The Beginning of Us (20 page)

“I can’t believe we learned that dance and lived through it,” Kylee says with tears flowing from laughing so hard.

“Well, ladies, I must say, as entertaining as that was, I’m very proud that neither of you decided to pursue a degree in dance. That was terrible,” Skylar says, choking back a laugh.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we were looking for your judgment, Skylar Landon. If you would like to show us your moves, we would love to watch. If you don’t, I suggest you shut your face,” I say in retaliation. Well, I guess the bitch has made her appearance.

Skylar throws a piece of pizza crust in my direction, missing me by a long shot. After he blows an air kiss in my direction, I know that my recent bitch attack was brushed off.

In this moment, I realize for the first time in seven months, I’m not thinking about Danny and I’m not feeling guilty. I stop laughing and a small smile creeps across my face.

I know that Danny’s looking down on me saying it’s okay to be happy and laugh. I feel at peace for the first time in a long time.

Chapter Four

Mira

Sunday afternoon the moving trucks came and Kylee left. It had been pretty emotional day when she grabbed the last box and walked out of the apartment. We said our goodbyes earlier in the day to avoid a tearful end to such a beautiful weekend. We all drank and packed. We listened to the radio and reminisced about old memories that the songs stirred up.

Isn’t it crazy that certain songs can bring back a memory so vividly? Each day that passes, I feel like I lose a little piece of Danny. It’s almost as if he’s being erased from my memory but I can still feel him in my heart, where he will be no matter what.

We were in Kylee’s room packing away her memories when Alicia Keys came on the radio and it took me back to such a wonderful memory of Danny.

* * * * *

Two weeks before graduation

Danny and I both received letters from the Advisor’s Office at the University. We decided to wait until we were together to open them. We knew they contained our final GPA’s and we both wanted to graduate with honors.

I met Danny at his house. We went into his bedroom where I sat nervously on the bed and Danny followed my lead.

“Okay, on the count on three, we open them. Got it?” Danny said playfully.

“How about I open your letter and you open mine?”

“Your wish is my command, Pea.”

We switched letters, “One. Two. Two and a half. Two and three quarters. Three,” Danny counted down.

We ripped the envelopes open. I read the letter. “Danny, you are graduating with a 3.58 GPA. HONORS!!!” I said proudly.

“How about me? What is my GPA?” I asked. He had sad eyes and my stomach fell.

“Pea, I don’t know how to say this. This is very disappointing,” Danny said, still with sad eyes.

“What the hell does it say, Danny?” I was getting angry that he knew something so important and wasn’t telling me.

“3.60, Pea,” he smiled when he said it.

I slapped his arm. He really had me going. I got honors. I had busted my ass throughout college and really wanted that little asterisk next to my name in the program. I knew it seemed stupid, but that’s me. It’s the little details that matter.

“Why the hell is it disappointing that I did better than you?” I said playfully.

“That’s exactly my point. How did I work harder than you but you ended up doing better? What is wrong with the world?”

“Oh, so you’re disappointed because your future wife is smarter than you?”

All of a sudden, Danny jumped up on his bed and started singing the lyrics about a girl who’s on fire while tickling me mercilessly.

He sang the chorus through and I thought to myself ‘how can I not love this man’.

Now I have all of these new memories to remind me of my weekend with Kylee and Skylar. Memories that I don’t want to forget anytime soon. I secretly love building a new life with the two most important people in my life at this point. Maybe moving on isn’t so bad after all.

The rest of the day is spent helping Skylar unpack his room. He has a lot more stuff than I originally thought, including furniture for the common areas. We decided that since his furniture is nicer than mine, we would move my stuff to the storage area in the basement and keep his newer stuff.

Evening rolls around and I am feeling the effects of drinking all weekend. Needing a break, I decide to order some pizza, sit on the couch and browse through the movies on TV. This feels right being home with Skylar, about to eat pizza and watch a movie.

“Do you know what you want to watch?” I yell to Skylar, who is in his new room making some final touches.

