100 - The chapter where they are tacky together

Christian

I held my girlfriend's delicate hand, observing her nails, which were already of a considerable size, painted light pink with small golden flowers drawn on them. I was sitting on the bed, with my back against the wall and Rose was lying on my lap wearing only an old t-shirt she had taken from my suitcase that was still in her room, since I had gone straight there, and lace panties while reading a summary on her cell phone for a modern art history exam.

I loved every detail of those nails, even if my back, arms and nape had already been punished last night while we enjoyed the desert lookout inside the Brigitte.

" Did you like it? " Rose caught my eye, making me realize that she had put her phone aside, focusing on my face with an amused expression.

" As always, they look very nice. They've grown faster than I thought " I commented nonchalantly, noticing the shine of the golden enamel on the flowers " You should paint them all gold next time.”

" I can do that," she winked, before returning her focus to her summary with an amused expression.

I reached for my own phone, letting go of her hand to open an unread message from Beebee, giving a half-smile as I saw the content.

So, did you manage to solve all the complications in your life?

I took a picture of the girl lying on my lap without her noticing, forwarding it to my sister as a reply. Rose had her hair loose, sprawled across my legs, nibbling on her thumbnail with an expression focused on her own cell phone screen, but still, she was prettier than most of the girls on this campus.

"What the hell kind of genetics is in that family? How can she be so beautiful without combing her hair or a hint of makeup?"

Was my sister's nonchalant response.

" What's so funny? " Rose asked, once again diverting her attention from her summary.

" I'm just talking to Amber. Do you think the others have arrived yet? " I said, “You should concentrate on your summary, don't you think?”

Rose put her cell phone aside, leaning on her forearm to stand up, bringing her free hand to the back of my head to pull my face towards hers.

" And who says I can concentrate with my boyfriend here so close? " she offered me a satisfied smile before giving me a brief kiss.

" Rose, that's the cheesiest thing you've ever said,” I quipped as I briefly broke away from her, only to be silenced by a more intense kiss.

" It can be, I always thought dating was really cheesy " she returned with a smile on her face, still with her eyes closed.

It was my turn to kiss her, tangling my fingers in her hair, moving to lay her on the bed, getting on top of her body, leaning my weight on my forearm while enjoying every second of that kiss.

" I like being cheesy with you,” I admitted with my lips still pressed to hers as I paused the kiss for a moment.

" You know that was pathetic, Davis," Rose laughed.

"I know," I winked at her before going in for another kiss.

Our conversation had been better than I expected, since despite all the tension that had enveloped us over the past few days, I still feared that deep down, she didn't want the same thing I did. But in the end, my fears were in vain.

Rose had her fears, I understood and respected that. But we were both willing to make it work, and that was what counted most at that moment. I started to run my hand up the inside of her t-shirt, feeling her body react to my touch, but before I could do anything about it, a knock on the door interrupted us.

" Rose, I know you're in there," Liam's voice sounded from the other side, before he knocked again.

" Oh come on," Rose moaned in disbelief.

"Davis, I know you probably want to hook up forever, but I have something amazing to tell you, so I expect you in ten minutes in the common area," he warned.

" 'We can just ignore him,” I suggested.

" If you don't show up, I'm going to come back and knock on your door, I doubt you can do anything," he challenged us, making me hide my face in Rose's neck, letting out a small curse.

" Fifteen minutes, Liam. I have to get dressed," Rose complained.

" Not a minute longer,' he warned and soon we heard his footsteps moving away.

We both stayed in the same position for a few seconds until I sighed, getting off her, knowing that Liam wouldn't give us time for anything and Rose still had to get ready, since we were in the middle of the afternoon and hadn't gotten out of bed yet. She sat up, looking around before sighing, then getting up to start getting dressed.

" Are we going to tell them? " She asked a few seconds later.

I raised my face with a frown, not understanding the reason for that question. Why would we hide something like that from our friends?

" Do you see anything wrong with that? " I decided to probe her.

Rose took a while to answer and I pretended I didn't care, rummaging through my suitcase that was on the empty desk on the other side of the room in search of an outfit to wear.

" It's not that I mind, it's just that we're still at the beginning and we agreed to take it slow. What if in a week we regret it and everyone already knows? " she commented without looking at me directly, pretending to be disinterested while picking up an outfit from the closet.

I stayed silent, thinking about what that attitude meant. She doesn't want anyone to know about us? Is that a good sign?

" Chris, I know this sounds shitty, but you're the first guy I've ever made a commitment to, and it's kind of freaking me out. I just want to take things slow so I don't regret it, okay?  Our conversation yesterday is still for real, I meant it, but I need to do it at my own pace.

" Rose, what are you so afraid of? " I approached her, crossing my arms as I looked into her eyes.

" I'm afraid of being made a fool of and being passed over. I know you'll tell me that won't happen, but I need a little time to get over this fear " she took a deep breath, blushing as she explained what was going on in her mind.

I tilted my head to the side, analyzing her reaction. Rose, once again, was exposing all her feelings and I knew she didn't do that often, so instead of being offended by the content of her fears, I felt grateful that she trusted me with them.

My girlfriend lowered her head, looking upset by the direction of the conversation. I moved closer, holding her jaw, forcing her to lift her face to look into my eyes before kissing her.

" Don't worry, we can take over everything when you feel comfortable. Then we'll do it in big style, okay?”

" Thanks for not freaking out " she held back a small smile.

" Someone has to be the voice of reason, doesn't it? 'You're enough of a freak,' I winked, letting her go.

" You never miss a chance to be an asshole to me, do you? " she rolled her eyes, getting dressed again.

"No, it's a personal pleasure," I commented, going back to my bag to grab some pants I had separated.

We sat in silence for a while, concentrating on getting dressed, until something came to mind.

" We had agreed to tell my parents, did you change your mind about that? " I commented.

" No, we can tell them " Rose didn't even think for a second before answering, surprising me.

That's when something came to my mind, making me laugh at the girl's curiosity.

" What's funny?”

" You want to tell my parents just so Abby knows, don't you? " I gave her an amused look, receiving an open smile in return.

" You know me so well, Davis," she winked at me, getting back into her clothes.

" After we find out what madness Van Derr Waal has got up to now, we can sort it out," I winked at her.

She sat down on the bed to put on her sneakers, then gave me an amused look.

" We'd better go then, before he comes back and shouts to the whole floor that we're having sex,” she suggested with amusement.