1 Party

"Yo, Chris! You want another beer?" Shouts a friend of mine at the other end of the outdoor L couch. I look over to Alice as I pass the question to her. She sits up slightly and then quickly shakes her head as her blond hair tosses side to side. I know she doesn't like to drink much. Neither do I, but it's always good to have a solid reason to reject a friend's offer of hospitality, especially since tonight is a graduation party.

"No thanks, man. We're good." I respond. Alice then proceeds to retake her place, snuggling under my arm and against my body before I bothered her.

Careful not to interrupt her comfy position again, I tilt my head back, shift my weight to the back on the couch and put my feet up on the outdoor ottoman in front of me. It brings me comfort, knowing this is only one of the first nights of summer. That being said, it is also saddening. A chapter of my life has closed. Nearly 800 of my classmates and I just graduated two weeks ago. They will be flocking all over the country to continue their educations at hundreds of different universities.

Well, to be more precise, I cannot say my chapter is fully closed. Alice still has two more years of high school, so I do as well by proxy.

The end of the couch frees up as some people get up and walk away to enjoy the nightly festivities somewhere else.

As she starts to lay on me, Alice sneakily takes the opportunity to occupy the now empty space with her feet. I look down at her nestled underneath my arm and stoke a few strands of her hair to the side as I know she likes. She slowly looks up at me with a smile, and I can't help myself but give her a quick peck.

"How are you doing, Babe?" I ask while looking down at her lips.

"Good, and you?"

"Good. Just thinking about school being over and going off to Longford University next fall."

Upon hearing this, she sits up, places her elbow on my shoulder, hooks her legs over my left thigh, and looks into my eyes attentively. There is nothing I can do to escape her grasp now, even if I wanted to. Her behavior is pretty amusing. I usually have to initiate the physical parts of our relationship. Still, as soon as she feels something is high stakes, she gets cutely aggressive.

"And what about Longford?" She questions in response.

I know she is worried about our relationship as I go off to college. Distance shouldn't be a problem for me or her, plus campus is only a three-hour drive from her parents' house, but I understand her fear. I wouldn't like her being alone on a campus with thousands of guys looking for girls of their own either.

"I'm trying to calculate how many nights a week we would be able to spend together. Given that I come to visit you as often as I can and that you spend the night on my campus apartment most weekends, It looks like Two and a half days. That's not too bad."

"Hmmmmm. Yea, that's good. It's just that for me, I know I'm really gonna miss seeing and walking with you to class every day. Not having that will be a shock for me."

I hate to think about her feeling lonely. However, The real issue isn't seeing each other every day. It is more that she is uncertain about our relationship when it isn't held together by our daily interactions. The real issue is about her feeling of my commitment. Despite the affection and care I give, I haven't told her those three words that every girl wants to hear.

Alice and I have been dating for over two years now, and I still haven't told her I love her. Of course, I do, but I never said the words. It is not that I'm afraid she doesn't love me back. I know she does. I just haven't found the right moment to tell her, or at least that's the excuse I have been using. However, that ends tonight! After we get back to my house and have a more secluded environment, I'm going to lay It all out there.

I wrap my arms around Alice as she lays on me. Hopefully, it is comfortable for her because It is for me. After waiting a little longer with her in my arms, I feel like I'm ready to leave the party.

"You want to get out of here, Alice?" I ask as a little smile escapes across my face.

She nods and returns my smile, so I take her hand and stand up. She follows my lead. We say goodbye to the remaining partygoers, thank the host, and walk to my car.