Chapter 14: Flashback

“Kemar! What are you doing here?” I asked in surprise. He looked a bit misplaced, surrounded by people in their early twenties, some even younger, and his outfit didn’t quite match what most partying people were wearing.

Not that there was ever mentioned any dress code, but a white polo shirt and a knitted vest combined with khakis wasn’t it.

“Just checking to see if my girl was doing all right.”

He had a different look in his eyes than he usually had, but I didn’t think much of it. All I registered was that he called me “his girl.” However, his facial expression confused me. He looked angry.

“But I can see that you’re doing more than all right,” he continued. Then he glared at Simon, who was still laying on the ground where I’d left him, holding his crotch.

“No! God, no. That wasn’t what it looked like. He kissed me, and I…”

“You let him,” he cut in. “And you clearly enjoyed it, too.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. If he saw us kissing, then how did he miss the part where I pushed Simon away? Twice!

I didn’t like the way he looked at me with eyes filled with disapproval and something else. Resentment? No, that couldn’t be. If so, then why was he still here?

“No, I didn’t! I swear! It just happened. He was so sad, and…”

“So, you walk around and kiss every sad guy you meet? Nice to know.”

His sarcasm was stinging and left me defensive, and I didn’t like it one bit. It didn’t help that he kept interrupting me, either.

“No, I’m not! Will you listen? How did you get in here, anyway? I never even told you where I was.”

He smirked coolly and it made me angry.

“Oh, I’ve got my ways, sweetheart. But if you think it’s so bad that a guy wants to check on his girl, then I’ll leave. And since this is what you’re doing behind my back…”

“NO! IT ISN’T!” I shouted and was immediately embarrassed because we were drawing attention from people around us. Therefore, I continued with a much lower voice.

“Kemar. You need to listen to me,” I said sternly. “Simon is just a friend. And he will always be just a friend. But he’s really drunk right now, and he just told me that he’s in love with me.

“But I swear I don’t feel the same way about him. I never did. I only care about you.”

I stopped because I was out of breath, and honestly, also at a loss for words. I’d told him the truth, so what else was there to say?

“So, if I tell you not to have any more contact with him from now, you won’t?” Kemar said after a moment of thinking.

Then he scowled back at Simon who was stumbling to his feet thanks to a couple of guys who obviously felt sorry for him.

What he asked for would be easier said than done, since we had the same friends and had several classes together. But after what happened tonight, it would just feel awkward to be around Simon, anyway. I nodded.

“Yes. I’ll do anything for you,” I said, and meant it. And finally, Kemar seemed to believe me.

“That’s my girl,” he said with his cocky smirk that had returned to its usual charming one. Then he pulled me closer and stared into my eyes, while he entangled his fingers with mine behind my back.

It was almost like he held me imprisoned and I felt weak in his mesmerizing gaze. Despite his unusual outfit, he was undeniably the handsomest man here, and he was here for me.

Not for all the other beautiful girls who snatched all the best-looking guys just for the simple fact that they were cheerleaders.

Kemar was there for me, and right now he released my hands and grabbed a solid grip around each of my butt cheeks and diminished the space between us completely.

Then his lips devoured mine with a possessiveness that made me turn to mush on the inside.

There was no way Simon didn’t see this. And everybody else, for that sake. But it felt so good that I almost didn’t care that I was close to dying from embarrassment.

“Want to get out of here?” he asked, and I nodded and grabbed his hand while I smiled like I was high on drugs. And shortly after, I was buckled up in his car. Simon’s dream car.

A red Mustang.

***

“Where did you go last night?” Keesha exclaimed when we met on the school bus the next morning. She was obviously a bit hungover because she was quieter than usual, but it didn’t keep her from being curious.

“Oh, hi. I hung out with Kemar for a while before he took me home. I didn’t feel like staying there any longer.”

Keesha gasped and slapped her chest dramatically.

“He was there? Your Prince Charming was there, and you didn’t let us meet? Traitor!”

“It was only shortly!” I protested and held up my hands in defense of the wrath I was expecting to receive. But she only shushed me and rubbed her temples.

“That bad, huh?” I said and tried not to giggle. But the way she glared at me made me laugh anyway.

“But seriously. I need to meet him so I can see why he’s so much better than Simon.”

“Keesha…” I groaned. “Will you stop shipping us together? It’s never going to happen! I know you mean well and all, but please…

“You saw for yourself what happened last night, and it only got worse when you left me alone with him.”

Keesha looked as guilty as she deserved.

“Yeah, I heard about that. Simon was a complete mess after you left, and he even tried to drink himself unconscious. I get that you’re not into him, but seriously. What happened between you two?”

I sighed. “He told me.”

“He finally told you he’s in love with you? Damn. Well, I kind of guessed, actually. He was really, really upset, and since you left…” She shrugged.

“But that’s not all,” I said and bit my lip.

“What do you mean?”

I hesitated a bit before I replied and tried to ignore the flashback from his lips on mine while he pulled me close.

“He kissed me.”

“What?” she burst out in complete astonishment. “He did? Holy shit. That’s…”

“I know. It was awful,” I said when she didn’t complete her sentence. Then a mischievous smirk appeared out of nowhere, and she turned to me with excitement shining in her eyes.

“Was he good?”

“Keesha! It’s not funny. I already told you it was awful,” I muttered, and the curly-headed, dark-skinned girl who’d been my best friend for over twelve years pouted and faked being heartbroken.

“But you two would be such a perfect couple.”

“You keep saying that, but it’s not going to happen, okay? I’m with Kemar now.”

