Only The Sheets

Since it was getting later and later by the second, we decided that it would be best to just get some sleep. Jordan thought it was a really great idea, him sharing my bed with me. “I’m going to hold you,” he informed me in all seriousness while I was grabbing my pjs and robe before heading out to the bathroom.

“We’ll see,” I threw over my shoulder as I walked out into the family room. As I made my way to the bathroom, I found that I couldn’t wait to change and return to my room. I knew this was going to be hard, I didn’t know how I was going to manage not falling into a relationship with Jordan so soon, even though I knew it would be a bad idea. I meant it when I told him I didn’t want him to be the ‘rebound’ guy - he deserved better than that.

Once I had changed from my ‘party’ clothes into my Eeyore cami and short set, I slipped into my robe and opened the bathroom door. Before I could make it across the room again to my bed room where Jordy was waiting for me, Cassie popped out of no where and asked if she could talk to me.

“I don’t know what to do Aunt Anna,” she finished finally. We were seated over at the bar for the last twenty minutes while she was told me how much she still cared for Ben, how she would like to get back with him but, “he’s going to college in August, I won’t see him very much.” She sighed, “It’s just that he’s so friendly and nice Aunt Anna, there won’t be a girl on campus who won’t want to be with him.”

“To trust or not,” I groaned. “Cassie honey, there is nothing I can say that will make this choice easier for you. All I can say is that no matter what you decide, make sure that it’s what you want, not what everyone else thinks would be best.”

Cassie turned to watch Ben talk with their friends. “I really, really want to kiss him again Aunt Anna.”

I couldn’t help but chuckled at the look on her face as she said that. “Well,” I shrugged. “If that’s what you want to do, then what’s stopping you?”

Ben looked up, saw Cassie watching him and smiled. “My pride?” She turned to me. “What about you?”

I frowned, “What about me? I’m not that interested in Ben.”

“No!” She exclaimed. “I meant, why aren’t you happy Aunt Anna? Did Coach Baker do something?”

“Josh didn’t do anything Cass, we weren’t working out.”

“What do you mean?” She looked confused. “You say it like you…but…” her eyes widened as she clued in. “You and Coach Baker broke up?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Why?” She stared at me. “You seemed so happy to see him tonight - you were all over him when he arrived at the party! I saw you kissing him Aunt Anna.”

“I know Cass, I shouldn’t have kissed him like I did but I didn’t want it to be over. I still have feelings for Josh but we were fighting more than talking and to be honest there seemed to be something missing in the last little while.” She still looked like she was waiting for me to tell her the punch line. “I know you liked him Cass and with Josh being your teacher, it hasn’t been easy but I’m sorry.”

We sat in silence, in a room that buzzed with the many voices of others who were deep in conversation. Many times she opened her mouth to say something but shut it again a second later. I waited for a while and finally, after she didn’t speak, I asked her if there was something she wished to say to me. “Just ask, I’ll tell you as much as I can.”

“I was just thinking…” she shifted on her stool as she tried to find the right words to express her thoughts. “I do like Coach Baker,” she told me finally. “I know you were happy with him at first and you were in love with Jess…” she shrugged. “I guess I started thinking of him as a potential ‘uncle’ and I’m a little shocked that he won’t be.”

I understood that, Josh and I were seriously talking marriage. “Well Cass, you’ll have an uncle one day, I don’t think I’ll be single forever!”

I chuckled and Cassie joined me. “Well not if Uncle Jordan has his way!”
My laughter died on my lips, “What do you mean?”

“Oh come on Aunt Anna, everyone knows that Jordan has feelings for you! Why, even mom and dad think that you and Jordan would be great together.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why either of you even bother dating anyone else; if I had a guy like him around, I would do everything to be with him.” She glanced over at Ben again as she was speaking. “You know Aunt Anna,” she stood up. “I think I need to go over there.”

Before I could reply, she was walking towards her friends. When she reached the group, she didn’t stop to talk to Gwen, her best friend, when she asked her a question; she just kept on walking. She made her way over to Ben and sat down by his side. After waiting a couple minutes, she leaned into him and said something in his ear; Ben smiled and replied. Sleep was starting to get the best of me, I nodded a couple times as I sat on the stool but finally I made my way through the room.

When I left my room to go clean up in the bathroom, I closed the door behind me so that Jordan would have some privacy to do whatever it was that he wanted to do before we went to sleep. Now that I was going back to my room, I gripped the door knob, turned it and swung the door open.
“Oh my!” I exclaimed as my eyes zoomed in on Jordan sitting on my bed with the sheets pulled up to his waist.

As far as I could tell, my sheets were all that he was wearing.