Again.
My parents weren’t due back until the next evening, so I was able to return to my house and rush up to my room with no questions. I dropped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillows. The more I thought about Nathan, the angrier I got. Why was he such a master at seeming sincere when he was really full of shit? Why was he so hell-bent on hurting me? If he wanted to be single so that he could sleep with whoever he wanted, why didn’t he just do that?
It wasn’t clear exactly when I’d fallen asleep, but I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I expected it to be Avery or Colette, maybe even Nathan, but I didn’t care much and just pressed the button to answer without taking a good look at the screen. “Hello?”
“Cherri?” Deon’s voice sang into my ears, which sent my heart fluttering.
“Deon.” I sat up in bed, fixing my hair and creasing my clothes down as if he could see me. “Hey.”
“Hey, are you okay?” There was genuine panic in his voice when he asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I said.
“Well, you aren’t answering your phone. You told both Avery and me that you’d be at school, and then you weren’t there, and it’s been over six hours since anyone has spoken to you.”
“Six hours?” I looked over to peek at the alarm clock on my nightstand, and it was well after four in the afternoon. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t realize I’d been asleep that long.”
“Did you not come to school today?” he asked.
The memory of Nathan snaked into my mind and threatened to make me angry all over again. “No. I skipped.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I retorted, blood starting to boil. Why was I missing out on such a great guy for such a shitty one? “Can you come over?”
“T-to your house?” Deon stuttered out.
“Yeah. My parents are out of town until tomorrow night.”
There was a brief beat of silence before Deon asked, “Are you ready now?”
He wasn’t referring to the time of day, but it was the stealthy way we’d been referring to my hopeful, eventual breakup. I hadn’t the chance to do anything official yet, but it was a foregone conclusion after what I saw today. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
It was almost as if I could hear his smile. “Send me your address.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “Okay.”
The line went dead, and I wasted no time in getting my address fired off to Deon. Assuming I had about ten minutes before Deon got to me, I hopped out of bed and rushed into my bathroom to freshen up. I wished that I had time for a complete shower, but I’d taken one that morning and hadn’t done much with my day, so I applied a fresh layer of makeup and perfume, ripped off my sweater and jeans, and went into my closet. In the bottom drawer, behind a bunch of athletic wear, I kept a box full of all of my more risque clothes. I pulled it out and brought it into my bedroom, then sifted through the contents.
A pale pink, front-closing babydoll with a matching satin thong was one of my favorite sets, one that Nathan had never seen. I pulled the articles on, primped my hair so that it sat perfectly on either side of my head, and then returned the box to its place in my closet. Satisfied that I looked the part, I quickly stashed away anything that might be considered messy, set the built-in dimmer lights in my room to a romanticly low setting, and started a mood music station from my phone that projected it through my room’s speakers. When everything was set, I climbed back up on my bed and sent a quick text to Deon.
Just come in when you
get here. My room is up
the stairs and to the left.
Third door on the right.
I got no response, likely because he was driving, but that was fine. I took the time to calm my nerves and prepare myself for the impending night. I was finally going to get to be with Deon, and then tomorrow, I’d go right to Nathan and tell him that we were done. It’d be perfect.
After an additional ten or so minutes, I heard the door open and close. “Cherri?” Deon called out.
“Come on up!” I called back, and my heart rate tripled.
I took deep breaths to calm myself. I wasn’t a virgin, but it still sort of felt like it was my first time. It was my first with someone I truly liked, maybe even loved. It was going to be leagues different from anything I’d ever had before. The floor creaked as Deon made his way up the stairs and down the hallway, and eventually, he turned the corner into my room and stopped cold in his tracks. His jaw dropped, and he just stood in the doorway, staring at me. It felt like he was coating me in a blanket of lava for how I burned beneath his scrutiny. It was almost too much.
“Well?” I said finally, tilting my head to the side. “You are allowed to open the present.”
Deon smiled. “Fuck yeah.”
He stepped quickly across the bedroom and wasted no time in climbing up on my bed. I met him, leaning forward, and our lips smashed together. That alone sent my head spinning out of control. He was wearing a dark
