Chapter 26: Allison Age 19
Leo (20), Megan (18)
"What about these?" Allison asked, coming out of the dressing room and showing off the leggings she was trying on.
"They're good," Brian told her, ready to leave. This was the fifth pair of black leggings she had tried.
"That's what you've said about all of them," Allison said, disappointedly.
"They're leggings. They all look the same."
"Ugh," Allison groaned. "You're no help."
She went back to the dressing room to try on another pair. Brian tipped his head back, knowing that they weren't leaving any time soon.
"Can you get me a pair of gray ones from the rack at the front?" Allison asked him from the dressing room.
"Of course," he agreed, heading to the front of the store. He grabbed a pair just as Cassie was coming into the store.
"Hey, Brian," she greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"Shopping for leggings with Allie," he told her.
"Wow, try not to sound so excited," she teased. "Why would you not be excited about seeing your girl in leggings?"
"She's tried on five pairs," Brian said. "And, they all look the same. And, when I tell her they look good, she doesn't believe me."
"What are the exact words you are using to approve of these leggings?" Cassie asked.
"That they look good," Brian told her, questioningly.
"Okay, this time you're going to say, 'those make your butt look amazing'," Cassie instructed.
"I'm not going to tell her that in a store full of people," Brian said.
"Then be prepared to be here all day," Cassie warned.
Brian brought the leggings back to Allison's dressing room and handed them to her over the door.
"Okay, how do these look?" Allie asked, coming out of the dressing room.
"I love them," Brian told her, hoping that would be enough.
"I don't know," Allison said, indecisively.
"They make your butt look really nice," Brian complimented. Allison looked at herself in the mirror.
"Okay, I like these ones," Allison agreed. She went back into the dressing room and changed back into her jeans. Brian sighed in relief, silently thanking Cassie for her wisdom. They checked out at the register and drove back to campus.
"Thank you for shopping with me," Allison said, leaning over to kiss Brian's cheek while he drove. "I know I'm a pain."
"You are not a pain," Brian insisted, grabbing her hand. "Maybe a bit of a slow shopper, but you know I'd do anything for you."
Allison smiled to herself.
"So, I was thinking of taking you somewhere next weekend," Brian told her. "Are you free?"
"Depends," Allison said. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise," Brian told her.
"Not camping," Allison said firmly.
"No, not camping," Brian said rolling his eyes.
"Are we going to that new restaurant we saw last week? Or, home? Or, Italy?"
"Can't you just be surprised?" Brian asked. Allison smiled and shrugged. "But, don't set your heart on Italy. I don't have that kind of money."
"Maybe one day," Allison told him.
"Our honeymoon," Brian told her. Allison smiled and nodded, happy that he believed they would get married someday.
"Why are you so nervous?" Layla asked Allison as she packed for her weekend trip with Brian. Allison had been packing for the cold as Brian instructed but her friends could tell that she was frantic about it.
"Nervous? I'm not nervous," Allison insisted. "Why would I be nervous?"
Allison could see that Cassie and Layla weren't buying it. She scrunched up her nose.
"It's just that we haven't spent the night together since our first few months of dating," Allison said. "Because Oliver has Friday classes now so he's always here on the weekends."
"It's been a year since you two have had sex?" Cassie asked, surprised.
"Cass, we've never had sex," Allison admitted. "It was early in our relationship. We just cuddled and made out."
"Seriously?" Layla asked, surprised. "You haven't even been to second base?!"
"We have," Allison told them. "But, it's always short-lived because we can never get more than twenty minutes of alone time."
"You two need to learn about the art of a quickie," Cassie informed her.
"I want our first time to be special," Allison explained. "And, I feel like this might be the weekend. So, I'm nervous. It's my first time ever. And, I'm going to tell him that I love him."
"That's awesome," the girls replied.
"Why are you nervous about that?" Layla asked.
Allison shrugged. "I just hope he says it back."
"That boy is crazy about you," Cassie assured her. Allison smiled and went back to packing.
Allison realized as they pulled up that they were at a ski resort. She loved the look of the resort with snowy peaks on the roof. Brian insisted on bringing in her luggage for her. They checked into their room and made their way there.
The room was stunning. Allison's jaw dropped when she saw the stone fireplace and giant king sized bed. She couldn't wait to cuddle up to Brian by the fire with hot chocolate.
"This is so beautiful," Allison told him. "It must have been expensive."
Brian wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "I saved a lot this summer. I wanted to do something nice for you."
Allison turned in his arms and kissed him passionately to thank him.
