LIV

I woke up the next morning feeling...different. My arms stretched out then hit something, making me jump. I looked to my right and there he was. Peacefully, a beautiful face slept. I felt Panicked, about to scream when I remembered what happened.

I started smiling instead as I, embarrassed, hid my face with the covers of my bed. I lifted the covers and realized that I was naked, and couldn't even glance over at him.

Robert yawned, then opened his eyes. He smiled as he gazed at me.

"Good morning beautiful..." he spoke softly as his hand caressed my cheek. I pulled the cover up to hide my face, but he just pulled it down again.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"I'm not used to this kind of...attention..." I looked down and just wanted to lay there for a while.

"I don't understand why...you're absolutely stunning..." he pulled me closer to him, then planted a tender kiss on my lips. I hadn't thought much about it earlier, but he didn't look like a guy my age. By the look of it, he was at least 24. I'd always had a thing for older guys, which my older sister warned could get me in trouble one day.

"How old are you?" I whispered, and wanted to smack myself right as the words came out of my mouth. He'd ask my age in return, and I didn't want to lie. I knew he had to be older than me, and figured he'd regret last night as soon as he found out I wasn't even 20 yet.

"I'm 28."

He watched me carefully after he said that, and I tried my best not to freak out.

This was not good. The one time I went out and threw caution the wind, I ended up having sex with a whole adult. While I was starting middle school, he was paying taxes and working to get ahead. Or in college or university trying to get a degree to further his career. Maybe he was doing something else. But he was an adult!

That didn't mean we weren't compatible, but it could definitely complicate things. Because once you know something like that, you look at the person differently.

And I thought he'd definitely look at me differently.

I fixed my eyes on my fingers, which were interlocked with his. I avoided his gaze, hoping he wouldn't ask me the last four words I wanted to hear.

"So, how-"

"You know what? I'm really hungry. You hungry? I can make some eggs and sausages." I said with a little too much enthusiasm, interrupting Rob.

He chuckled and nodded, "I'd love that..." he said, lifting my chin and to place a tender kiss on my lips. I wanted to stay in that moment forever, but knew that breakfast was the way to save me from having this conversation, at least for a bit to be made.

I got up and grabbed a sheet, wrapping it around my body. I was about to open my closet when Rob came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"What are you hiding?" he asked, seductively. His breath tickled the skin of my shoulders, and I relaxed into his touch. He kissed my neck, then my shoulders, over and over.

"You really are beautiful..."

"And you're really hot."

He stopped kissing me, and we stared into each other's eyes for a long while. Eventually, I moved away from him, searching through my clothing.

"I need to change."

I grabbed a tank top, sweatpants and underwear, then retreated to the bathroom to get dressed up and hurried out, sheet in hand.

"Rob?"

He was already gone when I came out of the bathroom, and so were his things.

I tossed the sheet back onto the bed, then sighed, "I guess he left."

I headed downstairs and into the kitchen, grabbing the eggs out of the fridge, and some fruit. "Let me check my messages," I whispered to myself, pulling out my phone.

I had a text from Myra,

'Did u leave already? Hope ur ok'

and two from Amanda.

'Wont be home tonight, hv fun!'

'Goin out with friends today, wont be home till late.'

Thank God.

I didn't wanna know what her reaction would be to a 28-year-old stranger in our house. And I did not want my parents to find out what I was really doing last night.

"So, I see breakfast is almost ready," Robert said, walking into the kitchen.

I turned around, surprised to see him walking into my kitchen.

"Where were you?"

"The guest bathroom I think... not sure. Need some help?"

I smiled and handed him the orange juice and cups. I grabbed the two plates I'd prepared, and we walked onto the terrace and set the stuff down.

"This is a nice house," Rob said as he admired the view of the beach.

"It really is..." I stared out beyond the terrace, breathing in the morning air. God, it felt good to not have classes in the morning.

"By the way, do you live in the area?" I asked him, because I just realized that I had no idea where he was from.

"Well, technically... I'm about to move." He smiled and started eating his breakfast.

In between bites, he looked over at me. "I'm guessing you've figured out I'm not a college student."

"Yeah, I kinda knew already. I could tell."

I stabbed a piece of melon and took a bite. His brow quirked, "How?"

I shrugged, "I just know..."

We sat in silence for a while, finishing our food. I tossed my hair over my shoulders, grabbing my glass of juice and taking a few sips. Rob smiled, then cleared his throat softly.

"Olivia, right?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"How old are you?"

I looked at him, then slowly put down my glass. He waited patiently for my answer, watching as I drummed my fingers against the table.

My expression sank and I looked down over the beach nearby. "Nin..." I mumbled a quiet reply, hoping he didn't ask me to-

"What? I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Damn.

Did he really need to know?

"I'm nineteen," I said, loud and clear.

Robert dropped his fork and gaped at me. Then it hit him. Before I knew it, he'd gotten up and hurried toward the door. I sat there, looking at the food I'd made, and not sure what I was supposed to do.

"Would it make a difference if I said I was gonna be twenty soon," I called out. Rob stood there, thinking about it. He walked back onto the terrace and started pacing.

"Look I-" Rob sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "...I like you. And that's a lot to say after one night but, I do. The only thing is, right now, I just need some time to process. You're younger than I thought you'd be."

"Whatever. I get it. Just go, please." I looked away from him and into space, doing my best to hide my disappointment. I could hear his footsteps descending as he walked toward the door.

It had been such an amazing night. He had been amazing. So gentle and sweet. Romantic... My first time had turned out to be so much better than Amanda said it would be. Sure, it was kind of painful at the beginning, but it was wonderful...

I sat alone, biting at my nails and recalled last night. All the amazing details, the way he touched me. And just like it had always been there, a terrifying thought took over my brain, and I got up and ran toward the door.

