“That’s where the problem lies,” I sigh. “As much as I try to avoid them, they seek me out. They are always trying to make sure I’m not doing anything that breaks their rules.” Rules I think are stupid and hypocritical. They are completely fine with me drinking with my teammates, but associate with someone they don’t approve of? And, it’s like I’m committing some sort of felony. I don’t understand their way of thinking.
I don’t want to get into the idiocy of my parents with her. I grab her hand and lead her toward the stairs and my bedroom. As we ascend them, Charleigh takes her time studying everything she can see. From the sterile white walls, to the sleek modern design of the rooms below us, and the row of family portraits that litter the stairway.
We come to my door and I push it open, wondering for a split second if it’s clean. But I remember tidying up before I left to get Charleigh yesterday. And, even if I hadn’t my mom would have come in here and done it. Because God forbid it look like someone actually lives in this room.
I grab a towel from the linen cabinet situated next to my bathroom door, and hand it to Charleigh. “You go ahead and take a shower, I’ll wait.”
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“Yeah, go ahead. I need to find some clothes for you to wear.”
As soon as the door clicks shut I begin rummaging through my drawers. I pause on an oldBushT-shirt Tonya gave me when we were dating, but quickly decide that wouldn’t be a good idea. She wouldn’t know, but I do, and I’m not giving her a shirt that my ex-girlfriend gave me. Instead, I pull out a football shirt from when I played at Asheville High and dig through the bottom drawer until I find a pair of sweatpants. I doubt either of these will fit her, but it’s all I have.
I slip the clothes into the bathroom, setting them on the floor. I’m surprised she didn’t lock the door before she got in the shower. For just a split second I consider joining her for a repeat of yesterday afternoon but decide against it.
With the hum of the water running, I walk to my bed and belly flop onto it. Face buried in my pillows trying to decide how I’m going to bring up the topic of Layla. I’m not even sure where to begin. Will she be livid, or will she understand why I haven’t told her yet? Will she understand why I’ve been scared to tell her? Fear that she’ll walk right out of my life without a backward glance.
Less than ten minutes have passed when I hear the bathroom door open and small footsteps approach the end of my bed. “That was quick.”
“I just wanted to rinse of,” she says. “Besides you don’t have any of the hair products I use to tame this unruly hair.”
She runs her fingertips over my legs, ass, and they slowly drift up my back until she slides her fingers into my hair. Bending down, she gives me a quick peck on the cheek. I notice she has the towel I gave her wrapped around her body instead of the clothes I put in the bathroom for her.
As much as I want to rip that towel off and have my way with her, I restrain myself. I don’t know where my parents are, or how long they will be gone. And, that definitely isn’t something I want them walking in on. The springs of bed the squeak as I roll off the bed to grab the clothes out of the bathroom. Placing them in her hands, I don’t miss the disappointed frown taking over her face and breaking my heart. I just don’t want to give my parents any reason to hate her on sight. And they would definitely not approve if they saw us in any sort of horizontal position.
I pull her close to me and lean down until my lips are pressed against hers. I kiss her once, twice, three times before I pull away keeping this from going any further.
“I’m going to hop in the shower,” I whisper, voice low, deep and ragged.
Her cheeks are tinged pink, and she simply nods. A small smile takes the place of the frown it held moments before as she drops her towel to the floor, hoping to get the reaction she wants out of me.
Shaking my head, I turn around toward the bathroom door. She’s crazy if she thinks that is going to work on me again. But it doesn’t stop me from looking over my shoulder to see her standing there, stark naked, smiling wickedly in my direction. The bathroom door slams a little harder than intended and I groan in frustration. This girl is going to be the death of me.
I turn on the shower, adjusting the water until it’s just barely lukewarm, needing the cooler water to calm my hormones. Shampoo is in my hair, bubbles slide down my face and into my eyes when they pop open when I hear a shriek from my bedroom. This cannot be good.
Quickly rinsing the soap out of my hair and eyes, I shut off the water, wrap a towel around my waist, and barrel into my room. Water still dripping off my skin onto the plush carpet beneath my feet.
My mother stands in the doorway, hands on her hips, face beet red. “Who the hell are you?” She’s yelling at Charleigh, not giving her the courtesy of an adult conversation.
“I-I’m Jake’s girlfriend,” Charleigh stutters.
The term girlfriend rolling off her tongue sends a happy jolt throughout my body. In that moment I know she’s as serious about me as I am her. Now isn’t the time to dwell on that, though.
Mom shoots daggers in my direction. “Jake doesn’t have a girlfriend. If he did, I would know.”
“Actually,” I mumble. “She is my girlfriend.”
“Impossible,” Mom stammers. “She is not the sort of girl you date.”
I don’t say anything. I can’t. There are literally no words to combat what just came out of her mouth. It’s rare that I’m at a loss for something to say, but that moment has come.
“Excuse me,” Charleigh scoffs. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Youwill nottake that tone with me young lady.”
Charleigh glances at me expectantly, willing me to say something. But I have no idea what to say. Anything that comes out of my mouth will piss one of them off. This is not how I envisioned the rest of the day playing out.
When I continue to remain silent, Charleigh huffs. “I’m going to wait in your truck. I’m ready to go home.” She grabs her clothes, shoes and hurries out of the room.