“Colby?”
“Yes, love?”
“Can you bring me my shoes, please?”
*****
We spent the rest of the night at Susan’s living room, sprawled out on the carpeted floor, just talking and laughing and kissing. We had changed out of our dressy clothes, and was now donning our pajamas. My face was clear from make-up, and I had let my hair loose as well. Colby just told me that he was looking forward to volunteering at Corwin’s again for the summer.
“I wonder what you’ll dress up as,” I said before stuffing a chip in my mouth.
He shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll appear as a can of Pringles.”
I giggled. “The kids will eat you up.”
Colby raised an eyebrow. “Well, that was funny.”
I frowned and threw a chip at him, then leaned against the couch, my legs spread out in front of me. The prom had been great, and Matty was right—I had tons of fun, despite of my aching feet. Before we parted ways, Tyler lifted me off my feet in a big bear hug. I spotted Kyle and Cynthia talking, too, so I had high hopes for the two. I just wished they would stop being idiots.
“Graduation’s coming up,” Colby piped up suddenly. I looked at him, and found his eyes trained on me. “Got any responses yet?”
Shaking my head, I answered, “Not yet. They should come soon, though.”
I had been working hard with my college applications, too, but there was one university I really wanted to get in to, and that was The University of Chicago. I applied for a degree in astronomy, and as I thought about it, nervous tingles crept up my toes.
“You haven’t gotten any responses yet, too, have you?” I asked. He actually sent a couple of applications to several universities in the state, with chemical engineering as a degree. I guess he decided he would give college a try, too.
“Nope,” he replied. A tense, almost awkward silence followed. We hadn’t talked about this, about what would happen after graduation. The nervous tingles made their way up my legs, and I felt them in my stomach. I knew that Colby didn’t apply at the University of Chicago, so we wouldn’t end up at the same university. I had no idea why he didn’t apply, but it was his choice, though I didn’t like the thought of being separated from him for too long very much.
“You’ll get in,” Colby said in a confident tone. He smiled and softly gazed at me before adding, “And we’ll see each other so often it would be just like high school.”
I actually felt better hearing that. Still, Colby crawled toward me and sat beside me with his back leaning against the couch as well. He slipped a hand around my waist. I leaned my head on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I brought graduation up, that was stupid,” he murmured, his lips grazing the side of my head. “Seriously, who brings graduation up after prom?” He paused and checked the wall clock. “And at 2AM?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “You?”
I felt him smile against my head. “But you love me anyway.”
Lifting my head up, I caught Colby’s eyes. “But I love you anyway.”
He quickly kissed my lips. “Okay, no more talk about graduation.”
“Okay,” I murmured back, my head finding his shoulder again.
Colby shifted his position slightly, and cleared his throat. “You may be interested to know that Kyle kissed Cynthia tonight.”
My eyes were starting to close, but upon hearing Colby’s words, I bolted straight up, the top of my head bumping against Colby’s chin in the process. My boyfriend hissed, but I barely felt anything.
“What? They kissed? You saw? How come I didn’t?!”
“Ouch,” he muttered, cupping his chin. “You have a hard head.”
“Colby!” I exclaimed, and he quickly held a hand up.
“Yes, they kissed, and you didn’t see because you were being wrapped up by Tyler’s monster hug and you had your back to them. It wasn’t like they made out, but I must say it was a pretty sweet kiss.”
I groaned. “Why didn’t you pull me away from Tyler?”
Colby shrugged. “You looked happy.”
With that, I softened. “I was, but I would’ve been much happier if I saw those two kiss. Plus, I’ll get to tease them with it!”
“Oh come on Lala,” Colby cooed, reaching over to tuck my hair behind my ear. “At least your talk with Kyle worked, right?”
Letting out a defeated sigh, I leaned against the couch once more, my lips forming a slight pout. “I guess,” I said. I then shot Colby a look. “And did you just call me Lala?”
“Mmhmm,” Colby hummed, a lazy grin spreading his lips. “Figured if Cam calls you Kaykay, I’ll call you Lala.”
My eyebrows rose with amusement, momentarily forgetting about not seeing Cynthia and Kyle kiss. I thought it was endearing, but still, I wanted to tease him.
“That’s kinda childish, you know?”
Colby rolled his eyes. “You like it. And don’t be mad at me anymore about the kiss, okay? I’m pretty sure you’ll see them do it again in the near future.”