They decided to go skiing and spent the day on the slopes before returning to their room to warm up. Allison dove under the covers of the bed immediately while Brian turned on the fireplace to make it warmer, before joining her.
"My nose feels like it's going to fall off," Allison said, cuddling into him for warmth. Brian kissed the tip of her nose and then let her bury her face into his shoulder.
"The wet clothes probably aren't helping," Brian informed her.
Allison's teeth chattered. "I'm too cold to move."
Brian touched the hem of her shirt. "Can I?"
Allison smiled and nodded. Brian helped her remove her shirt and then her pants leaving her in just her underwear. He pulled off his own damp shirt and Allison helped him with his pants. They laid back down and held each other closely.
Once Allison was no longer shivering, they smiled at each other, both of them thinking how nice it was to lay in the other's arms and feel their skin pressed together.
"Brian," Allison said, leaning back slightly to look into his eyes.
"Yeah, babe?" he asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"I love you," Allison whispered. She saw a smile wash over his face.
"I love you too, Allison," he told her. "I've loved you for a long time."
Allison smiled and Brian kissed her. Their kiss heated up as their hands explored each other's almost naked bodies. Brian was taking it slow with her, not wanting her to feel pressured into anything. He removed her bra and planted kisses all across her body, making her squirm beneath him. When Allison began pushing down his boxers, he sat up, wanting to make sure that she was truly okay with going further.
"What's wrong?" Allison asked.
"Nothing," Brian insisted. "I just feel like we should talk about how far to take this."
"Okay," Allison agreed. "How far do you want to?"
Brian let out a slight laugh. "No, this is about what you're comfortable with. I'm ready to have sex. But, if you're not, then we aren't going to. I just want to make sure I know how far I can go."
Allison sighed. "I really want to. But, I'm not on the pill. So, maybe we should wait. Or, we could go to a store and buy condoms."
Brian reached for the night stand and grabbed his wallet, pulling out a condom.
"Someone was presumptuous," Allison teased.
"Hopeful and prepared," Brian corrected. "You sure about this? It's your first time. I don't want to take that from you if you aren't sure."
Allison smiled and nodded. "Can we just go slow?"
Brian kissed her cheek. "Of course, babe. I love you."
"I love you too," Allison replied, as Brian kissed his way down her body.
The two of them took their time exploring each other's bodies. Allison loved how sweet his touches and kisses were and how he would keep looking at her to see if she was still okay with everything they were doing. When they were finally ready, they merged their bodies together.
Afterwards, they moved in front of the fireplace and cuddled together under a blanket, both of them still naked.
"This is perfect," Allison told him, nestling her head into his shoulder.
"You are perfect," Brian told her, kissing the top of her head.
They ordered room service for dinner and ate by the fire. When it got late, they decided to take a shower together, leading to more of what had happened earlier.
Despite having the king sized bed, Brian and Allison took up very little space, cuddling close together to sleep. Allison couldn't have imagined a more romantic weekend getaway.
Brian and Allison were keeping each other company while studying when Allison's phone buzzed. Brian saw her face become concerned when she read the message.
"What's wrong? Is it your parents?" Brian asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"No," Allison told him. "It's Cassie. Apparently Layla is crying."
"She never cries," Brian said.
"I know," Allison agreed, concerned. "Do you mind if I head over there?"
"Of course not," Brian insisted. "I'll see you later."
Allison kissed him goodbye. "Love you."
"Love you too," he told her.
Allison walked quickly to Cassie and Layla's apartment. Cassie opened the door and Allison went over to Layla and hugged her.
"What's going on?" Allison asked, rubbing Layla's shoulder.
"I just feel so used," Layla cried.
Allison looked to Cassie for more of an explanation.
"She slept with that guy she had been going out with and now he says he just wanted sex, not a relationship," Cassie explained.
Allison sighed and hugged her tighter. "Sorry, Layla."
"Why do guys do that?" Layla asked, rhetorically. "I thought he liked me."
Cassie and Allison consoled her, hating that a guy could hurt their friend so badly.
"We should probably meet everyone for dinner now," Allison told Brian, checking the time and seeing that it was time for dinner.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I can't go to dinner cause I have to do a presentation for my finance class. I have to meet Jordan at the library soon."
"Aw, okay," Allison said. She said goodbye and met the rest of their friends for dinner.
"Where's Brian?" Tyler asked.
"He has some project to work on for finance," Allison explained.
"Can't he do it later?" Oliver asked.
"It's with a partner. This is the time he and Jordan agreed to meet," Allison answered. She saw Cassie and Layla exchange a look but wasn't sure why.
Tyler laughed. "She's going to keep him there all night."
"She?" Allison asked, confused. She had assumed Jordan was a guy.
