6.6 Part One: Conflicting Emotions

   I lay on the bed, looking at my new room. I'd officially been living in Booker's home for twelve hours. My room was empty. The high school diploma I earned hung on the wall, along with a few ribbons, but other than that, the former guest room was just like Booker had originally decorated it like. We had separate room, even though we were dating. I wasn't sure if he would assume we would share or not, but he insisted on having my own room so his possessions wouldn't clutter my space. I felt like an intruder and couldn't change his normal life and routine too much.
  We moved in together. That was a big step. It was one that usually led to... other things. We'd kissed before, but hadn't done anything other than that. It was too awkward, with my age and the fact that I still lived with my parents. Daddy helped me move a few boxes of my clothes here. I wonder if that's why Booker didn't mention anything about me sleeping in the same bed as him. I bet he wished that he said something. My heart sped up as I thought about it.
   "Hey, Kay." I heard Booker before I saw him.
   "You're back from work, already?" I exclaimed. He had taken the day off to help me settle in, unfortunately he had an emergency meeting. Something about taxes on farms or something that needed to be voted on before the weekend.
   "It's eight-thirty." He shrugged. "Usually I'm working eight or nine to three or four, plus whenever they call me in."
    "How was you're day?"
    "Pretty great, actually!" I exclaimed. Booker leaned against the door frame- I didn't have any chairs in my room yet. "Here." I patted the bed. "You can lay next to me. We can..."
     "Really?" I saw a spark in his eye. I bite my tongue when I realized what I implied. I meant to say talk, instead I drifted off. only now I got him all excited.
   "Yeah. I mean, we can talk."
    "Of course." He said, as he slid onto the bed.
    "The daycare inspector came, a different one and guess what!"
     "What?"
     "I qualified! I'm going to be certified. The paperwork could take up to three months to go through the system, but I was approved!"
    "That's great. I can tell my coworker's about your daycare, once you get the license."
    "Thanks." I smiled, staring into his deep, shining eyes. Pure adoration with a bit of something else.
    "You know, I bought this bed a few weeks ago. It's brand new, no one's ever been on it before."
    "Cool." I nervous glanced down.  Was I ready?
    "What do you say we break it in a bit?"
    "Huh?" I began breathing faster. It was my first night here. My first night and now he was already-? It was too much. Too much. I couldn't. I mean I could. But... first night. I'd barely settled in. He was joking, right. Not right now. I was wearing a panda bear hat for goodness sake! That couldn't be attractive.  "Like... do it?"
    "Only if you want." He said, raising an  eyebrow.
    "Yeah. Yeah, sure." I felt his hand creeping around to my back, holding me close. He placed a tender kiss on my cheek, sending tingles down my spine. Soft kisses down my neck. He was taking it slow. I felt a vibration. My phone was going off! "I have to get this." I slowly pushed him away, rushing towards the door.
   "Wait Kayleigh!" I heard Booker call out.
   "Hello?" I answered my phone. "Kayleigh Janes speaking."
   "Kayleigh! Thank goodness you didn't change your number."
    "May I ask who this is?" I knew who it was. I would remember that voice until the day I died. It was the voice that tortured me every single day off my life for countless years. The voice that drove me to the graveyard. The voice that let me meet Booker. The blonde bombshell from hell.
     "Grace. Remember me?"
     "Sadly, yes." I sighed.
     "Look, I know I was a bit of a bitch during high school-"
     "A bit of a bitch? You drove me towards suicide! Every time I had to go to school, I felt sick just seeing you. Grace, you weren't a bitch. You were a effing evil cheerleader sent from some ungodly underworld."
     "Was I really that bad?" I heard her voice crack.
     "Look, I won't apologize." I felt bad, but it was the truth. She couldn't call me a few week later and expect a civil answer. I wasn't giving her an invitation to freaking tea or anything.
    "That's why I called."
     "Excuse me?" She wanted an apology from me? Who was she kidding?
     "I wanted to apologize."
     "To me?" I asked, just to make sure. i was so nervous a few seconds ago with Booker's lips exploring me and now I was in a white hot rage. I had gone from one extrememe to the other, just by hearing her voice.
     "Yes, silly." She laughed. I stood there, ready to throw the phone down the stairs. We were not friends. She couldn't make cutesy little jokes just yet. "I mean, not funny. Yeah, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be that horrible of a person."
      "Grace, highs school was literally like a week ago. You don't go from queen bee to Miss. Humble in a week."
      "I know, I know. Look, I just want to apologize. Am I forgiven?"
      "I don't know If I ever could."
      "Please?"
      "Why the change of heart? Didn't you have a cheer leading scholarship?"
      "I did... but I lost it."
      "What happened?"
      "So, after graduation I threw this crazy party. Ya know, the usually crowd. My boyfriend brought some...stuff. Anyway, I got high and posted pics of me smoking the crap all over the internet. Like every social media site. So, like, the schools aw and they revoked my scholarship!  And it's too late to apply for anything else and I got a fifteen on my ACT and no school would want me. And like, my boyfriend dumped my cause he lost his football scholarship, too. So now everybody else is like getting to go to frat parties in September and I'm stuck here."
    "Sucks."
    "Totally! So I joined the Peace Corps."
    "You what?!"
    "Yeah, so like I'm going to this town with like, no electricity or cell service or lattes and mani-pedi places! And I don't know who will wax my eyebrows for me. So, I'm going for a few years and just wanted to apologize, since I'll probably never talk to you again." 
     "Wow. That's great, I guess. Change the world."      
     "I know, right! So, like bye."
     "Bye. And Grace?"
     "Huh? What Kayden?"
     "Kayleigh."
     "Kayleigh?"
     "My name is Kayleigh. You were that mean to me and you don't remember my name?"
     "Look, boo-hoo and all, but I was busy in high school. Sorry."
     "Never mind. have a great time in the Corps."
     "I know I will, like, rock it." I hung up. She called me to apologize. She actually thought she could apologize! She was crazy. I wouldn't forgive her if she got on her hands and knees and begged me.Today was too much to take in. I needed some water. I slipped my phone back in my pocket, forgetting the man I was leaving in my bedroom, and slipped downstairs to the kitchen. I twisted the knob for the sink. "Er!" I shouted. It was stuck. I twisted harder, trying to get a simple spout of water. Why were things so complicated?

