The VIRGIN STRIPPER

19

***** LISA MICHAELS ****

The car sped through the tree bracketed  lane and I leaned on the window just like I'd done when we drove into town. My mind kept zoning in and out of the feeling I'd got when Dave's finger grazed on my skin and every time the memory became too vivid I turned to look  at him only to find his eyes on the road.

"What?" he asked without looking at me. I'd just turned to look at him for just a second longer and when he spoke my insides broke.

"Nothing." I told him and turned away from him and swallowed hard just to calm down and get rid of the dry patch in my throat.

"You keep staring," he said calmly as he shifted gears and turned to look at me for a moment before he turned and made a turn so that now we were on a gravel lane.

"It's just that-" I stopped and shook my head, "Never mind."

The car went silent after that but a moment later he took my hand in his and pulled it onto his hand and I restrained myself so that I didn't look at him. Trying to pull my hand out of his, he tightened his grip and turned to look at me with an unimpressed on his face and I leaned my head on the seat without a word.

When the car came to a stop I turned my head to him and he slowly let go of my head and I climbed down just as he'd reached my side.

"There's a bonfire at the lake just a few metres away. Wanna go?" he asked and I eyed the cabin in front of us first.

The tall trees around it made it look like something out of a magazine but this was real with all the lush green they faked on the photos to advertisement them. I eyed the garden by the side and turned to look at him- why the hell would he bring me to a place like this?

"Dave, what are you playing at?" I asked in a bored tone as I strolled over the front lawn of the cabin.

"We can talk about that on our way back, c'mon."

Turning to follow him, I stopped for a second and took in the view before proceeding. Maybe I needed to let loose for just a minute. The sun had began sinking low on the horizon and given the current location the hues it cast while going down just seemed all too magical- somewhat all too much imagined because everything seemed all too good to be true.

The way to the lake's shore was paneled with a wooden deck and the rest of the area that was excluded from the large pavement remained marshy and muddy.

"I watched as you slept," Dave said out of nowhere  and I slowed down impulsively,"I didn't mean to," he said all too quickly and I slowly picked up my pace, "Do you still have nightmares?" he asked quietly and regarded me wearily.

"I don't want to talk about it." I told him quietly.

"I-" He said crossing paths with me so that he was only an inch away from me and his eyes held some sort of desperation in them. "How bad is it? Do you miss her? What is it like when you are alone? Do you need to tal-"

"Stop." I said between my teeth and tried to walk away from him but he held me in his hands and urged me to stay where I was.

The bonfire was around the lake and the fires lit everywhere had started to magnify in intensity as the light from the sun succumbed to the blankets beneath the horizon. For a moment standing there and watching the fire glint in his eyes as it burned furiously around us I felt my heartbeat pick up and my knees got weak for just a microsecond before I got back to my senses and looked away from his gaze.

"We should drive back." I said quietly as I turned to leave because the last thing I needed was him getting this close to me.

"We're not leaving today."