Taboo

Between Jonah, Adam, and my hectic school schedule, Kadie and I hadn't been able to see much of each other since she's been back in town. This was the last weekend before Kadie's new job at Darlington started, so we decided to spend all of Saturday at the spa. 

We went into the massage room and waited for our masseuse. The room was all white with Chinese calligraphy paintings on all four walls. There were bamboo sticks in a planter used as a room divider between Kadie and I. Kadie kept going on and on about Adam but I was too busy untucking my towel and trying to find a comfortable position to lay in.

“...But seriously Lynn, we can't keep our hands off each other!” I could tell by her tone she had a smile on her face.

“Wait, what?” I suddenly realized what Kadie said, “You two have already slept with each other?”

“I mean, yeah. It's been over a week Lynn. Come on.” There was a brief moment of silence before I heard Kadie jump off her massage table and stumble over to the bamboo divider. She stared at me for a minute. “You and Jonah...?”

I was embarrassed but pretended like I had no idea what she was referencing. “Me and Jonah, what?” Without saying a word she tilted her head and squinted her eyes. I hate when Kadie does that. Her “mean girl” look. It always scares the crap out of me. “Okay, fine. No, Kadie we haven't. Happy?”

“Lynn, it's been like over a month already. What the hell?” She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest.

“I already told you the problem, Kadie.” I leaned upwards wrapping my towel back around me.

Kadie cut me off before I could finish my thought. “Here's what I think, he's trying to keep his distance because you just had to be a big mouth and tell him about Joshua!”

I tried to rebuttal but Kadie was quick to cut me off. “Nah uh, I don't want to hear it, Lynn! You're never suppose to tell a potential guy about your ex problems so soon in the game! Now next time you see him, you're going to make it happen. Am I clear?” I rolled my eyes and Kadie threw me another mean girl look. Right then the masseuse walked into the room. Her smile was quickly wiped away when she saw Kadie standing over me.

“Crystal” I said under my breath. Kadie smiled at the masseuse and pranced back over to her massage table.

Kadie is a year older than me so we have this big sister big little sister type relationship. She's always there to catch me when I fall, empower me when I'm weak, and push me when I'm at a stand still. For that I'm grateful. But for the moment those are taking place, I'm annoyed.

We spent the next hour getting massages then moved on to the sauna. After sweating out our toxins we finished our spa day with manicures.

We made plans with Sarah, Henry, and Jebrone to have dinner that night. So, Kadie and I went back to the apartment to get ready and then headed to a Mediterranean restaurant in downtown that just recently opened. It was a hip new place with dimmed lighting, secluded seating, and complimentary hookahs at each table. As we walked in a woman dressed as a belly dancer greeted us and sat us at our table.

“It's only been a week of school and I already feel like I need a vacation!” Sarah sounded defeated. She threw her clutch onto the table “Do you know how long it took me to get out of bed today? I feel like all of my energy has been drained! Honestly!” She sat in her chair, leaned her elbows on the table, and clenched her temples with both hands.

“This is only the beginning my dear!” Henry said without breaking eye contact with his phone

Our belly dancer waitress came back to our table with a tray of hummus and pita bread. We all started digging in.

“Seriously though, why don't we take a vacation?” Everyone ignored Sarah. She was obviously in a delusional state. “Just a weekend trip! Something quick yet relaxing.”

“Look, I just spent the day at a spa so I'm pretty refreshed. I don't know how smart of an idea it is to take a trip right now. Maybe in a few weeks after our first exam.” I was trying to exhaust Sarah's plans but Jebrone suddenly decided he needed a vacation too.

“That would actually work! I don't have any plans on the weekend after next. Let's do it!”

“Great” Sarah was suddenly in a cheerful mood. She pulled out her iPhone and started scrolling through it. “ I'll text my agent and let him know to book our flights and hotel.” At this point there was no stopping Sarah. She was off in her own world.

Kadie and I kept exchanging glances at each other. We knew what the other was thinking. These people were crazy. It wasn't too long after that Kadie was sucked into Jebrone and Sarah's excitement. And I'll admit I was swept in at the mention of the white sand beaches of Cozumel.

As we all thrillingly dreamed out loud of our trip Sarah's phone vibrated and she picked it up to read the text. She shrieked,“Flight and hotel, booked! We're going to Cozumel!”

Kadie and I looked over at each other confused. We seemed to be the only ones concerned.

“Wait, Sarah, I was just playing along! I haven't been working the last couple of weeks. I'm on a tight budget!” Kadie jumped to the edge of her seat

“Oh nonsense! This trip is on me!” She waved her hand up in the air to signal a waitress to come over

Must be nice being that rich.