I ignored his statement, prepping something sarcastic to say, but instead of words, it was a big yawn that stumbled out of my mouth. Colby chuckled, stood up, hoisted me up and then laid down on the couch, pulling me down with him. He told me he loved me, and those were the last words I heard before I fell asleep.
*****
My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the light that wasn’t quite blocked out by the blinds in Susan’s living room. Turning my head away, I yawned and closed my eyes, before snapping them open again. The couch seemed bigger, and that was when I realized that Colby wasn’t beside me anymore.
I rubbed my eyes and peered at the clock, my mouth dropping open. It was nearly one in the afternoon! Colby didn’t even wake me! Come to think of it though, if he was able to get out of a couch that small without waking me up, I must’ve reached the furthest depths of dreamland.
Stretching my arms above my head, I straightened up to a sitting position. Colby might be in the kitchen, possibly eating lunch. I let out another yawn as I got up, and then I noticed something strange.
The house seemed eerily quiet.
I lifted my head, straining to hear a sound, but I was met with silence.
This was incredibly weird, and it was starting to get on my nerves.
“Colby?” I called out as I made my way to the kitchen. There was no one there. I wanted to check upstairs, but then again, my overactive imagination reared its ugly head and nervous energy suddenly surrounded me. Anxiety gripped my heart as different scenarios flittered through my brain. What if they got kidnapped or something?
Rubbing a hand over my face, I willed myself to not think of these things. They were probably just in the backyard, and that was why I couldn’t hear them. Yes, that should be it. Despite my slightly shaking knees, I squared off my shoulders and proceeded to the door that led to the backyard, which was conveniently located at the kitchen.
No one was at the backyard, either.
I didn’t think they would hang around at the front yard, too. The nervous feeling was back, and confusion surged through me. Where the heck was everyone? Did they just leave me in the house by myself? I couldn’t quite believe that Colby would leave me just like that.
Guess I could always check upstairs. It wouldn’t hurt right?
As I made my way up, I kept telling myself that there was no burglar in the house, neither a psychotic killer with an axe that was out to get me. I checked Cam’s room, and Susan’s, before going to Colby’s. I stopped in front of his door and took a deep breath. I raised my knuckles and knocked as I called out, “Colby?”
I thought I heard a shuffling sound inside, and someone shushing someone, and my brows furrowed. Were they hiding out in Colby’s room this entire time? Why the heck would they do that?
Without hesitation now, I twisted the knob and flung the door open.
I was met with a stream of colored-paper confetti and by nine pairs of eyes, the green ones standing out the most.
“Happy birthday, Kayla!”
*****
It was the 30th of April, the day after prom, it was my eighteenth birthday, and I had completely forgotten.
Colby, my mom, Matty, Tyler, Cynthia, Kyle, Susan, Rob and Cameron were all camped up in Colby’s room, and they were all set to surprise me, and that they did. Matty pulled me in a big hug while I tried to make sense of what happened.
I was eighteen today.
I could not believe I forgot. I wrapped my arms around Matty’s torso to hug him back, while Cam attached himself to my leg. The others hugged me, too, each one taking his and her turn, and when it was Colby’s turn, he smiled at me. He planted a quick kiss on my lips before enveloping me in a huge hug, and I momentarily forgot that there were other people with us in his room.
As I was hugging him, I met my mom’s eyes over Colby’s shoulders, and she gave me a thumbs up, a wide grin on her face. Matty was slightly frowning, but I knew it was halfhearted. After all, it was my birthday. The rest of them were smiling happily, and my eyes lingered a little longer on Kyle and Cynthia. Cynthia caught my gaze and her nod assured me that I would get all the details later.
Then I was struck by two very important realizations.
One, I was wearing my pajamas.
Two, I just slept half of my birthday away.
“Happy birthday, Lala love,” Colby whispered in my ear, and I couldn’t help but smile.
So what if I only had a few hours left to celebrate? It was still going to be awesome.
But yeah, I needed to change clothes first.
After my quick wardrobe change, we all went to a simple picnic in the park. There were a lot of food, since the bottomless pits (Matty, Tyler, Kyle, Colby and Rob) were present. It was fun, spending time with the people I loved dearly. As I watched the guys play catch, Cynthia playing some sort of a clapping game with Cam, and Susan and my mom talking and laughing, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful.
I couldn’t really ask for anything else. Well, maybe it would be so much more fun if my dad was here, but I had in my life now these people, these lovely people, whom I consider family and friends, and there weren’t else left to feel but happiness and contentment.