"Jordan Baker, I'm assuming," Tyler clarified. "They're the same major so they always have classes together."
Allison felt her cheeks get warm. Why had Brian not mentioned that Jordan was a girl? He had never mentioned her actually.
"She always wanted something more with him," Oliver added.
"Seriously, assholes," Cassie scolded, hitting Oliver on the shoulder. "Stop talking."
"Why?" Tyler asked obliviously.
"Cause she clearly didn't know," Cassie lectured. "Allie, it's fine. Nothing to be concerned about."
"Really?" Allie asked skeptically. "Seems weird that he's never mentioned her and that even today he made sure not to mention that she was a 'she'."
"Really, Allison," Tyler promised. "It was freshman year and he told her upfront that he wasn't interested in a real relationship."
"What the hell?" Allison asked, angrily, now piecing more of the story together. "They were together?!"
"No!" Oliver insisted. "That's the point. She always wanted more but he's into you."
"More than what?" Allison asked, already knowing the answer. "They used to sleep together?"
When the group went silent in response, Allison left the table, too upset to eat or hear any of their excuses for Brian. She went to her room and cried. She thought she and Brian told each other everything. She knew Brian was not a virgin, but didn't know everyone he had slept with. She assumed he wasn't spending time with any of them. She was panicking. She texted Brian telling him that they needed to talk.
Everything okay? I'm in the middle of a project and we'll be done soon. Brian replied.
Now. Allison insisted.
Brian was at her door only a few minutes later. He saw that she was crying when she opened the door. "What's wrong, babe? What happened?"
"How was Jordan?" Allison asked.
"Fine," Brian answered, confused. "We got a lot done, but now we have to meet tomorrow. What's going on?"
"You left out that you were going to work on a project with a girl that you've screwed before," Allison said bitterly.
Brian realized that he had made a mistake by not mentioning it. It's not that he was trying to hide it, but that had been two years ago and he had almost forgotten about it. He didn't see why it was a big deal though. He was with Allison now and didn't know why she'd be jealous over something that happened back then.
"I'm sorry," Brian apologized. "You're right, I should have said something. I didn't think it was a big deal."
"Not a big deal that you're spending time with someone you've slept with?" Allison squeaked, feeling like that was a really big deal.
"I mean, I'm not spending time with her regularly," Brian defended. "It's for a class."
"Why not pick someone else for a partner?" Allison questioned.
"They were assigned by the professor," Brian told her.
"Does she know you have a girlfriend?" Allison asked, still feeling uneasy about this whole situation.
"No," Brian admitted. "We don't really talk about that."
"Of course not," Allison huffed. "Why would you tell an extremely hot girl that you have a girlfriend?"
"Allie, come on," Brian sighed, now feeling annoyed by this conversation. He loved Allison and did not have any feelings for Jordan. He was frustrated that she would even be suggesting that.
"So, you don't deny that she's hot?" Allison asked, feeling angry that he was trying to deny it.
"That's not-"
"Are you cheating on me?" Allison blurted out.
Brian stared at her completely shocked. "Are you kidding me?"
Allison felt her stomach drop. Why hadn't he denied it immediately? "Maybe since my boyfriend can't just say that he's not cheating on me."
"I'm not," Brian said coldly.
"I don't believe you," Allison told him, with tears in her eyes.
Brian shook his head. He couldn't believe they were having this conversation. "I'm going back to my dorm."
"Brian," Allison pleaded.
"No, Allie, this is ridiculous," he said. "Come talk to me when you aren't feeling obnoxiously insecure."
Brian left, leaving Allison to cry alone in her bedroom.
A week had gone by since their fight, and both Allison and Brian had made no attempts at reaching out. They were both stubborn and waiting for the other one to admit that they were wrong.
After class, Allison was doing her classwork and saw an announcement from the professor, saying that a paper was due next week. Allison looked at it confused. She knew the due date of the paper but it was next week. That was still a while away. She looked at today's date and realized that she had been wrong about what day it was.
"Oh shit," Allison muttered to herself. She realized it was a lot later in the month than she had previously thought. She also realized that she should have had her period about a week and a half ago. She jumped up from the bed. "Shit, shit, shit."
She practically ran down the street to a convenience store to buy every single pregnancy test that they had in the store. She brought them back to her dorm and started having a panic attack. She didn't know what to do. She was terrified that she might actually be pregnant. She thought back to their skiing trip. Sure, they had used a condom the first time, but maybe not when they showered together? She couldn't remember exactly.
She knew they were fighting and didn't want to be the one to cave, but the only person who could calm her and make her feel okay was Brian. She called him.
