Free Shampoo by Karina Almeroth

bed.
“You’re staying,” he demanded, in that hot, I’m-a-real-boyfriend
voice. Then he wouldn’t let me go, and kept wrapping me tighter in
his arms and going, “I’m NOT LETTING YOU GO.”

    (hot)

    I told him I wanted to (fuck his brains out)
stay too, but it has been weeks since we’d really connected, and he
expects bed privileges! It just wasn’t gonna happen.
    Then he was all, “I’ve tried tonight! Really
tried!”
    “ Yeah! FOR ONCE!!” Then I wrapped my
hands around his neck and kissed him. “Now kiss me goodnight and
walk me out.”
    He kissed me alright. He kissed me into
oblivion.
    I wanted to make love so badly it was painful.
Exquisite pain.
    So I eventually pulled my face away from his
and said again, “Walk me out, Everard.”
    “ I won’t walk you out. I want you to
stay.”

    (goosebumps)

    But for some reason, him walking me out was
important to me. Maybe it seemed romantic to me. Maybe I just
wanted him to act like he cares.
    Maybe I was just trying to control him. I don’t
know. But I wanted him to walk me TO MY FUCKING CAR.
    I needed this to be date like, not casual fuck
like.
    But he refused!! And kept
refusing!!!
    “ Walk me out – ”
    “ I’m not fucking walking you out –
”
    He just kept standing there, his arms wrapped
around me, repeatedly going, “NO. I am NOT walking you OUT. I.
WANT. YOU. TO. STAY!!!”
    And me begging, “PUH-LEASE walk me out,
Everard!!”
    “ No!”
    “ If you don’t walk me out, I AM
NEVER COMING BACK HERE AGAIN – ”
    The arms that were around me were instantly
dropped. Ever HATES ultimatums. Withdrawn, horrible Evvy was here.
“Bye!!”
    I stood there, watching him as he hopped back
into bed, sat against his headboard and stubbornly crossed his
arms.
    I hated him in that moment. Hated all
men.
    “ You’re being really hurtful,” I
managed to say, tears threatening to form.
    “ I’m making a stand!”
    “ Making a stand?? Should I get your
tools out for you??”
    He laughed. “I hate how funny you are. TAKING a
stand then, SMART ASS. I want you to stay, so I’m not walking you
out. I’ll walk you out TOMORROW, after you stay.”
    That is when I stormed out, I was SO
IRRATIONALLY MAD at him, determined this was it this time, I was
done with him!!
    How dare he not walk me out?? And make me feel
like this nothing whore, leaving his house at near
midnight.
    I stormed through his darkened house, his mum
and sister in bed long ago, telling myself he’ll never change, so
what the fuck am I DOING HERE…
    And then he grabs me from behind just as I
reach the front patio, laughing, like this is some fun
game!!!
    I was infuriated by him.
    “ You always get what you want,
woman,” he said softly into my hair as he engulfed me from behind
with his arms.
    “ That’s crap,” I snapped. “If I got
what I wanted, we wouldn’t be like this!”
    “ Oh, woman. You are endlessly
amusing to me.”
    I tried to elbow him in the ribs but he just
wrapped his arms around me tighter. “Be nice!” he growled into my
ear.

    (hot)

    “ You first!”
    Then I felt it, this moment pass between us. It
was palpable. As he had me wrapped to him from behind, there was
this THING that passed between us. Love. Feelings. Longing.
Something big.
    Then suddenly, he let go. I turned, to face
him, and we stood, staring at each other, for ages. Waiting for the
other to do or say something.
    I took the few patio steps behind me backwards.
Testing him (ha ha!).
    He followed me, till the footpath began. “I
can’t go any further,” he said. “I’ve got socks on.”

    (any bloody excuse)

    Ruin your socks for romance!! Just do
it!!
    It felt like a major letdown when I was hoping
for some romantic revelation.
    I stood there, waiting for him to reach out for
me. My heart seriously sank when he didn’t. “I’m freezing here,” he
said.
    “ Poor baby.”
    And I turned and walked to my car parked at the
curb.
    He let out a frustrated scream then,