"Black-Dove January"
Chapter 7

    Raegan let the hot water run over her body. It felt so good to actually
be taking a real shower. She hadn't had one in two weeks. Rinsing off soap,
she studied the bruises on her body. She felt ashamed and embarassed that
Kevin had seen them.
      Shutting off the water, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a
towel around herself. Realizing that she had forgotten to take clothes into
the bathroom with her, she went over to the chest at the foot of Kevin's
bed. Just as she was picking up an outfit to wear, Kevin walked in. He blushed
and muttered a "sorry" when he saw her in the towel. Raegan pulled her towel
tighter around herself. "I was just getting my wallet", Kev explained
nervously. With that he grabbed his wallet off his dresser top and quickly
walked out of the room, muttering another "sorry" as he left. When he was
gone she couldn't help but laugh. They were even now in the seeing-each-other-in-
towels department.
        Kevin couldn't believe he had just seen Raegan in a towel. No,wait.
That wasn't what he couldn't believe. What he couldn't believe was that he
wanted to see her WITHOUT the towel. "What the hell are you thinking,
Richardson?", he asked himself. "She's only 17 and you hardly know anything
about her." But then again, she was almost 18 and he knew enough about her
to know she had been through some tough times and needed support. He wanted to
support her........and love her. He had never been one to fall in love so
fast, so this feeling was very new to him. Hell, he thought this kind of
thing only happened in fairy tales and movies. So now he knew he loved her. But
where does he go from here?
            Raegan came into the kitchen wearing jeans, a blue sweater, and
her Vans sneakers, which Kevin had gone to the liberty of washing as well.
Brian set a plate of pancakes down in front of her. "There's coffee, too. If
ya want some." She nodded and Brian poured her some. After adding sugar and
taking a sip of coffee, Raegan noticed Kevin staring at her. He quickly
averted his gaze once he saw her staring back. He briefly wondered if she
could tell by the way he looked at her that he loved her. Was it obvious?
And how did she feel about him? One minute she would warm up, the next she would
shut him out. Glancing at the clock, he told Raegan they should be going
since the mall opened up at 11:00.
            The car ride to the mall was silent at first. Deciding to try to
get her to open up again, he asked "So, what day is your birthday?" "The
18th." "And do you have a last name or is it just Raegan - like Madonna", he
teased. "It's Johnson." "And is your father or anyone looking for you?" "Not
to my knowledge. I'd like to keep it that way", she replied, getting a
little defensive. Lightening the conversation up, Kevin asked her less-serious
questions, like favorite colors, movies, etc. By the time they arrived at
the mall Kevin was even more in love with her. They shared a lot of the same
interests.
          Getting out and opening her door, he asked "Are you ready to hit
the stores?"  She nodded and took the hand he offered to help her out. She
noticed the feel of his hands. They were big (LOL!) and kind of rough, but
beautiful nontheless. Kevin's hands BEAUTIFUL? What was she thinking?
Pushing the thought out of her head, she walked with him into the mall.