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Authors: Karen Kingsbury
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they were inseparable. In that moment, though, Laura’s eyes clouded with concern, and her hands felt cooler than before. Her voice dropped a level. “Tell me.”
He kept his face serious, his tone dire. “I told you … I love brunettes … but I don’t.”
Like other times when he teased her, her reaction took a moment. But gradually her eyes took on a knowing look, and then the shine of laughter familiar between them. “Really? So, let me guess. Redheads, Brad? That what you’re looking for?”
“If that’s God’s will for my life, then yes. Hair color doesn’t matter.” He mustered up a pious look. “But the truth is … I’m crazy about blondes, Laura. Just crazy about’em.”
“So you’re not looking for a friend, is that it?” She was teasing him, playing along.
“At this point,” Brad looked at her with as much sincerity as he felt in his heart, “I’d be honored to be your friend. But you should know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m in love with you, Laura James. Completely and totally in love.”
She blushed and laughed in response, changing the subject and spending the rest of the next few hours walking with him through the park. But the day was a turning point for both of them. A month later after dinner and another long walk, he took her back to her parents’ house and a few feet away from the front steps he put his hands tenderly on either side of her face. “Can I kiss you good night?” He didn’t want to push things, but he wanted her to know his intentions.
“I’ve only kissed one time,” she told him. “My high school boyfriend. But he wasn’t okay with just kissing. We broke up over it.” She looked intently at him. “What about you?”
Brad was genuinely nervous. He’d been this route before and he wasn’t proud of it. But he wasn’t the person he’d been in high school. “We don’t have to kiss.” He brushed his thumb against her soft cheek. “I don’t ever want you to feel forced. Staying away from all that means as much to me as it does to you. God won’t bless what we’ve started unless we put Him first.”
She paused, staring at him. “Really?”
“Yes.” He assumed she wasn’t ready for him to kiss her, and he was at peace with that. But as he reached for her fingers and started to lead her up the stairs, the look in her eyes changed. She gave a slight pull of his hand and he returned easily to his spot closer to her. “Then maybe you should kiss me good night,” she whispered.
Slowly and with the greatest restraint, Brad searched her eyes, making sure she was okay with what was about to happen. Then he moved gradually closer and for the sweetest few seconds he kissed her. When they pulled away, she said something that stayed with him still. “Who would’ve known you were just like me? About the whole physical thing?”
Pictures from the past lifted, fragmenting into so many red taillights ahead of him. Brad gritted his teeth and wished for a way back. He should’ve told her then, right then while the time was right. He hadn’t meant to, but clearly he’d given her the impression he was a virgin. From that night on, she talked to him as if his virtue was intact, as if he, too, had only ever kissed his high school girlfriend.
Over time he tried on occasion to broach the subject, come clean about choices he’d made his senior year of high school. But he was an entirely different person from the guy he was back then, changed and reformed. Besides, the subject never came up. He and Laura rarely talked about their physical relationship, or the lack of it. He kissed her once in a while, after a particularly great night out or at the end of a meaningful talk. Then, after he proposed to her, they both teased about looking forward to the honeymoon and how wonderful marriage would be. But his past remained buried in the very deepest basement of his soul and he never figured out a way to talk about it.
By now he had convinced
He kept his face serious, his tone dire. “I told you … I love brunettes … but I don’t.”
Like other times when he teased her, her reaction took a moment. But gradually her eyes took on a knowing look, and then the shine of laughter familiar between them. “Really? So, let me guess. Redheads, Brad? That what you’re looking for?”
“If that’s God’s will for my life, then yes. Hair color doesn’t matter.” He mustered up a pious look. “But the truth is … I’m crazy about blondes, Laura. Just crazy about’em.”
“So you’re not looking for a friend, is that it?” She was teasing him, playing along.
“At this point,” Brad looked at her with as much sincerity as he felt in his heart, “I’d be honored to be your friend. But you should know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m in love with you, Laura James. Completely and totally in love.”
She blushed and laughed in response, changing the subject and spending the rest of the next few hours walking with him through the park. But the day was a turning point for both of them. A month later after dinner and another long walk, he took her back to her parents’ house and a few feet away from the front steps he put his hands tenderly on either side of her face. “Can I kiss you good night?” He didn’t want to push things, but he wanted her to know his intentions.
“I’ve only kissed one time,” she told him. “My high school boyfriend. But he wasn’t okay with just kissing. We broke up over it.” She looked intently at him. “What about you?”
Brad was genuinely nervous. He’d been this route before and he wasn’t proud of it. But he wasn’t the person he’d been in high school. “We don’t have to kiss.” He brushed his thumb against her soft cheek. “I don’t ever want you to feel forced. Staying away from all that means as much to me as it does to you. God won’t bless what we’ve started unless we put Him first.”
She paused, staring at him. “Really?”
“Yes.” He assumed she wasn’t ready for him to kiss her, and he was at peace with that. But as he reached for her fingers and started to lead her up the stairs, the look in her eyes changed. She gave a slight pull of his hand and he returned easily to his spot closer to her. “Then maybe you should kiss me good night,” she whispered.
Slowly and with the greatest restraint, Brad searched her eyes, making sure she was okay with what was about to happen. Then he moved gradually closer and for the sweetest few seconds he kissed her. When they pulled away, she said something that stayed with him still. “Who would’ve known you were just like me? About the whole physical thing?”
Pictures from the past lifted, fragmenting into so many red taillights ahead of him. Brad gritted his teeth and wished for a way back. He should’ve told her then, right then while the time was right. He hadn’t meant to, but clearly he’d given her the impression he was a virgin. From that night on, she talked to him as if his virtue was intact, as if he, too, had only ever kissed his high school girlfriend.
Over time he tried on occasion to broach the subject, come clean about choices he’d made his senior year of high school. But he was an entirely different person from the guy he was back then, changed and reformed. Besides, the subject never came up. He and Laura rarely talked about their physical relationship, or the lack of it. He kissed her once in a while, after a particularly great night out or at the end of a meaningful talk. Then, after he proposed to her, they both teased about looking forward to the honeymoon and how wonderful marriage would be. But his past remained buried in the very deepest basement of his soul and he never figured out a way to talk about it.
By now he had convinced
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