Letters From A Stranger |COMPLETE|

Part 11

Perfection: a strange thing. Is Carson upset that his life no longer appears that way to me? Does he honestly think I care? It's one hundred times better than a life I'll ever be able to call my own. Every family has its arguments. It was just awkward and bad timing. I don't blame the intoxication on his parents. They've been traveling all day. Tomorrow's a new day. I can only hope they don't flip on the news and put 2 and 2 together.

Twenty minutes: the time I spend sitting in that exact position. When the twenty one minute mark hits, I let my knees tumble to the floor, and straighten my legs out in front of me. Another five minutes pass. The front door opens downstairs and I hear Carson's gait across the floor. Next, up the steps. Finally, into my temporary room.

The floor: where he discovers me. He halfheartedly grins and squats down next me. "I can't believe that all happened. You have to understand-"

My finger: touches his lips. "Shh. No apologies. What's done is done. Do you want to talk about it?"

A head shake: translates to a no. And I'm okay with that. But eventually, he'll need to come clean about what he's trying so incredible hard to hold back from me. It sorta hurts. "School tomorrow...ah...what to do about you, hmm?" He leans his face into me until our foreheads touch. "Want me to stay home with you?"

My eyes: blink slowly when he's so close. "Well of course I want you to. But...no. You need to live your normal life."

A flirty smile: what kills me. "My life hasn't been normal in I don't know how long. But, I'm a little nervous about leaving you here without me with you." He speaks in a low, alluring voice that fires up my stomach.

His closeness: paying a toll on my concentration. "Yeah, why's that?"

A sneak: what he transforms into when he takes my lip with his teeth, drawing me in for a kiss. He kicks the door shut with his foot and takes our little kiss a step further, completely engaging his body. He swings his leg around to straddle me and takes my face in his hands. I feel his back pulse above me as he lets himself go. My mind doesn't work the way his does, and in the back of my head, I can't help but wonder what would happen if his parents or little brother walked in and saw us. Still I allow him. To kiss me. To feel me. To love me.

The realization: doesn't hit me until our kisses end. He never answered my question.

Sleeping: rough. Mostly because tomorrow brings many things. My fate may be decided for me. My news story may be solved. I may lose every piece of happiness I've gained over the past three days. I don't sleep.

The morning: hectic. Everyone in the house is up by 7:30. Lucky me, I don't have to pretend to be passed out anymore. I stroll into Carson's room and perch on the edge of his mattress, unsure of what else I should do. He greets me with a smile and a "Good morning," before continuing to get ready. My eyes lazily follow him around the room. To end the routine, he sprays cologne on his chest and grabs his backpack. The scent blooms in the air and holds me captive. "Okay, so I guess...hang around the house till 1:30. I've got football at 2:00, so if you want to come to that you can. It's just practice. Um...that's until 4. But I told Lauren she could go as well and that we'd chill after that."

The gist: stay here and pretend to not exist until he gets home. Plus, I get the hint that he didn't break up with Lauren like I'd partially assumed he had. Meeting her face to face at practice without Carson right there to back me up would most likely be a nightmare. Before, when Carson and I had never been intimate, it wasn't such a big deal. But now...

The time: his moment for departure. "Alright I've got to go. The housekeeper will be here around 9 so don't freak out. Both my parents are off to work, so you'll practically have the house to yourself. I'll see you later." He hugs me and leaves.