Chapter 8
Nate
I wake up early on Sunday and take a long run before the heat kicks in for the day, trying to calm my thoughts. It doesn’t work. The whole time I think about Morgan.
I’ve been thinking about her nonstop since Monday. About how she plays with her hair, twisting it around her finger—I want to play with it, too.
I get a thousand pin pricks under my sternum every time she laughs at something I’ve said. I get immense satisfaction that I’m the one who wrought such amusement from her.
It’s more powerful than any seduction I could possibly conjure. And when I speak of serious things, she listens. I like it when she pays attention to me.
In under a week, I’ve connected with Morgan in a way I haven’t connected with anyone in a long time. Maybe ever. It’s more than physical attraction.
I want to know everything about her. What interests her, what her goals are. I want her to show me how she views the world. How she views me. What she looks like naked.
At least twenty times last night I thought about pressing my lips to hers. I wonder if she would have stopped me. Something inside makes me believe she wouldn’t have.
I jerked off last night to the thought of kissing her. Just the thought of touching her lips was enough to make me come.
Morgan doesn’t seem overly fond of her boyfriend. That’s something the two of us have in common. What would it take for her to end it with him? I came within a hair of calling Taylor last night to break it off.
I don’t really know why I’m still with Taylor other than the fact that we’ve been together for over a year. She’s from my hometown in Tennessee and we reconnected when I got home for the summer after my sophomore year.
We didn’t see each other much during last school year, but we spent almost every day of each holiday and summer break with one another. Though, we don’t do much talking when we’re together. Our relationship is mostly physical.
She’s on her way to Australia this week for a study-abroad program. I assumed the relationship would fizzle out due to the distance. Taylor is the adventurous type and I think she would be happier this semester if she felt free to have fun Down Under.
She’s nice enough, but sometimes I get the feeling that she’s not exactly interested in the things I do, like the book that I’m writing. She thinks I shouldn’t waste my time with it, that people don’t enjoy reading about history.
Taylor totally missed the point that I was writing it with the idea that it could be supplemental material, like for an AP class in high school. The current texts are severely lacking insight.
The last time I brought it up, she rolled her eyes. I almost broke up with her then. I should have, but didn’t. Probably because we were naked in my bed and I would feel like shit for doing that to someone. I’m a lot of things, but cruel isn’t one of them.
That was the morning I came back to Persimmon. The next day was Monday. My new favorite day of the week. I smile, despite my straining muscles and short respiration.
The image in my head gives me a much-needed shot of adrenaline and I push hard the last mile of my run. All the while, a plan formulates and I map out my next ten moves.
***
Morgan
“Morgan!” Elizabeth shouts from across the hall.
“You don’t have to yell, I’m right here.”
I’m standing just inside Rebecca and Jen’s room, talking about my study session. Jen’s extremely disappointed that it really was just a study session. She had truly believed he invited me over for a little game of pet-the-pony.
“Phone,” Elizabeth says, handing me the cordless.
Cell phone coverage at our tiny school in the middle of nowhere is terrible, so students typically call one another on their room phones.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Meet me in the library in an hour.”
“Nate?”
“Duh. Library in an hour.”
“I can’t. I’m getting ready to go on a run with Rebecca.”
“Oh. When will you be back?”
“Um, since I’m going to die, I’ll likely never be back.”
Nate exhales. “Funny, Morgan. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you’ll likely make it home. What’s your time frame?”
“We’re not really sure how far we’re going today. It’s kind of an experiment. I can easily do three or four miles, which is my normal distance. Rebecca wants me to try six. I’m not sure I’m capable.”
“Morgan, if you can run four miles, you can easily do six. Don’t puss out.”
“Gee, thanks for the pep talk, coach. Sooo glad you called. And thanks for ignoring the fact that I might be dead in an hour.”
He chuckles and it tickles my insides. I want him to laugh in my ear again, but without the phone between us. Maybe tickle my outsides, too? In very specific locations?
“Okay, well, how about I pick you up on my way to the meeting and then we can study again afterwards?”
Since I really would appreciate his help, and not because I want to rip off his shirt and burn it as punishment for keeping his muscles hidden from me, I say, “Sure.”
“I’ll meet you at the side door of Omega at 3:45.”
“It’s a date.” I slap my hand over my eyes. Why did I call it a date?
“It’s a date,” he repeats. “See you in a couple of hours, Morgan.”
I hang up and realize I didn’t say goodbye. Should I call back, say goodbye, and then hang up again? Did he even notice? Calm your shit, Morgan. When did I become such a freakcicle? Oh, I was born that way. Right.
“Ready?” Rebecca asks, popping her head through the doorway.
“No.”
“Come on. We’ll run and you can tell me all about it.”
“All about what?”
“Your Thor dilemma.”
“Were you listening?”
Rebecca pats my shoulder. “You’re standing in the hallway and my door is open. Of course, I was listening. Stop acting like you don’t know me.”
“I listened, too!” shouts Elizabeth from inside our room.
“Me, three!” Jen yells.
“You guys suck.”
I put the phone back on the charger and groan, “Let’s go,” to my running partner as I trot down the stairs and out the side door.
Rebecca and I take our time on our run, making sure I can cover the distance. We did talk for the first three miles or so and I feel better for it.
She’s never had a boyfriend, but she’s all hot and bothered by this guy named Evan. Rebecca’s way more innocent than most of the girls in our sorority, and she’s way less deviant than Jen when it comes to the other gender. I think I trust her judgement more than Jen’s on this particular issue.
“Look, Morgan,” she pauses sucking in air.
Running and talking is fucking terrible for your health. Well, not really, but it makes you feel like you are having a heart attack. We’re almost finished, so she probably thinks it’s safe to talk again. But I’m doubtful.
“You’re going to end it with the asshole any day now. And I don’t think Nate is all that into his girlfriend. I mean, none of the Taus even knew he had one for months. Someone told me he doesn’t even like her.”
“Then why is he with her?” I puff out as fast as I can before quickly inhaling a deep breath.
“Hello. Pot. Kettle. Black.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But I’m not doing anything about this as long as he has a girlfriend.”
Rebecca says, “Truth,” then fist bumps me and we snicker. The object of her desires also has a girlfriend. But, unlike me, she could easily land Evan if she wanted. She looks like work-out Barbie with a bigger ass.
We reach the house and I put my hands up in the air and hop around like Rocky. “We did it! And I’m alive!”
Rebecca shakes her head. “And you smell terrible. Go shower.”
“Uh, Rebecca? I have bad news.”
“What?”
“You’re still a bitch.”
Rebecca punches my arm and yells, “Damnit! I fall for that joke every fucking time.”