We were quiet for a while, catching our breath as her hands ran through my hair.
“Probably should have told you before, I have an IUD,” she said, leaning up on her elbows to look at me.
“You do?” I asked.
“I didn’t like the hormone stuff,” she said as I awkwardly stood, pulling her with me. “And since I knew I didn’t want kids for a long time, I figured long-term protection was pretty smart.”
“You mean I can stop pullin’ out?” I asked for clarification, trying to keep up with the conversation.
“Yeah,” she said with a chuckle.
“Thank God,” I muttered. “It sucks.”
She laughed again.
“Wait,” I said as she moved toward the door. “If you weren’t with anyone, then why?”
“I guess in the back of my mind,” she said sweetly, shrugging, “I knew we’d be here, eventually.”
I dropped to the side of the bed as she left the room.
She’d always known we’d be here eventually.
Fuck. I was all fucking in. My heart raced. This was finally it.
I sat there, buck ass naked, and stared at the open doorway.
“Marry me,” I said the minute she walked back in.
Kara laughed so hard she snorted. “No.”
“What?” I said in disbelief.
“You have a ring?” she asked, tilting her head as she stepped in between my knees.
“Not on me,” I replied sarcastically.
“Our lives have been so—” she shook her head. “I want that to be right, you know? Once I’m done with school and we’ve lived together a while and you know, we’re ready for kids and stuff. Then ask me again.”
“Am I gonna get a different answer?” I asked suspiciously.
“Depends on how big the ring is,” she teased.
“Oh, you’re funny,” I said, falling backward and dragging her with me so she landed with a thud on my chest.
“Oof,” she said, her hair hanging down, creating a curtain around our faces.
“You want kids?” I asked.
“Maybe,” she whispered back. “Eventually. You?”
“As many as you’ll give me,” I replied instantly.
“Okay,” she said, a wide grin lighting up her face. “But later. After I’m done with school.”
“Me, too,” I replied.
“You, too?”
“Wanna be study partners?” I asked sheepishly.
“You’re going to school?” she asked, scrambling up to her knees, her ass resting on my stomach.
“Yeah,” I said. “You cool with that? We don’t have to go to the same place or anything. I might not even get in where you do. I probably won’t with just a GED.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked excitedly. She threw her hands up in the air and arched her back. “My man’s going to college!” she yelled to the ceiling.
“Shh,” I said, pulling her back down as I laughed. “You’re gonna piss off the neighbors again.”
“Me and you,” she said, her face joyful in a way I hadn’t seen since she was fifteen years old. “We’re going to be college sweethearts.”
“Works for me,” I replied. “Carry your books for you.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
“Hell yeah, you will,” she said with a giggle.
She dropped down at my side and curled up against me.
“Why didn’t you go before?” I asked, rubbing my fingers up and down her back lazily. She stiffened for a moment before relaxing again.
“I didn’t want to see anyone I knew,” she replied.
I kissed her forehead.
“Hey, who was that guy here earlier?” she asked a few minutes later.
“That was Bishop,” I said, realizing that I’d ditched him. I wasn’t sorry about it, though, and I doubted he’d cared.
“The friend you were telling us about?” she asked, resting her chin on my chest.
“Yeah. He just got out,” I replied.
“That’s good. I’m glad he’s here.”
“Me, too.”
“I wasn’t glad he was here earlier,” she said dryly.
“Yeah, you made that clear,” I replied, my lips twitching.
We were quiet for a while as I ran my fingers lightly up and down her spine.
“It was never really Curt, you know,” she said after a while, her voice quiet. I froze for a moment, but I didn’t want her to stop talking, so I ran my fingers down her back again. “It was,” she paused. “It was the fact that he seemed safe.” She shrugged and sighed. “He was easy to adore because I knew in the back of my mind that nothing would ever come of it. I liked the romance of it all, but not the reality.”
“Oh, yeah?” I said, my voice hoarse. We’d never really talked about it before and I’d told myself it didn’t matter. I guess it did, though, because it was always going to be a part of our history and from the tone of Kara’s voice, she was holding onto some guilt about it.
“You were such a manwhore,” she said with a huff. “I couldn’t think of you that way. I couldn’t let myself, not when you were with a different girl every week. That would’ve killed me.”
“I was an idiot,” I muttered.
“You were a teenage boy,” she said, kissing my chest. “You were fun and sweet and smokin’ hot, but I wasn’t ready for you. Not then.”