Gem City

Chapter 8

“19 You + Me” – Dan + Shay

“Gravity” – John Mayer

They arrived back at the house, and Vanessa went to tell her mom that they had returned without being arrested. They still had an hour or so until Ethan"s curfew and decided to celebrate the victory in the basement.

“So, I sort of have a surprise for you,” Ethan announced.

“Oh, do you now?”

“You all just get comfy, I gotta grab my guitar.” They chatted about their general awesomeness and marveled at their TPing skills until he returned. As he sat down on the ottoman in front of her, he looked a bit apprehensive.

“Ok, so I"ve been working on something for you. I just learned it, so bear with me, but I"ve been thinking about doing this since the night we met. I kind of made it my own because, well, I can"t really rock a southern accent, but here you go.” He breathed and started to play the opening chords of one of Courtney"s favorite country songs, “19 You + Me,” by Dan and Shay. The way Ethan played it made it sound more rock than country, but her heart felt like it might burst; she was so enamored with the boy sitting in front of her. As he sang about back road adventures and first loves and first kisses, she forgot there was anyone else in the room. Anyone else in the universe. It probably wasn"t healthy for one"s adrenaline to rise and fall this much within one night, but her heart pounded and she blinked far more than necessary as she considered the fact that he had not only listened to, but learned and perfected, this song for her.

When he finished, he looked up at her, his nerves still showing. “That"s about as country as I can get.”

Courtney stood up and threw her arms around him. “You are wonderful,” she whispered in his ear.

He pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Anything for you.”

“Why don"t you ever play songs for me?” Vanessa questioned Luke.

“Well, V, I don"t play guitar. But I am happy to sing for you.” He burst into some god-awful version of “I Will Always Love You.”

“Ahhhh! Okay, stop, I get it!” Vanessa begged, giggling as Luke tickled her on the couch. Courtney redirected her focus to Ethan and left them to their own thing.

“Hey, I know you have to leave in a bit, but do you wanna …?” she asked seriously, tilting her head towards the hallway.

“Um, yes.” As they approached one of the downstairs bedrooms, Ethan shot her an uncomfortable look. “So, I guess I should tell you that I don"t really have a curfew tonight. I mean, I do normally, but I was planning on sleeping at Luke"s anyway, and his mom clearly does not enforce one for him, so… yeah. I just wanted to throw that out there. Not that we need to, like, spend the night together or do anything. Am I sounding like that"s what I expect by telling you this? I wasn"t going to say anything. I"m going to stop talking now.” She enjoyed watching him struggle far more than she should have. At least it"s not just me, then.

At least it"s not just me, then.Courtney did not respond to his explanation, but instead jumped on the bed and sat crisscross while she motioned for him to do the same. “Come here,” she commanded with a confidence she didn"t know she possessed. She tried to keep her palms from sweating, knowing what was about to come out of her mouth. Filter. Have a filter.

Filter. Have a filter“Okay,” he said, sitting down, awkwardly folding his long legs in front of him.

“I think it is sweet and wonderful that you are working so hard to make sure I"m…comfortable? I am certain that you have inferred by this time that I am not super experienced in this, ah, area.” She resisted the urge to want to cover her face or sink through a hole in the floor at the intense awkwardness she was experiencing at this type of honesty. “I have never met someone where it was even a decision I needed to think about, because I"ve never had a real… connection with anyone. I know that sounds trite and juvenile, but I don"t know what other word to use.” Ethan started to say something, and she put one finger up to his lips. “Please let me get this out. I didn"t say anything last time, so I feel like I have to set the record straight. So shhh,” she added as playfully as she could. He looked surprised but complied. “As I was saying, I get that you don"t want to pressure me or offend me and you want to be like a knight with a shining guitar or whatever. What I need for you to know is that I"m not a delicate flower or something. I know I like glitter and when you call me sprinkles, but I"m also capable of knowing what I want. I can promise you that you will not "talk me into" doing anything I don"t want to do, no matter how smooth you are.” That last bit was accompanied by a tentative smile.

“I do have some pretty good lines,” he bragged.

“Yeah, yeah. The other night when you had your big apology about grabbing my butt?” Am I really talking about this right now? Is this completely necessary? She was too far into it to turn back, so she pressed onward. “If I weren"t okay with it, I would have stopped you. I kind of like that you like my ass,” she told him, lightening the mood and trying to hide the blush spreading rapidly across her face. “You just seemed so set on asking for forgiveness that I let you go on about it. I just need you not to be afraid of, I don"t know, tricking me into something. I"m a big girl, and I"m not so easily led astray. If you want… more, with us, with this, then push for it. If I"m not okay, I"ll push back. Bear claw, remember?” she finally concluded, holding up her hand in a claw-like position. Ethan looked like he was processing for an extended moment. “I talk a lot. I know,” she admitted, waiting for him to catch up. So much for developing that filter, she thought.

