He was so alluring. The sleeves of the white t-shirt he wore were cut-off revealing his well defined arms. I had to turn and look out the window to keep from staring. He was quite possibly perfect. For the time being, watching the trees whisk past at high speed gave me something else to focus on, but I was startled by the feel of his hand resting on my thigh as he gripped it gently. I placed my hand on his and tried to relax, but it was hard enough to resist him when he wasn’t touching me.
We drove for about 20 minutes to an open field in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. AJ popped the trunk, but before stepping out of the car he turned to me. “Wait here a sec.”
I watched as he went around to the back of the car and pulled out a blanket. He came around to my side and spread it out about ten feet from the car. Next, he opened my door and held my hand as I stepped out and walked over to the blanket. I sat waiting while AJ rolled the car windows down and turned up the radio a little. When he came over to join me, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. His scent was something I’d never get used to. Inconspicuously, I leaned my head on his shoulder and inhaled.
We sat there for a while listening to the music until he broke the silence. “I’m glad you decided to come with me tonight.”
“So am I. It felt like I had to see you.”
I could hear him smiling when he responded, “I know the feeling.”
“Weren’t you worried about your parents catching you?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“They don’t care?”
“I don’t know. I never get caught,” he replied.
The way he worded that made me curious. “So…..you sneak out with girls a lot?”
AJ was smiling again when he answered, “I wouldn’t say a lot.” He wasn’t mine to claim, but I didn’t like to think of him being with anyone else. The thought was silly considering that he’d been so patient with me in my situation with Antonio.
“Do you bring all of them here?” I asked snidely.
“No, I assure you; you’re the first.”
“Then how did you know about this place?” My tone was a bit accusatory.
AJ was nearly laughing this time as he pointed off into the distance. There was a small, dark shadow that stood out against the trees; it was a tiny house. “You see that place over there?” He waited for me to nod. “That’s my uncle’s house.”
Mildly embarrassed by the tone I’d taken before, “Oh,” was all I could say.
He was still smiling when he asked, “Does that make you feel any better?”
“A little.”
“Hmm…only a little? What else is on your mind?”
I hesitated as I wrestled with my thoughts because I wasn’t sure if I could handle the answer to the question on my mind, but I asked it anyway. “Have you ever…..” I trailed off and shied away, wishing I’d never even said that much. What he’d done with other girls in the past really wasn’t any of my business.
He didn’t hesitate to answer, “Yeah.” I didn’t really know what to say next. “Does that bother you?” He asked.
“It shouldn’t, but I guess it does.”
“You’re allowed to feel that way. It was a long time ago if that makes it any better.”
“Exactly how long ago?” I chimed in quickly.
I saw a smile cross his face again. “About two years ago.” He paused. “And I wish it never happened.”
That’s not something you usually hear guys say. “Why?” I asked.
His expression was thoughtful when he answered. “It just didn’t mean what it was supposed to mean. It was wrong. She was wrong. I was too immature to even understand any of it beyond the physical and there’s supposed to be a lot more to it than that.” He turned to me. “What about you and this Antonio guy?”
“No, not him. Not anyone.”
He stared at me for a minute. “That’s good. I don’t mean to sound hypocritical or anything, but I don’t think I could handle that.”
Now I was the one laughing. “What do you mean you couldn’t handle it?”