“Whatever you want. I need a shower and then I’ll meet you at the couch in twenty.” The pizza arrives quickly and I realize that I have some time to freshen up a little as well. I walk to my bedroom and notice the bathroom door is open. Awesome, he takes a quick shower. This might be the perfect arrangement.

I walk into my bedroom, and grab my robe, a clean pair of yoga pants and a tank top. I turn on the music app on my phone and walk to the bathroom.

Since the bathroom door is open, it doesn’t even cross my mind that Skylar might still be in the bathroom. I walk in and immediately run into a very naked Skylar drying off, still standing in the tub.

“Oh shit, Sky, I’m sorry. I saw the door open and figured you were in your room,” I say as I back out of the bathroom but my eyes are glued to his very large, almost inviting, nether region.

“It was bound to happen, Mi. Don’t freak out on me and if you’d stop staring at my package, it might make this situation a little less awkward,” Skylar says with a sly look on his face.

“I am not staring,” I say as I finish backing out. I place my back against the wall outside the bathroom and try to catch my breath. Why am I so interested in his package? How did I not know that he was so well endowed? WHY. DO. I. CARE?

Skylar walks out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips and turns around, smirking at me again. My face flushes as bright pink as the robe I’m carrying. Talk about fifty shades of pink. I stand in the hall for a few minutes before I decide I can’t take a shower just yet. Not so soon after his amazing naked body had been in there. I had no idea that the “v” actually existed.

Danny had a nice body. But Danny didn’t have a “v” or great abs or tanned soft looking skin or a package like that. What the hell am I doing? Other than getting aroused looking at my new roommate, who just happens to be a guy I’ve known for years but never noticed as anything other than a very close friend, and his delish looking package. Shit, did I just say delish? Oh hell.

I shake my head, walk back to my room shutting and locking the door, to change into my yoga pants and tank top. A shower will have to wait until I calm down a little.

I walk out to the living room after changing my clothes and see Skylar sitting on the sofa in just a pair of worn looking pajama pants. Shit. That chest and those abs again. “Ummmm, don’t you want to get dressed?”

“Well, sweetheart, here in America, when you have your junk covered, they consider that dressed.”

Just seeing him so comfortable and half dressed in my apartment sends a sudden rush of heat to my lady parts. I’m going to have to do something to keep my mind off of him. I finally realize why all the girls flock to him. I want to mount him right here and now.

‘
Calm down, Mira’
, I think to myself as I go to sit on the loveseat and grab a slice of pizza. “So, what did you decide on watching, since you were here first?” I ask Skylar, hoping he went for something macho and not emotional.

“I was thinking we could play a game,” he says, still smirking. I’m not sure that I like where this is going. Every time he looks at me with that smirk on his face my panties get a little damper.

“Wh- What game did you want to play?” I hesitantly get out, not sure I really want the answer to this particular question.

“Something easy. Like 20 questions, maybe,” he says, looking a little shy about it. Oh, I can play this game. This guy has known me almost five years. There probably isn’t much he doesn’t know.

“Alright, go first. This was your idea, guy,” I say feeling a little more confident. I curl my feet underneath me and face him.

“Ok. I’ll accept this challenge. What’s on your mind, right now?” he asks. I feel my bite of pizza get stuck a little in my throat. I immediately start coughing trying to expel this piece of Italian heaven that just turned into Satan himself.

Skylar runs over to me and picks me up off the loveseat. He puts his arms around my waist while standing behind me, attempting the Heimlich. He applies a little pressure and the pizza is dislodged fairly quickly. I start breathing a little easier and notice his arms still around my waist.

“Thank you, Skylar. You saved my life. I owe you one,” I say, rubbing his arm that is
still
around my waist and sounding a little more seductive than I intend.

Skylar turns around to face me, his hands still on my waist. He puts his hand on my face and gives me a slight caress. I inadvertently lean into his touch and close my eyes. Skylar pulls me into him for a hug and I think he can feel my hardened nipples poking him in his bare chest.

“Can you try not to choke again tonight? As nice as it is to touch you, this is not how I want to start,” he whispers in my ear.

