Once we had decided on what we were going to do, I slowly got out of the bed and found that the crisp white sheets were stained by my makeup. The memories, while always in my mind, resurfaced to the forefront of it. I looked over at Andy, who was still shirtless, but no longer wet. “Thank you,” I told him barely loud enough for him to understand. He smiled in response, and I simply went to go change.
By the time I had changed, and done my makeup, Andy was ready to go. He had written a small note that said we were out, and he didn’t want to hear from any of the guys. He taped it on CC’s door and grabbed a hold of my hand as we headed out into the city.
As we made our way to Powell’s, I felt my phone vibrate. I took it out of my pocket and found that it was a call from Sarah. I answered it and automatically remembered why I told Sarah all my plans. “Where are you?! You didn’t answer my calls, and now your mom’s going bazerk?! She told me that you just left with a bag full of shit and never told her where you were going, and I know for a fact that you aren’t with me!”
She kept rambling on and on before I stopped her, “Sarah, I’m fine! I’m sorry I never called you, it was late and I was a little busy driving back to Portland.”
“Wait, why Portland? What the hell did you tell your mom, because she says that you guys got in a fight and ran away,” she kept informing me on all that my mom had told her.
“Yeah, we got in a fight, and I had a place to stay in Portland. I knew she’d look for me at your house, so that’s why I took the place over here,” I lied.
“Who gave you a place to stay?”
I didn’t want to tell her, because that would start a whole new rant, but I wasn’t in the mood to make up a story about some cousin. “Andy offered to let me stay with him,” I told her as I looked up at him.
As she went on and on about my need for condoms, and my need to make sure no one knew we were fucking, I leaned into Andy, and felt his arm wrap around my waist. “Sarah, we aren’t fucking,” I said a little louder than I meant to.
Andy chuckled, and kissed me. “I love how blunt you are,” he told me grinning.
I hung up the phone as we walked into Powell’s, and I’m sure that I cut of another one of Sarah’s lectures on keeping me safe. I remembered the last time I was in Powell’s. I had always loved books, they were a nice escape from the world, but my mom thought that they would corrupt my mind. I had gone there with my dad. He was the fun parent, until he slept with some blonde bimbo and tore apart my family, and ripped my heart to shreds. He kept trying to reach out to me, until I sat him down and told him that I never wanted to see him again.
Andy walked over to where the children’s books were and picked up one of the Harry Potter books. “Man, I forgot how much I missed these books,” he sighed out.
“Never read them,” I replied plainly.
Andy released a dramatic gasp, “How could you have never read them? What about this?” He asked as he picked up James and the Giant Peach. I shook my head no, while he went running around picking up books that my mom never let me read as a kid. “How could you live without all these books?!”
“Andy, the same reason I go to school in New Hampshire. My mother dearest thought my poor little brain would be corrupted,” I replied in a mockingly posh tone.
He laughed in response and set down all the books he was carrying. He took my head in his hands and kissed me. “I think your mind achieved corruption without the books,” he whispered in my ear. I shivered at the feeling of his lips on my ear. “Oh, and if she was so worried about your corruption, why did she let you go to a rock concert?”
“My dear Andy, she heard the words young, and male in the same sentence. After Scarlett she wouldn’t care if I went to a prison if it was filled with guys,” I told him sarcastically.
He giggled, and picked up the books again. I was surprised he didn’t press on about Scarlett. Every guy I had met always asked me questions about her. “I’m buying all these, and we are having a serious story time when we get back to the hotel,” he told me while taking my waist in his free arm. I couldn’t help but laugh at how he grinned after he said that.
We soon found ourselves in the hotel room, drinking tea and reading children’s books. We were sitting side by side on the bed when he brought one of his hands to the top of my thigh. I hissed in pain and cringed when his fingers hit the spots where my cuts were. “Babe, what’s wrong?” He asked as his hand automatically rushed away from my leg and onto my shoulder.
I stayed silent as I wondered how many secrets I had to tell Andy.

Notes

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