Char (14 page)

“Love?” I choke on my water. “You’ve known him like two weeks. That’s crazy.”

“Wait,” Chloe says. “You think it’s crazy that after two weeks I’m in love with him, but it’s not crazy that after two weeks we’ve had sex?”

“Sex is different. Landon waited three months to tell me he loved me.”

“And how soon did you have sex?”

“Three months.” We actually had sex the night he told me that he loved me. And then I waited another month before I said it back. I wanted to be absolutely sure. And after about nine months of dating, we both kind of stopped saying it. I didn’t say it, because I wasn’t sure that I loved him anymore. Maybe that’s why he stopped too. We both knew it was over long before it was actually over.

“So what? I fell in love fast. When you know, you know.”

I wonder if that’s true. Tristan tells me that I’m the girl he’s going to marry, but how can he know that? And shouldn’t I be freaked out that he knows? Because I’m not. And maybe it’s just the little girl in me. I want to believe in love at first sight. I want to believe in TRUE LOVE. I want a happily ever after. But do I want it with Tristan? How can I know for sure he’s the one? The truth is, I can’t. Not until I get to know him better. Maybe it wasn’t love at first sight, but attraction. He saw something in me that he wanted, and I with him. The more that I get to know Tristan, the more my attraction for him grows. That attraction could eventually turn into love.

I look at Chloe. She looks a little sad, and I know it’s because of me. Who am I to question her feelings for this guy?

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “You’re right. I don’t know what you’re feeling. If you say it’s love, then I believe you. I just don’t want to see my big sister hurt.”

She smiles again. “Thank you, Char.”

“Have you told Mom?” I ask.

Chloe laughs. “Puh-lease. Mom is already planning our wedding. You know how she is.”

I do
know how she is. Nosey, pushy, and she has this uncontrollable need to marry all three of us off. She told me when I was sixteen if I wanted to get married she would sign for me. Like, seriously? Let me grow up first. Maybe graduate high school?

“Candi has been really supportive.”

What? Candice knew before me? Ouch. “Oh, so Candi already knows?”

“Yeah,” she answers. “I actually went to her for advice. I was scared about my first time. She explained a few things to me, and made me feel better.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

“She was there. And I don’t know. You’re so young. I felt weird going to my seventeen year old sister for sex advice.”

“Right. So instead you went to Candi, who
just
turned nineteen
by the way, for advice. She’s only like one year and three months older than me.”

Chloe sighs. “But you’re here, and Candice is there. And she isn’t still in high school.”

“You know what, I am not hungry anymore.” I stand up. “I hope you are happy with Phillip, Candice, and Mom. You’re officially on the dark side.”

“Charlotte!” I hear her yell at me, but I don’t stop, and she doesn’t follow.

My whole life I’ve had one person on my side — Chloe. Now, I’m all by myself, and it sucks.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29

6pm

Traitor

Wednesday at school I had trouble concentrating. I kept thinking about Chloe, and how betrayed I felt… So, I skipped Thursday. I know, I know. It’s the second week of school and I’m already ditching. But I think
heart broken by sister
is a good excuse.

I spend the first part of the day in bed, eating junk food. I was waiting for a text from Chloe that never came. But then I decide to stop feeling sorry for myself, and get up. I take a really long shower, and get ready for my weekend.

Tonight, Tristan and I are leaving for Hamptons. And tomorrow I get to see Aaron. So I refuse to let anybody or anything ruin my good mood.

As I’m packing, my phone vibrates with a text from Aaron.

Aaron:
I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’ve missed you way too much!

Me:
Me too! <3

Aaron:
My plane should arrive about 6am your time.

Me:
Awesome! Maybe we’ll get to surf in the morning once you get to the Hamptons.

Aaron:
What do you mean once I get there? Don’t you mean WE?

Me:
I’m going early with Tristan. I’m sending my driver for you.

Aaron:
Oh.

I almost question my decision. Maybe I SHOULD wait for Aaron. He’s flying all the way to NY to see me. But I want to go. I desperately need to get away for a little bit. I double check my suitcase and make sure I packed everything. I’m bringing all of my bathing suits that I packed, all my flip flops, and sundresses. It’s my last chance to wear them before the weather gets cold, so I plan on spending the whole weekend in my bikini.

