Games by Wanda B. Campbell Page B

turned away from him.
    She grabbed her coat and reached for the doorknob, but Jason restrained her. “The movie doesn’t begin for ninety minutes. Can you and I talk for a moment?”
    She shrugged her shoulders and walked back to the couch. “Sure,” she said as she sat down and crossed her legs.
    Jason rubbed his hands together and unsteadily looked around the room, like he was afraid to say what was on his mind.
    “What’s on your mind, Jason?”
    Jason took a deep breath and exhaled into his cupped hands, like he was trying to warm them. “LaShay, we have been going out for three weeks now and I really enjoy your company. I would like to start a relationship with you.”
    Shay mentally slapped herself for being foolish enough to encourage Jason’s interest in her. Sure she enjoyed his company, but in no way was she ready to have a relationship with him or anyone else. “Jason, I have to admit that I enjoy spending time with you, but I’m not ready for a serious relationship.” She hoped to sound empathetic, consoling even.
    “Why not? Is it because I’m not the tall and dark type? I mean, we enjoy each other ’s company.”
    Brutal honesty spilled from her lips. “Emotionally, I’m not ready to handle a relationship right now. And besides, Jason we are on two different paths. You’re going back to Chicago in less than a year and I’m going back to California.  I don’t do well with close relationships, so long distance is completely out of the question.”
    “So you’re worried about us separating after we graduate?”
    Jason hadn’t understood what she’d said, so she tried a different approach. “Jason, if you and I were to have a relationship it wouldn’t be what you expect.”
    Jason’s facial expression turned upward. “What do you mean?”
    “For starters, I will not have sex until I’m married. Nor will there be any sexual “favors” or feeling me up.” He would back off now. Jason wasn’t ready for this type of commitment, so she thought.
    Jason sat there as in thought for a moment. “I figured you were a virgin, by the way you interact with me and other males.”
    Shay’s head snapped up. “What?”
    “Never mind,” Jason waved his hands, “I’m up for the challenge, if you’ll give me a chance.”
    I don’t believe this! Shay wanted to scream. Why did Jason Alexander have to be the one noble man left in Massachusetts?
    “Look , Jason, I don’t think this is a good idea. I have old scars and I don’t want you paying for my past mistakes.” Thoughts of Brian returned. “It may turn out bad for you and I don’t want to hurt you.”
    Jason held her hand. “I’m a twenty-seven -year-old man; I can take care of myself.”
    Shay’s hot gaze bore into Jason long and hard. Maybe it won’t be too bad. He’ll probably lose interest in a couple of months anyway, Shay reasoned, tuning out the voice from deep within warning her of the big mistake she was about to make.
    “Alright , Jason, we’ll give it a try and see what happens,” she finally answered.
    The wide jubilant grin on Jason’s face said she’d just made him the happiest man in the world. Even still, his quick lift and embrace caught her off guard. An attempt to relax in his arms proved futile. Jason didn’t feel like Brian. He didn’t smell like Brian. He didn’t hold her the way Brian had. She didn’t feel the security Brian ’s arms had always given her. To put it plainly, Jason wasn’t Brian.
    When he released her and softly brushed her lips with his, Shay had tears in her eyes. Jason must have assumed she was crying because of how much she cared for him. She did in a casual -friend kind of way, but those tears washed her cheeks because for the first time she realized that Brian was the only man she would ever want to touch her.  She did more than give Brian her body; she had given him her heart. Crossing this bridge would be much harder than she had anticipated.
     

Chapter 21
    “Happy