One House Behind | ✓

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦

Tanner

Meeting Shelly's mother was nerve-wracking. I didn't know where she stood with me. Hurting her daughter was in my past, I wouldn't ever dream to do it again, but I knew she held it against me.

I held it against me.

"It was nice to meet you, Genna," I said with a bow of my head.

"You too Tanner."

Shelly was attached to my hip. She wouldn't let me go. I wasn't complaining because I wasn't letting her go either. We had spent too much time apart, I needed to feel her against me.

I looked down at her to see a frown. I was leaving for the night but Shelly would come over tomorrow. Knowing she was finally going to be able to come over, I smiled down at her.

"I'll call you tonight."

"I expect one as soon as you hit home." Her eyebrows rose.

"I can do that," I laughed.

Our family was just watching us as we held each other. Touching wasn't something I had thought I would miss. I knew that I would miss holding her in my arms but this was different.

It was as if I couldn't get enough of it. I was over-hydrating myself on her. Not that I was complaining or anything, it was just nice to not feel like a secret anymore.

I leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her eyes widened. Our lips hadn't touched any part of the skin on our bodies, mine had only touched her hair.

Shelly bit her lip as she pulled away so I could walk out the door. Now that we knew we were all healthy, I could jump the fence again and we could hold each other longer. The world had balanced again.

"Talk later," I said.

"Later," she replied.

Susie had been giving me weird eyes the entire time we were there. I didn't understand it at first but then I realized that I had never been like that with anyone near her. She didn't know that I could be affectionate with someone in person.

"What was that? I dare say you are in-"

"Don't say it. I don't want to think about that yet. Not with you at least."

I didn't want to discuss what I felt with my sister. At least not this time. This topic was something you shouldn't discuss before you told the other person. I didn't even want to think of the word yet.

"Sorry. But do you?"

"What do you not get about that I don't want to think of it?"

"Tanner," my father's voice rose.

"Can you guys stay out of my like life?"

"Like life?"

"Yes, Mom. Like life."

Reaching the house, I rushed ahead of everyone so that I could get in first. I brought my key so that I could do exactly that.

As soon as I got in, I was in my room calling Shelly. Less than five minutes felt too long. She picked up on the second ring.

"Miss me?"

"Always." I could see the smile in her reply.

"So, are you too tired to meet tonight or no?"

"Sorta? I don't want to be sleep deprived yet. This weekend, we can because we don't have school but since I'm going over tomorrow, it's enough," she yawned.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." I held in a sigh.

"I'm sorry. You know, maybe I could stay up later for one night. It might not be that bad," her voice was quick, as if he was afraid her correct answer was the wrong one.

"No! If you don't want to, we don't have to. It's fine."

"Are you sure? I don't mind/"

"No Shelly, I don't mind. Go to bed tonight early if you have to. We still have tomorrow."

"And every day after. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

******

"Hey."

"You're a little early. My parents stepped out to go grocery shopping." I told her as she stepped into my house.

All day I had been waiting for this moment. And now it was here. She was finally in my house.

"And where is Susie?" she asked as she took her mask off to put in her side bag.

"She went with them."

We were alone. It hadn't been the first time that we were but it was different. In the comfort of my house, soon to be my room, we would be cuddling in peace without the pesky mosquitoes.

"C'mon, I'll show you my room."

Taking her left hand, I walked her down the hall to my room. My room wasn't anything big, it was medium but stuffed with everything from our last house. My bed was set in the middle with a shelf in the corner.

My desk and lamp were on the side of my bed by the window. I had usually done my classes right there. My bed was unmade and I grimaced at it.

"I like it. It's not clean, I knew if it was clean that you had cleaned it to look presentable, it's messy just like you." Shelly turned to smile at me before she tugged me further into my own room.

We found ourselves laying on my bed. Her leg was tossed over mine and my arms were wrapped around her as she lay slanted on my chest. My hand had started trailing up and down her arm as she snuggled closer. And then she looked up.

Her eyes were wide. Dark chocolate eyes were shinning lighter as there was a ray of sunlight from my window. She winced back, the sun hurting her eyes as it was unexpected, and her hair whipped across my face as she shook her head.

"Ugh," I said as I found a piece of her hair in my mouth.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she moved to sit up.

"It's fine. Not like it's the first time," I chuckled as I threw the wet piece onto the floor.

"Oh," she said with a drop of her head.

I closed my eyes immediately knowing where I messed up. I hadn't meant to say it like I had. It wasn't like I got hair in my mouth all of the time from different girls, or from past girlfriends, I just said what I said because it was true.

Choosing not to speak about it as I knew it would hurt her, I scooped her up into my chest again. I liked her there, feeling her content against my body. She sighed into me and tightened her grip three different times, each separated by the relief of her squeezes.

Almost as if saying what neither of us was ready to say.

******

A/N: 

If you can't see (as in understand) his room by this description, I'm fairly certain his room is in the Pinterest board I have for them. You can find it by searching for my name, it's the same one as my username. I also have other boards up for other stories I have published here or stories I'm working on. 

Their board is underneath the book name, "One House Behind".