The Day He Came Back

We broke out in laughter as he laid back down next to me. He softly kissed my neck as we listened to the sound of the waves. It was the first time I’d ever felt this level of contentment, and certainly the first time anything close to this had happened in the arms of a guy.

After a long period of silence, he was the first to speak.

“Remember how I said this was my favorite place?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, you’re my favorite person.”

I swore I could feel my heart melt. I also felt myself resisting that feeling, because I had no idea what tomorrow would bring. All I knew? I was in big trouble.CHAPTER EIGHT* * *GAVINI was starting to lose my shit.

Raven hadn’t been answering my calls, although she did text me to tell me she was okay. That meant she was avoiding me. All she would divulge was that she was going through some personal stuff. I blamed myself for taking things too far with her that night.

It had been a week since my father’s birthday party and our time at the private beach. I couldn’t stop replaying it in my mind. The sounds she’d made, I would never forget. We hadn’t even had actual sex, but it was by far the most intense sexual experience of my life. I got the impression it might’ve been the first time a guy had gone down on her. I was dying to feel her come against my tongue again. I’d tried to resist pleasuring myself in front of her that night, but otherwise I might have exploded. Maybe that was where I went wrong? I couldn’t be sure.

But with each day that passed, I became more worried.

To make matters worse, Renata had also called out of work. I couldn’t remember one time when she had done that before. So maybe something was going on at home.

I wondered if my mother knew anything, so I decided to approach her about it.

“Where’s Renata been?” I asked when I found her in the kitchen, trying my best to seem casual.

Mother barely looked up from her tea and newspaper. “She took sick time.”

“She didn’t tell you what was wrong?”

She looked at me. “Why is this any of your concern?”

“She never calls in sick. I can’t be concerned about her?”

“If I thought it was her you were concerned about, there wouldn’t be an issue.”

“The best thing Raven ever did was quit.”

“I would have to agree, and if I find out you’re still chasing her, there will be consequences.”

“I haven’t seen her since the night she walked out of here.”

That wasn’t even a lie, unfortunately.

“Good.” She returned her attention to the newspaper.

I ventured down the hall to my father’s office to see if he knew something my mother didn’t.

I knocked. “Hey, Dad.”

My father swiveled his chair around to face me. “Hello, son.”

“Mother says she doesn’t know what’s going on with Renata, why she’s been out. Do you?”

He took off his glasses. “No. As far as I know, she’s not feeling well and had to take a few days off.”

“I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else going on.”

“You want to tell me why you think that?”

“I’ve been in touch with Raven. Mother doesn’t know. Raven told me she, herself, was going through something personal. And now Renata has been out. As far as I can remember, Renata has never called out sick before. So I’m wondering if there might be something else wrong, either with Raven or both of them.”

He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry your mother has been so disrespectful to Raven. I don’t condone her behavior in the least. But as you also know, I only have so much control over your mother’s actions.”

“I know that. Believe me, I’ve watched your dynamic with her my entire life.”

“That said…” He paused to really look at me. “I hope you can find a way to focus on your upcoming move to Connecticut at this point, son. While I don’t have anything against Raven, and I think she’s a wonderful girl, I do think your attention right now should be on your studies.”

“I am thinking about the move. But who I spend my time with during my last summer before law school should be my choice.”

He nodded. “I agree.”

I sighed. “Thank you.”

I thanked God for my dad. He was the voice of reason in an otherwise crazy house.***Later that afternoon, my friend Christian Bradford came over to hang. He was one of the few people on the island I actually trusted. Christian was a year younger and was home for the summer from Brown up in Rhode Island.

He popped open a soda and put his feet up on the lounge chair. “So what’s been going on?”

How do I sum it all up? “I met this girl, and she’s pretty much knocked me on my ass.”