With This Heart(16)
But when I turned down that aisle and was forced to look directly at the condoms and the indiscrete bottles of lube, I suddenly felt supremely out of my league. I had no clue what the road trip would be like, but something told me I should be prepared in every area. Even if I didn’t have sex with Beck, maybe we’d pick up a hitchhiker that just happened to be Orlando Bloom and he’d want to take my virginity. I pulled a box of regular sized condoms off the shelf and a box of magnum sized as well. I’d never actually seen a penis in real life, so I had no basis of knowledge for what the average size was.
I couldn’t look the pharmacist in the eye when I picked up my prescriptions and paid for my Cosmo, toothpaste, and condoms. The Cosmo was mostly for research .
“ Do you need me to explain any of these medications to you?” she asked, shuffling the pill bottles into the crinkly sack. I could feel the people behind me in line leering over my shoulder toward the counter. Did they need to print the word ‘Magnum’ in bold, bright red letters?
I shook my head, let out a strange grunt, and shoved all of the items into my over-sized bag before practically sprinting out of the store.
…
It was already four-fifteen by the time I found parking on Market Street. I tugged on the hem of my light yellow summer dress and practically jogged toward the entrance of R.E.I., hoping that Beck hadn’t been waiting on me for too long.
When I pushed through the heavy double doors, I was greeted by that outdoorsy smell, which was strange considering I was stepping out of nature.
If you’ve never been inside one of these stores, I should tell you that they usually have these awesome campsite displays set up with a tent, chairs, and fake fire at the front end.
That’s where Beck was standing when I walked in. He was just behind the fake fire with his arms crossed over his chest and a lazy grin dotting his features. Unlike last time, he wasn’t wearing a baseball hat, so there was nothing to hide every ounce of his grade-A hotness. His hair was scruffy and perfectly tousled. His muscles stood out and his skin was tan and healthy, so different than mine.
Seeing him like that was easily the highlight of my week until I saw that he was talking to an equally gorgeous girl. She was wearing a pocketed vest and hiking boots. She was almost as tall as Beck, which was practically a foot taller than me. Damnit. I straightened my shoulders instinctively and took a few steps closer. That’s when I saw Pretty Girl’s employee name tag. It read: Bekah. As in Rebecca shortened to Becca then morphed to Bekah. Who did she think she was having a cool, quirky name like that?
“ Abby!” Beck called, and my eyes shifted toward him again.
I sort of half-waved and muttered a “hi” as I reached them. Bekah offered me a smile, and then we all stood there awkwardly for a moment because in reality we were all pretty much strangers.
Beck was the one to finally break the silence. “Bekah here was just laughing about our names.”
I scrunched my brows and then finally got it. Beck and Bekah. They were freaking meant to be.
“ Wow. That’s a neat coincidence,” I nodded, and then fiddled with the strap on my purse. Beck gave me the widest grin I’ve ever seen and then placed an arm around my shoulders. His grip was warm on my bare skin and I felt a tingle run down my spine.
“ Well, it was nice talking to you, Bekah,” he said, already pushing us away from the campsite. I had to take twice as many steps as he did in order to keep up.
“ Oh yeah sure, let me know if you need my help or anything!” she offered desperately, but she was pretty enough to where it just came off as being friendly. Damn girls like that.
The moment we walked out of earshot, Beck let go of my shoulders and turned to face me. His hazel eyes bore right into my green ones. I had to remind myself to breathe. “You should know that you have one of the most expressive faces I’ve ever seen. You’re like an open book.”