The Space Between Us(15)

"Sure." He took my hand without hesitation and I was elated. From under  the bridge we walked toward the path that led around the park, circling  the small pond that was in the center. We strolled along the path  talking about our summer apart, filling in the blanks of what we'd  already covered in phone conversations and emails. We came up to the  gazebo that sat along the shore of the pond and Asher headed in, pulling  me along with him.

We went to the far railing, looking out over the water. There were tall  cattails sticking up from the water and a few smaller ducks navigating  through the tall reeds. I pressed into the railing, hoping to see the  swans that sometimes congregated near the shoreline. I felt Asher's  chest press against my back and every sense was magnified. The low hum  of the crickets turned into an orchestra of chirping, the gentle breeze  was now a gust swirling the fragrance of the surrounding flowers around  us. But the touch  –  his body pressed into mine  –  was my favorite.

"Bit," he said quietly.

"Yes?" I breathed rapidly and hoped he didn't notice, his nearness  making it hard to draw air into my lungs normally. I felt like I was  starving for oxygen.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Of all the words that he could have uttered at that moment, those were some I wasn't expecting.

"You want me to be your girlfriend?"

"Um, yes?" Now he sounded unsure of himself. "Don't you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Um, yes?" I offered, hoping to make him smile by using his words. He  did smile, but not as brightly as I would have liked. "But, I don't  think I can be your girlfriend. Not yet anyhow."

"Let me worry about your dad," he said confidently. I turned to look at  him, but his hands remained on the railing, caging me in.

"You think you can convince my dad to let me date you an entire year early?"

"Like I said, let me worry about it." His confidence and demanding words made me fill with warmth.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend," I managed to whisper, still holding his gaze.                       
       
           



       

"I'd really love to kiss my girlfriend." His mouth came down to meet  mine and the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes were his gorgeous  eyelashes and dark freckles across his nose. I felt his lips press into  mine again and wondered instantly if every kiss for the rest of my life  would be better than the last. This kiss felt effortless and perfect.  His hands moved from the railing to my waist making the muscles in my  abdomen jolt alive with his new touch.

We were exploring each other, but also exploring the idea of kisses. I  learned that when I pressed my lips firmly onto his I could make him  lose his breath. I heard him inhale so quickly that it seemed as though  he was caught off guard by how he felt. I learned that Asher liked to  run his fingers through my hair while we kissed and in turn, I enjoyed  the feeling of his fingers raking through my long hair just as much.

When I felt his tongue press against the seam of my lips, I hesitated  for a moment, but opened for him. At first I was stunned into paralysis.  I feared I had no idea what I was doing, but then I felt Asher run the  back of his hand along my cheek and knew I could trust him to lead me. I  concentrated on matching him and trying not to embarrass myself, but  felt all the anxiety was worth it when I felt him slow down. When his  mouth came to almost a complete stop and our lips were simply connected,  as if he were savoring and cherishing that moment, that was when I let  my guard down and gave in to the kiss.

Eventually, long after the sun had set, we reluctantly parted, forced  from our gazebo by the chill of the summer night. We walked home and  Asher kept his arm around my shoulders, which I appreciated because I  hadn't thought to bring a sweater.

"So, when we get back to your house I'm going to talk to your dad." Asher sounded determined but also a little scared.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. I don't want him to think we're sneaking around behind his back. I  want to be up front and honest with him. Is that ok with you? Do you  mind if I talk to him tonight?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't mind. I'm just not sure how all of this is  going to go over with him. You know how he can be, especially when it  comes to me."

"It'll be ok."

And it was. That night we went into my house and after Asher asked to  speak to my father alone I retreated to my room. I sat there for  forty-five minutes in nervous agony. Finally, my bedroom door opened and  I saw my father's face as he poked his head around the door.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah." I sat down on my bed and left enough room for him on the corner.

"So, you and Asher, huh?" He sighed heavily, almost like he had been waiting to exhale for years.

"I guess that's up to you, Daddy."

"So here's the deal, and this deal only pertains to Asher. If you guys  decide to break up, you still aren't allowed to date anyone else until  you're sixteen, understood?"

"You're going to let me date?" I exclaimed, a little confused but more excited than anything.

"Yes, but there are stipulations." I rolled my eyes at him. Of course  there were. "First, you will not be going out alone on dates. If you  want to go out with a group of friends, that's fine. But no solo dates.  Second, he is no longer allowed in your room, under any circumstance,  whatsoever. When he is here, the two of you are in the living room or  the kitchen. Third, if you miss curfew even once then you will not be  allowed to see him until I say so. I'm serious about this Charlie. There  will be no warnings or second chances. Miss curfew once and it might  all be over. Lastly, if your grades begin to drop or your attitude  changes, I will end it and push dating out even farther than sixteen. Do  you understand all of this Charlie?"

"You're going to let me date?" I asked with an excited smile. He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

"You're a good kid, Charlie. And I trust you. I trust you to be the  daughter that your mother and I raised. I trust you to make good  decisions and to come to me if you have any problems or questions." I  nodded enthusiastically, knowing that realistically the chances of going  to my father about dating problems were slim, but I knew what he meant.  I knew I could be with Asher and stay true to who I was. "I also trust  Asher. He's proven to me that he understands how important you are to  me, and I know he will treat you with the respect that you deserve." I  flung myself into his arms and wrapped mine around his neck.

"Thank you, Papa Bear," I whispered in his ear. He groaned again.

"You don't get to call me Papa Bear when I've just agreed to let you have your first boyfriend." I pulled away from him.                       
       
           



       

"You'll always be my Papa Bear," I said with a scowl. "What did he say to you anyway?"

"That's between him and me. All you need to know is that he came to me  in a very grown up and mature way and stated his case. I couldn't argue  with him, and he withstood my questioning. I was satisfied with his  answers and we came to an agreement." I frowned at him.

"That doesn't sound very romantic. It sounds more like a business arrangement."

"Well, hopefully he's saving all his romance for you," he said while  playfully batting his eyelashes at me. I laughed and blushed at the same  time. After such a serious conversation it was good to see my dad  making jokes. My dad kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, Charlie Bear." He  left the room and I sat on my bed trying to wrap my mind around what had  just happened.

Asher had done it. He'd convinced my father to let me date. To be his  girlfriend. What in the world had Asher said to him? I would have to get  him to tell me the next day. I walked over to my vanity and grabbed a  hair tie, pulling my long hair back into a pony tail. Once it was  secured back, I took a moment to look myself over. I had my first real  kiss that evening and also made out with Asher for the first time, and  yet I couldn't really see a difference. I guess that was good. No one  else would be able to tell that I felt so tremendously changed.

I shrugged my shoulders, switched off the lights, and climbed into bed.  My mind was racing and I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep any time  soon, but I was content to lay in my bed and let my mind wander over  what it meant to be with Asher.

We started our sophomore year as boyfriend and girlfriend, holding hands  as we walked down the hallway. And although I felt like everything had  changed, apparently no one else in the school felt the same way. I kept  waiting for people to mention our new status, or notice us holding  hands, but people treated us the same way they always had. At lunch the  first day, I asked Reeve about it.