“What are we going to watch?” I ask, handing him the remote while covering a yawn.
“Tired?”
“Yes, but I want to watch a movie with you.”
He kicks off his shoes and leans back on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. “Come here.” He pats his lap, and I waste no time pulling the blanket from the back of the couch and using him as my pillow. He pulls up an episode of Good Girls and hits Play. We’ve been binging this series, and only after a few episodes, I’m addicted.
“Reese.” Hunter’s whispered voice wakes me. I peel open my eyes and look up at him. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“What time is it?”
“Just after midnight. We both fell asleep.”
I stand and stretch. “You can stay if you want.” This would be the first time he’s ever slept over. We’ve kissed, but that’s pretty much as far as we’ve taken things.
“Reese, I think there’s something that you should know.”
“What’s that?”
“This is embarrassing to talk about, and I should have told you by now, but it’s never been brought up, and this, tonight, if I stay here, well, I think you need to know.”
“Are you married? Seeing someone else?”
“No. Never. No, Reese. It’s just you. But, I’m—” He rubs the back of his head with his hand. “There is no other way to say this than to just spit it out.”
I nod. “Say it.” I have no idea what he’s about to say, but the words that come out of his mouth are not at all what I was expecting.
“I’m saving myself, you know, until marriage.”
Holy shit. Is this real? Hunter is a good-looking guy. Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, lean and fit, how is it he’s still a virgin? “You’re a virgin?” I wince as the words leave my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I rush to say. That was insensitive of me.
“No. It’s okay. Yes, I am. My decision is a big part of who I am, and I know we’ve never talked about this. I should have brought it up sooner, but I didn’t know how. I wasn’t sure where we were headed. Now, here I am. I fell in love with you, and I needed you to know.”
Wow. This is a big deal, and not at all what I was expecting. “Hunter, I’m not a virgin.” I feel like we need to be transparent with one another. If he’s hoping I too have been saving myself, he’s going to be disappointed. Although my one encounter in high school isn’t exactly much to write home about, the fact remains that I indeed have had sex. Just not in a very, very long time. I was holding out hope for me and Cooper, and well, we all know how that turned out. Then Hunter happened, and here we are.
“I don’t expect you to be. I just needed you to know that I plan to wait. When I get married, I want my wife to know that she has every part of me. It’s not a decision based on religious beliefs, but personal ones.”
“Wow,” I breathe.
“So… where does that leave us?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“Is this a deal breaker for you? Sex?”
Is it? I’ve never really thought about it. It’s not like I’m seasoned in the act myself. My prom-night blunder isn’t exactly screaming sex goddess. “No,” I answer him. “It’s not a deal breaker for me. I respect your decision, and I’m glad that you told me.”
“You’re not breaking up with me?”
“No. However, I have wondered a few times why you were so patient with me not moving things forward.”
“Trust me, Reese. You have been the test to my vow.” His eyes heat as they rake over my body. “You don’t know how many times I’ve imagined us together.”
“Is your family going to hate me because I’m not… you know, pure?”
“No. I don’t even know if they know about my vow. Like I said it has nothing to do with religious beliefs. It’s just something I promised myself, and if you can’t keep promises made to yourself, what kind of man are you?”
I take a seat back on the couch and curl up under the blanket. “What made you decide?”
“When I was ten, my older brother Jacob was sixteen. I heard him and his girlfriend at the time in his room one night. He was trying to break up with her; she’d gotten clingy, at least that’s what he told her. She started to cry and told him that she was pregnant. The room got quiet, and when my brother spoke again, I could hear the fear in his voice. I slipped back into my room and kept my mouth shut. Fast-forward a few weeks, and they told her parents and mine. They were disappointed because they were so young, but taking it one day at a time. We’re a family, and we’ll get through this. I remember those were my mother’s words the day that she found out. My father, he just nodded his agreement. They were on board to help any way that they could.”