Kiss Me

“So much for our plan,” I say.

“I’m sorry, I just, I don’t know what you do to me. No one has ever made me like this. I just want you so badly I can hardly stand it. It’s like I’m an animal.” He laughs, then gets serious. “We’re, like, amazing together.”

“Can we tour the rest of the loft now?”

“As long as you stay dressed like that.”

“Uh, I’m not dressed.”

“Exactly.”

“Dawson, we have to go shopping today. I’m going to find a dress for Homecoming.”

“You got a date I don’t know about?”

“No, I don’t have a date yet. But I’m going, and I’m go

“And I get to watch you try them on?”

“You get to see me in them but, no, you don’t get to be in the dressing room with me. But I would like your opinion. I want to look good.”

“Dang. And I was just thinking how good you look naked.”

“I’m not naked. I still have on my boots.”

I grab a cashmere throw off the chair and try to wrap it around me as he picks me up and says, “Which way to the bedroom?”

I giggle and point in the direction that I think it’s in. I thought I had memorized the floor plan.

He manages to find the master bedroom and throws me on the bed.

Then he proceeds to do all the things he threatened to do to me.

Slowly kissing me, rubbing me, torturing me, really, until I can’t wait anymore.

Then it is slow. Amazing. Almost tender.

The real you.

12:30pm

I’m almost asleep when I remember and jump up out of bed.

“Ohmigawd!”

“What?”

“My closet.”

“What about your closet?”

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, Dawson, but I want to close my eyes. Will you open the door and turn on the lights for me?”

He looks at me like I am crazy, but pulls on his boxers and walks to my closet door. I close my eyes and hear a door open. A light switched on.

He grabs my hand and leads me. “Open your eyes.”

I look around. The black and white brocade wallpaper. The black lacquered chandelier. The hot pink Louis VIII chair. The soft flokati rug.

“You decorated your closet?” Dawson asks. He doesn’t get it.

“It’s my closet.” I tell him, but I tell myself, You did this on your own, Keatyn. You’re doing it. You’re starting over. Living a new life. And you’re going to be okay. 

“What’s this?” Dawson says, pointing at a shoebox with a bow wrapped around it.

I open the box and nestled inside pale champagne tissue paper are my shoes. The shoes from my birthday party. The shoes that are still the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen. I remember the joy I felt when I found them. I remember telling Kym we had to find a dress to do them justice.

Then I remember one of the shoes falling off when Vincent was dragging me to the door. I look at the right shoe. See the little scuff across the toe from when I tried to dig my toes into the carpet. I pick up the left shoe. The heel dangles, broken.

These shoes aren’t just beautiful, graceful, and unique. They are also survivors.

Just like me.

I open the card.

I thought you needed to be reunited with footwear that is the real you.  -G

I hold the card to my chest and smile.

Just like my shoes, I’m still here.

Cush and I are over. Finished.

Brooklyn and I over. Finished.

I’m starting a new life.

I look at my closet and smile at all the empty racks.

“Dawson, you better get dressed. We have some serious shopping to do.”

I drag Dawson to all my favorite stores and most of the ones on Kym’s list. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t get to them all. I found a gorgeous dress.

All the dresses she picked out were really pretty, but only one had Dawson all hot and bothered. It’s a Valentino dress made of black lace. It has a banded waist with a macramé style, almost sunflower patterned skirt. It’s fitted and short. The top of the dress is asymmetrical, off one shoulder, tied at the top with a small bow. It has a nude colored backing behind the lace, so there is the slight illusion that you are naked and the lace is just there to cover certain body parts.

It’s gorgeous, classy, but still very sexy.

I also really love the Louboutin double platform sandals she picked out to go with it. The heels are so tall, and combined with the short dress, they make my legs look miles long.

“Hey, do you have some more shopping you need to do?” Dawson asks me as I’m paying for the dress.

“I wouldn’t mind shopping a little more before we leave.”

“Okay, good. I thought maybe I’d run and get something. I’ll meet you back here in, say, an hour?”

“Uh, sure. Where are you going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Um, okay. So, I guess I’ll  head to the shoe department.”

“I should have known that.”

He gives me a kiss and rushes off.

As I walk to the shoe department, I wonder why Dawson hasn’t asked me to go to Homecoming with him yet. One of the seniors on the dance team got asked this week. Her boyfriend put a bunch of helium balloons in her dance locker along with a rose and a note. When she opened her locker all the balloons floated out. It was really cute and she was screeching with excitement, which I thought was sort of odd since they’ve been dating for a year. Another girl got a bunch of cupcakes at lunch. And one of the cheerleaders got asked by a football player over the loudspeaker at the game last night.

He left Whitney’s stupid weekend to be with me. He wants to give me the key to his heart. He must like me. But nagging in the back of my mind is his voice from that night at the cave, telling Dallas and me his goal was to take Whitney to Homecoming. And now that she and Jake are broken up, there’s nothing to stop him.

I forget to worry when I see all the shoes.

And boots.

All lined up by designer.

It’s like paradise. Or mecca. Or whatever.

All I have to say is it’s amazing how many pairs of shoes and boots you can try on and buy in a measly sixty minutes.

I’m laden down with packages when gorgeous Dawson comes strolling back in, bag swinging in his hand.

Literally every shoe shopper’s head turns when he walks by. He is that good looking. Even the old ladies can’t help but stare.

It makes me feel very lucky.

He walks up to me and kisses my cheek. “You leave any shoes for anyone else?” he says, eyeing all my shopping bags.

“There’s not that many pairs, I swear. Boots just take up a lot of room. What did you buy?” I ask curiously.

“You’ll see later.”

As we’re getting in a cab, he says, “Hey, do you think it would be okay if we meet my parents for brunch tomorrow? Riley told them I was in town and now they want to meet you.”

“That’d be cool.”

“So, back to the loft?” he says with a wink.

Back at the loft, I finally get to look around and find that my pantry and fridge have been stocked with some basics, including wine, champagne, water, sodas, caviar, hard cheeses, smoked salmon, and some frozen di

While I put my purchases in my closet and change into the new robe I bought, Dawson pops a bottle of champagne. We decided in the taxi that we’d just order in some food. At school we are constantly around people. We’re looking forward to spending some time completely alone.

He sets the glasses and bottle down, grabs my robe belt, and unties it. “Much better,” he says, looking down at me, basically naked again. “I think we should just be naked until we have to go back to school.”

“It’s going to be hard to have brunch with your parents if I’m naked.”

He smiles and pours us each a drink, then puts his glass up in the air. “Here’s to my beautiful naked girl.”

“I’m not drinking to my nakedness.”

He runs his hand down my stomach. “Oh, but you should.”

“Dawson! Stop that! We need to order food. I’m starving.”

“Me too, but it’s not my fault you’re so damn sexy, and you make me want you. All the time.”