• Chapter 16


    Two days passed. The weather didn’t seem like it was stopping. It was thundering all the time. Cracks of lighting hit someplace close. Ryder and I got worried. We stayed together most of the time. Watching movies, chasing each other in carts, lying and talking together. It was the first time I had any real physical contact with a boy. But Ryder seemed more then just a boy. He had this way about him. He talks highly of his family and his two friends. I admired him. I loved to listen to him talk to. I’d sit there as he would ramble on and I would just stare at his lips. The ones I dreamt of kissing all the time. He would say something about talking too much and ask me questions about my family and friends. I would tell him the same thing: My parents aren’t that great. They want me to get on with my life and become something that will change the world and my only friend June basically hates me.

    I loved listening to him talk about different stories that would happen. Like when Meeka cooked one night and almost burnt down the house. Ryder would never let her forget it. I laughed and enjoyed it. I enjoyed being with him. Holding his hand when he talked. His thumb automatically rubbing across my hand. Did he do this with his ex? Is that why it came so naturally? Thoughts like that always came to my mind.

    I grabbed a can of soda as Ryder and I walked by.

    “So, what’s on the agenda tonight?” I asked. Ryder put his arm around my shoulders and shrugged.

    “Movie I guess. We could play some pool if you’d like?” I nodded.

    “Sure. I think we’re going to start getting bored,” I said with a laugh.

    He smiled and leaned down to my ear. “I think we can find plenty to do.” I shivered. He laughed and kissed my cheek as I blushed. I wasn’t used to the whole kissing the boy thing yet. It still made me blush when I thought of our small lingering kisses. We had grown closer. But what were we? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Friends that kiss? Was he ready for that? I bit my lip.

    “What’s wrong?” He asked. I put on a blank look.

    “Nothing,” I said.

    He frowned and was about to say something when a loud rumble was heard above us. We both looked up surprised. That was really loud! It rattled the walls! The lights flickered. Ryder pulled me forward quickly.

    “That doesn’t sound good at all. Lets get some flashlights and head back,” He said. I agreed. We hurried along and got the flashlights then headed to the big bed. Ryder turned on the TV and put in a movie. He still looked worried. He kept glancing up at the ceiling. He crawled onto the bed beside me.

    “Ryder, do you think it’s bad out there?” I asked getting worried too. “I mean, we haven’t really had a bad storm for a while. And we sometimes do get tornados. Is that what it could be?” Walls shook again as it thundered.

    He shrugged. “It could be. If it is there’s the shower we can run to in the back. Its one of the safest places. But really, these walls are 6 inches of metal that circle the store. The tornado would have to be pretty powerful to get past it all.” I nodded, wetting my chapped lips.

    Was mom and dad okay? Could this storm have hit my home? Since our house was new it came with a Shutter Button that covered the windows and doors with this kind of metal. Mom and dad rarely used it. We hadn’t had this bad of a storm in a long time. Probably since that bad hurricane hit New Orleans about 10 years ago that we learned about in History class. Ryder put his arm around my shoulder and took a sip of my soda.

    “I know what you’re thinking,” Ryder said putting my soda back into my hands. I took a sip.

    “What?” I asked glancing at him.

    “If everything is going to be okay.” He was right. I think he knows me more then my own parents. I smiled sadly and nodded.

    “Yeah, I mean, we’ve never had this bad of a storm that has this long. It scares me,” I said looking at my fingers that somehow found Ryder’s and was tracing a small freckle oh his wrist.

    “Your right, but just because it’s the worst one didn’t mean we hadn’t had anything this bad 200 years ago. We weren’t here so how could we know? It could be that a bad storm like this happens every hundreds of years. I mean there was talk of that huge flood a long, long time ago, who’s to say we couldn’t get wiped out by another?” I nodded agreeing.

    “That’s true. I’m just worried, ya know?” He chuckled lightly.

    “We both are.” He kissed my hairline and I looked up. He moved his lips down and kissed me on the lips. My head spun like it always did and I turned more securelyso I could hold more of him. I had been getting better at kissing I thought as I opened my mouth as an invite to Ryder. He groaned as his tongue touched mine. I bit his lip playfully and ran my tongue over his teeth. His hands grew tighter on my sides. This was so exciting! I had never done this before! It was so new and interesting! I wanted something new to kiss so I trailed my kiss down his chin then under it. We hadn’t really done this before. We always kissed but never got deeper then just kissing softly for a couple hours. But this, this was new and I loved it! He groaned again as I just placed kisses down his neck to his collar bone. His muscle bunched under his shirt. I ran my hands from his chest down a little then back up and up around his neck curling my fingers in his hair. He gripped me urging me but he was also tense.

