But, she didn’t. So, I didn’t.
God,she was beautiful.
My head thudded back against the wall as she stilled her movements. A soft sound fell past her lips–half sigh-half gasp. One hand held the dress in place across her breasts and the other came to meet it.
God, I wanted her to take off that dress.
I wanted to see every inch of Charlie.
My knees buckled and my body slipped down against the door until I was sitting in front of her—looking up. The skin covering every inch of my body tightened and hardened. My heart stuttered and stammered, and my eyes begged her to take off the dress.
Take off the dress.
Then, she slid the dress down her body, slowly, deliberately, letting it fall to the floor and pool in a silken heap around her feet.
She paused for a moment, standing there in a pair of panties and a matching bra; I swear she was letting me look at her. Her skin, my God, her skin was like ivory. Across her cheeks and across the plump rise of her breasts splashed a crimson blush, like a sunrise. I tried to talk, I did. I tried. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how breathtakingly perfect, how much I loved her. God, I loved her. My mouth was filled with too much saliva and I couldn’t seem to swallow fast enough.
I looked up, searching her eyes. She looked so vulnerable and so on fire at the same time. I wanted to say a million things, let her feel a million more, but I couldn't stop watching her. My chest tightened, drew together so strongly it choked the air from my lungs.
Bending down, she carefully picked the dress up off the floor and grabbed its hanger from its little metal hook just above her head. Then,holy shit, then she leaned her body over mine, stoodoverme on her tippy toes, and handed the saleslady the dress over the top of the door. The hammering in my chest started to hurt. Her skin was so close; I could just about taste her body lotion. She smelled of watermelons and Charlie and something so primal and hot, it made me want to plunge my flesh deep inside her. The lace designs of her panties were almost eye level with me and I caught a delicious glimpse of the dark patch of hair that lay just underneath.
“Charlie,” my voice murmured, hoarse and low.
She backed up slowly, picking up her clothes along the way, watching me watch her as she lifted each smooth, perfect leg into her pants and pulled her shirt over her head, covering all that she had just bared to me.
I’m man enough to say that I almost cried.
She held out a shaky hand to me. “Come on, let’s just go so I can pay for the dress—then we’ll go find Joey.”
Getting to my feet was a struggle, but she stood there and waited until I rose in front of her. We were so close that I could feel the heat of her body through her clothes. The way she looked up at me as I opened the door for her made me want to keep her inside that stupid, small room and kiss every inch of her beautiful face.
Of courseI didn’t. I was stupid and young and terrified.
Joey was standing in front of the fitting room, arching his head around, searching for me, probably. When he noticed us coming out together, he froze, did a double take, and shook his head, smiling. “Ahem,” he said, pretending to clear his throat. “Find anything you like in there?”
Charlie glanced at me quickly, dipped her chin down, and answered, “Yeah, that black one. I have to go pay for it now,” Rubbing the back of her neck, she left us and walked toward the register.
Tilting his head to the side, Joey raised his eyebrows. “Hey, Jase. Why is she still going to buy a dress to go to a dance with another dude? Didn’t you talk to her?”
“No.”
“You just came out of the dressing room with her,” he stated.
“Yeah.”
“What happened?” Joey asked, confused.
“I have no idea, but it was un-fucking-believable,” I said, walking away.
The three of us walked through the mall in silence; the only sounds were from the crowds of families that strolled past us, and low rock music that drifted out from the stores. Even the walk to the bus stop was devoid of conversation; only the sounds of the cars driving past or their horns could be heard.
Joey kept a curious eye on the both of us.
And I was hoping Joey would be able to figure out what the hell was going on, because I had no damn clue as to why neither one of us said a word after what just happened.
The bus ride back home was worse.
She didn’t even look at me once, and I just that there with my shirt sticking to my skin until the soda I spilled dried, which took the whole damn ride.
