Passion was something that I've always considered vital when it came to being in a relationship. Now that I was finally with someone, I had to say that it's better than I imagined.

It's been a week since Nathan took me on our first real date for that picnic. It's also been a week since we both told our parents that we were a couple.

His parents were thrilled. They even thanked me for making an honest boy out of their son. My parents were a totally different story. At least my mom was.

She had always liked Nathan, but she also heard rumors about how he was with girls. Who hasn't? So, when I told her that he and I were in a relationship, she didn't believe it at first. Then when she realized I was serious, she wanted me to break it off with him. It took a lot of arguing to finally convince her to let us have a shot. She kept saying she was just worried about me getting hurt. In the beginning, I was afraid of that too. But not anymore. I trusted Nathan.

I was also crazy about him. The amount of chemistry between us was unbelievable. We just fit. There were a few times I caught myself wondering why we hadn't gotten together sooner.

Then there was the passion. As much as I was crazy about him, he was just as crazy about me. Maybe even more so. Whenever we were together, it was like he always had to be touching me in some way. If we were in public, he would reach for my hand. Or he would wrap his arm around my shoulders. When we were alone, he would hold me. Kiss me.

Fuck...the kissing. That boy was so talented that he could probably go pro. He kissed me like he was starved for it. Starved for me.

I felt the same way. It was like we couldn't get enough of kissing each other. We took advantage of as many stolen moments as we could. When he came to hang out with me at my house, my parents made me keep the door open. So, he would tug me into the corner or someplace out of my parents' line-of-sight to steal a few kisses.

We had a lot more freedom at his house. We would spend hours laying on his bed, just talking and kissing. Mostly kissing. Sometimes the moment would get so heated that he would pull away from me. Even though he hasn't brought it up, I knew that he wanted more. But I also knew that he didn't want to rush things with me. I appreciated that since I wasn't ready, but a part of me wanted him to lose control.

"Tell me how I let you guys talk me into coming in here to freeze my ass off again," Harper mumbled from beside me.

Sitting next to her on the bleachers, I chuckled as I watched Nathan skate towards me on the ice. His eyes found me as soon as I walked into where they practiced. It was like he could sense when I was around him.

"We're here because the latest guy you're crushing on is on the hockey team. And I want to watch my boyfriend practice."

Harper sucked her teeth. "I'm not crushing on him."

"Then why did you make us stalk him when we were in the mall?"

Harper's cheeks turn red as tomatoes. "Whatever. Where's Lanie? She's the one who made a big stink about me coming."

"She had to take care of something. She should be here soon."

I was pretty sure Lanie was making out with her latest crush in the parking lot somewhere. She was all cryptic when we met up after school and then disappeared. When something like that happened, it was usually because of a boy. 

"You know, I still can't believe you're in a relationship. I mean...you're in a relationship, Karma. With Nate." 

Harper wasn't the only one who had trouble processing that little bit of reality. But I had to say, it was definitely growing on me.

"It takes some getting used to," I told her.

Lanie, Nathan, and I had decided the three of us would tell Harper about the relationship together. Lanie pretty much just sat there and ate popcorn while me and Nathan told Harper the story. She thought we were joking at first. But once we finally got her to believe us, she was nothing but supportive.

"Speaking of," she mumbled when Nathan stopped in front of us.

He removed his helmet before leaning forward against the wall of the rink, lifting a corner of his mouth in a teasing smirk.

"Hey, gorgeous. Come here."

I got up from my seat and leaned against the wall beside him. "Hey yourself. You know, you look really, really good in this uniform."

"Yeah? You like it? Maybe I can get an extra one to keep at home then."

As I leaned forward to give him a kiss, Harper make a sound of disgust from behind me. 

"Jesus. You two need to get a room. Every time you're together, you're all over each other. I feel like I should start carrying a bucket of water to pour on you or something." 

Nathan draped an arm over my shoulders before he winked at Harper. "What can I say, Harp? I got a fucking sexy girlfriend. Can't help it."