Earlier today, I straightened my hair. It takes so long that I normally just leave it wavy. But I wanted to look cute. For Tristan. Which makes me almost as pathetic as Chloe professing her love after two weeks.

I put on a brand new white sundress and a pair of matching flip flops.

There is a knock on my door, and I turn to see Tristan standing in the doorway. He looks good. He’s wearing a pair of dark denim jeans, and a tight t-shirt. It is tight enough to show the contours of his muscles, and I’m trying not to stare. But I’m failing.

“Are you ready to get out of here?” Tristan asks.

I finally look away from his perfectly chiseled chest. I’m hoping he didn’t notice me checking him out, but from the look on his face he definitely noticed. “Yeah, I’m all packed and ready.”

“You look nice,” he says. “I like your hair best when it’s natural, but it’s great straight too. It looks darker. I’m beginning to think you’re a brunette.”

“Should I dye it?” I ask. I remembered that Aaron said my hair didn’t look as good darker.

“No way. You’re perfect the way you are.”

I smile at his words. “You’re the perfect one. Seriously. Do you even have a flaw?”

“Nobody is perfect. Not even me.” He grabs my suitcase off my bed. “You ready?”

“Yep.” I follow him down the stairs. I’ve never been the kind of girl who lets a guy carry her stuff, but it’s kind of nice. Maybe I am a traitor to the feminist movement, and women all over the world. But I don’t care, I like it.

9pm

One kiss.

We arrive in Hamptons just after nine that night. I go to my dad’s house to put on my bathing suit, and Tristan goes to his house next door to get ready. I always forget how big his house is. It makes my dad’s house look small, but it’s not.

I put on my favorite white and pink polka dot bikini and walk out onto the beach. As I watch the waves rolling in, I feel anxious. I can’t wait to get out on the waves in the morning. My hair is blown away from my face by the gentle breeze, and the smell of fresh salt water is in the air. It’s not the same as California, but I could definitely get used to it here.

“Already in a bikini?” Tristan asks. I turn around to see him walking up behind me. He’s wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“This is my normal attire,” I tell him. “When I lived in California, I hardly ever wore anything else.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining.” I watch as Tristan’s eyes slowly trail down my body, and I swear I can feel his eyes heat up my skin… It’s not like I’ve never had a guy check me out before — I have. But this is different. This is extremely hot. His eyes once again meet mine, but there is something different about the way he’s looking at me. “Maybe you should put on a coverup.”

I cross my arms over my chest. I’ve never really felt self-conscience before, but I’m suddenly feeling it. I refuse to be
that girl
. “No” I say boldly. “Maybe you
should take some clothes off, then you won’t be so uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable. I just don’t trust myself around you when you look like that.”

“Really? You don’t
trust
yourself? Why?” I push him a little. Mainly because I want to hear him tell me that he wants me.

He sighs. “Come on, Char. You know you’re hot. And the fact that there are tiny scraps of fabric over the most intimate parts of your body is kind of driving me crazy. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and trust me when I say that my imagination is running wild.”

That has got to be the hottest thing anybody has ever said to me. Ever. And my hormones just kicked into overdrive. “I’m thinking I like where your imagination is going.”

Tristan steps closer, but he doesn’t touch me. “You can’t say stuff like that to me. And you can’t look at me like that.”

I smile innocently. “Like what?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he says. “And I want to kiss you so bad right now. But if I did, I wouldn’t stop.”

I feel like I just jumped from the tallest building in New York City. I’m about two seconds from the bungie chord catching me, but there is still that fear that I’m going to hit the ground. I’m excited, because this is the thrill of a lifetime.

“What if I don’t want you to stop?” I ask.

Tristan takes another step. Now there are inches between our skin. He runs his finger down my stomach, and I want him to keep going down, but he doesn’t. He stops as he gets to the top of my bikini. “You’re beautiful.”

I’m stunned. That was not what I expected him to say.
 

