Slow Twitch

We drove the rest of the way in relative quiet. I could tell by the way Bre

“What’s wrong, Jake?” Bre

I shrugged. “I just hate that I can’t take back my past.” That was true.

Bre

I don’t know what it is about her, but Bre

She was pressing her mouth to mine, rubbing her body against mine. I put my hands on her waist and held on tight. To her. To the love she gave me. To her crazy ideas about romance and her smarts and her confidence and her willingness to give a shit about me when almost no one else in the world bothered.

“Why are you smiling like that?” She was all out of breath and her hair was flying around her face. Her lips were bright pink and her eyes were bright from the excitement of making out.

I shook my head. “I just really love you. A lot.”

There were more hot, sweet kisses all over. Soon we were lying on the seat, my shirt unbuttoned down to the last two, my belt and the button of my jeans undone and my fly unzipped. She was wearing a short dress, and I had pushed the tiny straps down and the flouncy skirt up. My mouth was on her breasts and my hands were in her, bringing her to the point of absolute happiness that made me feel so good, it was unreal. She shook under me, bit her lip, pulled me down to kiss me, rubbed against me. I felt my head spin, so I sat up fast and buttoned my shirt.

She stretched a slow, long, delicious stretch and asked in a sleepy voice, “Jake? Don’t you want to have sex with me someday?” She was still lying half-naked and so beautiful it made my breath stick.

“I do.” I cracked my knuckles. “Someday.”

“So why don’t we today?” She smiled at me, a sweet, drowsy smile.

I put my hand on her cheek, and she moved her hand over mine and closed her blue-green eyes.

“We don’t because I’m still adjusting to what we do now. Which is a lot. And I don’t like you rushing me, woman.” They were all real reasons. Chicken-shit reasons, but real ones.

She sighed. “If it was up to you, we’d still be just making out.”

I ran my fingers through a long, shiny piece of hair. “What’s your big rush, Bre

“I guess it’s easy for you to think it’s no big thing. You already know. Sometimes I hate that.” She pushed my hand away and sat up.

“Hate what?” I had a hard time watching her without laughing.

She was getting worked up, so her dress was straightened and she was putting her seatbelt on, sitting up all stiff-spined to better lecture me. Luckily, I pretty much loved it.

“I hate that you’re, like, this sphinxof sex. You know all about it, and I know nothing.”

She let out a long, frustrated breath. I rolled my eyes for her benefit.

“You know that’s not it, Bre

“Tell me, then,” she demanded, and I knew she was doing that thing where she tossed me some ridiculous pitch to see if I would swing.

“It’s that before I met you I’d never even contemplated sex before I had it, alright? It was this just this dumb thing I did. It meant nothing, and I felt nothing, and I think that sucked. So now that I’m with you, I want to make it right. What’s wrong with that?” I took her hand.

She squeezed mine and smiled, then gave me a few quick kisses all over my face. “Nothing. This minute. I have plans to wear you down, though.”

I moaned. “Don’t tell me. You’ll be successful. I have no doubt at all about it. I just want to make sure you’ve thought this through.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Be on your guard. You never know.”

I laughed at her, but I couldn’t lie. I was a tiny bit uneasy about the whole thing.

I knew it must have seemed idiotic that I wasn’t willing to grab her up and just let her have her way. But I didn’t want her to have the kind of regrets I did.

I was really, really hoping that when we finally had sex, she wouldn’t have any regrets at all. But I didn’t know if it would all work out. I just felt safer taking it slow.

Bre

“Is that Saxon?” I finally asked.

Bre

Saxon flew by.

On roller skates.

Fast.

“Is he roller skating?” Bre

“Looks like it.” I rubbed a hand over my eyes, but when I took another look, there he was. Still on skates. A kind of crazy happiness bubbled through me when I remembered every time he told me what I loser I was for tossing pumpkins and ru

“Jake, no way!” She grabbed my arm tight and shook her head. “It’s not right!”

I couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face for a million dollars, and it just made her frown more. “What’s not right? I’ll leave a good tip!”

“We’re here to help him. Not laugh at him,” she insisted, her eyes all wide and sincere.

“This is Saxon’s job. Just because we’re laughing our asses off doesn’t mean that he’s embarrassed. Look at him showing off. C’mon, I really am starving.”

I pulled into a space, but it wasn’t Saxon who skated over. It was a tall dark-haired girl who looked like a model, all cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes and full lips.

“Whoa,” Bre

She skated up to the truck and gave us the friendly, professional waitress smile. “Welcome to Tony’s.” She handed us menus. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“A chocolate shake, please.” Bre

“Could you make it two and two Cherry Cokes, please?” I slid my hand over and gave Bre

“Sure.” She gave Bre

“And could you ask Saxon to stop by for us?” I asked.

She looked at me for a minute, turned her head and looked some more. “Is Saxon your evil twin?” she asked suddenly.

Bre

“If I’m the good one, that’s just plain sad.” I offered her my best charm-your-pants off smile. She gri

“I’ll get him for you. Wait just a minute.” Cadence moved like the skates were part of her body.

“She’s gorgeous,” Bre

I put my arm around Bre

“Do you realize how much Cadence probably gets hit on and harassed any given day?” Bre

“Well, I guess you could get a cheerleader skirt and skates to wear around town. We could just go out skating, you know, with you in your cheerleader skirt.” I tugged her tighter and she nestled down, her head on my chest.

“Do you know how to roller skate?” She craned her neck to look up at me.

I scoffed. “Seriously? I practically taught Saxon.”

Just then my evil brother skated over, fast, backward, turned, jumped the curb and landed hard right outside Bre