Page 10 of No Fear

“I know you are not going to stop feeding me while I’m here, so I need to do something to help burn some calories. I got a body to maintain.” Donnie grinned.

His parents both laughed.

“You go ahead, son. You’ll be doing me a favor.” His dad gestured toward the back yard. “I swear the grass grows quicker every summer.”

“Well, OK. I guess I can prepare dinner while you do that.” His mom stood.

“Let me take you out to dinner. My treat,” Donnie said.

“There is no way I’m not making you your favorite while you’re here. As you’re only here a couple of days, I’m making it tonight. No arguments.”

Donnie smiled. “I’m not going to argue, Mom. There’s nothing I like more than your homemade chicken pot pie.”

“Then go cut the grass. And you”—she turned to her husband— “can go to the store and get me what I need.”

His dad stood, leaned over, and kissed his mom. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

Donnie watched them. Yeah, he was ready to have that kind of love in his life.

***

CHARLIE WAS ABSENTLY scrolling through her phone when the reminder popped up.

Donnie’s mom birthday.

Damn, she’d almost forgotten with everything going on. Normally she sent a card, but it was too late for that now. She loved Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson. After Nate died and Donnie had done his disappearing act, she had stayed in touch with them. Her chest tightened, just thinking about her brother’s best friend.

Sitting in the back of the car with little to do, the memories came flooding back. It wasn't like she thought she had a chance with Donnie. He saw her as Nate’s little sister, but a girl could dream.

When Donnie and Nate went off to university, her last year of high school had been the worst. She kept her head down and counted down the days until she could leave it all behind. She missed seeing Donnie in school but cherished the time he spent at her house, hanging with Nate. The two of them had some pretty deep conversations about politics, the war on terror, and what they wanted to do with their lives. He had always made her feel noticed. Seen.

The night of Nate's accident, she had texted Donnie and asked him to come over. After weeks of building up courage, it was time. She’d done her make-up and put on her favorite dress.

“Hey Charlie. Everything alright?” Donnie stood in the doorway, dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt that stretched across his perfectly sculpted chest and showed off his toned arms and all that gorgeous skin that looked like it was permanently tanned.

“I....come in.” She dragged her gaze from his beautiful face and stepped aside to let him in, closing the door. Her nerves must have shown.

“Charlie? What’s wrong? Is it school?”

“No. I’m fine. I....just....Shit, this is harder than I thought.”

“What is?”

Mustering all the courage she could find; she closed her eyes and began talking.

“Look. I like you. A lot. I know you’d never date a girl like me, and that’s OK. I just want to have sex with you. I want to lose my virginity with you. That’s it. No strings.” She kept her eyes closed, her face heating and palms sweating as she waited for his response.

His silence sent her stomach plummeting.

“Charlie? Open your eyes.” Donnie’s voice was soft and very close. She dared to open her eyes and found him standing in front of her.

“Why do you want to lose your virginity now?” There was no teasing or judgment in his voice. His gaze held hers and her cheeks burned.

“Because I don’t want to be the only eighteen-year-old virgin when I go to university.” She averted her gaze, too embarrassed to look at him. “I’ve never even been kissed.”

“Lots of people are virgins when they go to university. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Yes, there is. I want to know what it’s like. If I meet someone, I want to know what I’m doing, not fumble around like a complete idiot.”