Trystan kissed her temple softly, pulling away slowly, like it pained him. “You make me feel better, too.”
She smiled. It wasn’t full wattage, but it was a start. After a second Mari said, “I’ve been banished from the theatre after school.”
He nodded, “I heard. You punched Brie in the face.” He couldn’t help it, a smile spread across his lips as he watched her.
“I didn’t mean to. It just happened. One minute she was threatening me and the next my fist was crushing her nose.” Mari spoke quickly, like she couldn’t believe she was telling him this. Panic laced her voice, but he didn’t know why. It was a hit, and from what he knew of Brie, she deserved it. “Anyway, Tucker banished me for the rest of the semester, so I won’t be able to see you until after.”
Smiling, Trystan asked, “You want to see me after?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes. I was thinking about things—about what I posted on your Day Jones wall—and I’ve decided something.” Mari spoke slowly, her eyes drifted to the floor as she spoke.
Trystan’s stomach felt like it was in a free fall. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? He tried to stay cool and act like he didn’t know what she was talking about. “What’d you decide?”
Mari was silent for a moment as she looked at the floor, with those long dark lashes blinking slowly. When she looked up at him, Trystan knew he’d give her anything she wanted. Her brown gaze was intent, focused on his face, making Trystan’s heart race faster. Suddenly, he was much more aware of her weight on his lap, the curve of her hips in his hands, and the way her chest swelled when she breathed.
Staring at her lips, he waited for her to say it.
“I want to be with you.”
Trystan’s mind erupted with conflicting thoughts, both warring to win. But the thing that came out of his mouth was Mari’s thoughts on the matter, not his, “But, you said you wanted to wait until you were married. I love you, Mari, but don’t change things for me. That’s part of who you are.”
She looked into his eyes, pinning Trystan in place, making him want to squirm. “I need you,” she said so softly that he barely heard it. When he didn’t answer, Mari rested her head on his shoulder and said, “Please, Trystan.”
The please and the way she said his name made Trystan come undone. Before he could do something stupid, he kissed her cheek and slipped Mari off his lap. The look of horror on her face struck him like a bat.
Quickly, Trystan said, “I can’t say no to you. I’ll do anything you want, be anything you need. I promise, but I’m not doing it in the school basement. You deserve more than that and if you keep sitting on my lap and talking about having sex with me, we won’t be talking about it anymore.” Mari’s face flushed and she looked away. Trystan put his fingers under her chin and pulled her gaze back toward him. “I love that about you. I love how you can blush like that. Actually, I uh… wrote a song about it.” Before he knew what happened, Trystan grabbed the guitar and was tuning it, talking about one of the songs he wrote for her.
“You wrote a song about me blushing?” Mari asked, surprised.
Trystan looked up from below his brow and smiled at her. “Sort of. It’s about all the little things you do; the things that make me love you.”
Placing his fingers on the strings to form the cord, Trystan began to strum. It was a song that was Mari to the core. It revealed more of Trystan’s heart, but he didn’t care. He wanted her to smile and he knew this would help. Trystan sang, watching Mari, as he slipped his hand across the neck of the instrument, allowing the notes to fill the air. As he played, her lips lifted into a smile and her brown eyes glittered just for him. Trystan couldn’t help but smile back at her.
Everything about Mari was magic. She touched him like nothing else could, and honestly, the thought of having sex with her was equally appealing and terrifying. If a look from Mari could produce that much emotion, Trystan wondered what sex would do. If Mari had her way, Trystan was going to find out. The song ended and Trystan remained where he was, across from her on a stool.
Mari stood with a sweet smile on her face and walked slowly toward him, her hips swaying gently as she came closer. “That was so incredible. The way you see things is so pure, so intense, and so vulnerable at the same time.” Stopping in front of him, Mari took the guitar from his hands, making Trystan’s pulse pound harder in his ears.
He watched her, saying nothing as she set the guitar down and stood in front of him. A smile spread across Mari’s lips. “You think blushing is sexy?” She placed both hands on his thighs, splaying her fingers, leaning in close to his lips.
“I think everything you do is sexy.”
“Kiss me,” she commanded, and he did.
Trystan’s hands threaded in her hair and pulled her mouth down on his, tasting her sweet, hot kiss on his lips. Heart hammering in his chest, Trystan let the kiss grow stronger and hotter, tasting Mari when she opened her mouth, and stroking her tongue with his. They were both breathing hard when the bell rang and shattered the moment.
Mari stood and stepped away, her hands shaking slightly. Grinning at him, she said, “You follow directions really good.”
Trystan laughed. He stood and rushed toward her, snatching her up by her waist and spinning her around until she shrieked. When he set her down, Mari looked up at him smiling like everything was all right. After a second, Mari reached into her pocket and fished out a piece of paper and handed it to him.
“It’s my address and my cell. Come by later, okay?” Suddenly, she was shy again.
Trystan looked at the address, and confusion pinched his face. “I thought you didn’t want your parents to know?”