My eyes found Colby and a smile automatically lit up my face. He just caught the baseball with a smug smirk and he flung it to an unsuspecting Kyle. It hit Kyle’s chest and he glared at Colby, while my boyfriend laughed. I shook my head but the smile was still there. Even Matty was smirking, and seeing them have fun together warmed my heart.
It was like the perfect birthday present.
Cynthia suddenly plopped down next to me. She tilted her head and smiled, before turning her head to watch the guys, too.
“Colby planned all of this,” she said, tucking her legs underneath each other. “That boy’s love for you is so big it kinda makes me want to punch him in the face. He’s so sweet, it’s sickening sometimes.”
“Oh, shut up,” I replied, but I was secretly very happy. “You owe me something.”
Cynthia let out a sigh. “I know.” She started playing with the hem of her shirt and I rolled my eyes.
“Colby saw you guys kiss after the prom,” I offered. “So, are you two going to date now?”
A scarlet blush tinted Cynthia’s cheeks, and I almost squealed. The cheerleader almost never blushed like that, so I was very hopeful for some good news.
“Well,” Cynthia began, dragging out the word. “He did find me at prom, shortly after you had danced with him. I was hanging out with Nate and he just appeared out of nowhere and asked if we could talk. We ended up dancing and well…”
I almost hit her in the arm. She was purposely making me wait! “Oh come on Cynthia, tell me!”
She bit her lip, and was obviously trying not to laugh considering how the sides of her mouth were twitching. I frowned, and she let out a giggle.
“Fine, he asked me out!” Cynthia said. “He told me everything—how he was scared because he considers me as one of his most valuable friends and he can’t do anything to screw us up and I told him he won’t because I won’t let him.”
A smile graced my lips. “Finally. Wow, you guys were stubborn!”
Cynthia shot me a look. “He wasstubborn, not me,” the cheerleader declared as she tucked a curl behind her ear. “But I do have to thank you.”
My brows furrowed. “Why thank me?”
She rolled her eyes but a smile was still on her face. “I know you talked to him, Kayla.”
“Just because I couldn’t stand your stubbornness anymore.”
“And I thank you for that.”
I nudged the sole of her foot with my own. “You’re welcome.”
We were silent for a while, just watching our friends and family. Cameron was already snuggled up Susan’s lap, while the boys were eating what was left of the food. Yeah, because catch was a really, really tiring game and could make your stomach grumble. I saw Matty stuff half a sandwich in his mouth, and giggled when he coughed a little.
Then I caught my boyfriend’s eye, filled with pure adoration, and he smiled at me and mouthed the words, I love you.
In that moment I knew that my heartstrings were hopelessly tied to his, and the knots were too wounded, too tight, and with a throat closed up because of the outpouring of love for him, I mouthed the words back.
It was a lovely experience, albeit a little scary, because being in love with this boy was being, in the heart of it all, vulnerable and powerless. But it was okay. It really, truly was, because despite the vulnerability and powerlessness, there were feelings of being loved and beautiful and precious.
Our eyes were still trained to each other, with undeniable attraction, like a moth to a flame. It seemed like our connection couldn’t be broken.
That was until Cynthia’s lovesick-laced tone whispered in my ear.
“I saw that.”
*****
Colby caught my wrist just as I was about to get out of my truck. We had parted ways, Kyle and Cynthia had gone home together and Tyler had gone to Maya’s. Susan’s family already went back to their house. Matty left as well, saying that he promised Lily dinner. I didn’t mind, since Lily made me this wonderful hand-painted shirt. My mom was already inside the house, leaving me and Colby inside my truck. I shot my boyfriend a questioning glance.
His smile made his eyes sparkle. “You didn’t think your birthday celebration is over yet, did you?” He revved the engine and carefully pulled out of my front yard.
My eyebrows shot up, but I was pleasantly surprised, and a surge of warmth flooded my senses. “There’s more?”
“Well, there is, but don’t expect anything grand,” he replied, a flash of uncertainty appearing in his features, but it was gone quickly. I bit back a smile, finding his slight apprehension adorable.
“That picnic was enough, to be honest,” I said. “And the way you guys surprised me! Just to let you know, my imagination was running wild.”
Colby shot me a sideways look and one corner of his mouth curved up to a wicked smirk. “That sounds naughty.”
I felt myself turn crimson. “Shut up, you know it was nothing like that.”
