Things were changing though. Maybe one day, I could take a goofy picture with Ava in front of a waterfall, and maybe one day, I would let Ava hang it on our wall.
“That was Niagara Falls,” Julie said behind me, scaring me half to death. I dropped the frame as I turned around, and she laughed. Feeling embarrassed, I picked it up again and straightened it on her nightstand.
“Looks fun,” I said.
She nodded. “It was. My parents never had a honeymoon, so they decided to take one and let us come along. Liam and I spent most of our time getting into trouble, and staying far away from the motel room that they were in,” she said with a laugh.
She sat down on the bed, and I took a moment to stare at her in her pajamas. A white T-shirt, and a pair of purple capris with cats on them.
If she was coming on to me, Julie's conceptions on sex were about as blind as mine were.
She moved over and kicked back the covers, slipping her feet under and then laying down. She lifted the blanket and looked to me with a smile. “Lay down with me?” she asked.
I raised a brow. “Is that a good idea?” I asked.
Julie laughed and patted the area next to her. “I won't rape you, Falon. You're not my type,” she said with a grin.
I laughed as I finally decided to do as she wanted. I got inside with her, and pulled the blankets over us. “So what's the type of guy you rape?” I asked her, as she moved closer to me.
She rested her head against my chest, and held my hand as she closed her eyes. “The married type. Why? Do you want me to rape you?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. “Shut up, Julie. You're really on it today, huh?” I asked her.
She looked up with a smile. “Keeping you on your toes. I figure the best way to keep your mind from the gutter is to make you feel embarrassed,” she replied.
I laughed. “I guess it's working. So, you didn't bring me up here to ravage me?” I asked with a grin, and Julie smiled as she closed her eyes again.
“No. My first time will be on my honeymoon, not my bedroom at my parents house,” she replied.
I raised a brow. “You've never-”
“Have you?” she asked.
I scoffed. “Do I look like I have?” I asked.
She shrugged slightly. “You could have before. You've never told me how old you were when you got burned,” she stated.
I ran my fingers through her hair absentmindedly. “Before you, I'd never really kissed a girl, Julie. Trust me, still a virgin, and might remain that way until I die,” I replied.
Julie laughed slightly, then sighed. “Damaged goods. Seems like they're all virgins. Liam is,” she said.
It was my turn to laugh. “You're lying.”
She opened her eyes and looked up at me. “I am not. I swear he is,” she said,
I rolled my eyes. “Sure. The guy that's constantly hitting on my sister is a virgin?” I asked.
Julie nodded. “Yes! Hilary is the first girl he's dated in a while, and if he ever did, he would tell me, or you. But we both are waiting,” she stated.
“Till marriage?”
She nodded.
I nodded. At least that answered my question for any other encounter I was unsure of. No nookie until marriage. No problem.
“What about Thad?”
Julie closed her eyes again. “No. He liked a lot of girls before we met, used them as crutches, he said,” she told me, and I could hear a small amount of pain enter her voice.
“I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it,” I told her, twirling her hair in my fingers.
“It's okay. Thad used sex as a means of numbing the pain, and when I refused, he'd throw it up in my face. On his bad days, my virginity was treated like a terrorist. It was unnatural and stupid to save yourself for marriage. He didn't care when I pointed out Bible verses about saving yourself till marriage. He'd laugh at it, call it all stupid,” she said.
I stopped moving, and felt her move closer to me. She fit perfectly against me, and she started nodding off. She was getting comfortable, and that was fine by me.
“It's not stupid,” I told her. “I think you're an amazing person, Julie.”
I felt her breathe in deeply. “I think you are too. Maybe one day, we'll both be sexual maniacs with our spouses,” she said, her voice groggy. I figured they may have given her something at the hospital.
A thought seized me though, at her statement. Not with the sexual maniacs part, but the marriage.
I know I'm only seventeen, nearly eighteen, mind you, and that really, Julie and I had only been dating a month, but the image I saw when I thought to my future, was her. She was the only girl I'd ever want to be a sexual maniac with.
She was the only girl I'd ever want for a wife.
“Marry me someday?” I whispered.
I could feel her smile. “Sure.”
♥
I didn't fall asleep, even after she started snoring softly. I just sat there, and brushed my fingers through her hair, and listened to her breathing.
I imagined my life without this. I imagined my life without her, and let me tell you, it didn't look too pretty. Everything seemed dark and brooding without her, the way it had been before.
With Julie, my path was suddenly being guided by a wisp, glowing brightly and staying close to me. Julie was that light leading me through, keeping me straight.
The door opened not too long after she dozed off, and her dad
