Broken Pieces (9 page)

We end up lying down and looking at the stars. He tells me about him growing up with a single parent, like me, but no siblings. He told me his favorite color is black, and I told him that it that was a little obvious. He cut his eyes to me, laughed, and grabbed my hand. Entangling our fingers together, I can feel the heat from him through my whole body. It takes all my energy to stay focused on the rest of the conversation.

He eventually told me his birthday is June 2
nd,
and that he grew up around the city. He also works for a guy that has a center close to downtown that helps kids get off the street. For some reason, it tugged at my heart hearing him talking about those kids. I can feel how passionate he is about it. He proceeds to tell me that he worked there while he went to college and that it was more than he anticipated, but was well worth it when he got his current job at the law firm. He talks about how lucky he is to have gotten a job as quick as he did, but how he still spends every second that he can at the gym, helping with the kids.

I just lay there and stare at him as he talks so freely about his life, though there is a feeling that he’s leaving something out. I hope that it’s not even close to the horrors of my past, but I will not pressure him to tell me either. Hmmm, I think I can do this boyfriend thing.

“I’m sorry. I’m probably boring you with my whole life story.”

“Not at all. I like to hear you talk,” I reply, blushing a little at the fact that I just told him I like listening to him talk. I always have had a tendency to say the stupidest things.

When I finally get the guts to face him, he’s gazing up at the dazzling stars, a small smile playing on his lips. He has one arm under his head and he looks like utter perfection laying there. “Tell me about you,” he says, sneaking a glance in my direction. I looked up at the marvelous sky again.

“Um … okay, but there isn’t much to me that you don’t already know.” I still can’t believe that I told him that. There is no telling what he thinks of me now. I am surprised that he asked me out with all that I unloaded on him in just the first night. What in the hell was I thinking? Scaring the one and only guy I have been attracted to in the past four years … I really am screwed up.

He surprises me by turning on his side and resting on his elbow. He takes my face with his free hand, urging me to look towards him while he says, “What you told me last night doesn’t defy you, Kara. That is not who you are. Some of the deepest pain will only empower you to grow into a higher version of yourself. You have your whole future …”

I am so lost in his words that a bomb could go off and it would not affect me. I swear he has the ability to turn an already perfect night into pure heaven. He’s always so considerate to me, but I do not understand why he’s wasting his time with someone as broken as me.

“Thank-you for that, but you really need to understand that
is
who I am now. I’m broken, and I would understand if you didn’t want to go on with … whatever this is,” I reply sadly, as I move to sit upright and he follows suit.

“I am a big boy, Kara. Let me be the judge of what I get myself into, okay?” he says, nudging me in a playful manner.

I look up at him with raised eyebrows and say, “Okay, but you can’t say I didn’t warn you, Mr. Evans.”

That makes him throw his head back and laugh. “Okay, Ms. Brooks. How about we get out of here?”

We gather up our trash from dinner and discard it. We make our way to the edge of the park and I notice that traffic is very light and the café is closed. I didn’t think we were out there very long. A cool breeze comes through making me slightly shiver. I try to hide it, but he catches it.

“I’m sorry I don’t have a coat for you. I didn’t expect to be out this late,” he says, looking upset.

“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’m fine. What time is it anyway?” I don’t like that look of regret on his face.

“Um … almost eleven,” he says after looking at his phone. The look on his face makes me think that he thinks I’m going to freak out because everything is not perfect. He just doesn’t know that everything with him is already perfect.

“Oh, okay.” I give him a little smile because I do not want him to think that he has done anything wrong.

He returns my smile and puts his arm me. I’m instantly warm all over. He opens the car door for me. I am not used to that, but I definitely think I could be. As he’s walking around the car to get in, I take the opportunity to take a deep breath. I close my eyes and open them back up. Yup, I’m still sitting in this amazing man’s car. Some things just do not seem real, especially after so many fake things in my life before. I will enjoy every bit of time he will give me. That might seem pathetic, but after feeling dead for over five years, and you start to feel a little bit of life inside you, there is nothing that will stop you from taking the chance. It’s not like there is much of me left. If I were to give what is left of me away, I believe I would be okay with giving it to someone as special as Drew.

When we make it back to my dorm, he pulls in at my building and parks. I grab my purse and set it in my lap, fiddling with the strap and not knowing what to say. He’s also extremely quiet so I take a chance and break the silence. “I had a really good time tonight. Thank-you so much; it was perfect.” I keep my head down and stare at my fingers, bending and prodding at the strap of my purse.

“It was my pleasure. Thank-you for coming with me,” he responds, as politely as possible. I can definitely understand why some people can take one look at him and think that he’s just some bad boy with tattoos, but he proves that judging a book by its cover can lead to you missing out on a great book. In my case, I would have missed out on a wonderful person, I am glad I took a chance.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later?” I say, more as a question than statement.

“You
will
see me later; if you want to, of course.”

I give him a knowing look. “Yes, I do, but that depends if you want to see me,
of course
,” I throw back at him.

Smiling, he says, “Well, yeah, have you seen you lately?”

“Hmmp … yep,” I reply with an eye roll.

“Don’t, Karaline. You are beautiful,” he starts with a stern voice, then it turns into what sounds like adoration.

“Thanks,” I say. I’m amazed at how flushed he can make me with simple words like that. I wonder what else he could do if he …
You’re getting ahead of yourself, Karaline!

