The Art of Life (46 page)

               
“You
can’t be afraid of falling in love or being loved by someone.
 
Love can change your world.”

               
“So,”
I whisper.
 
“You don’t regret loving
her.”

               
Shaking
his head, Jeremy replies, “No, not at all.”
 
He looks at me and intakes a breath quickly.
 
“I can’t talk about her Isabelle.
 
I am sorry.
 
I just can’t.”

               
“It’s
okay,” I whisper.
 
“You don’t have to
tell me anything you don’t want to.
 
I
will never expect that.”

               
“I
know and when you fall in love, you will love with a fiery passion,” Jeremy
states solidly.
 
“You will love and be
loved.”

               
My
head hangs down.
 
“I sure hope so.”

               
Jeremy
puts his finger under my chin and lifts my head up.
 
“You will have someone love you.
 
I promise you that, and if he breaks your
heart, I will kill him.”

               
That
makes me burst out laughing.
 
“Are you
going to be standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me at the end of
dates?”

               
“Hell
yeah,” Jeremy exclaims.
 
“Sheesh, I am
going to be watching your dates like a hawk.”

               
“Wow,
that won’t be uncomfortable AT ALL!”

               
He
grabs me in a hug and says, “I have to watch out for you.
 
It could be worse.
 
Kent, Josh and I could all be standing at the
bottom of the steps waiting for you.”

               
“I
will never have a second date,” I giggle into his chest.

               
“Yeah,
well, your date just can’t be intimidated easily.
 
I mean, you probably will be living with
me.
 
That’s intimidating, in and of
itself.”

               
I
snort.
 
“Are you going to be guy
repellent?”

               
“
Noooo
, okay yeah, probably.”

               
“What
if I wanted to bring a guy home?” I ask.

               
Shoving
me back, Jeremy snaps, “Who you planning to sleep with!?”

               
“No one!
 
Gosh, I
meant bring home, like to hang out.
 
Do
you really think I would have a sex with a guy in your apartment?
 
More so, would I even have sex with a guy?”

               
The
look that Jeremy gives me is a serious one.
 
“I would hope you would tell me if you were planning to do that.
 
We would have to have a serious conversation
about birth control.”

               
“OH MY GOD!”
I yell.
 
“Why would I EVER have that conversation with you!?”

               
“Well
then, promise me you will talk to Cassandra about it,” Jeremy urges.

               
Shaking
my head, I gasp.
 
“I don’t plan on having
sex for a long, long time.
 
I mean, I
haven’t even had a boyfriend.
 
Why in the world are we even having this conversation!?”

               
“You
brought it up.”

               
“I
did not!
 
I said I wanted to bring a guy
home….TO HANG OUT!
 
Anyway, should we
have a sign or something if you are bringing some chick home?
 
I mean, if you get a girlfriend that is going
to be REALLY awkward.”

               
Jeremy
just laughs.
 
“Okay, I am not even going
there.”

               
“I
need coffee,” I growl, shoving him back.
 
“This is way too much to handle before caffeine.”

               
He
grabs me from behind and pulls me against him.
 
“I think I am going to thoroughly enjoy having you here.”

               
“Let
go of me before someone gets hurt!” I laugh.
 
“I need coffee.”

               
We
have coffee and cereal at the table.
 
I
almost forget why I am there.
 
I make fun
of him for drinking his coffee with about five pounds of sugar in it.
 
“It’s good.”

               
“It
doesn’t even taste like coffee!” I exclaim.

               
Jeremy
picks up a piece of cereal and throws it at me.
 
I grab my coffee cup and hold it back.
 
“
Don’t start
, or I will douse you with this.”

               
“That
is hot coffee!”

               
“Fine,”
I say, setting my coffee down.
 
“I am
going to put my bowl in the sink.”

               
Rolling
his eyes, Jeremy exasperates, “Fine.
 
You
are such a mood killer.”

               
I
make my way into the kitchen.
 
When I
look behind me, Jeremy is obviously not paying attention, so I grab the cereal
box.
 
Putting my hand inside, I take a
piece of cereal.
 
“Hey Jeremy,” I
yell.
 
When he turns around, I throw the
cereal at him and hit him scare in the face.
 
That makes me burst into hysterics.
 
“I can’t believe I hit you!”

               
Getting
a sudden devilish look on his face, Jeremy says, “You are in so much trouble!”

               
“No!”
I scream, putting my hands out.
 
“What
are you going to do!?”

               
He
gets up from the table and just smiles at me.
 
I stand there staring at him.
 
Suddenly, he leaps for me.
 
I
quickly spin out of the way and tear off into the living room.
 
He is right behind me.
 
I put the coffee table between us and
laugh.
 
