To Love Preciado

Finally fall break has arrived. I ended the first quarter with all A's fortunately. I haven't been able to talk to or hang out with Jaime this past week because I've been so focused on grades. That is why my first set of plans over break is to go over to his house.

I rang the doorbell in hope that he's not out with the guys. A few minutes passed and I was sure no one would ever answer. As I was about to leave, the door swung open. Jaime stood in the doorway, his hair dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist.

While I entered his mesmerizing home I asked, "So, you doing anything today?"

"Nope. I was actually about to call you." he smiled, letting his radiant, white teeth show. He then pulled me into a playful, tight hug. We swayed back and forth, his arms wrapped securely around me.

After embracing each other, which I have been longing for, we ran up the stairs to his bedroom. I flopped onto his ginormous bed and got comfortable as he put on some tunes. He threw on some clothes as I looked away. He lied down next to me, fairly close considering the amount of space on the othe side of him.

For about an hour or so we just talked about simple things like our favorite color or our childhood dreams. As the conversation went on, it began to get more serious though.

"You know, I've noticed that your parents are never here when I come over, why? I asked.

He looked over at me, he took a deep breath then sighed. "My parents are busy people. They travel the world as part of their career. For a few years I've basically been on my own. They visit me every six months and send me enough money to take care of myself, but it's not like I'm getting the loving support every teen should get. I've been living in this house for a while but I was going to school way out there. It was always a long bus ride, so I finally decided to move to a convinient school. I'm really glad I did too because I would've never met you."

"I'm sorry." I grabbed his hand and our fingers intertwined. He looked at me and bent his lips into a smile. "It's a good thing I'm here now, you'll never be lonely again." I softly pressed a kiss against his forehead.

We lied there staring into each others eyes momentarily. Jaime brushed away a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. A sad look spread across his face, "I need to ask you something. The day we went to the beach with all the guys, I noticed a few markings on your stomach. What are they from?"

The question made me freeze, I wasn't sure what to tell him. After an uncomfortable minute I decided I would tell him about my parents. "My dad's an alcoholic, he abuses my mother and I. He used to burn his cigarettes out on my skin, sometimes it left nasty scars. He hasn't done anything like that to me recently though."

Jaime stared at me, his eyes wide and filled with concern. "If he's hurting you, you need to tell someone."

"I can't, if he got arrested that would just make things worse. Besides, he hasn't done too much damage." I paused, "Physically, that is."

"I'm so sorry, Roz. I wasn't expecting that." he grabbed my face in a gentle matter, "I know I don't have a car, but if you ever need someone I will gladly walk to your house at any hour of the day."

I felt the tears starting to flood my eyes, no one has ever cared as much as him. I shifted so my forehead was against his, one of his hands was still resting on my jawbone. He traced the outline of my jaw with his thumb until he reached my chin. He adjusted his head and I could feel each exhale stroke my skin. The next thing I knew, our lips had collided. A rush of energy ran through my body, a wave of heat took over my gut. He moved his lips slowly, caressing mine ever so gently. His rhythm was easy to pick up, it felt like we had been doing this for years. A smile formed and I couldn't help but giggle a little. Our lips were still pressed together and I could feel him smiling back. He started to pick up the speed a bit, the moment grew more intense. He ran his tongue across my bottom lip then sucked on it for a couple seconds. Kissing him felt electric, it felt right, it made me feel complete. He stopped then laid a soft kiss on my mouth before pulling away.

After our kiss, he sat up in his bed, pulling me up with him. He took both my hands in his, looking at me with a giant grin on his face. "I've been wanting to ask you something." he looked down trying to regain his confidence then brought his eyes back to me, "Rosaline, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course, Jaime." I replied as a rose color took over my cheeks. I haven't been this happy in a long time. The past couple of weeks all I've wanted is to be able to call him mine, now here I am with nothing more to ask for.

Notes