Reaching Out for You (13 page)

“Mature,
Soph
! Now you have to lick it off.” I freeze and am not
sure what to do. I look at Adam and can tell he knows I’m feeling unsure, “It
is ok
Soph
, and I was just kidding.” He reaches over
for a napkin, but I quickly lean over to his face and lick off the ice cream. I
can’t believe I just did that and I feel shy all of a sudden. I turn my head
away from him and stare at the TV. Adam’s arms pull me back toward him and his
mouth slides to my ear, “That was sexy as hell, pretty girl.”

I blush and
smile to myself. I hand him a napkin but can’t look him in the eyes. After we
clean up the cartons we stay curled in each other’s arms for the entire movie.
By the time it is over, I look at my cell phone and notice that it is nearly
two in the morning. I look at Adam and see he has nearly fallen asleep. “Do you
want to spend the night with me?” I nervously ask.

Adam’s eyes
shoot open and I’m scared he is going to say no. “I’d love that, pretty girl.”

I’m happy he
says yes. This feels comfortable and natural, like it used to when we stayed up
all night watching movies and ended up sleeping like this. We both get under my
covers and lay on our sides looking at one another. He comes close to me and gives
me a kiss on my forehead. “Good night, pretty girl.”

I smile when I
feel his lips on my forehead. I can get use to this feeling. “Night, Adam.
Sweet dreams.”

“Oh yes.” He
seductively says. I close my eyes and smile because he is the last thing I see
as I fall into a deep sleep.

When I wake up
in the morning, I’m wrapped up in Adam’s arms. I look over at him and see how
peaceful he looks while he sleeps. I look at his lips and want to feel them on
me. I want more. I feel Adam bring me closer to him and feel his arousal touch
my thigh. It makes me nervous and I’m not sure what to do. Is he hard because
of
me?
I whip my head back and
almost fall out of bed, but Adam’s arm tightens around my shoulders.
 
Adam’s staring at me with sleepy eyes when I
look back at him.

“Sorry, did I
scare you?” Adam lets me go and stretches. I peek at his shirtless body and
feel my breathing quicken. Everything about his body is perfect. His muscles,
his tan, his slim but sexy abs. “Like what you see?” His playful tone makes me
feel better. I love to hear the sound of his voice.

I shake my head
and grab a pillow to slam it on his face. We start laughing and he starts to
tickle me. “Oh my God Adam, stop!” I’m squealing and love how we are. He gets
on top of me and his face is inches from mine. Our eyes meet and I feel a
flicker of desire. I hope he knows how he is making me feel. I feel myself
getting wet and I want more. I
want
Adam. He looks at me again and brings his face closer to mine. I think he is
about to kiss me and I’m ready, but out of nowhere he pauses. Instead of
kissing me on the lips, he kisses my forehead. It is still sweet but I’m a
little disappointed.
 

“I’m hungry.
Let’s get breakfast.” He slowly gets off me and is smirking. If he is trying to
tease me, it’s working, but two can play this game.

It is finally
time to go home for break. I finish all of my finals and feel confident that I
did well. It has been an exhausting semester and I just keep telling myself
just a few more weeks and then graduation! Kyle has left me alone and Adam
hasn’t left my side. I told him how I couldn’t stay on campus next semester
since I wasn’t technically a student and immediately Adam told me to move in
with him and Connor. I was so excited and couldn’t hide it. The day before
break, Adam and Connor spent the day bringing my things over to their
apartment. I feel safe with them nearby, but nervous because I will be that
much closer to Adam.

I take a quick
look around my dorm and close the door. The memories come crashing on me as I
remember nights with Kyle. A part of me will miss him and love him. He was a
great boyfriend, but in the end, I couldn’t stay with him. I close the door and
let out a sigh. I know it is going to be hard to live with Adam and Connor, but
I feel better knowing I will not be alone.

I’m meeting
Erin
for coffee before driving back home.
Jean’s has the best coffee in town and I love the service. I’m a little early
so I go ahead and order a latte. Before I can find somewhere to sit, I see
Erin
running to me. “Oh my God,
Soph
,” she cries out. I feel bad because my best friend was
worried about me. “Are you ok?”

I hug her
tighter letting her know everything is ok now. “I’m ok. I love you.”

“I love you
too.” We walk hand in hand and take a seat. I take a sip of my latte and
suddenly feel nervous. “I’m sorry about making you worry.”

“No stop
Soph
. It is ok. I am so glad everything is ok now.”
Erin
tilts her head to the side and beams at
me. “So you’re moving in with Adam and Connor, huh?”

I knew I
couldn’t hide anything from her. I laugh as she stares at me waiting for me to
tell her everything. “Do you think it is a good idea?”

“
Ummm
, yeah, you two need to become official!”

My heart skips a
beat and I wonder what could be if he does love me. “But he keeps saying we’re
friends,” I point out. “Friends, Erin!”

She shrugs her
shoulders, “You just never know!”

We finish up at
Jean’s and head out. “Have a great Christmas and New Years, doll.”

“You too, see
you next year.”

“Next year!”

We give each
other a hug and go our separate ways. I feel alive and lucky. I’m happy to be
going home to my family and spending some time away from here. Adam and Connor
are heading home later tonight after their last final. A silly grin spreads
across my face as I think about Adam and our night together. The way he held me
tight against his chest made me feel safe and warm. I think about how much I’ve
missed him and lucky that he is back in my life. I am not going to make the
same mistakes again. I miss his touch and the way he moves my hair out of my
eyes. Everything about him ignites something in me. The love I feel for him is
strong and raw. I never thought I could be where I am today with him. I can
tell things are changing between us. I am nervous, but it is that good kind of
nervous. I’m not sure where we are headed, but this ride is going to be
memorable.