Suddenly Lanie's voice was right behind me. "Ew. I don't want to hear about you and Karma getting your freak on. I rather shove hot pokers in my ears." 

Shaking my head at her I said, "That's a little excessive, L." 

Lanie was definitely not interested in the passion between her brother and me. For obvious reasons. And after the few times she walked in on us making out in his bed, Lanie started knocking. 

"Jenkins! Stop flirting and get your ass out here on the ice!"

Nathan glanced over his shoulder and yelled, "You got it, coach!" He looked back at me and stroked my cheek with his thumb. "To be continued, gorgeous." 

Those same words he whispered to me at the club that night had my body heating up. I really wished we were in his bedroom right now and not here in front of the whole hockey team. And Lanie and Harper. 

After rejoining my best friends in the bleachers, we gossiped about the usual stuff. New school rumors going around. Plans for the upcoming weekend. And most importantly, the current boys Lanie and Harper were lusting after. 

"All I'm saying is that he's not not attractive. Doesn't mean I want to date him." 

Lanie snickered. "Okay, Harp. Then tell us the reason you've been staring at him and biting your lip every time he takes off his helmet and brushes his hand through his hair." 

"Fine. You wanna know the reason?" Harper sighed as she watched Tyler Monroe shoot another goal. "It's that British accent. Just does something for me." 

Harper may have a thing for guys with British accents, but that didn't explain Lanie's new secret boy toy. 

"You still haven't told us who you were chasing after, L." I tapped her on the shoulder. "Spill." 

Lanie tried ignoring us and stared at the hockey team as they practiced. Harper and I exchanged glances. We knew it was only a matter of seconds before Lanie—

"Fine!" she exclaimed suddenly. "You wanna know who I was sneaking off to see after school?" 

Harper rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah. That's kinda why we asked you." 

When Lanie mumbled something under her breath, I leaned in a little closer. 

"Sorry? We didn't quite catch that." 

"Danny Winston, okay! Now will you stop hounding me?" 

Harper and I burst out laughing at Lanie's confession. Now everything made sense. The way she was attempting to be all covert. Not to mention her trying to have her own stolen moments with the geekiest boy in school. 

"Wait a minute," I said between laughs. "Danny Winston? As in...Danny Winston? Head of the Chess Club, band captain, and mathlete?" 

Harper was just as surprised. "Danny Winston? Like the boy who carries a deck of D&D cards at all times?" 

"Yes," Lanie groaned. "And don't even ask for details, okay? I'm not telling."

"Sure," I said sarcastically before looking at Harper again. "How long do you think until she fesses up?" 

"Five minutes flat."

Lanie sighed and kept her eyes on the ice. "I hate both of you right now." 

As Harper and I continued to laugh at the craziness of Lanie's knew crush, something caught my eye from across the rink. The team just finished practicing and they were standing just outside the rink, some taking off their pads while others drank some water. 

My eyes searched for Nathan and found him instantly. But what I saw had my laughter coming to an end and my heart dropping to my stomach. Nathan was talking to someone. Not just someone. A girl.

And it wasn't just any girl, either. It was Trampy Trish. Like passing a traffic accident, I couldn't take my eyes off of them. She was smiling as she talked to him. Batting her lashes and laughing at something he said. 

I was watching him, too. It was impossible to hear what they were saying from this distance, but he was definitely smiling back at her. This is what I was afraid of. Something like this happening. One of his past flings or someone more attractive than me catching his eye and bringing him back to his old ways. 

"Karma?" 

When I didn't answer, Harper repeated herself. "Karma! What the hell are you looking at? And why is your face like that?" 

Without looking in their direction or saying a word, I got up and left. I needed some air. I needed...something. My own stolen moment, I guess. To be honest, I had no idea what the hell I needed. I just needed to go.

***

hope you enjoyed this! next chapter will be up Tuesday and it will pick up where this left off but from Nate's POV!

xoxo

You're all the best!