We spent the rest of the night enjoying our food, smoking hookah, and trying to dance with the belly dancers. (note: trying)

The next afternoon I was woken up by a text from Jonah

'Want to meet at the park for soccer?'

My eyes were still half shut but I relentlessly texted back, 'sure, see you in a bit!'

I quickly jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of cute shorts and a fitted tee. I grabbed a casual cotton dress I had sitting around and stuffed it in my bag. Just in case we went out after the park.

We were meeting at a park that was conveniently located halfway between our apartments. Just as I walked into the park I saw Jonah at the other end and ran over. He was wearing a Nike t-shirt and basketball shorts that perfectly accentuated his muscular legs. We gave each other a hug and kiss.

“Can I say, I was honestly surprised you were down for this” Jonah dropped his soccer ball on the ground and rested the tip of his shoe on it.

I smirked and softly kicked the ball from beneath Jonah's foot so that it was now balancing on the toe of my shoe. I gently threw the ball up and bounced it off my knee and balanced it back onto my toe. Jonah looked amazed that I had such control over the ball.

“I played Varsity soccer all through high school”

“That's funny, because...” He kicked the ball from my foot to his and copied my trick. Only he added in a move where he bounced the ball from one knee to the other just before he kicked it up to balance on his head and dropped it back down on his foot. “I played Varsity soccer in high school too”

I kicked the ball off of Jonah's foot and started running with it, “Well then this should be fun!”

We never even set up goals so the game itself was pointless. We spent a couple of hours just running after the ball and trying to steal it from on another. It wasn't until now that I noticed Jonah's competitive side. He had always been a sweet chivalrous gentleman. There was something so hot about Jonah's eyes gleaming with ambition. It was the cherry topper to how sexy he looked with his messy hair, sweaty body, and alluring smile. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to have Jonah.

Just as I stole the ball from Jonah I pushed him. He fell to the floor. I tried to run past him with the ball but he tripped me and I fell onto the grass too. Jonah tried to get up but I quickly rolled over and pushed him back down again. He looked at me with a straight face and pushed me down again then leaned over me. We kept going back and forth until finally we kissed.

Jonah stood up on his feet and picked me up off the ground, “It's getting late, let's go back to my place”

I dusted off my shirt and we started walking back to Jonah's apartment. When we got inside I went straight into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and slipped into my dress. I guess Jonah had cleaned up as well because when I walked out of the bathroom into Jonah's bedroom his hair was damp and he was standing with nothing but a towel on around his waist. He was looking into his closet trying to find something to wear.

He turned around when he heard me walk out of the bathroom.

“Oh hey, sorry, just give me a minute” he turned back to his closet and tugged a shirt off it's hanger.

I felt like this was the perfect moment. I walked up behind Jonah, wrapped my arms around his naked waist, and kissed his back.

Jonah turned around towards me and smiled. His chest was squared perfectly and his sides cut just at the right angles. I was so mesmerized looking at him. I put my hands on his chest and gently pushed them up towards his neck. Jonah picked me up in his arms. I gazed into his eyes and only kissed him after he revealed his dimple. We kissed as he turned around and push my back up against the wall.

It wasn't until I reached for the edge of my dress to pull off before Jonah stopped kissing me. He smiled at me and kissed me on my cheek. I knew the moment was about to end so I confronted it.

“It's okay Jonah, you don't need to be afraid” I said softly.

Jonah leaned his forehead against mine. I could see his eyes fixed on my lips. “I'm not afraid I just-”

“Shh...I know it's your first time but don't worry I promise it won't hurt”

Jonah's eyes widened and he dropped me back onto my feet.

“Wait...You think I'm a virgin?”

I shrugged my shoulders and scrunched my nose “I mean, yeah, it's the only thing that explains why you always pull away. Don't get upset it's okay. It's actually quiet admirable that you've made it almost 30 years, although I don't know how someone so good looking is able to hold out for so long.”

Jonah dropped his head and let out a sigh. “Lynn, I'm not the type of guy to just sleep with any girl. I wanted to make sure you were in a more stable place before we moved any further. I didn't want to complicate your feelings”

I twisted my foot back and forth and looked up at Jonah apologetically, “Soo...you're not a virgin?”

Jonah laughed. “No”

“Well, prove it!”

Jonah walked closer to me and stopped just inches away “You really want me to prove it to you?”

I nodded my head. Jonah grabbed me by my waist, spun me around, and threw me onto his bed. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. The sight of me laughing made him laugh too but he tried hard to keep a straight face. He leaned into my ear and whispered “God, you're so fucking beautiful."

That night was like the universe pulling us together and colliding our worlds into one.