I get to my car,
before I can get in, I feel him nearby. The hairs on my arms stick up. My heart
beats fast and my breathing slows down. I love this feeling. I love knowing how
he can still make me feel this way. He makes me feel again.

“Heading home?”

I turn around
and look up and see Adam smiling down at me, “Yeah, just needed coffee and to
say bye to
Erin
,” I respond back, “Are you heading home
too?”

Adam points over
to his car and I wave over to Connor. He walks toward me and I take in his
beautiful sight. “Yeah, we finished early with finals. We’re leaving now but I
saw you and wanted to say hi and to see if you wanted to drive with us back
home?

“Oh Adam, thank
you, but I like riding by myself. It helps me think and I feel like my mom is
with me.” I reach out for his hand and entwine my fingers in his. “I’ll see you
back home soon though.”

Adam holds onto
my hand tighter. I love his touch. “I can’t wait… but before you go I want to
give you this.”

We stare at one
another for a few moments. None of us say anything. I forget about all the crap
with Kyle. I think about how Adam saved me and how we now have a chance to
build us again. He hands me a gift bag. I do not notice he has anything with
him. I look at him suspiciously and wonder what he bought me. “Adam you didn’t
have to get me anything.”

His smile
reaches his eyes. He looks proud. “I know but I wanted to. You can’t open this
until Christmas ok, promise?”

I smile, “Yes,
of course.” He gives me a quick hug and wink before heading back over to
Connor. When I get in my car I cannot stop laughing. I can’t believe he bought
me a gift. It feels good to know that he was thinking of me and did something
so sweet.
This is going to be a great
Christmas break.

Throughout the
entire drive, all I can think about is Adam. The chemistry between us is strong
and undeniable. I do not know if we will make it official, but I don’t care
because he is back in my life. He ignites something inside me and makes me feel
incredible. I haven’t felt this way in so long and I’m happy to feel it again
with Adam.

Crossing through
town brings back memories of when my mom was alive. She used to take me all
over town, just her and I, walking around looking at all the shops. She wanted
to get out of the corporate world and open up her own shop. It hurt me to think
that she never had the chance to do that. I remember the day her and my dad
told Sarah and I she had cancer. That was the worst day of my life. The cancer
spread and even with chemo, her chances were slim. My mom made the decision to
let the cancer ride its course so that she could spend every day with us. ‘
I miss you mom’
I think to myself.

I pull into the
driveway and let out a sigh. My ranch style house is white with beige shutters.
My dad keeps up with my mom’s garden and said that it was his way of keeping
her alive and near him. There is a little gazebo in the front of the house that
I used to sit in with my mom and Sarah. We’d just laugh and talk about boys. I
get out of the car and breathe in the December air. I didn’t realize how much I
missed home until now.

“Sophia?” My dad
comes out of the house toward me.

I look up and
see him, “Daddy!” I run up to him and jump in his arms. My dad is a tall and
lean man in his fifties but looks so much younger. He has blonde hair and hazel
eyes. I always wondered why he never dated after my mom passed away. I am
relieved, yet sad, as I don’t want him to be alone.

He slowly puts
me down and looks at me, “Sophia, I am so glad you’re home. I miss you, how are
you feeling?

“I’m good!”

My dad reaches
down and grabs my bags, “Well let’s get some lunch and you can tell me
everything.”

We walk in the
kitchen and start making sandwiches. It feels good to be home and away from all
the chaos. I tell my dad how Adam’s been there for me. I see him trying not to
smile and it makes me feel good to know how much he wants Adam and me to be
together.

Later that
night, as I am watching TV with my dad and Sarah, my phone starts ringing,
“Hold on guys let me get this.” I get up and walk into the kitchen, “Hi Adam.
What are you doing?”

“Nothing, I am
just lying here alone in my room. Connor’s out catching up with the guys.” He
sounds bored. I want to ask him to come over so we can spend time together. I
think about his arms around me. I want to wake up next to him every morning.

I take a seat at
the counter. “You didn’t want to go?”

“No. Didn’t feel
like it. I wanted to talk to you actually.”

I blush not
knowing what he was going to say next. “Well that’s sweet, but I’m watching a
movie with my dad and Sarah right now.”

“Go back to the
movie. Can you text me later?”

“Yes,” I laugh,
“Of course I’ll text you.”

“Bye pretty
girl.”
“Bye Adam.”

I start jumping
up and down. I can’t contain my excitement. I know it is silly of me to think,
but it makes me feel good to have Adam call me.

“Sophia, are you
ok?” my dad asks me amused.

I look up and
see my dad watching me, “Yeah.” I grab the snacks that are on the counter and
start popping them in my mouth. I look at my dad and wonder what he is
thinking.

He rubs his
forehead and gazes out the window, “Darling you know I want what is best for
you and I’ve seen a huge change in you. I just want you to be happy and safe.”

“I know daddy
and I am.” I give him a quick kiss on the cheek, “Come on let’s go finish the
movie.”

After the movie,
Sarah and I say good night to my dad. It is getting late and I’m getting tired.
I walk around the quiet house and look around. Everything still looks the same.
My dad didn’t change anything after my mom died. All the pictures are still
hanging up. I look at our last family picture. I touch my heart and close my
eyes. That photo session was too funny. We were all supposed to wear black and
white but my dad wore a purple tie. I thought my mom was going to have a heart
attack but she went with it. My mom, Sarah and I wore black sleeveless dresses
with a white cardigan. She wanted us to all look nice. It was a great day-full
of laughter and smiles.