“All right, fine. I’ll stop teasing you about him,” she said eventually and sat back in her seat with her arms crossed.

I doubted she’d keep that promise entirely, but at least she’d back off a bit. Especially after what happened last night.

Keesha could be a pain in the ass, but she was one hundred percent loyal and always had my back whenever I needed it. Unconditionally. And that went both ways.

My mind drifted back to Kemar. About how he’d called me his girl, and the way he had been a gentleman and brought me home safely.

He even followed me to the door and kissed me until I became dizzy and giggly, and that hadn’t happened before, like…at all. I was still a virgin. But now?

I was starting to think of him as the one I would give myself to. However, we were far from that stage yet. ~Far~.

“Look at you, smiling like a goof,” Keesha teased. “Is it Mr. Bookworm?”

I laughed and slapped her arm. That was answer enough.

“So, you’re an item now?”

“I’m actually not sure, but I think so. He hasn’t asked me yet, but he keeps calling me ‘his girl’ and sweetheart and stuff like that. And we’re going on our first date tonight.”

I became thoughtful when I realized how little I knew about him. But I supposed that would come naturally.

From tonight everything would get easier, and I knew for sure that I’d ask all kinds of questions when we met for our date. Then I’d find out about his favorite color and movie.

Learn about his family and his childhood, and maybe even get him to tell me about his future goals. Hopefully I would be a part of it, but who knew?

At least we would spend time getting to know each other, and when we were comfortable enough, we would take the next step. The thought made me blush.

“Awe. That’s so cute! My little nerdy friend finally took her head out of her books.”

We both giggled a little.

“So, when can I meet him? I need to find out if he’s good enough for you, you know.”

“Oh, he is,” I said solemnly and ignored her squinting eyes. “He’s more than good enough.”

Keesha suddenly clasped her hands together and looked super excited for some reason.

“Hey. We need to go on a double date. Do you think he’ll accept that?”

“Yeah. Why not? You’re my best friend, so I’m sure he won’t mind. I’ll ask him tonight and we’ll figure something out.”

I counted the hours and the minutes to when I would meet my mysterious boyfriend again. I even tried counting the seconds, but that became too advanced without a calculator.

So instead, I stumbled out of the school bus together with Keesha, while I daydreamed about steel-gray eyes and a cocky smirk.

And Simon? He wasn’t there.

***

6427 seconds. That was how long I waited from being done to Kemar turning up in our driveway.

He wasn’t late or anything. It was just me being extremely impatient and anxious that my parents would be back earlier than they said.

Telling them that I was dating someone who was that much older than me would only cause drama. Drama that would come no matter how long I postponed it, I knew that.

But it would be nice to get to know Kemar well enough to be able to defend him, at least.

“Hello, sweetheart. Are you ready to leave?”

I’d practiced smiling the natural, sophisticated way in front of the mirror before he arrived, which might sound ridiculous.

But in my case, it was necessary so I wouldn’t end up like the one in school group photos who clearly stood out from the others.

The one who still had braces on her teeth and way-too-short bangs, and whose parents forgot about the photoshoot and sent their kid to school in the same clothes as yesterday.

Despite all that, this kid grinned wider than everybody and was teased about it afterwards.

However, when I opened up and found a smirking Kemar in the doorway with a long-stemmed red rose in his hand, I looked nowhere near anything that could be described as elegant and sophisticated.

I looked like a dork with cramps in my cheeks.

“Yes,” I managed to reply, and was about to pick up my phone to put it in my purse so we could go, when Kemar cleared his throat to draw my attention to his raised eyebrow.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked when he just stared at me. I immediately felt self-conscious and started checking my clothes for stains or holes, but I couldn’t find anything.

I’d spent a lot of time picking out the right outfit and ended up with a midnight-blue pencil skirt that reached down to my knees, and a silver halter neck that had a narrow panel of lace as an illusion for an opening in the back.

It wasn’t inappropriate in any way, but it had that little extra something that I hoped Kemar would like.

And I was absolutely sure it was suitable for the kind of date I thought he had in mind. At least from what he’d told me.

“Well, as much as I love what you’re wearing, I don’t think it’s appropriate to wear that in public,” he said, and my eyes widened.

“What’s wrong with my outfit?”

I couldn’t quite grasp why he didn’t like it. The earrings and necklace were discreet, the skirt had a decent length, the halter neck top was only showing my shoulders and definitely not too much cleavage.

Maybe the color was wrong?

“Nothing. Just put a jacket on, and it’ll be okay for now. But remember to cover yourself a bit better next time. I don’t want anybody to drool over ~my girl,~ you know.”

He emphasized the two magical words and gave me his most charming smile, and I melted on the spot.

Then he was a gentleman and helped, putting on one of the thin summer jackets that were hanging in the hallway.

It was green and belonged to my mom, and it was comfortable enough. However, it didn’t really match.

“Come on, sweetheart. We have a table at Joe’s Seafood in half an hour, and we don’t want to be late, do we?”

I nodded and tried to smile, but everything felt wrong now. That was one of the most fashionable restaurants in Chicago. Of course, I couldn’t wear a halter-neck top there!

He was absolutely right. Entering a place like that, wearing a short skirt and a tank top would be downright embarrassing.

“Wait,” I said, just as he was about to lead me through the door. “Can I…uhm. Can I please have two minutes?”

I didn’t like the way I stuttered, and the way he let the question linger before he gave me permission made me feel awkward as hell. Therefore, I bolted off and back into my room to change.

Question was…change in what way?