Hold Me Now

Chapter 19: Vulnerable

The next day, after the dance, Ava received a phone call. Her mom yelled up the stairs. "Ava! Phone!" She picked the phone up from the cradle. "Hello," she answered with politeness. What she didn't expect is for Laura Weinberg to be on the other end. She called to invite Ava over for dinner Tuesday night. Of course, she said yes. Before she hung up, Ms. Laura asked if she could come early as she'd love to chat. With a bubbly voice, Ava responded "Sure, that would be fine. Five-thirty sounds great. I look forward to seeing you as well."

Hanging up the phone, she immediately went to her closet. Sure Tuesday is practically two days away, but it's Johnny's mama. She needs to look nice. A second first impression is important. Rummaging around in there, she thinks she found the perfect outfit. 

The rest of the day was quiet. She stayed in her room for most of it and did the homework she'd been putting off. When it was almost ten at night, something hit her window. Thinking it's a tree branch, she ignored it. But then the noise sounded again and again. Putting her worn, fuzzy, pink, polka dot robe on, she went to examine it closer. 

A rock hit the window just as she was about to open it. Her heart sped up. When it was opened, she noticed her idiot boyfriend on the ground. "Can I come up?" he yelled. She said yes thinking he would use the front door. But no. Not Johnny Lawrence. He climbed the tree and leveraged the long branch (just in front of her window) to propel himself into her room. 

She stood there looking horrified. "Oh my gosh! You could have broken your neck. Idiot," she admonished. Give her a heart attack!

Brushing himself off, he greeted her. "Well good evening to you too. Are you going to keep scolding me, or are you going to kiss me?"

She crossed her arms. "I don't know. Maybe both. Maybe none." He swaggered across the room to where she was and uncrossed her arms. Then he put them around his neck just so. 

Looking into her blazing bright eyes, he spoke. "Hi. You're hot in your ugly robe. Kiss me."

A murmured huff left her mouth. "It's not ug—" Before she could chastise him further about the robe, he stole a kiss. Stolen kisses are always the sweetest. It was one of his rich, leisurely kisses. The kind that leaves your mouth feeling like it had been thoroughly explored for buried treasure. And he also stole her breath away. 

But the thing about stolen kisses is they require an accomplice. For as much as he took, she did the same to him. She kissed him so extensively that he gasped for breath. It left him unraveled. When she kisses him, he's her whole world. She isn't doing anything else, just kissing him... it's overwhelming and leaves him vulnerable. He has to catch his breath and wipe a few stray tears that fell down his face. He doesn't cry much, but when he does it's always in private. 

She loves his vulnerability. For him to love at all is for him to be vulnerable. He wades into discomfort and raw unguarded emotion with her. He's an emotional badass. It's one of the many things she loves about him.

Smiling to herself, as she took her robe off, her heart pajamas showed. "Hearts? Cute," he told her with a smirk. Rolling her eyes, she patted the spot beside her on the bed. He took his shoes off and laid down. 

She asked, "What's up?" Not that she doesn't mind him being here, she just doesn't want to get in trouble either. Her parents are particular about these things.

A long expulsion of breath left his mouth. "Besides wanting to see you, Sid was on my case. I didn't want to go to your Malibu hideout, cause I didn't want to be lonely when I don't have to be." He stared at her ceiling.