Booker's POV (Point of View)...

   I stood up from the bed and walked out of Kayleigh's bedroom. I knew I had pushed things too far and too fast for her. She was still young. I would have asked her is she wanted to share a room, if her dad hadn't tagged along. If I hurt her, he hurt me. I didn't want him to do anything of the sort, so I had to be the best guy ever imaginable.
    "Kayleigh?" I called out, as I hurried down the steps. She stood in the kitchen, a puddle of water forming around the sink.
     "Oh! Um, Booker. Sorry."
     "What's up?"
     "I wanted to drink some water, but the faucet knob was stuck... it broke."
     "I see that. Need help cleaning it up?"
     "Yeah, do you have a mop or anything?"
     "I'll get one and a wrench to see if I can fix it."
     "Thanks." She was blushing was bright as he hot pink shorts.  She was adorable. A bit clumsy, yes. Still adorable. I wasn't suppose to fall in love with her. I really wasn't. But I ended up that way. We still had to hide our relationship, though., Had to hide the fact that we moved in together. It wasn't Kayleigh's fault, it was the nosy media's. I returned with everything I said I would.
     "Here ya go." I handed her the mop.
      "Thanks. Sorry I broke your sink."
      "It's no big deal. Besides, it's our sink. It's our house."
      "Really? Ours?"
      "Kayleigh, I asked you to move in because I want you to be happy."
      "I know. You say that a lot." She giggled.
      "That isn't the only reason."
      "It isn't?"
      "I love you."
      "You-!" She gasped. "You love me?"
      "I want to spend every minute with you. That's why you're living here. I wasn't doing it because I felt sorry for you, I wanted you to move in. The opportunity presented itself and I thought why not."
     "I love you, too." She smiled, leaning the mop against the wall. "Booker, can I ask you a question?"
    "Anything."
    "It's kind of... weird."
     "How weird?"
     "Awkward weird."
     "Okay, if you let me ask one question first." She nodded. "Who was on the phone?"
     "Um..." She began tearing up.
     "It's okay." I put down the wrench and wrapped my arms around her. "You know you can talk. I'll listen."
     "The girl who drove me to almost killing myself." She took a big gulp of air. "She was apologizing."
     "Did you forgive her?"
     "Why the hell would I do that?" Her soft voice and tears instantly evaporated.
     "If it wasn't for her we wouldn't have met. I wouldn't have go to seethe most beautiful, amazing girl in the world. I know it'll be difficult to do, but I met you in that graveyard. I wish things were better for you, I would personally go beat an apology out of anyone who ever hurt you, but I would never want to not meet you."
     "That's... thank you, Booker."
     "I should be thanking you. You made my life a hell of a lot less dull."
     "That's a good thing?"
     "That's a great thing." It was true. I wish Kayleigh had never ever been hurt, but I loved her too much to think about never meeting her. If I could only be mayor, then life would be perfect. I need to be mayor. I'll sweet talk to her and deny the relationship to the press.
     "Does it hurt?" She whispered in my ear.
     "Does what hurt?"
     "The first time?"
     "First time? Oh you mean- wait you're a?"
     "One hundred percent."
    "Never during high school?"
     "I was bullied." She shrugged. "Nobody wanted to be seen with me. No one wanted to brag  that they hit that."
     "I can't promise anything to you."
     "I know."
     "It might."
      "I'm just scared... scared of being in pain."
      "It won't hurt for long."
      "I love you... I'm sorry. Maybe another night?"
      "Sure." I sighed.She didn't know how aggravating it was to be edged on like that. My love was conflicting. I had two true loves: Kayleigh and the election for Mayor.  I knew when it came to politics I was rough. I was cruel and mean. It was inside of me. I didn't want to hurt her now. "We will never do anything without you being okay with it. I want you to know that."
     "I do." Then, I spun her around and dipped her down for a kiss. Kayleigh Janes. I couldn't hurt her. At least, not too badly.