She went home Saturday morning, and we had a shitty game that night, so we never connected. I thought we could spend the day together Sunday, but something came up back home and she couldn’t come over. Then Monday, she had a study group, and I had a late practice last night. She’s heading to her hometown again tonight, so I knew this little window of time was all I had if I wanted to see her. And I definitely do.
Her door is the third one on the left and her cute little whiteboard has today’s date surrounded by purple flowers. I knock and seconds later, her soft voice calls, "Come on in, Mel."
I turn the knob and step inside. "My name’s not Mel, but can I still come in?" I ask, smiling. God, she looks pretty today, though that’s no surprise. Josie is effortlessly beautiful. Her hair is up in a knot on top of her head and she’s in a tiny tank top and yoga pants. Fuck, she’s not wearing a bra and I can see her nipples through the thin material of her shirt. She’s got an oversized gray cardigan on and it looks like she swiped it from sometime twice her size. Her feet are bare and her lips are glossy from the three thousand coats of strawberry lip balm she applies daily.
"Van, what are you doing here?" she asks while folding a pair of jeans and tucking them in her duffle.
It’s not the greeting I was hoping for, but I get her surprise. Dammit. I’m new at this boyfriend shit. I definitely should have texted. In an attempt to recover, I flash her another smile. "Practice just ended, and your dorm’s so close. I figured I’d stop by."
She smiles in return, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. "I’m leaving soon. I have to head back home for something."
"Yeah, I know," I say, stepping into the room and sitting on her bed. "You’re leaving in an hour, right? I haven’t eaten, so I thought we could grab food at the dining hall. Or go to Drip? I haven’t seen you since Friday," I say, reaching for her. She puts her small hand in mine, and I squeeze, tugging her down so she’s sitting on my lap. She looks at me, really looks at me, and that’s the first genuine smile I’ve seen from her since I walked in.
"You smell good," she tells me, kissing my lips and threading her fingers through my still-damp hair. I lean back so I’m propped up against the cinderblock wall.
"You feel good," I tell her, my hands encircling her waist. We kiss some more, and I’m tempted to lift her shirt and let my hands explore. But then we’ll never get to eat, and she’ll end up leaving late. Plus, I’ve really missed hanging out with her this past week. The texts aren’t enough. I know she’s busy, but I want to soak up every second with Josie that I can. I’ve neverhad a relationship, but I’m all in. It’s crazy. If I have a free minute, I want to see her or talk to her. She’s constantly on my mind. I used to make fun of my buddies in high school who were attached to their girlfriends, but I totally get it now.
I ease up a little and Josie sighs, leaning back against my bent knees. Her sweet, hot center is pressed up against my cock. God, what I wouldn’t give just to pop the button on my jeans and take my aching dick out. Josie’s eyes go wide, as though she knows exactly what I’m thinking and she’s just as tempted as I am.
But her phone starts ringing, so she hops off my lap and scrambles to answer it.
Now she’s talking and packing, like I’m not even here. And I shouldn’t be, I guess? I mean, we didn’t make plans, but still. You’d think she’d be excited to see me, even for a little while. If she showed up at my place just to see me, I’d be thrilled.
"Hey, I’m leaving soon. What’s up?" she asks.
Whoever’s on the line says something to make her laugh, and I feel a stab of jealousy.
"Okay. See you in an hour."
Josie hangs up and slips her phone in her pocket before turning back to me. She looks…guilty? But that makes no sense. Maybe she just feels bad about leaving.
We’ve barely seen each other lately, but I have a solution to that.
I get off her bed, because it’s time for me to head out. Standing behind her, I wrap my arms around her shoulders. "I know you need to go, but I wanted to ask you something."
She turns to look up at me. "What’s that?"
"So, we have another home game Saturday. It’s our last one for a couple weeks. There’s a party after. Plus, my mom’s coming into town for it and I really want you to meet her. You don’t have to sit with her at the game or anything, but I thought we could all get breakfast at the diner on Sunday before she heads out?
Josie steps out of my hug and shakes her head. "I can’t. I go home on Saturdays."
I probably should have expected that, but I’m surprised she’s turning me down without even thinking about it. That hurts more than I want to admit. "I know, but do you have to goeverySaturday? You can’t skip this once?"
She zips up her duffle, not bothering to look at me. "No, I can’t skip."
Frustration courses through me. "What do you even do back home? Do you have a job or something? Can’t you call off?"
She bites her lip and I can see that her neck and cheeks are getting splotchy. I know she gets this way when she’s nervous, and I feel bad for upsetting her, but doesn’t she get it? I want to spend time with her and she’s not even trying.
Finally, Josie looks up at me. She takes a deep breath and here it comes—she’s either gonna break up with me or explain what the hell is so important in Silver Creek that she has to be there all the time. I brace myself for whatever she’s about to say, but her phone beeps and it’s like a switch. A wall goes up and she shakes her head. "It’s just…family stuff."
"Family stuff…ok. But does your family need you that much? Like, your parents can survive a weekend without you, right?"
Her face goes pale and she starts playing with the amethyst necklace she never takes off. I’m probably being a dick, but if they can’t handle being without their little girl for a couple days, that’s kinda fucked up. Maybe they’re super controlling? I don’t know. I don’t really know anything about Josie’s family. She doesn’t talk about them much. But she sure does go home a lot, which makes me wonder why.
Josie means a lot to me, so I’m not letting this go. "Come on, Josie. You can’t even ask them? Just check to see if you can stay here this weekend. You’re away at college—you’re supposed to be having fun, not running home all the time."
"I can’t, not this weekend. Maybe?—"
