“What are you doing?” Gabe asked on the other end of the call.
Resting on my bed as I looked up at my bedroom ceiling, I let out a breath. “Nothing much. You?”
“Ah, nothing, really. Just laying in bed,” Gabe huffed out.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just said nothing. Really, all that ran through my head was how last night I had lost my virginity to him. The memories started to rush back into the forefront of my thoughts. I started to get goose bumps and butterflies. I started to feel tingly and warm, remembering just how he felt as he moved in and out of me.
“What are you thinking about?” Gabe asked.
“Us,” I blurted out.
“Sarah, I wanted to talk to you about the whole college thing,” Gabe spoke in a whisper.
I didn’t mean that. But as soon as soon as those words left his mouth, all I thought about was how he was going to be leaving at the end of the summer for college in Arizona. Letting out a breath, I said, “Gabe—” but I stopped. I didn’t know what to say. I knew this summer would go by way faster than either of us wanted. Sometimes I wished that I had a clock and I could rewind time, but it doesn’t work that way. I think if I could, I still wouldn’t do it. I would want to see what would happen. I read once that people are attached by an imaginary string. You can’t see it, but it’s there. No matter the circumstances, time, or place, if they are meant to be, they will be.
I know this world is filled with surprises and secrets, but I would really like to know if Gabe and I have a string attached to one another. I think about us sometimes. I thought about us when we dated and now that we’ve slept together. I know we’re going in different paths. Different schools in different states. But I wonder if it’ll work out for the two of us. I know that nothing worth it happens without hard work.
I know Gabe and I know he’ll never give up. I do know myself and I too would never give up. But sometimes it can happen in the blink of an eye, when you least expect it. When you think everything is going just the way you planned, then life throws you a wildcard. A surprise. And you can’t stop it even if you tried.
…it’s already too late.
“Sarah?” Gabe asked in a panic.
Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “Yeah, sorry. I’m still here.”
“Where’d you wander off to?” Gabe whispered.
Pausing, I sucked in a deep breath. As I let it out I said, “What are we going to do, Gabe?”
“I don’t know, Sarah,” Gabe let out in a whisper. Pausing, he continued. “But what I’m sure of is that we’re going to make the best of the rest of our senior year. We’re going to have an amazing summer.”
“Oh yeah?” I smiled.
“Yeah,” Gabe said without question. “We’re going to have a lot of sex. We’re going to have a lot to drink. We’re going to have a ton more sex.”
Giggling, I said, “Oh my God, Gabe.”
“What? I’m serious.”
“Yeah, I know you are,” I said as I shook my head with a smile plastered to my face.
“So your mom’s at her sister’s, right?” Gabe asked curiously.
Tilting my head to the side, I said, “Yeah. Why?”
“Just wondering,” Gabe said.
Hearing the doorbell ring, I said, “Oh, okay.”
“What was that?” Gabe asked.
Getting up from my bed and adjusting my tank top, I said, “Just the door. Probably a neighbor or something. I don’t know.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll let you go then.”
Reaching for the front door, I stopped. Smiling, I said, “I love you, Gabe.” Reaching for the door again, I started to open it.
“I love you too, Sarah,” Gabe said with a smile on his face as he stood on the other side of my door holding his cell phone up to his ear.
Closing my cell and placing it in my back jean pocket, I asked, “What are you doing here?”
Clicking his phone shut, Gabe didn’t take his eyes off me as he shrugged his shoulders. “I thought we could have a sleepover.”
As I let out a giggle, the biggest smile came across my face. “Oh yeah? Why is that?”
“I just didn’t want you to be here all by yourself,” Gabe said as he walked towards me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pushed me backwards into my house.
“That’s so generous of you,” I said.
“I thought so,” Gabe said with a lop-sided grin on his face. It was showing off his dimples and I could feel my chest tightening and my lower half throbbing. Shutting the front door with his foot, Gabe set his bag on the floor. “Hey, gorgeous.” He kissed me, nice and slow. “What would you like to do?”
Tilting my head up, I smirked. “I think you know what I want to do.”
As he lifted me up by the waist, I wrapped my legs around him.
“Oh yeah? And what is that exactly?” Gabe asked as he started to kiss and suck my neck.