Charlotte's Tangled Web: L.B. Pavlov (15 page)

“Nope. Do you want me to go get your dad to take you instead?” I teased.

She pouted a little and agreed to go.

“Charlie! Charlie Ford!” We both turned around to see the Stanford coach jogging toward us. I had completely forgotten that he was there, and obviously so had she.

“Hey, Coach Little,” she said, smiling, and she gave him a hug. “Thanks for coming,” she said sincerely.

“Of course,” he said. “Are you OK? That was quite a race, Charlie! You handled yourself like a true champion,” he said proudly.

Charlotte blushed. “Thank you, Coach Little. Have you met my boyfriend, Daniel?” she asked.

“No, nice to meet you, Daniel,” he said, and we shook hands. “Are you taking her over to the hospital to have that leg looked at?” he asked, concerned.

“Yes, but I’m taking her against her will!” I laughed.

“You need to get that looked at, Charlie, just to be safe,” he said and smiled at both of us.

He told Charlotte that he would be in touch soon, and he looked forward to her being on the Stanford cross-country and track team next year. He reminded her that he would be flying back in two weeks to have her sign her letter of intent. He gave her a hug and said to keep him posted and that he would also come to see her race again during her track season.

I was happy that the day had come to an end. I slipped into bed and thought back to all that had happened that day. The race seemed like a dream. I just couldn’t believe that had really happened. I ended up getting three slices on my shin glued back together. I still felt like it would have healed on its own, but it was a battle I didn’t have the energy to fight. Plus, it would heal quickly now, and I didn’t want to risk delaying my winter training.

Dad was insistent that I do whatever the doctors said to do, and he stayed to fill out paperwork and talk with the doctor. Daniel couldn’t have been sweeter. He held my hand while they glued my cuts and kept asking the doctor all sorts of questions. I was more worried about his hand. It was purple and bruised and looked twice the size of his other hand. I finally pieced it all together and found out that he had punched the tree when I got pushed down.

I was lying in bed wondering how I was going to possibly handle being away from him next year. The thought made me sick to my stomach. I tried to push it out of my mind, and I closed my eyes and just thought about him holding my hand in the hospital.

After the big race, things started getting back to normal. Daniel and I were both done with after-school practices, and I was training on my own during the off-season. Daniel was running with me a few days a week, and when the mileage was too much, he would bike next to me during my runs.

Thanksgiving was approaching, and I always tried to focus on the big family dinner instead of the darkness that came the week before Thanksgiving. My mom had passed away one week before Thanksgiving. Dad always planned big Thanksgiving dinners, and I think he did it to try to distract everyone from feeling sad.

This year Lenora would be cooking for a large group. Her boyfriend Carl and his son Bruce would be joining us. My grandma and grandpa would also be coming this year. Grandpa still seemed to hold a grudge against Dad for getting married and starting a family so young, but Dad wanted us to be close to our grandparents. They were my mom’s parents, and they had loved her very much. Mom had been an only child, and when they lost her, it was beyond difficult for them. The whole Hollingsworth family would also be joining us, and Jack’s girlfriend Sydney would be coming too.

Lenora and I started baking pies and desserts a few days ahead of time. I loved cooking with Lenora. She was a fantastic cook, and I loved to learn from her.

Saturday morning I woke up to meet Daniel for a run. We talked about Thanksgiving and about my meeting with the Stanford coach and signing my letter of intent.

“So, it’s official, we are both going to college,” he said in a bittersweet tone. He looked over at me, and I could see the sadness in his beautiful green eyes.

“Where are you girls going today?” he asked, trying to sound more positive.

“Well, I’m meeting Steph and Kathleen for lunch, and they want to go shopping, which you know isn’t my favorite thing to do,” I said, laughing now.

“It’s good for you. Plus, you need to get some practice before you go prom dress shopping,” he teased.

Daniel’s muscles were so chiseled that running next to him was becoming more difficult for me. I wondered what would happen Tuesday night, the night he always climbed up the tree outside my window to sleep next to me and comfort me.

“What are you thinking about? I know when you’re deep in thought, Charlotte,” he said, curious about the expression on my face.

“Well, you know what Tuesday night is, right?” I asked nervously, watching him to see his reaction.

We were both breathing heavy now from our run, and he paused to get his breathing under control. “Of course I know what Tuesday is. What are you asking me?” he asked, looking at me questioningly.

“Will it be different now, you know, now that we have been intimate?” I said as quietly as I could, considering I was breathing loudly.

Daniel burst out laughing. “Oh, so we’re intimate, are we?” He smiled and shot me the sexiest look I have ever seen.

My heart was pounding so fast I was sure he could hear it. I felt my already red skin flush deeper.

“Well, we kind of are, right?” I asked nervously.

“I’m teasing you, Charlotte. Of course we are. It will be a little more, um, difficult for me now. But I will just have to try to control myself.” He winked.

“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about my dad this year,” I said.

“Why is that?” he inquired.

“He will be in Seattle for business. I think he prefers to be gone on that day so I don’t see how sad he is,” I said with a touch of melancholy.

“Well, that makes my climb up the tree a little less thrilling, of course. The idea of Jack Sr. with a shotgun always got me moving rather spryly,” he said laughing.

“My dad doesn’t own a shotgun,” I replied, laughing, “or at least I don’t think he does.” I contemplated that thought for a moment. Could he own a shotgun? What would he do if he found out that Daniel spent the night in my room once a year?

My mind was jumping around, and I was surprised at what came out next. “Is it hard for you, um, not having sex now that you’re with me?” I blurted out.

Daniel looked extremely surprised by my question, and he paused before he answered. “Um, well, it’s hard not having sex with you. I don’t want to have sex with other girls, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said very honestly.

