The Impact of You

Avery

“Break a leg!” I squeeze Madison and Noah one last time before they slip out of our dorm room. They have to be to the theater early for all the opening night preparations, which leaves me plenty of time to get ready for my date tonight. Jase has made reservations at an upscale restaurant, but first we’re going to watch the play Madison and Noah are in. I grab my shower stuff and shuffle off to the communal bathrooms.

An hour later, I’m squeaky clean, shaved, made up and dressed. I sit down at my laptop to type a quick response to the email I got earlier from Jessica. It’s been a month since we met face to face, and we’ve emailed back and forth several times. Our relationship has evolved into long emails full of random thoughts, deep-seated feelings and life happenings. It’s nice. Even my dads are really cool about encouraging my relationship with her. I check the time, stuff my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, add some lip gloss and slip into my bright pink ballet flats.

I’m waiting on the sidewalk outside my dorm just as Jase pulls up in his sleek black car. He stops and his face breaks into a smile when he climbs from the car to greet me.

“Beautiful…” He leans down and whispers, his lips brushing past the skin near my ear. It sends a tingle down the back of my neck, settling at the base of my spine. As hard as this past month has been resisting giving into the physical with Jase, I think it is exactly what we need. It gives us the chance to actually just date and get to know each other better without sex complicating things. Things between us are great, though. Complete open and honesty, which feels really good. But the slow build between us physically has reached epic proportions. He will be mine tonight. Period.

Our dinner reservations are at an upscale sushi restaurant that has recently opened and has been getting good reviews. Jase assures me that jeans will be fine, but I’d paired them with a dressy cream-colored top trimmed in lace.

Jase’s eyes slip from mine, dropping lower to survey me from head to toe. I squirm under his gaze and clamp my thighs together, praying that I’ll make it through the play and dinner without trying to rip his clothes off. Or my own. Hmm, that could work. We have thirty minutes before the play starts…

“Avery?” he asks, pulling my mind from the gutter it has gleefully dived into.

my thoughts from wandering to later and the little scrap of black

of fitted dark jeans and a navy blue button up shirt that brings out the deep blue of his eyes. His hair is an absolute disaster, just the way I like it – a perfect mess. My fingers could roam to their heart’s content and it

playful and hungry. I’m ready to skip dinner and get onto desert, but I merely

over-the-top-goodness, and I can’t wait to hug him for not only winning the role, but for owning it. At the end, Jase stands and cheers for them along with me, and we fight our way

out on proper dates seriously, and after the play, we’re

across me is too much. Using my uncooperative chopsticks, I’ve tried as delicately as possible to wrestle pieces of sushi into my mouth in the most

thoughtfully as he watches me. He’s in no hurry, and I wonder if he’s feeling any of the same fire I am. But I know he is. Intensity lights his eyes as he watches me. He finishes chewing and places his chopsticks

but I fix on my most polite smile. “No thanks.

his eyes raking over my skin as he takes his time answering. “Yes. Once we

later between us

It’s an innocent touch, but he’s hardly touched me all night,

I’m ready, confident and sure. I’m sure

bodies. I’m thankful that he has zero interest in hanging out downstairs where the party rages on. He wants to be alone as badly

our way to the stairs, Stacia places her hand on his chest and stops him. She staggers just a