The Wives of Beverly Row 5: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks

I
    B ECKY LAY ON HER BACK and stared at her bedroom ceiling. No matter what she did, she just couldn’t fall asleep. Her stomach was in knots. There was no helping it. She had to do something.
    She picked up her phone and sent Kyle a text.
    —Are you awake?
    She held the phone in her hand and waited for a reply. It was two in the morning and she knew he was probably asleep but maybe the text message would wake him. She waited till she felt the vibration of Kyle’s reply.
    —Yes.
    She sighed in relief and quickly typed her message.
    —I really need to talk to you.
    —Right now?
    —Yes.
    She waited again, practically holding her breathe till Kyle’s reply came in.
    —Meet me by your pool.
    Becky hopped out of her bed. She’d been sleeping in some skimpy shorts and a tank top and she grabbed a sweater from the floor before leaving the bedroom. She had to be quiet. Her mother would not be impressed to find her sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night, especially not after learning that she’d just lost her virginity to Kyle.
    She crept down the stairs and out through the sliding doors in the kitchen onto the patio. Kyle was already waiting for her by the pool.
    “Kyle,” she said.
    “Shh,” he said. “Keep it down. I don’t want to get caught.”
    He led her to the back of the pool house and then held his arms out to her. She hesitated just a moment before letting him hold her. He gave her a quick hug and then looked at her. His eyes looked so earnest, so eager to hear what it was that couldn’t wait till morning. She admired the way the moonlight reflected off them.
    “So?” he said.
    Becky looked away. She lowered herself to the ground and sat with her back against the wall of the pool house. She patted the ground next to her and Kyle sat down.
    “This isn’t easy,” she said.
    “What isn’t?”
    “I think we should break up.”
    “What?” Kyle said. He sounded so surprised that Becky suddenly felt bad. She’d thought he might not care about breaking up. She’d wondered if the feeling would be mutual. Now she saw that it might not be.
    “I just think things have moved too fast for us, Kyle. I feel like they’re getting out of control.”
    “What do you mean?” Kyle said. “If it’s about Trudy I can stop that. I swear I can.”
    “It’s not about Trudy. It’s about us.”
    “What about us?”
    “I just feel, you’re a great guy, Kyle. Really you are. It’s just, I’m not ready to have a relationship like this. I’m not ready for this level of sexual intimacy.”
    “Well, we can slow things down.”
    “No,” Becky said. “I don’t want to slow things down. I want to take a break. I want a chance to get my head straight. I don’t want to be in a relationship right now.”
    She looked up at him. He looked sad but he was nodding his head very slightly. That was a good sign. At least he was listening to her.
    “It’s because of Trudy, isn’t it?” he said at last.
    “That’s part of it,” Becky said. “But think about it, Kyle. I’m sixteen years old. You’re the first boy I’ve ever been intimate with. And you’re sleeping with our neighbor while initiating me into full womanhood. It’s not exactly the dream every girl has when she’s little.”
    Kyle nodded. “I know,” he said. “I’m really sorry about all of it, Becky. I knew all along that things couldn’t continue like this. It’s just, I let her seduce me, you know what I mean?”
    “I know exactly what you mean,” Becky said.
    Kyle nodded again. “I guess we both let things get out of hand a little.”
    Becky felt so relieved. She’d been dreading bringing this up. She’d been afraid Kyle wouldn’t let her break up with him, or that he’d somehow convince her to stay in the relationship. Now she saw that he was going to let her go. She smiled at him.
    “This doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” she said.
    He nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.”
    “And you’ll always be my