Catch Me

Chapter Eighteen: I'll Be

Chapter Eighteen: I'll Be 

A nearby boutique's radio could be heard from where Haleigh and Zander sat on the bench. "I'll Be" By Edwin McCain echoed throughout the pedestrian street. 'The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful, stop me and steal my breath, emeralds from mountains and thrust towards the sky, never revealing their depth, tell me that we belong together, dress it up with the trappings of love...' Haleigh had learned to love this song from a very young age. She had remembered it playing on the radio when she was about three years old, she had danced around the living room singing along. It was the first song Haleigh had ever learned word for word.

Haleigh's heart raced in her chest as she watched Zander lean in. She closed her eyes, eagerly awaiting his lips. Time seemed to slow down and it felt like an eternity had passed by the time she felt his soft lips on hers. There was no controlling the speed of her heart beat as it threatened to beat out of her chest. The adrenaline began to pump through her veins as she confidently reached up, entangling her fingers in Zander's hair. For a moment the world seemed to fade away, all of Haleigh's senses had shut down, she didn't smell the aroma of food from the surrounding restaurants, she couldn't hear some guy telling the couple to get a room, she couldn't see anything surrounding her. It was just Haleigh and Zander, and she wished they could stay like this forever.

Haleigh was brought back into reality when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled away slightly, resting her forehead on Zander's before sitting up and pulling her phone out of her pocket. Sam had sent her a text.

Sam: Hey. Headed to Charles' house for the night. Don't wait up.

Haleigh sighed, running a hand through her hair, and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She had wanted Sam to be there when she had gotten back from her date. Haleigh had been excited that she was and Sam were no longer fighting, and she was looking forward to telling Sam every last detail about tonight. That, and she was beginning to despise being alone, especially late at night.

"Everything okay?" Zander asked as he too checked his phone.

"Yeah, it's fine." Haleigh lied.

At this time it was starting to get late. Some businesses, like the jewelry store behind the bench where they sat, were beginning to shut down and lock up for the night. The radio that had echoed through the streets had stopped and the majority of the other shoppers had made their way toward their cars. The street was beginning to become a ghost town.

"We should probably get goin'." Zander stood from the bench and offered Haleigh his hand. She took it and she too stood, and they walked hand in hand toward the direction where Zander had parked his bike.

They made it back to campus and Zander parked his bike in the student parking lot before cutting the engine. Haleigh released her grip from Zander's waist and hopped off of the bike, taking off the helmet and handing it to Zander.

"Thanks for dinner." Haleigh smiled at Zander. The thought of returning to an empty dorm room was making her anxious. Zander who was still sitting on his bike gently grabbed Haleigh's hand and guided her towards him. He placed a hand on her hip. They kissed for the second time that night. Their lips moved in sync with each other and Haleigh willed the moment to last forever. She was disappointed when their lips parted.

"I guess I'll see you soon." Zander's voice was low as moved to placed his helmet back on his head, he stopped and lowered the helmet as just as Haleigh spoke.

"You can come up stairs... if you want." Haleigh offered, she was awkwardly twiddling her thumbs and staring at her feet. A silence filled the air for just a moment.

"Ok." Zander finally said, he stood from the bike and secured his helmet to the handle bars before grabbing the keys, and following Haleigh toward the building. They made it to Haleigh's dorm room. The place was strangely quiet. Haleigh unzipped her leather jacket and slipped it off her shoulders, placing it on the back of her desk chair.

Haleigh was caught off guard when Zander gently took her hand in his and spun her around to face him. He cupped Haleigh's cheek with his right hand. Haleigh could feel her breath hitch in her throat as the two locked eyes. Zander then placed a gentle, yet passionate kiss on Haleigh's plump lips. Quickly and smoothly Zander guided Haleigh toward the bed. He eased her down onto a pillow, still placing small kisses on her lips. He then slid on top of her placing soft kisses along Haleigh's jaw bone which was causing chills to run up and down her spine. She could feel herself becoming excited. There was a part of her that wanted this. Zander was different. He was mysterious and funny, and unbelievably handsome. Yet, there was also something inside of her that was screaming "slow down!" She wasn't hesitant due to inexperience, in-fact it was quite the opposite. Haleigh had had a lot of experience when it came to sex. It wasn't something she was proud of. High school had been a difficult time for her, and she had found comfort in seducing any guy who would give her the time of day. Haleigh was known for having large breasts in high school. She had the biggest boobs in her entire class, and she knew it. She wore clothing with low necklines that she knew would show off what she believed to be her best feature.

Needless to say her technique of luring boys didn't always attract the best kinds of guys. Harold and Anthony Harland were twins who had attended Haleigh's high school They were more or less sleaze balls who only cared about cheating on their girl friends and playing football. They spent most of their high school careers chasing after Haleigh. It was Haleigh's low self esteem that sometimes got the better of her. There were times when Haleigh thought so little of herself that she was sure these guys would be her only chances of ever getting laid. So she accepted their offers every once in a while (never at the same time of course). She had even lost her virginity to Anthony Harland when they had been sophomores, just two weeks before her sixteenth birthday.

Haleigh had made a lot of mistakes during her high school days, and she was glad to have moved passed them. If she could go back in time and do things over she told herself she would, but she couldn't. The only thing left for Haleigh to do was to move on and change her ways, which she had been doing since she had arrived at UVM a month and a half ago. Haleigh was no longer letting boys control her.

As Zander continued to place soft kisses down her neck and all over her jaw line he had started to moved his hips against Haleigh's, she was having a difficult time keeping her promise to herself. She knew she couldn't do this, not tonight, and not on the first date.

Haleigh placed her hand firmly on Zander's chest pushing slightly, she moved her head to the side to try and get him to stop.

"I'm sorry..." Haleigh sighed, trying to catch her breath. "Can we just slow down?" She was worried Zander was going to be mad at this requests, and she prepared herself for a storm-out. But it never came.

"Of course." Zander too was breathing a little heavily. "I'm sorry, you're just so beautiful it's hard to control myself." He smirked as he pushed himself off of Haleigh and sat up, leaning his back against the wall. Haleigh looked into his eyes again, taking in his appearance. He was so handsome, and she wished that she could just keep kissing him all night long, but she had to control herself. His cheek was still bruised from the fight he had been in just a couple days before, and his lip had also been split open. She didn't know how he could keep kissing her when his lip looked like it was in so much pain. Haleigh pushed this thought from her mind and sat up, she sat beside Zander, her back leaning against the same wall. 

"Let's just talk for a bit." She suggested, and Zander nodded his head in agreement. Haleigh leaned over, placing a soft kiss on his bruised cheek.