CHAPTER 10

The next day, Kristina is walking through the park. She sits on a swing and starts to slowly sway back and forth. She sees Johnny approaching—alone—and she smiles. She is so glad that he is alone, and not with that cougar of his, Olivia. Johnny smiles as well and sits on the swing next to her. They are both swinging gently back and forth.

Kristina looks over at him, and he returns her gaze. She smiles shyly and looks down, then back up at him.

"You know, you're beautiful, Kristina."

Kristina's smile wipes off her face and her expression goes blank. His words surprised her. They came out of nowhere. She thinks she has just imagined him saying them. She stares at him. Johnny smiles at her.

"Um…," Kristina doesn't know what to say.

"I mean, there's something different about you, Kristina. In a good way. You're almost glowing."

Kristina can't help but return her smile back to her face.

"I noticed it yesterday on the docks, and it's still there—this glow in your face. You look really happy, and I'm happy for you."

Kristina thinks that maybe this would be the right time to tell him—to tell him why she is glowing. To tell what she started to tell him yesterday, before she was interrupted by Olivia. She looks at Johnny and his smile on his face. She decides not to tell him in this moment. She just wants to stay there in that moment and talk to him, for them both to smile and laugh. If she tells him that she's pregnant, it will change everything. It will change the mood, it will change his expression, and his smile will go away she fears. She realizes that maybe he won't be as excited as she has become about it; that maybe he will be angry with her that she has kept it from him for all these months. So, in that moment, she decides not to tell him just yet.

"You know, Kristina, I've been thinking about you lately."

"You have?" Kristina knew he had feelings for her, but didn't realize that he thinks about her. She thought only Olivia was ever on his mind.

"Yeah. I've thought about you every now and then the last few months, ever since…." Kristina was waiting for him to say "ever since we slept together," or "ever since that night," but he didn't, he just trailed off.

"But, lately, I've been thinking about you even more. I'm not sure why, but it's not a bad thing," Johnny smiles and looks up at Kristina.

Kristina returns his smile and says, "I think about you a lot too, Johnny." Kristina wonders how much more she should reveal. Should she tell him how much she thinks about him, that she dreams and fantasizes about him? That she relives that night in her memories constantly? She decides to just leave it at what she has already said, in hopes that Johnny will be the one to expound on their feelings.

Johnny smiles, "Really?"

"Yeah."

They both stand from their swings. Johnny puts his arm around Kristina's waist and they start to walk along the park. They don't say much, mostly walk. Kristina stops and turns to face Johnny. She doesn't notice that Olivia is lurking in the trees. Olivia had been walking through the park as well when she saw Johnny and Kristina. She was going to approach them, but decided not to when she noticed the closeness between the two. She's standing in the trees watching them, wondering what exactly is going on and how her boyfriend could be walking with this teenager the way he is, and why they've both got looks on their faces like they're in love.

"Johnny," Kristina starts, then pauses. "I think about that night a lot. The night that we shared together, in your penthouse. I want you to know that that was real, not a front. I didn't sleep with you to make my dad angry, and you didn't take advantage of me. I slept with you because I wanted to. And I want you to know that I don't regret one moment of it."

Olivia cannot believe what she has just heard. She gasps, her eyes get as large as golf balls, and her jaw drops to the floor. Johnny slept with Kristina! He slept with her! Everyone thought that their relationship was fake, but here was Kristina admitting that they really did sleep together!

Johnny smiles and says to Kristina, "I know. I know. It was real for me too. I meant everything that happened that night. I don't want you think that I only slept with you to get to your father, or that I only slept with you because I was angry with Olivia. I certainly didn't want to take advantage of you. I slept with you because—I wanted to. I had only tried to push you away because I knew that everyone would be against us and things could get dangerous whenever your father's concerned, but honestly, I wanted you more than anything."

Kristina smiles. Johnny smiles too and kisses her lightly on the lips.