4 - Courtship

The next date was even better than the first. Brent brought me a present again, this time a box of my favorite chocolates. His eyes were glowing when he saw me in my skinny jeans and snug fitting shirt, emphasizing every curve I had. My hair was braided in the same style as Katniss Everdeen's, just fitting for the movie and he commented on how stunning I looked.

He had texted me all week, every morning, when I got up, three times during classes and at least four or five times at night. Some of them were longer, telling me what he was doing at that particular moment, some only a short 'I miss you and wish you were here' but he had never called once.

He looked gorgeous himself, wearing ripped bleached jeans and a Ralph Lauren shirt with loafers. Though he never dressed in the most popular styles and would never have considered runners or converse outside the gym, he had that aura around him that would never have allowed anyone to make fun of him because of that. He could have worn a potato sack and people would have still respected him for his individuality.

We went to the big theater in the shopping center. I knew a lot of my classmates would be there and I wanted to show off my new college boyfriend. He played along when he noticed, sliding proudly his arm around my waist.

Ginger Maze, the biggest bitch in school, actually approached us. She was blessed with significantly more womanly properties than I and she made it clear that she would be a much better catch when she addressed Brent: "Hi. I'm Rena's friend Ginger. Status: Single." She giggled. "I don't think we've met." She stretched out her hand, running her tongue over her lips like she wanted to devour him.

Brent kept his cool. "I think it would be Rena's place to introduce us if she even wanted to."

I shot him a thankful grin. Ginger's face darkened, I don't believe any guy had ever given her such a polite brush-off. I added fuel to the fire. "Well, I guess I can make an exception. Ginger – this is Brent. He goes to DePaul."

Ginger's mouth fell open. "You are in college?"

"Yes." He pulled me closer. "And I would really appreciate if you could give me and Rena some privacy. We are really enjoying ourselves and three is just one too many."

Ginger's face was priceless. I would get hassled in school but didn't care. Having someone like Brent showing no interest in her would drive her crazy. I was really pleased for getting so much loyalty from him after only one date.

He got us popcorn, both the sweet and buttery kind, because I couldn't make up my mind. We chose seats in the last row and he put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against him and he had the most precious smile on his lips – like he wanted to show the world how happy he was that he was with me.

The movie started and after a few minutes, I realized he had no clue what was going on when he asked: "Who is Peeta?"

"He is kind of her other love interest," I whispered. "Didn't you see the first two parts?"

"No. I normally don't watch stuff like that."

I snickered. "Sorry."

"Don't be." His fingers brushed over my cheek. "All I want is spending time with you. I..."

Muffled 'Shhh' made him shut up. After that, the movie became secondary. He must have decided that it was boring and pressed his mouth to my lips. Oh, he was a good kisser.

For the rest of the movie, we made out on and off. I only had one boyfriend before who had drooled and always had a bad body odor. Brent was nothing like him. He was tender, his lips soft and his tongue teasing. I couldn't get enough of him. He smelled good, his aftershave enough to keep my nose occupied without being overpowering. In between, he played with the strands of my hair.

Afterwards, we went to a small Sushi bar downtown. I never had raw fish and admitted it sounded disgusting. He made me a deal – I would try it and if I hated it, we would go someplace else.

He made a game out of it by blindfolding me and feeding me with various cooked and raw sushi rolls. Afterwards, I had to guess what it was. He laughed his head off when I identified the cucumber rolls as shrimp with avocado and the tuna as corned beef. Afterwards, I gave up and succumbed to my destiny. I actually enjoyed the food and he promised we would repeat the experience soon.

It was an unseasonably warm evening and we took a stroll alongside Lake Michigan.

"I absolutely love the water," he confessed. "This doesn't look like a lake but almost like the Atlantic Ocean."

"It's because you can't see the other side. It gives you the feeling of the real thing."

I shuddered and he wrapped his jacket around me. It warmed me straight away and the smell of leather combined with his scent made me want to kiss him again. He pulled me into his arms and for the next minutes, the world around me just dissolved. His breath quickened and I felt his manhood press against me. When he noticed me going rigid, he quickly pulled away.

He tucked a lose strand behind my ear. "I don't want to rush you. I know you are young and probably never had..."

He didn't have to complete the sentence for me to know what he meant. And he was right, I was still a virgin.

"I don't want to lead you on. I'm not sure when I'll be ready for...you know what."

His eyes were now almost a solid blue. "Take all the time you need." His voice was hoarse and he cleared his throat. "I really like you, Rena. I want to make this work. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this."

We continued our stroll hand in hand until it was time to bring me home. He kissed me good night and asked me if we could go out again tomorrow. Of course I agreed. I was hooked. He was the boyfriend I always dreamed off.

xxxx

Over the next weeks, we continued our courtship and settled into a steady routine. Starting with week two, there were daily phone calls. First one, then two, then three or more with just as many texts in between. He wanted to know every detail of my day - who I had hung out with, what homework I had completed, what TV shows I was watching. With his own life, he was not as forthcoming.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, we went on dates. Sometimes, we saw a movie, sometimes just a dinner and he also planned little excursions that were always fun – the zoo, Six Flags Park, a spooky tour on Halloween. 

The more I got to know him, the more he casted a spell over me. I started to neglect my friends, spending any possible moment with him. I was in love and my whole world started to center around him. Things I liked to do such as reading and drawing were pushed aside - they didn't interest him and I had no more space for such trivial things in my life.