"Wait!"

I ran toward Robert, who was already pulling out of my driveway in his car. I waved my arms around like a maniac, moving quick to catch up to his car. It came to a sudden stop and I went up to the driver's side. He rolled down his window and I grabbed the door, desperately trying to catch my breath.

"Did you use protection?"

"What?" he asked, peering up at me over the shades he now had on. I leaned down and took a deep breath in, preparing myself to ask the question again.

"Did you wear a condom? Last night. When we had sex."

Rob thought about it for a minute, and then looked back at me. He shook his head sheepishly like a young boy who'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"You didn't?"

"I did not... I was so caught up in the moment I... I guess I forgot..." he said, now pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well...shit..." I stood up straight, thinking about all the times people had warned me, and I'd warned others, of how important it was to use protection. Yet, here I was, young and stupid.

"You know what? Don't worry about it. How often do people get pregnant after the first time anyway?" I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.

"That was your first time?!" he asked, shocked.

"Yeah...But, don't stress yourself out. Safe trip."

I sent him the peace sign, then walked back to my house. I closed the door behind me and sunk to my knees. It was at least a few minutes before I finally heard the engine roar, and he drove off my driveway and out of my life.

"Where's Amanda when I need her..?" I asked myself, the tears finally filling my eyes and rolling down my cheeks.

What did I do?!

******

"Olivia! Come downstairs!"

My mom stood in the kitchen, waiting for me. My parents had just come back from their business trip. They weren't going to be staying for long as they had to leave the next week for another trip that would last three whole months.

It had also been a couple of weeks since I had sex with Robert. I hadn't told anyone, and I hadn't heard anything from him since. Not that I was expecting to.

I hurried down the steps and jogged into the kitchen, where my mom had been baking with Amanda.

"Yes?"

"Here." My mom handed me an angel's food cake and a fruit basket. "Take this next door."

"Uhh...Why? No cake for us?" I asked, ready to take the cake up to my room.

"Yes, there is. Learn to think of others. How many carbs have you had today Olivia?"

I groaned, "Yeah, yeah. Who am I taking this to?"

"The house to the left of ours, 207. Someone just moved in there. This should've been done a while ago, but you forgot, remember?"

I turned around and rolled my eyes, making sure my mom didn't catch me giving her any attitude. "Well, I'm going."

"Yeah, go give them the gift. Maybe it's a family with a hot son your age-" Amanda said, but my mom slapped her hand before she could finish her sentence.

"Ow!" she whined, rubbing her wrist.

"Any boy that you're interested in must meet us first."

Too late.

"Now, go, before the cake gets cold," my mother shooed me away and out the door.

I scurried out of the house, walking up to the neighbour's door. I knocked three times, then stepped back, observing the house. It had a nice front yard, and the driveway was... Modern.

"I'm not too sure about the landscaping though..." I mumbled quietly to myself. The door opened and a lady in a large dress shirt stood there.

"Can I help you," she asked, running a hand through her messy blond hair.

"Hi... Is this your house?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. I think she wanted to say something, but she smirked instead. "No... Robert!"

'Robert? It couldn't be...' I thought, hoping that it was just a coincidence. There were a lot of guys named Robert, right?

I looked down at my feet as I heard footsteps coming toward us.

"What is it...?" he asked. It took everything in me not to run, and look up at this man's face instead. The moment of truth.

Lo and behold, I came face to face with the same beautiful man I'd made love to two weeks earlier.

"Uh...My mom asked me to bring this by..." I jutted the cake and fruit at his chest, eyeing the girl wearing what appeared to be his shirt. We stared at each other, the food still in my hands. The blond woman watched us, and eventually grabbed the stuff from me.

"Iz...could you wait in the kitchen for a sec?" he asked the girl. She nodded, "I'll be inside." Iz gave me a once over before walking into the house.

Rob closed the door then leaned against it. He seemed happy to see me, even if it was by surprise. "I forgot you lived here."

I looked up at him and chuckled, "well, I had no idea you'd be moving in. Surprise, surprise."

"Look, I'm, well...That girl is-"

"Your girlfriend? A one-night stand, right? That must be it."

"Kind of, but that doesn't mean..." he let his words trail off, not sure how he could say what he wanted to say.

"You don't have to explain yourself. I'm just someone you met once, and you have no obligation to me. So, I think it's best if I go. My mom will be wondering where I am."

And with that, I turned and walked toward my house, leaving him there in front of his door.

******

"Aren't you excited to see who our new teacher is?! Maybe he's hot," Myra asked me as we walked into our Early Childhood Development class. I shook my head, "not really. I bet he's old and boring."

When Ms. Gallagher said several weeks, she wasn't kidding. We had been waiting almost two months to meet this new professor, and now I was bored. I was no longer anticipating his arrival, and had convinced myself that the sub she got was actually our new prof. And he was okay. Nice enough, I figured.

Myra stared at me as we sat down, shocked. "What is with you these days? You know, ever since the club, you've been acting differently." I groaned at the thought of that night.

"I've felt different too. I'm constantly nauseous, I barely eat. And, to top it all off, I've missed almost three periods..."

My face went cold as the new professor walked into the room. Of course, with the way things had been going, this was my luck. I was sure the chances of this happening were low, but I seemed to have the strangest luck. Because I wasn't sure if I was actually lucky.

Rob's eyes met mine, and it looked like he was equally as shocked as I was. Myra, confused, looked at me, then at Rob, our new professor. "Liv, are you okay?" Myra asked, placing a gentle hand on my back.

A single tear pooled in my eye, then rolled down my cheek. It felt like my heart had stopped, and I sucked in a breath, hard. It was like my throat was closing up, and I struggled to say anything.

"No."

*********

A/N

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As always, thank you so much for reading and for all your support!

-Ruth