“ I don’t know Isaac, it’s getting pretty late, don’t you think?,” Terry said, stifling a yawn.
“ It’s only a quarter after eleven. My parents won’t be home for a few more hours and you said your mom won’t mind you being out for a little while longer, didn’t you?,” Isaac pressed.
She had forgotten she had told him that. “Yeah, but I don’t know.”
Isaac put his arms around her and pressed his body close to hers. “Please?” He gently nuzzled her neck and kissed it.
Terry felt delighted shivers run down her spine at his touch. It never failed to quicken her breath or weaken her in the knees. “ Well,” she said, a smile playing on her lips, “ maybe for a little while. But don’t try any funny stuff.”
Isaac quickly stuck a key in the lock and opened the door to his house. He quietly stepped in and glanced around. “ I wonder if Tay or Zac came home yet?,” he wondered aloud, closing the door behind Terry.
“ Nah, you would hear giggling from Maddy and Felecia if they were,” she said, draping her jacket on a chair. She headed towards the living room, and smiled. “Ike, look at this.”
She pointed to the prostrate figures of Maddy and Felicia, each curled on an end of the couch, sound asleep.
“ I guess the kids turned out to be more than they expected,” Isaac grinned at the sight of the two teenagers. “ They look like two little girls who spent the day at a carnival.”
“ They do, don’t they? Hey, I’ll be right back,” Terry told him, “ I’m going to go check on the little kids.”
She silently crept up the stairs and peeked into Mackenzie’s room. He had kicked his covers off in his sleep and was curled into a fetal position, clutching a teddy bear. She pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed his cheek. She looked in on the girls and found each of them sleeping soundly. She touched Zoe’s forehead to find that her temperature felt normal. She stared at the baby, marveling at how angelic she looked, and was startled when Isaac grabbed her around the waist.
“ Don’t do that!,” she hissed, but a fleeting smile crossed her face.
“ I just wanted to keep you company,” Isaac said, holding her close and resting his chin on her shoulder. Terry placed her hands over his and leaned against him contentedly. She was amazed at how excited it made her feel, to have him this close. She wondered if he could tell how fast her heart was beating.
Isaac bent his face to hers and kissed her lightly on the cheek, brushing her hair from her face.
“ Isaac?,” she said quietly.
“ Hmm?”
“ I don’t want to wake the little kids.”
“ You want to go talk in my room?”
“ Talk? Yeah right,” she laughed. He grinned back and, taking her hand, led her in the direction of his room.
“ Damn, when was the last time you cleaned up in here?,” Terry asked, gesturing towards to the clothes scattered on the floor.
“ Oh man, I just washed those!,” Isaac smacked his forehead. “ Zoe must have come in here and pulled them from the basket.”
“ Oh I see,” she said, sitting on the edge of his bed, “ Let that be lesson to you to never leave clothes in the reach of a toddler.” She grinned at him , then was silent for a moment, before she said, “ Isaac, I have a bit of a confession to make.”
“ Uh-oh,” he said, sitting down next to her, “ I hate it when people start out like that.”
“ I don’t think it’s really anything that bad. The thing is, my mom doesn’t know I’m out with you.”
“ What do you mean?,” he frowned in confusion.
“ My mom spazzed out when I told her about the date, so I had to sneak out. She’s working the late shift at work tonight.”
“ You mean she doesn’t want you seeing me? Why?”
“ Just cause you’re a guy,” Terry rolled her eyes, “ She has some idea that you’re gonna knock me up or hurt me or something.”
“ That’s crazy. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
“ I guess she’s just angry that things didn’t work out with her and my dad, so she thinks I’m headed down the same road or something.”
“ Don’t worry about her. I’m sure we could work something out.”
She smiled with relief. “ I was worried that you’d be mad at me.”
“ Why would I be mad at you?”
“ I dunno,” she shrugged, “ Maybe that I have to lie to my mom about you.”
“ Nah, I wouldn’t get mad about that,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulder, “ though I hate the idea of you lying. Maybe you could try talking to her.”
“ I tried. She wouldn’t listen.”
“ Do you want to forget a second date then?”
“ No, I’m not about to do that.”
He grinned. “ I was afraid you wouldn’t want to.”
“ A catch like you? Never,” she laughed, snuggling against him.
“ Then how about we do this again next Friday?”
“ Next Friday,” she agreed.
Isaac tilted her chin up and gently kissed her on the lips. Terry kissed him back with feeling, placing her arms behind his neck as their kisses grew longer and deeper. She ran her hands through his hair and trailed her fingers along the back of his neck. He ran his hands down her back, lightly fingering the strap to her bra. He let his hands fall to her waist, touching the bare skin between her shirt and her jeans. Terry suddenly sat up straight, pulling back.
“ What’s wrong?, Isaac asked, concern etched on his face.
“ I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.” She stood up, trying to think of a way to phrase what was on her mind. “Isaac,” she started, “ how far do we really want to go?”
“ I don’t know,” he said, a little stunned by the sudden question, “ How far do you want to go?”
“ Well, I guess not all the way. Do you?”
“ I’m not really ready for that much either. I guess if the time was right it would be different, but I don’t think it is yet.”
“ That’s what I think. Maybe we should just go with the flow and do whatever feels right, but wait until we’re both…more mature before we have sex.”
Isaac walked up to her and put his hands on her waist. “ I’m glad you said that. I don’t think either of us are ready for something like that,” he smiled, and gently kissed her forehead.
Terry smiled with relief and laid her head on his chest, contentedly. “You know something?,” she said quietly, “ This dating thing is pretty scary.”
Isaac held her close. “ I know,” he agreed, “ It is. Isn’t it great?”
“ Yeah, it is,” she said, and soon found herself wrapped up in his arms again.
Shutting the back door behind her, Erin glanced around furtively, then breathing a sigh of relief at the silence, quietly crept downstairs. She sat on her bed and looked at the bag in her hands.
Why didn’t I just throw this out? She wondered. I planned to do it before I gave Shelly’s car back. Oh well, may as well just stash it in my clothes. What harm can it do? I’m certainly not going to use any of it. I’m not into Heroin.