Laughter bubbled out of him. “I know, just teasing, birthday girl.”
We drove for a while in silence after that, my curiosity growing by the minute. I wondered where we were going, and I asked just that. I was met with a smile and an advice to be patient. With that, I pouted, but I obeyed and watched the sky turned a purplish-blue color, with the blazing orange sun slowly dipping into the horizon.
Colby was humming random tunes, and was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove. His voice coupled by the sounds his fingers made was oddly soothing. The sun was almost completely gone by now, and we were basked in nighttime.
Finally, we came to a stop, and I smiled. Powderhorn Prairie.
“Feel like stargazing for a little?” He asked. I nodded in response, and we climbed out of the truck. Colby fished out the blanket from the backseat, draping it over one arm. He held his hand out and I took it, and together we walked through the prairie. The smell of grass and trees and flowers attacked us, and I willingly, almost selfishly, savored it.
Colby picked out a spot near the water, and laid out the blanket. The moon and stars shone against the water, and the reflections were beautiful. I took off my chucks and sat, and a while later, Colby joined me. He sat behind me, his knees bent, trapping me between his legs. I automatically leaned against him, and his chin rested on my shoulder, his warm cheek pressed against mine. His hands ran down my arms until they found my own, our fingers intertwining.
It was crazy, really, how after all this time, a simple touch from Colby could send my heart into a frenzy, but at the same time envelop me in calm. It was amazing how a simple touch was enough, but at the same time, left me craving for more.
“I have something for you,” Colby whispered, his breath tickling my cheek. He entangled his right hand from mine and I felt him dug into the front pocket of his jeans. Seconds later, a beautiful silver charm bracelet hung in front of my face.
My lips parted slightly as I took in the silver bracelet. The charms there included a note, a box, a star, and a sun.
“A note for the time I sang for you and I told you that I love you,” he said. “A box for our love of Chinese takeaway, a star for your love of astronomy.”
He gently took a hold of my arm and wrapped the bracelet around my wrist, clasping it close.
“A sun, because you’re bright, and fiery and lovely.”
I took a deep breath and bit my lip in an attempt to control my emotions. He was just too sweet.
“You’re so beautiful it hurts the eyes.”
Chuckling, I mumbled, “That’s sweet, but you totally got that out of a TV show.”
He shushed me playfully, and then I felt him smirk against my neck. “And you’re hot.”
I blushed a deep scarlet as I pinched the arm that was still around me. Sure, he called me beautiful plenty of times, and I had always felt happy and sort of shy whenever he did, but this was beyond embarrassing. The reason why, I was not entirely sure of.
“What?” he murmured, his warm breath making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “You are.” He then pressed little, open-mouthed kisses along the length of my neck and my embarrassment was forgotten. I bit back a moan.
“Well,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “You’re hot, too.”
With that, I turned my head more so that I could catch his lips, and he responded eagerly, our tongues meeting each other. Immediately I was surrounded by his scent and his taste, and I briefly wondered if I would ever get enough. I shifted in my seat so I could face him fully and he pulled me to his lap, my arms and legs wrapping around him. Colby’s hand pushed up the hair off my neck as he cradled my head and his other arm snaked around my waist, effectively locking me in.
I didn’t know how it happened, but the next thing I knew, Colby was on top of me, peppering kisses all over my neck. My eyes fluttered open, and my arms and legs were still around him. He pulled away and looked at me, his eyes filled with love mixed with blazing fire, making me shiver. His head dipped down and before his lips met mine again, he whispered that he loved me.
It was then that I realized that I like the feel of his body on top of mine, how his weight pressed up against my body. I loved the subtle movements he made—how his chest would brush against my own, how our legs would tangle up. His lips trailed to my cheek as he shifted his weight, causing more friction between our bodies, and I felt my whole insides ignite.
“I want you.”
Colby froze on top of me and he pulled away from my cheek, his eyes searching my own. They were full of emotions—shock, anticipation, hope, anxiety, love. I was pretty sure my face mirrored his own. I wasn’t thinking when I blurted the words out, but I knew they were true. I did want him. The liquid fire burning in my stomach and trickling down to my core proved just that.
“What?” he murmured.
With trembling fingers, I smoothed his now disheveled hair away from his face, and repeated what I said in a firmer voice.
His eyes softened, and one hand cradled my cheek. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Why,” I began, half joking. “You don’t want me?”
Colby’s eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me?”
