Flowers by Nichole Hall (best life changing books txt) 📖

of Kevin during sex is new. Usually our sex is fast paced and hungry, but this one...we aren’t even close to being done. “We are going to make this one last long.” He whispers. Oh-oh. Long I can most definitely do. He nibbles on my ear, causing me to whimper. “Slow and unmeasured, Willow. Every time you will come close to exploding, I am going to pull out and make you start all over again.”

“Oh God.” I croak. Kevin lifts himself back up, only leaning on his elbows this time and nowhere near touching me like I want. Our eyes meet, Kevin unguarded shows heat and longing, only turning me on more. 

“You are beautiful, Willow. Remember that.”

“Okay.” I rasp. 

Those words didn’t sound like they came from me, but a starved lion waiting for her dinner. Eventually, she gets the longest, most delicious feed of her life.

I like the way you move

“What’s your favorite color?” I lay across Kevin’s naked chest. Some of his fingers interlock with my waves, twirling them around and sometimes teasingly pulling.

His gaze is focused on the wisps of hair. “I know what you’re doing, but I’ll answer anyway. Gold.” 

Leaning my head on my elbow, “why gold?”

His eyes flicker towards mine. There’s an internal struggle in there. Kevin isn’t used to opening up, even justifying simple questions like what his favorite color is. Even though our sex life is great and today, for the first time we had passionate, toe curling love making, it still seems we fight more than we talk. I hold my ground, waiting.

“It’s the color of my cousin’s eyes. What’s yours?” He quickly evades the oncoming question about which cousin. Simple enough to figure it out that it’s the child of his dead cheating uncle.

“Hmm, can’t really say.”

“If you had to choose.”

“Purple.” Kevin lets loose a carefree laugh. I rest my chin just below his collar bone, enjoying just how that small enough answer made him loosen up a bit.

“Why purple?”

“Red and blue I like the most. If they mix, it creates purple.” I add sweetly. Kevin shakes his head with laughing eyes.

“Leave it to you Willow, to make a favorite color so complicated.”

“Hey!” Slapping his chest, I crawl to straddle him. “I am not a complicated person. In fact, I like to think I am simplified version of the female race.”

Rough hands grip my waist, urging me to make small movements back and forth. The friction creates the build up of heat asking for more and more. I can never get enough of him, which is scary sometimes. What if he gets enough of me? 

“You have such a one tracked mind.” I tease. The laughing eyes shut down. One hand leaves the comfort of my waist to cradle my face. Instinctually, I lean into the caress, sending fluttering kisses along the palm of his hand.

“I won’t get tired of you Willow.”  He is the king of reading people.

The hand continues to move backwards, playing with strands of hair again. Smoothly, he tugs my face so our lips can connect. Our movement is slow, full of unspoken words and emotions. Something is growing between us, and I like it, a lot. Just as we break for some air, Kevin pulls us back together, flipping our bodies to where he now leans over me. My hands do their usual searching and prodding, trailing from the muscles of his lower back up to the thick growing hair. 

“Willow..” Soft whispers against my lips have my eyes fluttering open. Just half an inch away and the concern is palpable all over. “How are you doing?”

My lips do not tremble with sadness, my heart doesn’t ache with unforgiving, but pain does ricochet inside, just not for myself. “I feel bad for Charlie. She did a number on him in just a month and now...” I trail off, because it goes without saying. Charlie is going to go back to how he was before, but now he won’t trust a single female in his path. 

“Hey!” Fists pound against the door. “Are you two going to come join the festivities or what? The party is raging on without you!” Lucky’s booms over the pounding music. Kevin lets out a string of curses that have me cackling.

“Shower first.” Picking me up, he walks us to the shower where we spend another forty five minutes memorizing each other’s bodies. 

****

We emerge mostly dry. My hair now finger combed and my face without make up, minus the lip gloss I brought, Kevin holds my hand through the hallway. Just as we are met with dim lighting, the thump of music vibrating against the walls and throngs of bodies leaving very little wiggle room, Kevin turns around kissing my forehead.

“Going to find Charlie. I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Okay.” Just as he walks away, I notice the slight bulge in his back pocket where my underwear now sits. Hey, I told you before that I hate putting on used underwear. Just the thought sends the creepy crawly feeling all over. 

Eventually the sight of Luke and Herman leaning against a wall near a DJ booth with Lucky behind that marked off by doggy dates, comes into view. Pushing past dancing bodies, and groups just standing and drinking in the middle of the designated dancing area, I reach the two. Luke’s shoulders drop in relief as Herman edges his away from the wall. A girl with short dark brown hair block’s the body view of Luke. When they both nod for me to join, the girl turns around.

