh and mull it over. "Unapproachable, maybe? I don't know, I guess I was a loner. I didn't have friends, more like acquaintances that I'd drink with at parties. And even then it's not like we'd swap life stories."

"Was it hard? Keeping up with classes while shit was so unstable at home?"

"Yeah," I whisper. "I kind of gave up towards the end. I slowly started to realize that Dad's addiction was getting worse and since that affected him keeping a job, it was time for me to step up and be the one to help out with bills and stuff."

Austin's hand slides up my back and rests on the base of my neck. I sigh when his fingers slowly massage my scalp. "You shouldn't have had to do that. I'm sorry."

I shrug. "That's why I'm so hard on Savannah about school, ya know? I don't want her to follow in mine or our parents' footsteps. I want her to actually finish school and go to college. To get out of this town and make something out of herself."

Quietly he asks, "And what about you?"

I roll over and splay myself across his body, my elbow resting on his chest with my head in my hand. "What about me?"

His eyes search mine curiously. "Have you ever thought about going back to school? Getting your G.E.D? Taking a few classes at the community college?"

For a moment, I'm stunned. The thought had never
even crossed my mind. But then again, that's how my brain had always operated; I usually tended to put myself and my wants last, and had never thought twice about it.

"Uh oh, the wheels are turning," He teases. "Talk to me, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

I'm quiet for a second, my thoughts running a mile a minute. And then I lean forward and place a chaste kiss on Austin's lips.