My father didn't even notice. He had always worked a lot and Brent was polite and treated me with utmost respect. He was well mannered, considerate and a man of his word, never breaking my curfew or any of my father's other rules. In all respects, he was a dream come true even for someone who was as suspicious and demanding as my dad, always just showing the best side of him.

When I thought that things couldn't get any better, I was thrown off my cloud nine and the pedestal on which Brent was standing began to crumble – or at least swayed a little.

It was the day of my best friend Caroline's sweet sixteenth birthday party and of course, I wanted to go. I had known her since kindergarten and for the longest, we were thick as thieves. She and Brent had exchanged a few harsh words some weeks earlier when he had picked me up from school one Friday afternoon and both didn't particularly like each other.

I sensed trouble as soon as he picked me up. His otherwise cheerful face was unusually tense and his eyes a charcoal gray. Eventually, I would learn to take cover when he was like that – it was the angry Brent.

"I had a tough day and really don't feel like going," he nagged right from the start. "Can we please just stay in and watch a movie. We could order some Chinese."

"Come on, honey," I snuggled against him. "I really want to go. Caroline is my best friend."

It had taken me hours to get ready and look my very best. I had bought a new short dress and went to the hairdresser to style my hair to give it soft curls, my nails were perfectly shaped and my makeup just right. I had to admit I was stunning.

Brent didn't agree. "I don't like that dress. It's too short."

I pouted in jest. "Since when don't you like to see my legs?"

It worked, he became more agreeable. "It's not that. Tonight, there will be a lot of guys from your school and I don't want them to get any wrong ideas. You are around them all day without my protection and you shouldn't put yourself into any situation that could be misinterpreted."

I felt he was totally overexaggerating. He made it sound like the boys in my school were all sexual predators just waiting to attack me because I wore a short dress to someone's party.

"Come on, Brent. If you come with me to Caroline's party, you can pick the movies for the next months."

He pulled me into his arms and nibbled my ear. "And you will watch whatever I want."

"Anything," I promised.

"Even if it's a horror movie?"

"As long as you cover my ears and I can bury my face in your chest for the entire time."

He grinned. "You got a deal."

He seemed his usual self, the prior bad mood forgotten. We got to Caroline's house and after a few hellos, he dragged me to the dance floor. I was proud of his dancing talents, moving smoothly to the beat, one of his hands in constant contact with my body.

After a while, I was hot and wanted something to drink. "Come on, let's take a break," I shouted over the music and he nodded in agreement.

We went to the bar and had some punch. I was still a little flushed, fanning cool air at me with a magazine. Drew, the captain of the football team, soon engaged Brent in a vivid conversation about whether the Bears or the Cardinals were the better team and I chatted away with Caroline and another friend Melissa.

So far so good – until Martin decided to show up. He was my old friend from junior high, and when I say friend, he was just that. There had never been any romance between us, we had laughed together and gossiped but there hadn't been an ounce of attraction.

He had moved to Green Bay two years ago and was in town to visit his grandparents. When he told me all about his new school, Brent became more and more agitated, shooting us some evil looks. I chose to ignore them.

"Let's dance," Martin suggested, giving me a cocky smile.

I halfheartedly agreed after I heard Brent taking in a sharp breath and noticed his terrified face. I hadn't seen Martin in so long and really didn't understand what my boyfriend's problem was.

We danced to a quick techno song before the music turned to a slow tune. Before I could protest, Martin pulled me into his arms. I tried to wiggle away but his hand kept me firmly pressed against him. "I really missed you, Rena."

I didn't even get a chance to respond.

"I would appreciate if you could take your hands of my girlfriend." Brent's voice was deadly, his eyes firing daggers not only at Martin but me as well. They were darker than ever before.

Martin took a step back, raising his hands in apology. "Hey, I didn't know."

Brent grabbed me by my arm and to my horror, pulled me behind him like a little girl in front of all my friends. He actually managed to get me downstairs to the basement, his fingers holding on to me with an iron grip.

I tried to pull free. "Ouch, you are hurting me, Brent."

He pushed me hard against the wall when he finally decided to release me. "You embarrassed me tonight," he yelled. "You acted like a total slut."

Tears flooded my eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Martin is just a friend."

"Trust me – 'just friends' doesn't exist with guys." He was beside himself. "Martin has the hots for you. You must be blind not to see that."

"I honestly didn't know," I said meekly, my mouth dry. I had never seen him that upset.

"Arhh," His shout echoed through the basement before he took a swing at me and for a moment, I got ready to feel his punch but his fist diverted at the last possible moment, hitting the cement instead. "You will never behave like that again, you understand?"

All I could do was nod. My lips were trembling and fear shook my body.

"I want to leave." He was unyielding to my pleading look. "Now!"

"Please, Brent, the party isn't over. We haven't even cut the cake."

He closed his eyes, taking even deep breaths. "We are leaving now." He spelled out every single word like he was talking to an idiot. "And I don't want to hear another word."

His face made me shut up. I was certain that our fight was nothing in comparison to what would happen if I didn't oblige. It was the first time I was truly afraid of him.

OK - first time that Rena saw a different Brent? Did you see it coming? Was his jealousy reasonable or totally out of place? Do you think she will run for the hills?

From a plot speed, did this incident come at the right time or would you have preferred a slower built up (more dates etc)? Did the chapter slowly increase suspense and tension to get to the climax?

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far, your feedback is invaluable and will make this even a better story in the rewrites. Thanks for reading and please don't forget, a vote goes a long way if you felt this chapter deserved it XD