Nancy Jones. ASB president, leader of almost all the clubs at school and the most hyper, chipper girl you will ever meet. She also never shuts up. 

“Hi Willow!” Nancy salutes with a red cup. 

“Hey Nancy. You guys having fun?” I shoot Luke a look of hidden laughter, he shakes his head. Help me, he mouths. 

“You guys want to dance?” Herman looks mortified at the offer, and Luke just about ready to say yes, suddenly changes his mind. When a cup appears in front of me full of juice, the answer is clear. 

Kevin. 

Only handing me the cup he nods at me and then his friends before disappearing into the massive bodies again. Tentatively taking a sip, the ratio of alcohol is strong but good. 

“So Willow, you don’t come to parties very much. Like ever, and now you hang out with these guys? What’s the deal girl? It’s like you are finally opening your eyes to the world around you senior year!”

While trying to formulate some sort of response, Luke and Herman start slipping backwards, both gurgling down their own concoctions, probably in unease. 

“Yeah, they are my friends now.” I lamely reply. 

Stepping closer to me, because Lucky has the base so loud from the house music that all the walls are thumping and my cup is vibrating from the sound waves, Nancy shouts near my ear a little too loudly. “So, what happened between you and Mandy? I never see you guys stuck to each other anymore. It’s like she and Charlie are attached at the hip.” 

None of your business. 

I can only offer a shrug, and try hard to come up with some lame excuse to get out of her line of vision. Looking around, trying to spot someone of more possible interest, I see Charlie. Staring at nothing particular, he leans on a beige wall next to a family picture, a cup in each hand. 

“Hey Nancy?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you get me another drink?”

The girl is gone so fast, all of us finally relax. Lucky starts playing the David Guetta song “Titatnium” when I pull Luke and Herman to the dance floor. While Luke dances along with me in the center of the dance floor where more people have seen to migrate, Herman stands perfectly still. Holding a now empty glass, his eyes are wide with fear.

“Herman has a fear of public dancing.” Luke sashays behind me. 

Moving my hips, careful not to spill the drink and cautious of not getting my toes stepped on, I work towards Herman. Taking the cup from his frozen hand, and grabbing the other I drag him back to Lucky’s booth. Hopping over the stupid doggy dates, Lucky bounces his head with headphones covering only one ear as he messes with music on his laptop. Low and behold, lays a bottle of tequila next to his feet. Snatching up the bottle, Lucky yells out “hey!”

“Be right back, getting Herman drunk first.” I don’t know if he heard me, just fill up Herman’s glass with a shot.

“Drink it.” He does. I fill it up again, adding the same command. Once this happens about five or six times, and Herman is no longer standing there like he has got a stick up his ass, I return the bottle to Lucky. He sends me a wink, I blow him an air kiss. “Ready?” 

The big guy still cautious, follows the path back to Luke. I put my hands on his waist and start dancing and moving with him. First, he moves with stiff movements with his hands on the crook of my elbow. When Luke takes a spot behind me, sandwiching me between the two, he loosens up a bit. 

“Come on Herman, dance like you mean it and we may get laid tonight.” Luke’s words drift over to two drunk girls grinding on each other. They take a look at Herman, then Luke and lastly landing on me. I throw my hands up in the air. 

“All yours ladies.” Without pause they push me out of the way. A blonde grabs Luke by the neck pushing her front body on him while her friend, a brunette uses her backside dancing skills on Herman. The boy lucked out, she is doing most of the work. 

Without anymore needed help, I slither away still dancing by myself. No big deal, sometimes it’s more fun. Swaying around, Charlie still leans near the family portrait. Only he is about ten feet away and now looking at me. I crook my index finger and wave him over. No luck. Alright, he wants it the hard way. 

Determination sets in my stride. Charlie looks both ways for an exit, but the room is crammed, adding to the stuffy, hot sauna feeling of parties. 

“Come dance.”

“No, Willow. Not tonight.” The words cause so much pain inside, just the hollowness in them is enough to make want to slap Mandy into next week. 

“Just with me Charlie. No other girls. Just friends tonight, please?” Our eyes hold for a little. I grab the front of his crew neck gently pulling. Pushing off the wall, Charlie creeps with me back to the dance floor. I turn around, waving my hands in the air like a maniac trying to get Lucky’s attention. We need continuous upbeat music, something happy and fun. Something so cliche at dances, but nonetheless still entertaining. Yelling at Lucky isn’t really working. I try a few times and am not trusting of Charlie to stay in this position if I do leave to go back to Lucky. Finally he looks and catches the words by having me mouth him. Sending a sneaky smile, he nods. 

“Where’s your drink?” Charlie asks as the dancers wait for the next some to come on. I think back to where I last saw it.