Saint snorts, a smile tiptoeing onto his face, before he pulls the box back out and hands one to mom. “Do you need a light?”
She shakes her head, pulling her own lighter out from her overall’s pockets. After taking a long inhale she speaks up again. “I think everything is ready for the sale. After that’s done, we’ll have a little over a month until Dad is home. I want this place to be perfect for him.”
I take out my phone again, peering down at the date to see that it’s already August third. His first week out of the six he’s supposed to spend there have flown by. I purse my lips, hoping it’s going to work.
“We’re almost done with the housing project Mr. Harper had taken on,” Saint looks over to my mom, “once that's over, I can come help out.”
Mom dramatically places her hand over her heart, sighing. “Saint you’re like the perfect son I never asked for.”
That brings out a laugh in all of us. Mom catches my eye in the midst of it all, giving me a wink. It’s her way of silently showing me how happy she is to see me smile again.
“So what are you two fish up to today?” She asks.
“Fish?”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t ask,” I mumble.
Saint shakes his head as if he’s talking to the two most outlandish people to ever exist. He turns to me, a panty dropping smirk displayed in between his cheeks. I have to stop myself from staring too long, not with mom this close.
“Well?” She butts back in, waiting for an answer.
“There’s a small concert happening in Boston. I was hoping Nova would join me, but I haven’t actually asked yet.” Saint tells her, although it sounds more like it’s pointed at me.
I push down the giddiness building in my stomach as he and mom both turn to look at me, waiting for an answer. “I’d have to change.” I respond, doing my best to sound unphased.
Saint raises his eyebrow with amusement as he watches my pathetic attempt at being nonchalant. He’d been telling me about this concert for two days now, and I had shared in his excitement over the local band that was going to be playing. When we were younger we had always bonded over our similar tastes in music. I can remember the day Saint got his hands on a CD of Days Go By. At the time it was the newest Offspring album, and he had been eager to blare the songs through the run down boombox that sat in his room. His mom had grown sick of us shouting the words at each other, and had forced us to go outside while she caught up on her tv shows. We had been so small then, so wide eyed and ready for what the day was going to bring.
This band was rumored to play familiar music, occasionally covering other’s songs. Saint had been over the moon at the idea of heading into the city for a night.
“Well then go change, missy!” Mom huffs out giving me a small smile. “You’ve been living like a cave dweller here for the past three days. I’m surprised you even made it outside.”
Her words have me internally cringing. Saint doesn’t need to know the details of my latest bed rot, or how he was the only thing that could drag me out of it. To save myself the embarrassment of pushing further, I pick myself up from the porch. The two of them grin at me, their victory boosting the shared excitement.
I make my way down to the bedroom door, swinging it open to expose the pile of water bottles littered across the left side of my bed. Ignoring them to the best of my ability, I make my way to the dresser. A pair of ripped mom jeans and a simple black t-shirt feel appropriate for the occasion. So I slide them on, taking a moment to smooth my hair from where the static of the fabric had gotten ahold of it. I can’t hide how nice it feels to finally take care of myself again. While I haven’t left the house, I’ve still been able to stay on top of my personal hygiene. That was a victory in itself.
Before leaving my room, I quickly stop at the long mirror that stands against my wall. Its white, plastic frame has seen better days but it still gets the job done. I take in my outfit, slightly turning to see how the clothes fit my body. Then I decide to top off the look with a peach colored lip gloss. I rub my lips together, watching as the sheen coating spreads over them. The fantasy of Saint ruining the shine with his lips on mine sends butterflies into my stomach. He had easily fit back into my life, like two jagged puzzle pieces, unable to fully connect anywhere else.
“I like that color on you.” I spin around at the intrusion, seeing Saint standing in the doorway. One of his arms is stretched up, letting him grab onto the frame of the entryway.
A few of his longer strands of hair hang deliciously in front of his face. Not quite enough to cover his eyes or make him seemlike a teen going through a phase, but enough to give him that “bad boy” edge.
“What? You’ve never seen me in black before?” I tease as I walk towards him. I do my best to get him out of the room and away from the embarrassing sight of the plastic mountain. Thankfully he follows me down the hall and back out into the living room with no questions.
I stop just short of the coffee table, scanning the room for my wallet, before I feel the heat of his breath coast down the nape of my neck. “I wasn’t talking about the shirt, Nova.” Saint leans closer in, his bottom lip grazing my ear lobe. “I meant the light pink gloss. It matches other parts of you very well.”
His words leave me blushing, feeling as shy as a girl would on her first date. Saint’s hand reaches up to push my hair over the opposite shoulder, leaving plenty of room for him to lean in and softly kiss my pulse point.
His touches feel so forbidden and my senses heighten as he gently sucks on the now fading hickey he had given me back at the apartment. Mom could come through the front door at any time. She doesn’t deserve to be disappointed anymore. But with the way arousal begins to pool between my thighs, and I feel like I’ve taken the most euphoria heightening drug, how am I supposed to stop?
“Saint!” I finally whisper-shout. His hands had begun to roam over my breasts, transforming my nipples into stiff peaks under his touch. “My mom is bound to come back in at some point. We need to stop.” Though even as the words leave my mouth, my hands float upwards, gently placing themselves on top of his. I squeeze lightly, giving him the okay to explore with a firmer hand.
He kisses along the edge of my jaw, sending a shiver of pleasure shooting down my spine. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
His words melt me into a puddle and I lean back into him, giving him better access to my body. He takes his time stroking up and down my curves, leaving my clothes in place. If we were alone, I’d be tearing them off myself. I’ve been straining for his touch, missing how full he had made me feel. Touching myself had only barely eased the ache these past few days.
“We need to get going.” Saint murmurs into my ear before releasing me. His fingertips ghost against mine, almost as if he wants to hold my hand but knows he can’t. Not here, with prying eyes.
Play First Date by blink-182
