Tracy grabbed my hand and took me up to her room. She wanted me to just hold her. We didn’t say anything, but she had me in a death grip. I think she just needed what I so desperately needed, intimacy.
I think I finally realized it didn’t have anything to do with Peggy and me breaking up. Peggy and I had never been in love. If we had, I wouldn’t have taken the news she was going to date Mitch so well. In a way, it was like what Eve and I had. Once I knew she would leave, the relationship lost some of its intensity.
Bottom line, I was lonely. I could tell that Lisa Felton felt the same way. She was looking for the guy who made her feel special. If it was just the two of us, I would like to be that guy. What I needed to decide was if she was really the one. The short answer was no. I wanted to move on and just be happy we had the one night together.
Tracy finally let me go, and I could tell her mood had changed. It was hard to put my finger on what was different, but she just wasn’t as engaged. She suggested I take her back. We said our goodbyes to her parents. When we got back, she thanked me for the day. We made vague promises to do it again.
I tried to figure out why she pulled back. Was it something I’d done? There was something in the back of my mind that said I was responsible for Tracy’s mood change. It seemed to happen when I started thinking about other girls as I held her. Could she pick up on me not being there while I held her? Surely that couldn’t be it, could it? If it was, then I needed to remember who I was with. Tracy deserved my full attention.
I DON’T REALLY KNOW what I was thinking, but I found myself on the Wesleyan campus. I hadn’t talked to Missy or Harper since the Christmas Dance. It was Valentine’s Day. Surely, they had dates for tonight. Truth be told, I wanted to see Harper, so I called her.
“Hey, it’s David,” I said.
“Hey, stranger, I was just thinking about you. What’s up?” she asked.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought if you weren’t busy I would take you out,” I suggested.
“Hang on a second,” she said.
I heard a muffled conversation.
“Missy wants to know why you didn’t call her,” Harper said.
“You’re killing me,” I said, and I heard laughter.
I was on speaker phone.
“Okay, here’s the deaclass="underline" there are four of us going out tonight. It’s the annual ‘guys are jerks for not asking us out’ extravaganza. If you want, you can escort us,” Harper offered.
“And take the heat for all four? Okay, I feel like taking some abuse,” I shot back.
“Do you have any decent clothes with you?”
“Of course.”
I had put my favorite Dakora outfit in the Jeep in case Tracy wanted to dress up. Everyone was in Missy’s room. Lisa, Missy’s twin sister, kissed me as soon as I walked in. I could tell by the way she kissed.
“Lisa, are you going out with us?” I asked.
“How did you know?” she pouted.
“Missy’s a better kisser,” I teased her.
That seemed to make her sister happy. Then a girl stood up and it was Jennie Wesleyan. This could be a long night.
“Ass,” she called me.
“Bitch.”
For some reason that made her happy and she laid a serious kiss on me. I was a little dazed when Missy got her turn. I gave her a confused look.
“Lisa?” I asked.
They both broke out laughing. I had made a mistake. The girls were happy because they could fool me. Harper just smiled at me. I guess I wasn’t getting a kiss. They all left so I could change.
THEY WANTED TO GO TO a French restaurant. The last one I had gone to had small portions and unreasonable prices. I was surprised when Harper told them she would ride with me to the restaurant. The clear message was she and I were together tonight. We got a chance to talk on the ride to the restaurant.
“What’s going on?” she asked me.
“I just didn’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Why me? You must have several girls who would have gone out with you tonight.”
“I wasn’t looking to go out with just any girl. I wanted to go out with someone I cared about.”
“You want to ditch these girls and go talk?” she asked.
“Could we?”
She called Missy and told her I needed to talk. She directed me to an Italian place. The hostess said it would be an hour wait since it was Valentine’s Day. I slipped her a large bill and suggested if there were any openings to keep us in mind. We were seated a few minutes later.
“Get the lasagna. It’s what they’re noted for,” Harper suggested.
When the waiter came, that was what I ordered. I was glad I did because it was very good. Towards the end of the meal, Harper wanted to know what was really up.
“Okay, here’s the deal. I like you, more than just a little bit. If it wasn’t for the distance, I’d want you as my girlfriend. I thought about it last summer, but it was too soon after both of us breaking up. This fall I had football. Then modeling and the movie were taking up my time. I know all those things were excuses. If we wanted to, we could have worked through those obstacles. I guess I’m doing a terrible job of asking if you want to be more than just friends with me,” I finished with a rush.
Something I liked about Harper was she was her own woman. She wasn’t clingy or needing my constant attention. I wasn’t looking for high-maintenance. I couldn’t, with my schedule the way it was. Harper also was very direct. I guess the best way to describe her was she wasn’t a game-player.
Something else about Harper was I knew I was attracted to her within moments of meeting her. At the time she was dating a childhood friend. I flirted with her shamelessly, even though I knew I couldn’t have her.
“What about Tami? She comes home in three months,” Harper pointed out.
“Here’s the thing: I’ve been waiting for Tami my whole life. She tells me I’m the one, but I need to grow up. Then she started dating other guys. To be honest, I’m not sure if there is a Tami-and-me as more than friends. If Tami came to me and said she loved me and wanted us to date, I’d have to give it a chance.”
“I guess I knew that. I just don’t know if I’m willing to date you and then give you up.”
“Harper, I’m not asking you to. I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to be exclusive. I can’t worry about Tami. Only she knows if we have a future,” I said, and then paused. “You know what? Part of Tami and my problems have centered around my bending to her will on everything. It’s always been her choice if we date, or if I can talk to her. I can’t continue like that.”
I looked Harper in the eye.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
Chapter 8 – Stryker
Thursday February 19
I was on my way to the airport with Kendal. We were going to be gone for a four-day weekend to finish up the on-site work for the movie. Our destination was the Northwest Territories. We would be staying in the small town of Yellowknife. It was called ‘The Gateway to the North.’ I was excited to finish my portion of the movie. There would be some big chase and fight scenes that would allow me to use my newly acquired gun skills.
Craig had called me earlier in the week and told me he was trapped in the sticks. I didn’t feel sorry for the city boy. Yellowknife sounded like the kind of place I’d feel at home. Well, except for the weather. It was located just 250 miles from the Arctic Circle. Craig complained he was sure he would freeze certain body parts off. I called Sandy Range and she sent up a supply of thermal wear to Craig and the rest of the production group. I packed accordingly.