Make Me Forget by Anna Brooks Read Free Book Online Page B

hand stays on my face while he leans down and caresses my lips with his own.
     
    ***
     
    Every day for the next three weeks, I spend as much time with Travis as I can. We go for walks on the beach, out to eat, the movies, and spend time together at his apartment. We talk about everything and anything. He makes me laugh so hard I cry. Makes me think about things in ways I never have before. I’ve never felt as close to another person in my life, not even Caroline.
    He tells me he’s going to get fat since he hasn’t been to the gym, and I’ve been lying to my parents telling them I’m with friends. I’ve become something I hate, a liar. I know my dad won’t approve of Travis. Mom won’t either, but Dad’s the bigger obstacle.
    We really haven’t done more than heavy make out sessions since that night on his couch. I’m fine with that because he’s always finding ways to touch me, and that’s all I need. He’ll wrap one of his fingers around mine, brush hair away from my face, or have a hand in my jeans pocket. Being near him is enough for me.
    We’re lying on the couch watching Backdraft because it was his turn to pick. I made him sit through some pretty bad girlie movies, and he was a trooper, never once complaining.
    “What are you going to school for?” Shit. Shit. This would be the time to tell him the truth. I feel like there’s an angel and a devil on my shoulder right now. I turn my head to look at him and get all the answer I need in his eyes. They look back at me with the same longing I feel for him. We have a connection, and I don’t want to cut that any shorter than it’s already going to be. I only have another two weeks here, and I want to make the best of it. I’m almost eighteen… well in another ten months I will be. Ultimately, the devil wins out.
    “General studies.” There, that wasn’t necessarily a lie.
    “Yeah? That’s cool. What year are you?” He laughs. “I feel like I should already know this.”
    Clearing my throat I answer, “I’m going to be a senior.”
     
    ***
     
    I must have fallen asleep because I feel myself being lifted. I open my eyes to Travis’ handsome face and run my hands along his jaw. He hasn’t shaved today, so there’s a bit of stubble on it.
    “What are you doing?” I whisper.
    “You’re tired, I don’t want you driving home. You can stay with me tonight.”
    “’Kay.” Curfew doesn’t matter right now, but being with him does. He lays me down in his bed and stands over me for a minute, studying me. I feel self-conscious until he slowly moves so he’s lying on top of me. His forearms are supporting most of his weight, and his rough hands frame my face.
    “You’re so goddamned beautiful.”
    He spends the night showing me just how beautiful he thinks I am. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first time.  He’s gentle, doesn’t rush, and he’s not selfish… at all.
    After lying in his arms for a couple hours after, I sit up to leave. I wish I could stay here with him, but I can’t. I’m already running late, and as much as I loved what happened, I think I made a mistake by lying to him. When he finds out, he’s going to hate me.
    “Where do you think you’re going?” he asks through a yawn.
    “Home.” I smile and kiss his chest.
    “Can’t you stay with me until you leave? You only have another couple weeks, right?”
    “Yeah, but I can’t. I wish I could, but my parents…” I trail off.
    He shoots up in bed and grabs my arms. “I don’t give a fuck about your parents. You’re a grown-ass woman, not a teenager.”
    Tears well in my eyes, not because I’m scared of him, but because I’m lying to him. He immediately lets me go, and I quickly wipe away the tears before they fall.
    “Shit. Sorry. I just. Fuck.” He gets up and throws on a pair of boxers, pacing the room. “I don’t want you to leave tonight. Or ever.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
    6
     
    Travis
     
    After walking Charlotte to her car