I couldn’t stop staring at his lips as he spoke. They were plump and pink, and it was impossible to not want to press mine against his.

“You want to have sex with me?” I said, surprised. “I thought you didn’t want to?” I turned to see his response.

He laughed again. “Of course I want to have sex with you. I’m a seventeen-year-old guy with raging hormones. Not to mention I have a gorgeous girlfriend.” He continued laughing. “But I will not allow myself to go there—at least not right now,” he explained.

“Because I’m a virgin?” I asked breathlessly because we had picked up our pace.

“Because you deserve to take your time and not be rushed, Charlotte. But don’t think for one minute that it isn’t a challenge for me every second that I’m with you because it is,” he said, and his eyes were fiery with desire.

“You want to have sex with me right now, this very second?” I said, laughing.

“Yes,” he said without a second’s hesitation.

We both started laughing, and he took off on our final straightaway, so I followed. We raced all the way back to the house. Once we caught our breath and walked to the driveway, he grabbed me and kissed me. It was different from the way he usually kissed me. I could feel his desire in the urgency with which his tongue met mine. He pulled away.

“You’re killing me. I need to go take a long, cold shower,” he said, laughing, and he playfully slapped me on my backside.

“Have fun at lunch and shopping. Call me when you get home, and we can go grab dinner,” he said sweetly.

I needed a long, cold shower myself. Daniel was getting more and more difficult for me to resist.

Steph and Kathleen were my favorite two girls to spend time with. I had grown up with brothers, and my best friend had always been a boy. Being with girls was different. It was fun, and they talked about boys and always made me laugh. We sat down for lunch at Macayo’s, our favorite Mexican restaurant, and before my hand hit the basket of chips, Steph was her usual blunt self. “Are you having sex with Daniel yet?” she chirped out as if she was asking me to pass the salsa.

“Steph!” Kathleen shouted as she spit out her sip of water across the table.

“Seriously? Aren’t we close enough to ask?” Steph said.

“You can ask me anything you want to,” I said, “but no, I am not having sex with Daniel,” I said just as bluntly.

“Why do you seem upset about it?” she asked.

“Steph! Sometimes you just say whatever you’re thinking, don’t you?” Kathleen said, laughing.

“Well, we’re friends. And friends can talk about anything, so…” she said, looking at me as she dipped her chip into the salsa.

“I’m not upset about it. He thinks we should take it slowly. But I’ve known him most of my life. I know he has dated other girls, and I don’t want him to, um…” I paused, trying to figure out what I was trying to say.

“You don’t want him to take his business to another bank, right?” Steph offered.

“No. I’m not worried he’ll cheat on me. Daniel isn’t like that. But I don’t want him to…be unsatisfied,” I said, a little embarrassed.

“Charlotte, he’ll be fine. Every relationship is different, and Daniel will want what’s best for you,” Kathleen said, giggling. “But he loves you, so it’s probably difficult.”

“Oh please, you two are so proper,” Steph chimed in. We all burst out laughing.

“Well, you know there are other things you can do if you don’t want to do the, um, deed,” she said, still chuckling.

“I’m begging you to stop,” Kathleen said, her mirth vying with discomfort. “Please let us eat lunch without giving us the details.”

“Please, you know that you and Edward are not innocent,” she said, giving Kathleen a curious smile.

“I’m not claiming to be innocent, but I don’t like to kiss and tell,” she said, laughing a little self-consciously.

“Is it normal that when I’m kissing him, I just don’t want to stop? I just can’t seem to control myself. I don’t know what’s happening to me!” I blundered out.

They both burst out laughing. “You’re normal, Charlotte. You’re in love, and you have a hot little boyfriend,” Steph said, laughing. “When I’m kissing Fave, I can’t be trusted. I can’t keep my hands to myself, and thankfully, neither can he,” she said, giving us a mischievous look that made all three of us burst out laughing again.

Steph’s boyfriend was Jake, but she called him “Fave” because he was her favorite boyfriend that she had ever had. They were very cute together, but she was right: they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They were always all over one another, no matter where they were. Jake went to Sierra Vista, which was the public school nearby. Kathleen’s boyfriend Edward went there as well, and they were good friends.

We finished up lunch and headed off to go shopping. I actually had fun for the first time while shopping. I suddenly wanted to find clothes that made me look like I wasn’t twelve years old anymore. Kathleen and Steph helped me find some cute jeans with a few fitted tops. But after about an hour, I was over it. One hour of shopping must have been my limit.

I called Daniel when I got home. I decided to wear my new jeans and black, fitted shirt to dinner with my gray scarf. We were going out for pizza and to play some pool. When I heard him come in and call my name, I came running down the stairs and his jaw dropped. “Are you seriously trying to kill me?” he squeaked.

“What? You don’t like it?” I said, looking down at my outfit.

“I like it too much, that’s the problem,” he said, and he winked at me.

I felt every part of my body tingle just because of the way that he was looking at me. Oh God, give me strength to show some restraint.

We ate pizza and started playing pool. Daniel was more hands-on than he had ever been before. He playfully swatted me on the behind a few times and came up behind me when I would lean over to take a shot. He pressed up against my backside, and his touch paralyzed me. I pulled myself together and took the shot, sinking my ball right into the corner pocket. I slowly turned around until I was facing him, and he pressed me back against the table.

“You can’t wear that outfit and expect me not to touch you,” he said in a raspy, sexy voice.

“I didn’t expect you not to touch me. That’s why I wore it,” I said back in a sultry voice that I didn’t even recognize as mine.

His eyes were blazing with desire once again, and this time he pressed against me and began kissing me. His hands were intertwined with mine as he passionately kissed me. My hands went to his strong shoulders and across his perfect, muscular back. I pressed myself into him, and I was shocked to feel just how much he desired me when he pressed back.