BrookLyn's Journey (15 page)

BrookLyn exhaled the breath she had been holding and
lifted
her
bottom up slowly
,
but high enough for
Gabby
to unbutton and pull
her
pants down.
She pulled
them
down to
BrookLyn’s
knees and gasp
ed
at the sight of
all the
destruction—both the
new bruises
and old scars
—BrookLyn knew it must have been a shocking sight to behold
.

BrookLyn
didn’t say anything or even move.
Her
embarrassment had frozen
her in place
.
She
wanted all of
her
pain to go away
,
especially the painful memories.
T
ears roll
ed
down the side of
her
face
, the salty
taste
an undeniable reminder of her
family secret.

Gabby
put the
cloth
back in the water
then used it to dab at BrookLyn’s
legs
and backside. O
nce dried, she
rubbed
the
lotion
in.
Then she kissed
her
lower back and moved down toward
her
knees
, down
both legs.

Before
BrookLyn
knew it,
her
pants were all the way off and
she
was lying on
her
back.

Gabby
looked
down
at
BrookLyn.
“How do you feel?”

As she looked
back
into her
compelling
eyes
,
Gabby
quickly became the captor of
BrookLyn’s battered
soul
again
.
The feelings that washed over her
felt
like nothing she could even describe. BrookLyn
couldn’t form the words
to say how she felt,
so
she
just wip
ed at her
tears
and let herself float in the warmth surrounding and filling her.
Yes, this has
to be love.

Gabby
smiled
,
moved toward
her
face
,
and started kissing
her
.
H
er hands
grazed BrookLyn’s
inner thighs.

She
had no idea what was going on
,
but
she
felt throbbing in places
she didn’t think she should be.
She
wanted to stop
Gabby
,
but couldn’t move.
She
was under
her
spell and
so
she
kissed her
back,
as madly as she
was being kissed, silently
begg
ing
for her to never stop
.
A
t th
at
moment
, BrookLyn
never wanted to be away from
Gabby
.
S
he only
wanted to be in her arms.
To
be safe
. F
orever.

BrookLyn’s sensibility finally kicked in and she struggled to speak.
“Gabby, I’m not sure if I’m ready for all of this. I feel like I have never felt before
, but we
haven’t known each other long enough for me to go further.”
D
o
I really want her to stop?

“We won’t. We’ll just
be
.
Now, r
elax,” she whispered
.

That’s what
BrookLyn
did
, losing herself completely in the moment
,
and
Gabby’s
touch
.
The only word she could think of for whatever was going on was
amazing
.
She
wondered how
she would
feel if
she let Gabby
go
further
and her
teeth chattered at the mere thought of it.

***

BrookLyn
lay on the bed trying to catch
her
breath.
She
was shivering
, feeling as if she
had gone to another place and just got back to where
she
w
as
laying
.
Gabby
’s
wide
smile
told BrookLyn it was okay, and then she
covered
her
up tightly with her blue comforter
.

“Are you okay?” she whispered seductively in
BrookLyn’s
ear.

“Actually, I’m not sure what I am right now.”
Is this what sex
i
s like?
T
ears started rolling down
her
face
again
.
What ha
ve
I done?

A
look of concern circled Gabby’s
blue eyes
.
“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry
for crying
.
”

“Don’t be sorry. It happens sometimes.”

“What do you mean it happens sometimes?”

“I don’t know how to explain it but it does. I guess
you
could say that you are a little overwhelmed.”

“Did we just have sex?”
BrookLyn
asked thinking
she
already knew the answer.

“No, we didn’t.”

Oh.
“Well, why do I feel like I’ve just done something wrong?”

“Sweets, even if we
did have
sex,”
Gabby
wip
ed her
tears, “
i
t wouldn’t be wrong.”

“It would
be
if it went against everything you’ve been taught.”
BrookLyn
turned
her
back to
Gabby and
plac
ed
her
face in
the
pillow.
She was feeling such confusion. The overwhelming
need to give in, all the
feelings
she had for Gabby, were now shadowed by a
n urge
to run away.

Gabby sigh
ed
softly
then
sat up
,
moving away
.
She stood and walked into the bathroom.

Am
I going to lose her before I even figure out
if
I truly want her in my life?
BrookLyn
punched the bed
, just as Gabby
came
back into the room.

“What are you beating my bed up for?”
s
he teas
ed
.

“Oh
.
Y
ou scared me
.
”
BrookLyn
turn
ed
over to look up at her. “I was just thinking.”

“About what
,
might I ask?”

“You can ask
,
but I don’t have an answer for you. Just frustrated, I guess.”

“Ok. Well, I guess that’s an answer
.
”
Gabby
sat
on the side of the bed.

“I’d like to understand what’s going on. My entire life has changed. I went to a party that my friend was having and then I caught a ride home with her cousins, couldn’t get into my house, and spent the night with you.” BrookLyn sat up. “You asked me to be your girlfriend, and although I’ve never had an interest in anything other than my books, I said yes. After I unexpectedly spent the night with you, I received the beating of a lifetime from my father. Then as I lay down to rest, you
show up
at my window.
”

BrookLyn took in a big gulp of air and continued. “
I
climb out the window with you. You rub and kiss my back
, put water
and
lotion
on
me
, and
then
somehow my pain
feel
s healed.
My fears were
replaced by
stars and rainbows
,
of colors soaring in the sky
each time we kiss
, but I’m not supposed to
cry
?” BrookLyn shrugged and gestured with her palms to the sky
.

“
What you’re feeling is love.
Love is
magical.”

“Help me understand something. I feel like I’m dreaming
. A
m
I? Every time I closed my eyes when we kissed, I saw rainbows dancing with clouds. I had to be dreaming.”

“For me it’s a dream maybe, but not for you. I’ve dreamt of being with you on nights that I lay here alone. Crazy as it may be, you are awake.” She smiled again.

Those stunning eyes stared at BrookLyn
.
Every time she started to get nervous or scared,
Gabby
knew what to do.

“
Tell me more about you
? All I know is the little bit you
told me before.”

“
There is
n’t
much more to say than that. I am me
, and
I love you.”

“
Why me?
My life is already messed up and now it’s
...
altered.
”
She frowned
,
thinking back to what her life is.

“You have a right to a good life and I want to give it to you.”
Gabby
reached out and touched
BrookLyn’s
hand.

“Why were
you single
before we, you know
,
talked
?”

“I was single
,
because I was waiting for you. Now you’re here
and I’m not
.”

They sat silently
for a moment then
Gabby asked, “Good enough?”

BrookLyn shrugged.
“I guess it has to be
.
”

“And for the record, my birthday is next Friday.”

BrookLyn tapped the side of her head as if illustrating.
“It’s recorded in my brain
.
Are you having a party?”

“I’m thinking about having a small little thing here at the house, but only if you’ll be my date
.
”

“Assuming I survive my week, I might be able to work that out for you.”
She
smiled knowing
she
’d be by
Gabby’s
side as long as she could get
her
away from
her
parents.
BrookLyn’s
feelings went back and forth
, b
ut for the most part
,
she
didn’t want
to
be anywhere else.
She actually sort of wished she could
hop in
Gabby’s
pocket so
she
’d be safe from
her
father.

“I don’t
really
have any money
,
but
I
was wondering what you want for your birthday?”