“And I’m going to kiss you. And then I am going to go to my house, because I don’t trust myself to be around you right now. And when your friend kisses you this weekend, and he will, I want you to think of this moment. I want our kiss to be the best kiss of your life.”

Before I have time to comprehend what he said, his lips are on mine, and my body is on fire.

Tristan runs his fingers through my hair, and I feel his other hand slowly run down my back, leaving a hot trail in it’s path. He cups my ass with his hands, and I moan as I melt into him. I put my hands under his shirt and feel across the muscles on his stomach. He tenses up at my touch for a moment, but then he gives in, pulling me closer.

Every kiss and every touch feels more intense than the last, and I have never wanted somebody so bad in my life.

I feel Tristan pick me up and lay me down on the sand. He climbs on top of me, and kisses me harder. I can now feel exactly how bad he wants me as he grinds his hips into me. The only thing between us is just a few layers of clothing that could easily be removed — and I want them gone.

I pull up on his shirt, and he tosses it aside. His lips are once again pressed against mine, and he pulls the string on my bikini top. We are now skin against skin from the waist up. Tristan leaves a trail of kisses from my lips to my breasts. He gently begins to suck and tease, and I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips. Seriously. He has a magical tongue. After a few seconds of teasing, he turns his attention to the other side, giving it the same amount of attention.

His lips leave my breasts, and I’m disappointed until his lips meet mine again. I feel Tristan’s hand reach under my bikini bottoms, and he begins to tease me with his finger. He circles around me a few times, teasing me. And then finally I feel his finger slide inside of me, giving me exactly what I want. I feel my breath coming faster, and I know exactly what’s going to happen. I feel myself tighten around his finger, and I squirm against him. He pulls away, smiling.

“That was hot,” he says.

“We’re not done.” I’m a little breathless.

“I told you. One kiss. That’s all. Now when Aaron kisses you, you will definitely
be thinking of me.”

Tristan helps me off the ground, and watches as I put my bikini top back on.

“I’m going to go home now,” he says. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Unable to speak, I just nod my head and watch him walk away. My insides are still throbbing. I’ve never felt this way before. Definitely not with Matt, and not with Landon either. If foreplay with him is this hot, I can’t wait to go all the way.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30

7am

Jealous girlfriend.

After Tristan left last night, I had a lot of problems sleeping. I only ended up with about four hours of sleep before I got up to surf. I surfed for an hour, then I saw Tristan on the beach so I decided I would go hang out with him. Once Aaron gets here, I’ll probably hit the waves again with him.

“Hey,” I say, carrying my surfboard up the beach. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act after last night. Part of me is embarrassed, because I acted like a horny teenage girl… Okay, so maybe I AM a horny teenage girl… But STILL! He saw my boobs. Which shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But it kind of is with Tristan.

“Hey. My mom is having this breakfast thing, and I was wondering if you wanted to come,” he says. “Well, it’s kind of a big deal. She’s practically invited her whole circle to kick off Labor Day Weekend…”

“I’m guessing I can’t just wear a coverup.”

“You can, but everybody else will probably be dressed up.”

Yeah, I’m definitely dressing up. “So I get to meet your mom?”

“Yes. But don’t worry. She will love you.”

“I don’t really have conservative outfits,” I tell him. “I didn’t really think about meeting anybody. I was thinking it was going to be a fun, chill weekend. I did bring a few dresses in case we went to dinner or something, but they’re kinda short.”

“My mom won’t care.”

“Fine. What time is this breakfast thing?” I ask.

“At nine,” he says.

“Okay. Aaron is supposed to be here a little after nine, so I’ll let him know. I can guarantee that he won’t bring dressy clothes, so he can just chill at my house or something.” As we walk towards my house, I call Aaron, leaving it on speakerphone.

“CHAR!” Aaron answers.

“Hey, Aaron,” I say. “Did you have a good flight.”

“As good as it could be, I suppose. I took some anxiety pills, so I slept most of the flight.”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot you were scared of flying.” I laugh, thinking about the time I went with his family on a ski trip to Colorado. He literally cried
when we were taking off.

“How could you forget?” he asks jokingly. “Seriously, you’re such an insensitive best friend.”