No. No. Nope. Uh-uh. Not an option. 

Standing in front of my closet, I stared at the many clothing options I looked through and had decided weren't good enough for my date with Nathan tonight. He was taking me to a fancy restaurant, and I thought I would have something relatively sexy to wear. But the only dress I had that fell into that category was the red one. 

The one I wore to the club that night. But if I wore that one, then I would have to sneak it past my parents by wearing something over it. And I'm not sure how Nathan would feel if I wore that dress in public around other boys. Last thing I wanted was for Nathan to punch some guy who was ogling me while the waiter served dessert. 

Yeah, no thanks. But what else was I going to wear? I literally had no sexy dresses. And I really liked the way he looked at me when I wore the dress. Reaching into the deepest corner of my closet, I pulled it out. 

"Screw it," I muttered. "I'll just wear this and put another dress over it. And Nathan would just have to be on his best behavior at dinner."

He was supposed to pick me up in a little over an hour, and since I already had my hair done, I made quick work of putting on my red dress and slipping another less sexy dress over it. Then I left my bedroom to go to my bathroom to apply my makeup. 

I was never really a heavy makeup type girl. And I was relieved that Nathan wasn't into it much either. Since most of the Happy Meals he hooked up with had clown faces, I thought he would expect me to get heavy duty with eyeshadow and lipstick. 

But on one of those late afternoons when we were laying in his bed making out, he traced his fingertips over every single inch of my skin. 

"I'm so glad you don't really use makeup."

My brows drew together in a fierce frown. "Really? I thought it was the opposite, actually."

He shook his head as he stroked my lips with his thumb. "You are...so incredibly beautiful, Karma. Just as you are. Like this, with no makeup."

"Are you saying that I'm ugly with makeup, then?"

Nathan chuckled. "Not at all. You're my gorgeous girl. I'm just saying that there isn't a single thing about you that I would change. I've always felt like girls put on makeup to make themselves look better for guys. If that's the case, you don't need that shit. Not for me. If you want to wear it for you, then wear it. But don't think you have to wear it for me." 

That moment with Nathan was the first time I ever really felt sexy. Sure, there were plenty of times with him over our short relationship that he made me feel wanted and pretty. But that was different. And it was also the reason why I was only putting on a little foundation and some eyeliner. Nothing more. 

"Oh, there you are, Karma."

My eyes met my mom's in the mirror. I was hoping to sneak out of the house before she saw me. "What's up?" 

"Did you see the new brochures I put on your bed?"

Yes, I did. But I took one glance at them and nearly threw up. It was also the reason I was avoiding her. "I did."

My mom took a step closer. "Have you looked through them? Just in case USF doesn't accept you, you need to have some backup schools that will offer you a scholarship." 

I didn't answer her. Instead, I finished applying the eyeliner to my left eye before switching to my right. Slowly and carefully, I brushed the tip across my bottom eyelid until it matched the other one. 

"Karma, don't ignore me. I told you that it wasn't a good idea to get into a relationship right now. You can't just ignore your responsibilities. I think it would be best if you break up with Nate before it's too late."

My hand fell to the sink and the eye pencil clattered against the porcelain. "Too late for what?"

"He's a good boy, Karma. I like him a lot. And I can see you're happy. But if you stay with him and then leave for USF or anywhere else, you're going to get your heart broken. I'm trying to save you from that." 

She had no idea that it was already too late. I was crazy about Nathan and had no intention of going to any school that wasn't in New York. I was eighteen and free to make my own choices where that was concerned. But I needed to play my cards right with my mom to keep her off my back. 

"I'm not breaking up with him, mom."

"Karma—"

"No," I snapped before turning around to face her. "I'm not breaking up with him. If you want me to go to USF or wherever, then fine. I will. But in exchange, I want to spend my senior year with Nathan." 

My mom eyed me warily and I wasn't surprised. "How do I know you'll honor that? What if you fall in love with him?"

"Nathan isn't really the falling in love type, mom." I really hoped she bought this. "Besides, I keep my promises. And I told you I already applied to USF." Unfortunately that was true. "I'll do what you want, but I want my senior year to be spent how I want it." 

I held my breath while I waited for her to answer. I despised lying. But the thought of ending this relationship with Nathan after it barely started made me want to cry. I needed this.

He made me feel things I never thought possible. And there was still so much more I wanted to experience with him. She had a right to worry about me falling for Nathan Jenkins. Because if things continued like this, I was pretty sure it was going to happen.

After a few more seconds, my mom huffed and nodded. "Fine. You can have the year with him, Karma. But after that, your future comes first. Promise me." 

Looking her in the eye I said, "I promise, mom." 

Little did she know that my fingers were crossed behind my back. 

***

After the false promise I made to my mom, I needed to get out of the house. I needed air. I needed Nathan. So, I sent him a text and told him to wait at his house for me instead of picking me up. I knew he was confused but he didn't ask questions—not yet, at least—and replied that he would see me soon. 

It wasn't surprising that when I pulled into the driveway, he was already outside waiting for me. Shutting off my car, I grabbed my purse and got out. He came to me instantly and pulled me into a tight hug. 

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Hey," I whispered back to him and closed my eyes. I inhaled the earthy male scent of him. This is what I needed. This is what I was craving as I drove over here. Whenever I felt like I was drowning with stress or my emotions, Nathan was the life preserver that kept my head above water. 

"You okay? Why didn't you want me to pick you up?" 

I knew he was going to ask questions once I got here. But this wasn't the place. I leaned back a little to look up at him. His eyes were full of worry and concern. He knew something was wrong. 

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Nathan. Not here." 

He cupped my face with his hand and stroked my cheek. "After dinner, then?" 

Dinner. I was so looking forward to going to a fancy restaurant with him. Around people. Dancing and candlelight. But after what happened with my mom, I didn't really want to be around a crowd of people. 

"Baby? Talk to me." 

That's right. He was waiting for an answer from me. 

"Can we skip dinner? I know you planned this whole thing, and I'm sorry, but I feel—"

"Hey, hey, hey. Slow down. If you don't want to go to dinner, it's forgotten. I'll take you wherever you want to go," he promised me. Just like in Florida. "Tell me where and we'll go right now."

My answer was immediate. "Somewhere private and quiet. Just us." 

Nathan leaned his head down and brushed his lips against mine. "Your wish. My command, gorgeous."