The Boy Next Door

This could be my moment. This could be the time when I finally allow myself to take a chance and reach out to someone. As I lay there with my head on Jayson’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and breathing in the smell of him, I thought about what could be. Maybe I should take a chance and open my heart to him. If there was ever a time in my life when it would be right to open up and show my true self, this would be it. I drew in a breath and tried to come up with the right words. This wasn’t something I’d ever done and wasn’t sure exactly how to tell him. I wanted to tell him how I was feeling and about the baby. I didn’t know how he was going to react, but the way he cradled me in his arms and kissed the side of my head put me at ease.

The words were just starting to form in my mind, and I opened my mouth to speak, but right at that moment I heard the sound of revving engines. Bright round lights cut through the darkness, and I gasped as I saw two sets of beams coming right in our direction. Jayson shot out from under me and jumped to his feet, reaching down to grab onto my hands. He pulled me up frantically and reached down for his pants.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

He hopped on one foot as he got into his pants as fast as he could, and I followed suit, wriggling back into my pants and reaching for my bra.

“It’s the beach patrol,” he told me. “Put your dress on. We’ve got to get out of here before they catch us.”

I dropped my dress over my head and scooped up my bra and panties just as he grabbed hold of my wrist and started pulling me out of the cove. He laughed as he took off running, pulling me behind him. It was all happening so fast, but his laughter was infectious. I couldn’t help but laugh too as I struggled to keep up with him. We got out onto the beach and paused just long enough to snatch my shoes up from the sand where I’d dropped them when he first kissed me. The lights were following us across the beach, and I heard someone shout in the distance, so we ran faster.

We got back to the parking lot, and Jayson flung himself forward across the hood of his car. I leaned back against the door, laughing as we struggled to catch our breath.

“I think we lost them,” I said.

“Good thing. We wouldn’t want to end up with our picture by the door at the restaurant,” Jayson told me.

“What?” I gasped.

He laughed harder. “You didn’t see them? The beach patrol goes up and down the beach every night, and if they catch people getting cozy, they take pictures of them. Clothed pictures,” he clarified. “They bring them to the restaurant, and they get posted.”

“That’s awful!” I said but couldn’t help but laugh more. “Can you imagine going in to have dinner and seeing yourself up on the wall?”

Jayson shrugged and walked up to me, sliding his hands around my waist again. “It would be worth it.”

A slow smile slid onto his face, and he leaned down for another soft kiss. When it ended, I pulled back and looked up at him. The words were right there on the tip of my tongue, but something was still holding me back. The moment didn’t feel right anymore. I decided to wait, to enjoy our burgeoning romance a little more before finding the perfect time to tell him about the pregnancy.

23

Jayson

The band was still riding high on the adrenaline from the wave of success we were experiencing, and it made our practice even more thrilling and intense. We were all still pumped about the reception of the album and the buzz it was already creating. Rather than letting it lull us into complacency, though, it was revving us up and making us even more determined. We were reaching a peak like we hadn’t in a long time, and all of us were thrilled to be a part of it.

Only a week after we finished the album, it was already making waves among important people in the music industry. It wasn’t hitting the radio stations yet, and it would be a while before it got onto shelves, but that would come. For now, we had to concentrate on making sure the right people heard it. These were the people who would give us more time in studios and hook us up with the artists, producers, and others who could catapult us to the next level. Getting that was a more important first step than reaching out to listeners. The fans would come, but only if there was a way for them to hear us. That meant needing exposure, and that meant impressing the right people.