Him by Carey Heywood (reading strategies book .txt) 📕

mesh of arms and legs. I feel full of him and also surrounded by him. It's like inside and out there isn’t a spot of me that isn’t marked by him. I'm mesmerized by his face, a face I thought I knew every expression of. I learn a new one today as I watch him fall apart. Afterward, Will still above me, I laugh out loud when I realize I'm no longer a virgin.

Will stills. "Something funny?"

"You just deflowered me." I try to keep a straight face and fail.

He just grins down at me and replies. "Did it hurt?"

"A little at first, but then it felt better." I run my hands up and down his back. "Was I okay? For you?"

"Okay? Sarah, you crazy beautiful girl. I love you so much. That was the second best moment of my life. The first was when you told me you loved me."

"So that's a good thing, right?" I tease.

He shakes his head at me so I kiss him, pulling him down so that all of his weight is on me. He's sweaty. I'm sure I am too, but I love the way he feels, the way he smells. I don’t know why, but I start giggling. He lifts his head to look at me.

I cover my mouth with my hand. "We just did it, Will."

He laughs. "Why is that funny?"

I can't stop. I'm shaking. "I just can't believe it."

"I love you, even when you're a crazy person." He brushes his nose against mine.

"I've loved you for so long," I confess, laughter gone.

He reaches up to smooth some hair from my face. "How long?"

"Seventh grade."

"You did not." His eyes widen.

"Alright, maybe it wasn't love love, but I had the biggest crush on you."

"I never knew. I never thought—" He just shakes his head, then lowers it to kiss my neck right below my ear before saying, "I wish I had known."

"Why?"

"We could have gotten together sooner."

 

 

 

Chapter 17

Present

I go find my seat and hesitate when I see Will's arm resting on the back of my chair.

As though he senses me, he looks back at me. "Fall in?" When I ignore him, he goes on. "So I went over with Brian this morning to help pick up your wedding gift. Pretty big coincidence out of everything they registered for, we picked the same thing."

He pulls my chair out for me, and I sit. Seeing a server, I order a drink. This is going to be a long night. I'm on my second drink by the time food is served. I have only taken one bite before the DJ announces the arrival of the new Mr. and Mrs. Miller. We all stand and applaud as they walk in hand and hand. They come and sit down to eat while Justine and Curtis go to the center of the ballroom to give their toasts. It’s cool to hear more about how Christine and Justine met.

They met in elementary school, the first day of fourth grade. During roll call, they say that they were the only girls in the class whose names ended in 'ine'. Once they learned how close they lived to one another, they formed a club and called themselves the Ine's and would not let anyone else join unless their name also ended in it. Justine had everyone laughing as she cringed and said they were only fourth graders and that was as creative as they got. Curtis lived next door to Christine growing up and hated them. He moved towards the mic to confirm that, yes, he did in fact hate them. Brian had only known Curtis as long as he had known Christine, but it was Curtis and Justine's approval that clinched the second date for Brian in the beginning. Curtis tells a very funny story during his toast of when he pulled Brian aside to explain the whole 'Ine' thing to him and make sure he knew Justine was not a best friend. She was a sister to Christine. It had been clear to both Justine and Curtis how much Brian cared for Christine, and they gave him their blessing before he even knew he was going to propose.

After they finish their toasts, other people clink their glasses and make toasts. Christine's father makes an especially sweet one that brings tears to many eyes. He speaks of how Christine is not only his only child but still his little girl and he can rest because he knows Brian will spend the rest of his days doing everything in his power to make her happy. Since my father is not much of a talker, his toast is perfect for him. He raises his glass. "To the bride and groom. Your mother and I love you both very much. Welcome to the family, Christine."

I tense when Will stands and gives his toast. "I work with Christine and have known Brian forever. He saw me having lunch with Christine one day and had to meet her. In our infinite wisdom, we came up with a plan to get them together. It was clear there was something there when Brian called me after their first date and could not stop talking about her. He told me he thought she was the one. I remember telling him to tell her that, to make sure she knew every day just how much he loved her and how she was the only one for him. Don’t make the mistake I did and let the one get away. He took my advice and almost scared her away by coming on too strong. Moral of the story, given my romantic history, is they were clearly meant for each other, considering I got involved and they're still together."

When Will sits back down I look at him, almost not surprised to find his eyes on me. This whole week has been so strange. I have never felt closer to that night than I do now. I never stopped loving Will. I just