“Come here Isabelle,” he sneers.

               
“No!”
I giggle.
 
“I don’t know what you are
going to do!”

               
“Well,
you are going to find out in a few seconds.”
 
He darts around the table and I go the other way, but there isn’t really
anywhere to go.
 
I plan on jumping over
the couch, and yet that doesn’t happen.
 
Jeremy tackles me onto the couch, before I can do anything.
 
He pins me down and starts to tickle me.

               
I
scream, “STOP!
 
SO NOT
FAIR!”
 
Then he starts to tickle
me more.
 
“Jeremy!” I gasp, “I will pee
in my pants! Stop it!”

               
“
Eww
,” he retorts, still holding me down.
 
“Don’t pee on the couch, I have to sleep
there.
 
Actually if you pee on the couch,
I am no longer being chivalrous and you are sleeping on it.”

               
“Well,”
I gasp between laughs.
 
“If you would get
off of me, I won’t pee in my pants.
 
I
only have one set of pajamas here, and I don’t really fit into your clothes.
 
Though your clothes smell like you, so that’s
a bonus.”
 
Suddenly, I realize what I
just said and want to scream.

               
Jeremy
grins and says, “My clothes what?
 
Smell
like me, why is that a good thing Isabelle?”

               
“Shut
up Jeremy.
 
I didn’t just say that.”

               
“Oh
no, yes you did,” he replies.
 
“You like
the way I smell, which means you are attracted to the way I smell.”

               
Groaning,
I give in.
 
“Fine, I love the way you
smell.
 
It makes me all giggly.”

               
“I
make you giggly,” Jeremy whispers, pressing himself down on me.
 
“My, oh my, I can make you more than giggly.”

               
“Pervert,”
I laugh.
 
“Get off of me Jeremy!”

               
He
finally lets me up and chuckles.
 
“How
awesome is that!?
 
My ego is definitely
pumped for the day.”

               
“Oh
yeah,” I say, getting a little ballsy.
 
“If they could bottle your scent, you could sell it to people. I would
buy it and smell it ALL the time.”

               
Jeremy
teases, “Would you put it on your pillow?”

               
“Totally,”
I reply walking up to him.
 
“It can lull
me to sleep.”

               
“Is
that what did it last night, my manly scent?”

               
Rolling my eyes.
 
“Let’s see, I am lying in the arms of this gorgeous
guy,
that
has sworn to protect me.
 
He
smells delicious and I am pressed up against him.
 
Yes, that would be what made me sleep
better.”

               
“That
sounded very sexual, like a steamy romance novel.”
 
Jeremy dramatically says, “He looked down at
me with fire in his eyes.
 
I couldn’t
wait, I had to have him right there.
 
So,
I kissed him with the passion of a thousand suns.”

               
I
burst into hysterical laughter.
 
“Yes
Jeremy, that
is what I dreamt about last night, hot steamy
sex scenes involving you.”

               
“Really?”
He asks.

               
“No,”
I snap.
 
“Geez, if I had a sex dream
about you I wouldn’t tell you about it.”

               
Smacking
me on the butt, Jeremy counters, “Well, I would tell you in a heartbeat.
 
I do like to see you blush.”
 
He saunters his way down the hall to his
bedroom.
 
When he disappears, I gasp
softly to myself.
 
I have NEVER acted
that way with a guy.
 
I would think that
would be flirting if we were actually interested in each other, but oh
my gosh
!

               
There
is a sudden knock on the door and I back up.
 
“Jeremy, there is someone at the door, and I am NOT going to answer it.”

               
He
comes back into the living room and opens the door.
 
Cassandra and Kent are standing in the
hallway.
 
“Hey,” Cassandra says
softly.
 
“You are nowhere near ready.”

               
“We
are moving her stuff.
 
I didn’t think we
needed to shower,” Jeremy retorts.

               
My
stomach tightens and does back flips as Kent walks in.
 
I hang my head and put my hand up to my
throat.
 
“So,” Kent starts, “Cassandra
won’t tell me what is going on.
 
All I
know is that I am not supposed to ask questions or really talk to
Isabelle.
 
What in the hell
happened?”
 
He looks over at me and
narrows his eyes.
 
I clench my throat
even tighter.
 
With a very angry look,
Kent walks over and yanks my hand away.

               
“JEREMY!”
He yells.
 
“What is that!?
 
Who put their hands on her!?”

               
“No
questions,” Jeremy replies.
 
“It wasn’t
me, that’s all you need to know.”

               
Kent
breathes hard and then turns to me.
 
“Did
your mother do this?”
 
I shake my head
and shy away.
 
“I personally will tear
this person apart.
 
I want to know who it
was!”