Chasing Her Curves

2

Nate

Six years ago

“Bro, stop staring at her picture in the yearbook and just ask her out.” My friend, Eddie, sat down across from me and started packing weed into his bong.

“Man, I don’t know.” I closed the yearbook and waited for him to pass the bong my way once it was lit.

“What are you waiting for?” He exhaled a stream of smoke and leaned back on the couch. “High school is going to be over soon.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem.” I took a huge hit and held it for several seconds before exhaling. “She’s going away to college. I ain’t interested in that shit. As soon as I get my bike fixed up, I’m hitting the open road and never looking back.”

“Then ask her out, get your rocks off, and get her out of your system. You might as well get a piece of that ass before you go.” Eddie reached for the bong.

“It’s not like that. She’s not some random slut I can just fuck and forget. I actually like her.” I reached for the bong again.

“You’re going to be doing a lot of fucking and forgetting once you leave.” Eddie chuckled and exhaled. “Especially if you plan to become a nomad like you’ve always talked about.”

“True…” I nodded and sighed.

I definitely wasn’t planning on staying in my small Illinois town once I graduated. I hated it in Bakersfield. I had been planning my escape since I was a kid. My father was an alcoholic that beat the shit out of me on a regular basis until I was big enough to stand up to him. I had no idea where my mother was. My father said she left right after I was born and one day he found me on his doorstep. He was fine when he wasn’t drinking, but I didn’t remember the last time he had been able to go a full day without booze. I just kept planning my escape, working odd jobs, stashing money away, and suffering through my life with a promise of something better on the horizon. The open road was my escape. I wasn’t sure where it would take me, but it sure as fuck had to better than the life I knew.

The only person that ever made me question that plan was Harmony Carmichael.

She was a year younger than me, so while I noticed her in the hallway from time to time, I didn’t really get to know her until we ended up sitting beside each other in Anthropology. It was supposed to be an easy elective, and generally comprised of students from multiple grade levels. From the moment I sat down next to her, I struggled to look away. Her beautiful curves, her gorgeous smile, and her mesmerizing eyes set my world on fire.

I had never been in love before. I dated a lot and it usually wasn’t hard for me to ask someone out, but with her, it was different. There were days she didn’t seem to notice me and days when we spent the whole class joking about something the teacher said until the bell rang. When the bell rang each day to signal the end of class, we went our separate ways, and my heart burned until I was beside her again.

Fuck it, you know what—I’m just going to ask her out. What do I have to lose?

I planned to ask Harmony out on Monday, but I ta

lked my way out of it. By Friday, I felt like I had the courage to do it. She seemed to be in a particularly happy mood when she arrived, so I thought the week of waiting was going to pay off. There were times when I saw sadness behind her eyes, even when she tried to put on a brave front. I didn’t know what was going on in her life, but I had a suspicion that it was related to her sister. She wasn’t my type, but she was popular with a lot of the other guys. The teacher was late, so I sucked up my courage, quelled my nervousness and leaned across the aisle.

“You seem rather happy today.” I smiled when she looked over at me.

“I have a reason to be.” Her smile practically lit up the room. “Jimmy Adams asked me to homecoming!”

Shit!

“For real?” My smile faded, and my soul trembled. “That’s—awesome.”

“I know! I’m so excited!” She nodded enthusiastically.

I retreated back to my seat and scowled. There was nothing wrong with Jimmy Adams. He seemed like a nice enough guy. I couldn’t think of one good reason that she shouldn’t date him, except for the disappointment I felt when I thought about it. I had missed my chance. It took me a week to get up the courage, and I blew it. It was my fault. I sulked until the end of class and quickly left the room. I skipped the rest of the school day and just hung out in Eddie’s garage, getting high and trying to forget the name Harmony Carmichael. The next day, I got a call that my motorcycle was ready.

Fuck high school and fuck this town.

The only thing that had really kept me there was Harmony. With that chapter of my life suspended as she embarked on a new relationship, I decided I wasn’t going to wait around to see if her date ended in bliss or disaster. I didn’t really care about graduating. I would have left before the school year started if I didn’t wreck my motorcycle over summer break. Getting the call that it was ready right after learning that my chance with Harmony was blown seemed like a sign. The open road was supposed to be my destiny, so I embraced it.

One year ago

I hadn’t seen American soil in years. I lived the nomadic lifestyle for a while, picking up odd jobs, never staying long enough to make friends. When an opportunity came to head down to South America, I took it. It was great money and all I had to do was handle security for various celebrities that visited the country. I came home after five years in self-imposed exile with a lot of money in my pocket and my attention on the future. South America was a great place to visit and while I had certainly went through my fair share of women, it wasn’t somewhere that I could build the kind of life I craved.

A beautiful woman. A white picket fence. Maybe a few babies that look like the two of us. That’s the life I want now.

I never really thought I would have any of those things. I had succumbed to lust while I was in South America because it was easy. I wasn’t looking for anything serious. One morning, I woke up and questioned what my life had become. It was a life of my own creation and it was fun, but I had my fill of it. I needed so much more than random flings with sluts and one night stands with tourists. I needed something with substance. I returned to America, spent some of the money I saved on a new motorcycle, and decided to start over in New York City. It was a far cry from the small town life I left behind, and even more chaotic than the brief time I spent in Chicago, but it was a starting point.