He reaches over and takes my face in his hands. I can feel the warmth throughout my whole body with that simple touch. He caresses my face, pushing a strand of hair off my forehead, and leans in slowly. He’s making sure I know what he’s doing; he is always thinking of me. I tilt my chin up to let him know that I want it, too. Then he takes my mouth with a soft tender kiss. The heat from his lips is scorching mine, but it feels nice. He slides his tongue across my bottom lip, and I oblige by opening my mouth to taste him. He tastes so wonderful that I can’t get enough of him, and he acts like he can’t, either. I feel like a teenager again, kissing in the car before going inside.

A giggle escapes, and he leans back slightly. There’s a questioning look on his face. “What?”

“Huh? Nothing,” I reply, as innocent as possible. Our first make out session and I have to ruin it by laughing at the random thoughts going through my mind. Great.

“Tell me what’s so funny,” he asks, genuinely wanting to know.

“I was just thinking that I feel like a teenager making out in a car before I have to go inside.” I say.

He laughs. “Yeah, I guess it does kind of feel like we’re teenagers, but it won’t always be like this.”

I stare back at him. What did he mean by that? He didn’t share anything else on the subject. He kissed me again, before I finally got out of his car. I could tell that neither one of us wanted to leave, but it was getting late so I walk back to my dorm room.

I walk in to the familiar smell that has been my home for the past three years. One more semester, a half-year, and I won’t know what to do with myself when I don’t have the comfort of this room to come back to. Then, it all of a sudden hits me … Monday is the start of my last year! I am excited but nervous because no one knows what the future holds. That’s when Drew’s words come back to me:
You have your whole future.
I take a deep breath, sit on my bed and think that in six short months, I will have accomplished a dream that I have had for almost eight years.

I was happy with just getting out of that town. Now that I have come this far, there is no stopping me now. I
do
have my whole life ahead of me. Nothing from my past can keep me from living my life to the fullest. Maybe I have Drew to thank for my new found positive attitude. Even if things don’t work out between us, I will always be grateful for all the words of encouragement he has given me. In just the two days I have known him, he’s given me the little push I needed to get out of this rut I have been in for years. I guess I should thank Lauren, too.

Speaking of that little tramp, I still haven’t chewed on her out and, of course, she is sound asleep under her comforter. I guess that’s what I get for coming in so late, but sleeping looks like a good idea. This staying up late is for the birds, but the company I have been with has made it more than worth it.

I defiantly feel like a teenager again. On Sunday, while he was at the gym working with the kids, he’d text me when he got the chance. That night, we talked on the phone for hours. I really felt like I was on cloud nine when we finally hung up.

We talked and texted about everything under the sun. His favorite food is Chinese and he likes action movies, but swore that he would sit through anything I picked out. I thanked him for the challenge. I told him that I’m going to find the most girly girl movie I can find. There are some of them that I can’t stand, but that will be my little secret.

When he said that he wished he had a sibling, I corrected him and told him about my little sister, and said he’s better off being an only child. He just laughed at me and started asking questions about my mom. I told him about how we were before my dad had skipped town with his new piece of ass that obviously meant more to him than his whole family. He told me that he did not know which is worse … a dad there until a certain point in your life and then splitting, or one that was never there. I said that it was the latter because I will cherish the memories of my happy childhood. Just not the aftermath.

He also got me to agree to let him take me out for my birthday. It is not like that day could get any worse, but I’m positive that just being with Drew will make that day better, no matter what we do. He said we could go anywhere I wanted; it was my choice.

I told him all about my new internship and how I had class in the morning, then work in the afternoon. He was familiar with where I would be working because some of the kids at the gym go there. I also told him about how I wanted to take my career as far as I could possibly go. He told me that I deserved it and, for once, I actually believed it when someone said that.

I also got to talk to Ms. Lauren about her saying that she knew him. She admitted right off the bat that she did not know him, but she had a good feeling. That’s when I about flipped out on her, and told her that he could have been some freak out to kidnap some drunk girl at the bar. That’s when she said, “But he didn’t. You’re still here so I obviously had the right feeling about him.” I threw up my hands in exasperation and told her that it was only because I liked her, and he did turn out to be a really nice guy, that I would forgive her.

Monday morning rolled around and, I have to admit, it was a bittersweet moment. I was sitting in my first class of the day when it hit me that this was the first day of class of my last year of college. Then it’s into the real world. I’m not so sure about that part but, hopefully, it will not be too bad. I’ll get a glimpse of my future this afternoon when I go to at my first day of my internship.

Thankfully, I only have two classes between eight and eleven in the morning, then a two hour lunch, then on to my internship from one until five. So maybe this year won’t be too bad. All the long hours of classes is paying off because I only have two left this semester. That gives me a half-year to get experience working in my field.

I am only half-way through the day and it’s been a good one. He texted me all morning, and even though I could only text him back during my breaks, he didn’t seem to mind. Now I am sitting here at the small café I used to work at eating lunch, waiting to start my internship. I’m really just sitting here texting Drew like I’m in high school. How pathetic am I? I told him I could let him go so he could get some work done, but he insisted that it was fine. However, I told him that it’s almost time for me to leave in case there is traffic. I do not want to be late on my first day. Maybe I am a little too excited about it.

Seeming how I have never been this close to the city in the three years I have lived here, I was surprised that I did not get lost. When I pull into the parking lot and take in my surroundings, the building is a lot bigger than I thought it would be and nicely landscaped. The buildings across the street, however, had seen better days. As I make my way to the front door, I silently hope this isn’t as bad a neighborhood has it looks. I push all that aside as I walk inside the doors and am greeted by a bubbly receptionist with a black bobbed haircut. She is gorgeous, her make-up and hair done perfectly, which leaves me feeling a little self-conscious.