Faultless

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

           I sat up in bed, making sure I wasn’t hearing things. Sure enough, the knocking happened again. I slowly threw the covers off of me as I wondered who it could be. I hoped that Lisa and David hadn’t changed their minds. I slowly slid out of bed and let my feet hit the cold, hard floor. I walked across the room, anxious. I slowly turned the door knob to see Louis standing in the doorway. I crossed my arms self consciously. I was only wearing a tank top and shorts. No boy, except Benson had seen me in so little clothing.

           “Hey,” he said, “Sorry…did I wake you?”

           “No,” I answered, timidly, but I was unsure why this sudden shyness had all of a sudden overcome me.

           “I-I couldn’t sleep…and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

           “I’m fine,” I said, as I took a step back, “You can come in…if you want.”

           “Sure,” he answered with a smile, “Thanks.” I padded back across the room and nearly jumped in to my bed, vying for the warmth and coverage of the blankets.

           Louis let out a little chuckle, “Cold?” I just nodded as he followed me over to the bed. We stared awkwardly at each other, both of us expecting the other one to say something. I turned around and set my pillow up against the bed frame, breaking our awkward stare. I propped myself up against the pillow, so I was almost sitting. He smiled at me and I smiled back. He cautiously sat down on the edge of the bed.

           “Do you mind?” He asked. Suddenly a million images flashed through my mind. What if Lisa or David caught Louis in Kali’s room with me? What would they think? Or what about Arnold? What would he think if he woke up and found Louis gone? And worst of all, what would Benson say if he knew about this? He would dump me for sure.

           But despite all my worries and to my surprise, I still answered, “Yes.” Louis propped up the second pillow and sat down next to me. It made it better that he was at least on top of the covers while I was under them. Still, I had never shared a bed with a boy. Not even Benson and I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

           “Everything okay?” He asked me, breaking the silence.

           “Yeah,” I answered, unable to make eye contact with him. He placed his hand on mine which suddenly caused what felt like a hundred butterflies to move through my stomach. Why was this happening?

           “Hey,” he said, looking over at me, “You don’t have to lie to me or hide things from me, remember?” I recalled our conversation on the bus. Things had been different then, so easy and lighthearted. Now it was different and it felt that way. Our conversation felt deeper, more serious, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that. He placed a hand under my chin, gently guiding my face so my eyes would meet his. Our faces were just inches apart. My heart began to race.

           “I’m really,” I started, turning my head back forward so my eyes didn’t have to meet his, “I’m okay. Actually this is the best I’ve been in a while.” And I was that way because we were finally in a stable environment, not because the two of us were sitting so close together…at least I think.

           “You’re sure?” He asked, his tone questioning. I felt like he was trying to pull some hidden secret out of me. He was questioning me the way Benson used to, in the accusatory tone, as if he didn’t believe me. I hated when Benson used to do that. At least Louis was doing it because he cared about me. But I guess Benson cared about me too.