Thalassophile (Billy Hargrove)

Rat Problem

Chapter 33
Unedited

July 1st 1985

I held the baby blue flyer to my boyfriend's face as he rolled out from underneath my car. "Geez, Nadir, you scared the shits out of me. "Look, please." Billy squinted from the sun in his eye, so I moved up so my head was covering the bright July sun. " You look so beautiful. The way the light is shining right now makes it look like a halo around you," I blushed before rolling my eyes at his cheesiness,

"When did you become like this, Hargrove?" I nudged him with my foot. "When did I meet you?" I smiled, extending my arm so he could get up. Once he was up, he leaned against the hood of my car and began to scan over the flyer I gave him.

"And you wanna go to this thing?" Billy asked. I nodded, and I could see he wasn't trying to fight off the frown on his face. I quickly grabbed the paper out of his grasp. "We don't have to. It was just a stupid thought." I shoved the flyer back in my pocket, "I'm going to get you some lemonade." I tried to turn around and head back inside when I felt a tug on my forearm, and in seconds, I was in his arms.

"You didn't even wait for my answer, Nadir." Billy was inches away from my face; his arms tightly snaked around my waist, my body between his legs; even while sitting on the hood of my car, he was still taller. "It's a stupid town festival; I don't even know why I asked you; I know how much you hate Hawkins." Billy's eyes scanned mine before he let out a tiny, airy laugh, "You are right; you know me enough to know that I loath this place, and I could think of a dozen other ways I would rather spend my Fourth of July, half of them which involves having you in my bed naked." My eyes widen at his bluntness.

He seemed satisfied by my response as he pulled me closer to him, "However, there is nothing, and I mean quite possibly nothing, in this entire world, that is more important to me than seeing you smile." My heart skipped a beat; could he feel it? The way he had me pressed up against his body,? He must have. "So you will go?" Billy narrowed his eyes briefly before his hand was in my hair and his lips on mine.

He tasted perfect, a mix of cigarettes and spearmint gum he was chewing, he kissed me as if he never kissed me before, like we were the only people in the world. Time stopped when I kissed Billy Hargrove. I couldn't explain how, but it just did. I kissed him back just as hard memorizing the curves and edges of his lips, there was a tiny scar on his lower lip he probably got it from fighting or maybe it was from those many times Neil had hit him, god I hate that man for even laying his finger on him.

But I learned from the many times our lips connected that he particularly enjoyed it when I ran my tongue over it or grazed my teeth on it. When we pulled apart, we were both breathing heavily; I ran my hand down the side of his face, resting on his cheek. "Just to be clear, that's a yes?" I laughed, and he pecked my lips. "Why need more confirmation?" he said before attacking me with kisses.

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"That's still a whole month!" Nancy protested as she passed me the sweet corn, "I know, but I've always wanted to see California, and I'm sure we won't have much time to look around when school starts. This way, we have a few weeks actually to be tourists." I explained to my best friend. John looked over at me disapprovingly, and Billy just sat across the table, hiding behind his cup from Nancy's glaring eyes.

"So that's why you called us over for dinner to tell us you are leaving right after the fourth of July." Nancy pushed her plate forward. I felt horrible leaving so early; school wasn't supposed to start until August, but I know how things were getting more tense at the Hargrove residence. Neil was on edge with the idea that Billy was returning to California, and I know he had been taking extra shifts at the pool to avoid being home. So when I suggested going up early to Billy, he practically jumped at the idea. Of course, that meant leaving my parents sooner, but I'm sure with their job as traveling insurance agents, I would see them sooner rather than later. On the other hand, telling Nancy was what I had been dreading.