"Hey," he answered, softly, happy that she was finally calling. He heard her crying on the other end. "Hey, what's wrong?"
She sniffled, trying to stop crying for a minute so he could understand her. "Come over, please. I need you."
Brian rushed to her dorm as quickly as he could. "What's wrong?"
Allison had him sit next to her on the bed.
"You're scaring me," Brian told her. "What's going on?"
"I'm late," she whispered.
"Late? Late for what?" Brian asked her. He looked at the pile of pregnancy tests at the foot of her bed. "Oh. Wow. Okay. Did you take one?"
Allison shook her head. "I'm scared."
He pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. It'll be okay. But, we need to know."
Allison nodded. She picked them up and went to the bathroom. When she came out she sat facing Brian, with the three pregnancy tests in her hand. She stared at them, the suspense killing her.
"Give those to me," Brian insisted, gently taking them from her and putting them out of her sights for a minute. "Let's just talk until they're ready."
"We can't have a baby," Allison said. "I don't even know if we're still together."
Brian felt his stomach drop. "We're not?"
"We haven't talked in a week," Allison reminded him.
"I've been waiting for you to call," Brian told her.
"Same," Allison agreed.
"I'm sorry," Brian apologized, wiping the tears that were streaked on her cheeks. "I shouldn't have left things the way we did. I was upset."
"You were the one who wasn't telling me everything," Allison pointed out.
"I know. And, I apologized for that," Brian said. "But, you thinking I could cheat on you? That's why I was upset. You should know me better than that. I feel like I do absolutely everything in my power to show you that I love you and only you. That I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, yeah, I was pissed when you asked if I was cheating on you because I honestly don't know how else to reassure you besides doing what I do every day to make you feel special."
Allison nodded, seeing where he was coming from. He treated her like a princess. Accusing him of cheating was basically like saying that she didn't recognize the effort he put in.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I don't appreciate the things you do for me. With Leo being cheated on and Layla being used for sex, I don't know, I just got scared that it could happen to me too."
Brian lifted her chin up to look at him. "Allison, I love you. That's not going to happen with us. I would never cheat on you and our relationship has never been about sex."
Allison smiled and nodded. They shared a quick kiss.
"What are we going to do, Brian?" Allison asked, collapsing her head into his chest.
Brian shrugged. "We'll get through it. I'm here for you no matter what. If you don't want to keep it, I will support you. If you do, I'm in love with you. I want to get married and have kids someday. So, starting early on that would be hard but not impossible. We'd make it work."
Allison nodded, feeling more confident that they would be okay no matter what the results were. Allison reached over for the pregnancy test. All three gave negative responses.
"I'm not pregnant," Allison told him. Brian kissed her head. "I'm sorry for putting you through that stress. I should have waited until I knew."
"No!" Brian insisted. "I love you, Allie. I want to be here for you through everything and anything. I'm glad you called."
"I'm glad you came and that we talked," Allison told him, giving him a hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Brian assured her.
After the initial shock wore off, they were able to joke about the situation and talk about their future kids, that they agreed they would have much further than nine months in the future.
"Just push send," Brian urged Allison. "She won't be mad. She'd rather us not get pregnant."
"I know, but it's like I'm admitting to my mom that I have sex," Allison complained, reading the message again. "It's weird."
"You have always told your mom everything," Brian reminded her. "I'm sure she won't be surprised. We've been dating for almost a year and a half."
Allison hesitated.
"If you don't want to be on the pill, it's fine," Brian reminded her. "We can just be smarter about condoms."
"No, I do," Allison insisted. She pushed send. "Okay, I did it. Stupid insurance. I wish I had my own so she would never know."
Allison's phone began ringing. "It's mom. Go away."
"She won't know I'm here," Brian reminded her.
"Yes, she will. It's mom," Allison insisted. Brian left the room so Allison could talk to her mom alone.
"Hi, mom," Allison answered.
"Hi, baby girl," Teddy greeted. "I got your text."
"If you're mad then we can just pretend I never sent it," Allison told her.
"Allie, I'm not mad. I just want to make sure you're good and that you've thought about all this," Teddy told her. "So, things are getting more serious with Brian?"
"Well," Allison said, scratching her head. "They sort of already have."
"Without protection?"
"Just because I'm not on the pill doesn't mean we didn't use protection."
"So, you did?" Teddy asked for clarification.
"Mostly," Allison mumbled.
"Allison," Teddy said sternly.
"And, that's why I want to be on the pill," Allison told her.
"Alright, let's find a doctor near you and make an appointment," Teddy told her.
"Thanks, mom," Allison said.