My panties are drenched. I’m going to have to change. His touch sears my skin. This embrace has lasted too long; just to be a friend worried about another.

“Thanks again, Sky, I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m obviously too tired to attempt consuming any nutrients this evening,” I say, trying to bring back the joking that transpired earlier in the evening.

I break the hold, instantaneously missing his touch. I walk toward the bedroom when I hear Skylar walking behind me. I stop in my doorway and turn back toward the living room, only to have Skylar standing right in front of me. If I move an inch, I would be in his arms again. As much as I would love to spend the rest of this night wrapped in his arms, I can’t. That would be wrong. Wouldn’t it?

“Mi, you never answered my question,” Skylar whispers.

“And what question would that be?” I ask totally confused.

“I asked what you were thinking about just before you almost were murdered by the pizza. Now, I’m asking again. What are you thinking about right now?” he asks as he looks down towards my chest. He totally notices my hardened nipples and I’m sure he can sense my arousal.

“Sky, right now, I’m thinking,” I pause mid-sentence and look in his eyes. I know he wants me to say that right now I’m thinking about inviting him into my room and riding him until neither one of us can see straight. God, do I. “I’m thinking that it’s been a very long weekend and I need to get some sleep.”

Skylar gives me a tender kiss on my forehead and another hug.

“Good night, Mira,” he says, looking disappointed with my answer and walks down the hall to his bedroom.

“Good night, Sky,” I whisper after his bedroom door closes.

How is this going to work? How am I going to keep my hands off him and out of his pants?

‘Get some rest, you’re exhausted,’ I say to myself walking into my room.  I shut my door and climb into bed.

For the first time in years, I am craving company in my bed and the company I want isn’t Danny.

I get out of bed and walk into the hall, only to run into Skylar walking out of his bedroom. We walk towards each other, meeting right outside the bathroom door. I glance inside and remember the scene from earlier in the evening. I look at him and it’s almost if he can read my thoughts because that smirk is back on his face.

“What are you grinning about?” I ask him, almost defensively. How long has he had that slight dimple? Huh, I’ve never noticed it before. Well at least that sticks with tonight’s theme.

“I’m just thinking how fun it’s going to be to walk in on you getting out of the shower, all naked and wet,” Skylar says, putting emphasis on the word wet. If this boy only knew what was going on in my panties right now.

“Don’t get too excited there, buddy. I’ll be sure you don’t walk in on me naked,” I say back to him with a little smile on my face.

“But you didn’t say anything about me walking in on you being wet, now did you?” he asks as the smirk gets bigger. “What’s wrong, sweets, did I touch a nerve?” he asks when he sees my eyes get big. I think I might have just creamed right then and there.

“Um. Uh. Nothing is wrong. Thanks for asking though,” I say and turn to walk back to my room when Skylar catches my arm in midstride.

Skylar pulls me back toward him, my back to his front. I can feel his growing erection pressing into my back when he leans down to whisper in my ear.

“We’ll revisit me walking in on you being wet again, Mira. Not tonight, sweets. Very soon.”

I turn to look at him, his crystal blue eyes are glossed over with arousal and that is it for me. I crash my lips to his mouth and begin to kiss him. This man, who has driven me crazy all evening. To my surprise, he pulls back from the kiss. He grabs the sides of my face and places his forehead on mine. We’re both breathing hard. The kiss was only like thirty seconds. But shit, those thirty seconds were amazing.

“Are you sure, Mi? I have wanted you for so long but I don’t want to take advantage of you,” he whispers loud enough for me to hear. He looks in my eyes and I slowly nod my head giving him the answer he is seeking and permission to reclaim my mouth.

He pulls my lips to his and starts kissing me again. I give in to his kiss and pour everything I have into it. I have wanted to feel alive for so long, so nothing else matters in this moment except Skylar and me. He grabs the back of my hair and angles my head to get better access to deepen the kiss. Boy can he kiss. His other hand leaves my face and travels to my lower back, kneading it underneath the thin tank top.