Rebel

Chapter 12: Way Back When

"Secrets I have held in my heart, are harder to find than I thought. Maybe I just wanna be yours,I wanna be yours, I wanna be yourssss!" I swayed my hips to the music and sang along in themost carefree way that I could imagine.

"Would you let me be your vacuum cleaner?" Danny asked playfully as he laughed at my performance. "And let you breathe in my dust," I said with a wide smile. The wind drifted through the French doors of the condo and filled my nose with the aroma of sand and salt water. It only made me get even more lost in the song. "God, I love this song!" I shouted. "I'd say so. You've had it on repeat for over two hours," Danny chuckled. "Don't laugh at me like I'm a kid!" I scolded him playfully. "I'm not. I just love seeing that smile on your face."

The song ended and as it prepared to start up again, I decided to make an attempt to be sexy.I stepped toward the bed, swaying my hips again. As the lyrics started I placed my hands andknees on the bed, crawling slowly. He looked at me with one eyebrow up. He was catching ontowhat I was doing. I crawled up the bed, then his body and I climbed on top of him to straddle him as I went in for a kiss.

Like always, kissing him made it feel like fireworks were going off in my chest. He was always slow and sensual. He always took his time to make sure that I was comfortable.

"Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?" he asked as his hands drifted up and down my thighs. Hearing him call me his girlfriend was everything I needed to pump my head up more than it already was. "I'm still here. I'm just learning to let my hair down," I said with a sneaky grin forming on my lips. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail I was wearing and seductively ran my fingers through it, just how he liked. I had to admit, I definitely wouldn't have allowed myself to let go and have fun the way I had been.

"You're so beautiful," he said softly. He pulled me against his chest and held onto me. I nestled my face against his neck and gave him a few kisses.

I was beginning to realize how good he was for me. He was helping me become the person I never would have thought I'd become. I wasn't afraid to let someone hold me or take care of me. I didn't need alcohol to make me feel good. I no longer had to panic when we were away from each other. Sometimes just knowing that he was in the same room as me was enough to keep me calm.

The silence between us left me feeling like we were the only two people in the world with endless possibilities and we only wanted to spend our time wrapped around each other. There wasn't a single second where I had to second guess how he felt about me. I couldn't believe that there had been a time where I didn't want this and I was pushing him away. I was finally figuring out how to be happy. Nothing and nobody else in the world mattered except for him. He was the center of my universe and even though there was a possibility that I could get hurt in the future, I didn't care. I wanted to enjoy all of the positive experiences and love that he had to offer me.

"I have a confession to make," I whispered playfully. "What? You're leaving me?" he asked. I quickly sat up and saw the smile he had on his face. Like a reflex, I punched him in the shoulder. "No!" I shouted, "I swear to God I'll choke you," I growled, wrapping my hands around his neck. He was still laughing. "Don't choke me too hard, I might like it," he said with a wink."What I was going to say is that I was eavesdropping when Jada came over that one morning. I heard you tell her that you want to love and be loved by somebody." It was obvious that he wasn't expecting to hear that. I caught him off guard just like he had been doing to me, but he didn't panic. "Yes?" he replied. "Well, I'm finally realizing that I've always wanted the same thing. We might be kinda perfect for each other," I said, blushing. His hand came up and brushed my cheek. I had never felt so vulnerable and exposed before. I was pulling the scab off of the old wound that was love and I was grateful that he didn't make me regret it.