    “Trinity,” he said breathless. I didn’t stop kissing him. “I think we need to go slower, we should sto—“

    “I am going slow,” I said cutting him as I let the tip of my tongue come out and trail up his neck to behind his ear. He shuddered. He growled low in his throat and rolled me quickly over on my back, pressing his body against mine. I gave a surprised gasp. His eyes were dark as he leaned down and captured my mouth with his. His lips were rough but gentle. The kiss was powerful and heated. I liked it a lot. He stopped kissing me and went down to my neck like I did to him. He suckled and kissed and I felt something warm and tingle in my lower stomach. I gave out a small gasp as his hands made small circles on my hips. I could hardly breathe but I didn’t want too! Was kissing always like this? What about sex? Was it better? It had to be! I couldn’t wait to get married to do that! I tightened my hands on his back pressing out middles together more. Ryder stopped kissing and gave out a small moan then he pulled back completely and stared down at me. His eyes were wide and he looked surprised.

    “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have done that.” I shook my head trying to get my breathing back.

    “It’s fine, I forgive you,” I reached up and tried to bring his head down to mine to kiss me again but he wouldn’t.

    “Trinity, we need to stop before we get carried away,” he said sounding like an adult.

    I sighed, “Okay.” He seemed relived. He slid off me onto his back and put a arm over his eyes. I turned on my side. He was so cute. I touched my lips and felt they were a little swollen from the heated kiss. I felt cold without Ryder on me. I then realized why he wanted to stop.

    “Ryder, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you, I just got caught up in it,” I said reaching for his arm. He wouldn’t let me bring it off his head. Was he mad? I hoped not. “Ryder I wasn’t think, please. I forgot about…her.” I pressed my lips together.

    “Just wait,” he said softly. I stared at his lips they were in a small line. Then he sighed and took his arm off his eyes. He looked over at me and smiled.

    “You think I stopped because of her?” he asked. I nodded. He touched my chin with his thumb. “I stopped…because I would have started something both of us wouldn’t have been able to stop,” he said looking me in the eyes with a smile still on those perfect lips. I blushed, realizing.

    “Oh,” I said.

    He chuckled then his smile sort of faded. “Trinity, I like you, a lot. But I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

    He said it! He said he liked me a lot! I almost grinned like a fool but just smiled.

    “What?” Ryder asked getting a smile back on his face. I giggled. Jeez, did I really just giggle again? I sat up on my elbow and looked down at him biting my lip from grinning.

    “You just said you liked me.” He thought for a moment then looked at me, that smile tugging at his lips.

    “Well I wouldn’t say that,” he said put his hands behind his head. I rolled my eyes.

    “You did, you can’t take that back,” I said. He looked at the ceiling keep his head there then his eyes looked at me.

    “I guess I do like then you,” he said finally letting that smile come out the whole way. I leaned down to him.

    “I guess I like you too,” he raised an eyebrow.

    “Do you?” he asked. I nodded.

    “Maybe.”

    “Maybe?”

    “Yes, maybe.”

    “Well, I think I’m going to have to make it a yes,” Ryder said. Quicker then I thought Ryder caught me around the waist and swung over me and had me pinned to the bed. I laughed hard as he laughed above me. I snorted accidentally. Snorted?! Jeez, Trinity! He just said he liked you and you had to go and snort while laughing! Ryder burst out laughing as I covered my mouth with my hands. He stopped and smiled down at me.

    “That is really cute, you know that right?” he said. I shook my head. “Well it is.” He leaned down and nipped my lip. My body melted. He paused and leaned his weight off me, he looked at the ceiling then back at me. We listened. Nothing.

    “Its not thundering,” I said. He smiled.

    “Maybe its over. I bet it is usually. It gets bad right at the end before its over. Or sometimes it’s a calm before the storm, but I doubt. Its probably over,” Ryder said. I bit my lip. I was so ready to get out of here. Ryder and I would be together. I knew it for a fact. He had changed me so much. Inside out. I put my hands on his head and brought his eyes to me. I leaned up and kissed him just lightly. He got off me and pulled me back to his front. I could feel his jeans rubbing my back. He put his arms around me and his lips to my hear. I closed to my eyes.

    “I think I’m falling more for you,” he whispered. I smiled without opening my eyes.

    “Me too.”