Read Online Loved - A Novel by Kimberly Novosel - Free Book Online

broken up by a trip to L.A. to visit Anna. She took me to see Rodeo Drive and Hollywood Boulevard, where she took a picture of me with my hands in Marilyn Monroe’s handprints. I was fascinated by the city.  When Anna was working, I would sit under a big tree in her family’s yard and read my Bible.  I had thrown myself into deep personal Bible study; I was reading scriptures, learning how to apply the verses to my life and writing vigorously about it in my journal.
                  When I was home again, I told Chase all about my newfound religious convictions and he wasn’t totally supportive. 
    “Kit, I think it’s attractive that you have something to believe in but it’s just not for me,” he said.
    That was fine with me. We spent every day together until I left for Nashville again, though we kept arguing about my suddenly strengthened dedication to God’s plan for my life. Finally we just decided it was something we couldn’t talk about. Chase was Catholic but he wasn’t sure what he believed in, and, really, he didn’t have any kind of interest in thinking about it too much. 
                  The thing we fought most about wasn’t God or religion, it was that with my faith strengthened I did not want to have sex with him or even fool around as much as we had before. He felt rejected and he didn’t understand why this was so important to me. It was hard for me to explain to someone who didn’t have the upbringing that I had had or the beliefs I was trying to hold on to. Once we quit talking about it, things felt almost but not quite like the summer before. We stopped fighting but the rift was still there.
                 
     
                  July, 2001.
                  Back in Nashville, I moved into my first real apartment. I brought my own furniture from home, the navy and black futon from my bedroom and the old brown couch from our basement. I loved having rooms to walk through, including a bathroom that would be just for us and my own bedroom; it was independence!
                  There was a guy who sat next to me in Music Publishing class and sometimes, we would make small talk together before class started or after it had ended. If he wasn’t there one day, I would catch him up on what he missed and he would do the same for me. His name was Brian and he was from Atlanta. He was a year ahead of me and had transferred to Belmont that spring. He had dark spiky hair and he was tall, though he hunched a little. Most days he wore button-down shirts with loud floral prints or solid bright colors paired with khaki cargo shorts and sandals. 
    One day, in the elevator after class, Brian asked me if I would like to go to a show with him. It never hurts to make a new friend, I thought, especially since none of my friends were there for the summer, so I said yes. He took me to dinner and to see a country band play. He wore a black collared button-down shirt and his signature shorts and sandals. He asked tons of questions and seemed genuinely interested in the answers. He was polite and easy to talk to. I was surprised to find that I had a really nice time.
                  We went out again a few nights later. He would always pick me up even though our apartments were no more than a four-minute walk from each other. He would always come to my apartment door and open the door of his shiny red car for me. A true southern gentleman, I thought, clearly raised well by his mother.
                  At first, I didn’t mention Brian to Chase or Chase to Brian. I felt there was no reason to throw it in Brian’s face or to hurt Chase, and I was scared to discourage either of them.  I just needed to see how this would play out.
                 
                  I should have seen it coming. I had been out with Brian several times and I could tell he liked me but at that point, I still felt that I was just