A big Thank You to PaulX35 for kindly going through this piece and giving me his fantastic comments, most of which I have incorporated into the story. All the improvements he suggested have made the story better but as the final edit was mine, any errors are my own doing. Have a nice read. :)
-DP.
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Nadine came into my life on the 12th of December. Her family had moved into town into the house across the street from mine and there had been a huge mover's van in the driveway when I came back from work. I had strolled across to help and she'd emerged from the doorway wiping her forehead on her sleeve. I remember she'd been wearing an old white sweatshirt and jeans and I became an instant believer in love at first sight. Her face was flushed from the exertion and she'd smelled of sweat and dust. Wisps of strawberry blonde hair had escaped her ponytail and had been framing her face and trailing around her neck. She had smiled gratefully at my offer of help and her pale blue eyes had lit up. I have always wondered how I remembered that day so perfectly, down to every little detail, but then I have remembered everything that ever happened when it came to Nadine.
Although she lived right across the street from me, the next time I'd met her was when they had a small Christmas party at their house. She had looked ravishing in an emerald green dress which moulded her upper body and then fell in soft folds to her knees. They had invited all the neighbours – about fifty people. There weren't many youngsters there so it had been a proper, formal sort of a thing. After dinner, the four or five youngsters got together and had decided to go to a disco nearby.
That was the first time I took her in my arms. We were dancing in a packed disco, of course, but I imagined something else in my mind. All of us had enjoyed ourselves until it was quite late and one by one the others left, leaving only Nadine and me from the original group that had arrived. I had taken her home and left her with a chaste kiss on her cheek but crazed desire in my heart. After going back home, I had lain in my bed and imagined her there with me. I was totally in love with her.
Over the next month, every time I met her, it seemed to me that my love for her increased. She told me quite a lot about her early years and I told her about myself. We had long conversations and had become quite close in a really short amount of time. It seemed that she was genuinely happy being friends with me and we had a lot of fun while we were together. I longed to take our relationship forward by telling her about my love. Every day I'd decide to tell her but as soon as I met her, I lost my nerve and vowed that next time I'd surely let her know. As January neared to an end and the card shops around the place started stocking valentine cards, I realised that the best day I could tell her was on Valentine's Day.
That day, I decided to surprise Nadine at her university with a dozen roses. I knew she got off at about one in the afternoon and walked to the bus-stop nearby for a bus home. Arriving there half an hour early, I paced the pavement on the opposite side of the gate as I didn't know where she would be. I was very nervous – I don't know why. It wasn't that I thought she would refuse because I knew she liked me. And then, to me, she was already mine – it was just the matter of her realising it. I dismissed my nervousness as an edgy feeling a guy has when he tells a girl that he loves her and looked forward to meeting her.
A few students started coming out of the gates a few minutes before one, increasing in number until there was quite a crowd pouring out. Most of them stared at me and my tightly clutched bouquet but I paid them no attention for I was busy searching for Nadine. The crowd rushed on as the minutes passed and I still saw no sign of her. I started to worry that I had missed her as the rush of people continued. Glancing at my watch, I decided to wait a little more before running to the bus-stop; and as I looked up, there she was.
She was with two other girls and all three of them seemed to be talking simultaneously as they walked down the road toward the gates. I stepped off the pavement and was about to call out to her as she reached the gates, when a guy on a motor bike stopped in front of the trio. Nadine's face lit up as soon as she saw the guy. He handed a bunch of red roses to her with a quick kiss and she smiled at him before climbing onto the bike behind him. With a roar and a quick wave to her friends, she was off and I was left there, holding the bouquet in my hand. She hadn't even looked at me.
To say that I felt sick would be an understatement. Jealousy, rage and confusion filled my being with such a force that I almost felt dizzy. I couldn't believe Nadine had chosen someone else over me. She had to know my feelings for her. She couldn't betray me like this.
Suddenly my mind cleared and just one thought crystallised. I had to know who that guy was. The two girls Nadine had been with had started to walked off and I hurried to follow them. It was difficult to get right behind them in the heavy crowd but I managed to lever myself just close enough to hear snatches of conversation.
"...cute, isn't he? Nadine is lucky to have... both of them so good-looking, quite a couple... loves Justin like crazy..."
The last words hit me too hard. I felt like someone had slapped me in the face. Nadine loved that guy? How could she? Even though I had never told Nadine anything about my passion for her, I considered her mine. She had never told me anything about loving someone in our long talks. I thought she had told me everything about herself but it was apparent that she had been hiding the existence of her boyfriend. Obviously, my perception of our relationship differed a lot from what she thought about us. A deep anger took hold of me and I decided that I couldn't let her get away with this.
I went home and locked myself in my room. Throwing the flowers on my table, I drew the drapes across the windows and lay down on the bed without even removing my shoes. I felt crushed, defeated... humiliated. I thought for a long time before I finalised my plan of action. Just as I'd finished contemplating, there was a roar from outside and I moved to the windows and peeked out from between the curtains. Nadine and Justin had arrived. They rode up right to the front door and went inside.
I hurriedly went out and across the street to their house, glancing around to see if anyone was out who could see me. Fortunately, the house was surrounded by a high hedge which afforded it privacy from immediate neighbours. As soon as I was in the yard I moved to one of the windows on the side, which looked into the living room and peered in.
They were seated on the couch and were already kissing. Justin's hand was around her waist and Nadine's right leg was thrown over his legs while her hands were in his hair. Both of them seemed oblivious to anything else and I decided to sit through the whole show.
After a while Justin pushed her away slightly. "Why don't you move up here," he suggested, patting his lap. "It'll be easier." He was breathing hard already.
Nadine smiled and complied. Throwing off her sandals, she climbed up onto his lap, facing him, her knees on either side of his legs. She was wearing a short skirt and it moved up almost halfway up her thighs. Justin placed his hands on her waist and started rubbing his thumbs on her stomach through her top. "Are you sure we won't be interrupted?"
"Justin, I told you that mom and dad are out for the weekend. There's no one home. Who'll interrupt us?"
"So that means I can do anything I want today?" he asked her with a grin.
Nadine smiled. "You can start by kissing me and we'll see where that goes," she replied in a low, sexy voice full of promise.
Justin didn't need to be told twice and he immediately hooked his hand behind her head and pulled her forward. Their lips locked in a passionate kiss and his hand disappeared into her top, latching onto her breast. I could see his thumb moving across her nipple at first and then he cupped her breast and squeezed it until Nadine broke away from the kiss and threw her head back in a moan.
"That feels so good," she murmured as she grasped the ends of her top at her waist and in one smooth motion, pulled it over her head and threw in behind her on the carpet. "Hope that helps you."