Judging from the dent in his pants, he wanted me, too.
With my heart pounding inside my chest from nervousness, and anticipation, I pushed myself off the grass, Colby with me, and together we ran back to the truck. My boyfriend frowned when he pulled my door open and let me in.
“We aren’t doing it in here,” he said, quickly going to the driver’s seat.
“Drive quick,” I answered, and that he did.
We were back at my house in record time, and I told him to stay first in the truck. My legs were shaky, and though I was sure that I wanted to do it with Colby tonight, the nervousness would not wear off. I couldn’t believe I was going to sneak my boyfriend inside my house, too.
It definitely was a night of firsts.
What greeted me upon entering my house was a note at the desk on our front hallway. My mother had to go out for an emergency dinner meeting with her colleagues, which meant she would be back pretty late. My heart thudded inside my chest as I hurried back to the front door. I saw that Colby was already out of the truck and was shifting his weight from one foot to the other while shaking out his arms, much like how a boxer warms up before a fight. Despite my anxiety, I had to chuckle at the sight.
Colby then turned, our eyes met, and he stopped jumping around. I gave him a nod, and he let out a breath before prancing to my front door. Nervousness filled me once again, making my knees almost buckle and when my boyfriend brushed past me, my heart went into overdrive.
He faced me, looking adorably awkward. I leaned against the door, not knowing what exactly I should do.
Should I just go ahead and jump him?
“So,” Colby drawled out, one of his hands scratching the back of his head.
I bit my lower lip, and saw a flash in Colby’s eyes. In a heartbeat, I was pushed up against the door, and he was kissing me. Surprise overtook my body, but it quickly dissipated as Colby’s lips caressed mine.
This kiss was both gentle and frantic, strong and sweet, needy yet patient. It felt like we were on a vortex, and we were being dragged along willingly.
It seemed like every bit of anxiety from my body was being sucked out of me.
He released my lips and together, we ran up the stairs, and once the door to my room closed, he cupped my face in his hands and whispered, “I love you,” against my lips in the sweetest, most genuine tone I’d ever heard him use, and my heart fluttered.
We kissed, never letting go of each other’s lips as I led him to my bed. The back of his knees hit the edge of my mattress and he swiftly turned around and lowered my back on the soft sheets, him crawling on top of me, making me part my legs as he settled in between them. I locked my legs around his waist and he moaned against my lips, deepening the kiss. When Colby’s warm, slightly callused fingers brushed my stomach, my mind went blank. All I felt was a love and a desire so strong that it almost drowned me. His head was now buried in my neck, his mouth doing wonders against my sensitive skin, and couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.
I found my hands underneath Colby’s shirt, my fingers lightly feeling the muscles on his stomach, then his back, and his body went rigid and his breathing hitched. He lifted his head away from my neck and stared at my eyes, and my own breath got caught. His eyes were a dark, dark green, like tree leaves in the forest at dawn, and his lips were swollen. Right then, he looked positively handsome and, well, yum.
A blush crept up my neck at the thought, and I saw a flicker of amusement lighting those dark orbs. I blinked and a small smile crept on my flushed face. The corners of Colby’s mouth tugged upwards as well, then he touched his forehead to mine. The hand that was not clutching the side of my waist cupped my cheek, and our breaths mixed in the little space between our mouths. It was such an intimate moment, and a lump caught on my throat.
My hands were still resting on his back, and when he pulled away from me, his shirt got tangled in my hands, lifting to reveal his stomach. Before I could move, he grabbed at neck of his shirt and pulled it over his head in one swift movement. It was crazy, but that one move seemed to double my desire for my boyfriend, and it was unbelievably sexy.
Our lips met again and his hands started inching up my shirt, and heat flooded my system. When he tugged at my shirt, I arched my back and he slipped it off of me. I was suddenly aware that I was almost half naked in front of Colby, and panic started to rise up my chest, but then he held my face and looked me straight in the eyes and told me that I was beautiful, and in that moment I felt that I truly was.
From there, we started our sweet, sometimes very awkward, humorous even, but wonderful, truly unforgettable journey to becoming one.
_____________________________________________________________
I had a hard time writing this, because I want this scene to be special, and I hope it turned out to be that way. :)
That being said, I have not written the next chapter yet. Work is going to be super crazy this week with lots of trips and projects, so now I am giving you guys the heads up. The next chapter might take a while. Sorry!
Read/comment/vote <3