As we walked to his front door, I tripped but caught myself. I let out a sigh of relief. “That could have been ugly.”
“Nothing you do could ever be construed as ugly.”
He unlocked the front door and we went inside. “Make yourself at home. I need a few minutes.”
The dining table set for two made my heart swell. He intended to make this a romantic evening. Pete busied himself in the kitchen while I gazed out the sliding glass doors at the backyard and pool, calm and still on this windless night.
He announced dinner, lighting two long tapers as I approached. He held my chair while I sat down then disappeared again. He returned with heaping plates of spaghetti and warm garlic bread.
“I know you’re Italian, but I think you’ll like it.”
“Everything looks so nice.” Warmth spread through me, tamping down the jitters in my gut.
Pete told me he’d be right back and was, with a bottle of champagne and two fluted glasses in tow. The cork made a loud popping sound into his dishtowel. He poured us each a glass, spilling a little. I’m sure he was nervous, too.
“Thank you for this.”
He nodded, clinking his champagne with mine. “To us.”
“To us,” I repeated, taking a sip.
We talked through dinner, the candlelight casting a soft glow. I gazed at his handsome face, and a well of gratitude spread through me. We drank the rest of the champagne, stalling and waiting for it’s mood-altering magic to relax us.
The meal over, Pete led me down the hallway to his bedroom and shut the door. We undressed in silence, pausing now and again to grin at each other. We got in his bed, facing one another.
“You are beautiful,” he said.
I smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He stroked my body, his hand shaky. I followed suit, allowing my hands to roam across his curves and bumps. We kissed, tongues dancing as they explored. Our mouths took turns caressing each other’s bodies. Pulses quickened, our desire intensifying. He fumbled putting on the condom, and I diverted my gaze to make it less awkward. Ready, he positioned himself above me. We couldn’t help smiling at one another. For a split-second, I braced myself for pain, but it never came. Instead, it reminded me of a lock and key, fitting together like they belonged. I stared into his sage-colored eyes, intensity and pleasure mirroring back at me. The momentum built, Pete’s pace quickened, and he exploded. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment as his naked body blanketed mine.
He rolled on his back, sighing contentedly. One of his hands clasped mine as our breathing returned to normal.
I slid on my side, pressing my body against his, and stroked his chest.
“I love you,” he said.
I had never experienced that statement so fully. I loved Pete more than I was sure my heart could contain. “I love you.”
He peered at me pointedly. “You okay?”
“I’m better than okay. I’m…nearly speechless.”
“I have a feeling we’re going to be doing this a lot.” A wide grin crossed his face.
“Damn straight.”
We stayed in bed, talking and enjoying the sensation of our nude bodies against one another.
All too soon, and with reluctance, we dressed and cleaned up the kitchen, leaving no trace of our tryst except the musk on his bedroom sheets.
22
Day on the Green
Pete and I made love every chance we got. Most of the time, this meant in the back of the station wagon—not ideal or comfortable—or sometimes in our friends’ bedrooms at parties. He also drove me downtown to Planned Parenthood, which provided free birth control. Appointments were confidential with no parental consent required. I hid the pills from my parents, who voiced concern about my growing involvement with Pete. They had no reason for alarm; I was the epitome of responsible.
Only one other desire competed for my attention: driving. With driver’s education in the bag and my permit secured, I pestered everyone to let me drive their cars. I still had months to go until I could apply for my license, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t practice as long as an adult rode in the car, a detail the non-adults overlooked on occasion.
I did have one growing problem. Now that I spent all my time with Pete and his friends, Katy and Michelle accused me of abandoning them. They rightfully complained I was never around, saying I had dropped them in a flash for the first KSLB that came around (true), or that I ditched them for my newer, more popular friends (not true). It’s not that I didn’t care about them anymore, but they were no competition for my boyfriend. Unsure what to do, I ignored it, believing it would sort itself out.
I cheerfully shut off my alarm and got ready for my first Day on the Green, an all-day music festival featuring seven bands at the Oakland Coliseum. Boston headlined, but Sammy Hagar and Eddie Money were right under them in the lineup. I’d never gone to a concert of this magnitude, and hella mega super stoked was an understatement.
Pete arrived with Steve and his attractive girlfriend, Lindsey, in tow. We stood around waiting for the others. Jaime finally pulled up with Mary and Reese, the latter who slept soundly in the back. She rolled down her window, visibly testy.
“Rough night?” I said, nodding toward Reese.
“Who the hell knows? I doubt he ever went to sleep,” she said with disgust.
I laughed it off, hoping to lighten her mood. “Are you guys all set?”
“Don’t Look Back” by Boston boomed out of Jaime’s car stereo, and we screamed. Jaime cranked it up higher.
Reese bolted upright. “Turn that shit down!”
“Hell no,” she replied.
“That’s our cue to go,” I muttered to Pete. “Let’s roll.”
In Pete’s car, I