Am I really talking about this right now? Is this completely necessary?moreSo much for developing that filter,“You might be the most incredible girl I"ve ever met, Courtney Ross.” He sat and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I know you can take care of yourself, I just- I don"t want to screw this up.”

“I will be the first to tell you if you are screwing this up. And you"re not.”

“Okay. I will remind myself that you are not a delicate flower,” he promised. “But while we"re in deep-discussion mode, do we need to talk about Truth or Dare? I don"t want to lie to you, so if you need to ask me anything else, I"ll tell you.”

“I"m okay with your number, if that"s what you"re asking. So, I guess, just…did you love any of them? All of them?” The question in and of itself was enough to make her want to vomit. She didn"t know what the better answer was. The thought of him being in love… being with other girls, it evoked a depth of jealousy she hadn"t ever experienced.

He let out a long sigh. “I don"t know. I mean, I"ve thrown the word out there before, before I even knew what it meant, because I thought that"s what people did in relationships. But no, I don"t think I ever actually did. I wasn"t lying earlier when I said there hadn"t been anyone in a while. I realized after I moved here that just hooking up with whomever I felt like wasn"t going to fly in a town this small, and I actually started to get to know people. And I liked them. So I don"t want to be that guy who messes with girls" heads.” He pressed his lips together like he might actually be trying to stop the next words from escaping. In the end, he failed. “But I can tell you I have never felt for anyone what I feel for you.”

“Ditto,” she replied, smiling. There was a lot of smiling. She didn"t know if she"d ever stop smiling. Forming more words than that proved impossible after he"d made her heart skip. “Can we snuggle now?” she asked, making him laugh.

“Whatever you wanna do, babe.” She let him pull her close and intertwined her legs with his. She threaded her thumbs through his belt loops and ran her fingers lightly against his hips. He brushed a few curls out of her face and ran his thumb along her cheekbone, tangling his fingers through her hair and meeting her lips with his. She could tell the energy had shifted. Their encounters always had something electric behind them, but this was deeper. He had a new intensity as he pressed her body closer into his and peeled off her black t-shirt. The overwhelming sense of must-have-him-now overshadowed the realization that no one had ever undressed her before. His eyes held her gaze briefly, and his expression was one she didn"t recognize, but it was hungry, and it sent heat through her veins.

undressedhungry,He moved his mouth down to her collarbone, planting small kisses along the way. She let him go further than before, and was surprised at how comfortable she was with him. She released her worry about her limited experience, and found that she liked how she could affect him with her fingertips and her lips, feeling his muscles contract beneath them. His kisses were more intense, and she realized he had been holding back before. He gripped her hips with certainty instead of hesitation, and her breath got caught somewhere between her heart and her lips when he traced winding circles up her thighs. They spent the next hour testing their new limits. When she knew he was satisfied with where she was willing to go, and where she needed to stop, her worry faded into nothing but wanting and excitement.

They lay together, temperatures returning to normal, heart rates slowing, and he looked into her eyes. “There is something I want to say to you, but I don"t know about my timing,” he said plainly.

“Okay?” Courtney came out of the comfortable space she was occupying next to him. She attempted to smooth her hair and right her shirt. Her skin still felt hot in the places his lips had been.

“I guess you and I tend to say things when we feel them, I just…” She waited patiently for him to find his words, feeling like he didn"t need her to respond. He took a deep breath. “I think I may be falling for you. Like nothing I"ve… well, it"s new. You don"t have to say it back, or even respond… I just needed to tell you that.” He avoided meeting her eyes for the time being. Courtney"s chest tightened. She knew this was a moment for them. It did not escape her that he hadn"t used the word "love," but in knowing him, she knew that what he did say was enough.

moment“I love you too,” she offered quietly. He let out a sigh like he had been holding his breath.

“Wow, okay, I"m glad you saw through my lie before; I totally needed you to say it back.” He laughed, sliding his hand back around her waist.

“Was there really any doubt?" she asked.

“Well, one doesn"t like to assume, right?” He pulled her back into his space and kissed her again. And again. And again. Lying there, they both came down from the high of being together, and fatigue set in. “All right, sprinkles, I should probably go find Luke and get us to his house before the sun comes up and V"s mom wonders what the hell is going on,” he admitted reluctantly. They went and found Luke and Vanessa asleep on the couch, and they got them both coherent enough to get up and go.

“I"ll call you tomorrow? Or today, rather,” she promised, looking at the clock.

“Absolutely.” He kissed her once more before walking out to Luke"s truck.

“Okay, I am not really awake right now, but I have a gut feeling I"m going to want to hear about something tomorrow. For now, make sure I don"t fall down the steps,” Vanessa told her, dragging her feet.

“I will,” Courtney promised, and she practically floated up the stairs to bed.