My Sweet Sixteen

Luke

I sat in my grandmother’s garden when my phone went off. "Hey!" I answered.

"Hey Luke! What’s up?" my friend Matt greeted me.

"Oh hey Matt, not much." I replied bored.

"Hey man, how long are you going to stay at your nan’s for? Lucy has been asking about you, you know she has it bad." He said trying to pick my interest. "She’s here for another few weeks, and she wants to see you." he added.

I groaned. "I’m not sure how long. My gran has asked me to escort my little cousin and her friends to some birthday party. Apparently Lydia has gotten herself an older boyfriend, and it’s my job to keep an eye on her." I explained. "I should be back in a week or so."

Matt laughed. "Wasn’t Lydia the short freckled one?" He joked.

"Years ago maybe, she’s all grown up. I have to fight the boys off her door, but she pays them no attention. She seems pretty taken with this Peter guy." I told him.

"What about her friends? Anyone worth tapping?" Matt joked.

I laughed. "She’s sixteen Matt, I haven’t been around her friends. From what I can remember from last summer, there is no one." I replied to him, a little bored. "I’ve got to go man, but I’ll call you as soon as I’m back in town." I told him before hanging up.

I hear a grunt coming from the drive and I rush to the front. My grandmother is pretty fit for her age, but she has the tendency to overdo it.

"Hey nan, what are you doing?" I asked her as she approached the back door of her minivan.

"I got myself some new gym equipment." She giggled.

"You what now?" I walked towards her.

My nan laughed and hugged me. "I got a new oven, the old one has been in the house since my wedding." She pulls me towards the back of the van to show me the enormous box.

"You should have paid for it to be delivered." I protested.

"Nonsense! It costs way too much money, and I have you to help!" She smiled sweetly and I rolled my eyes.

I don’t show it very often, but I am very fond of my quirky grandma. I spend every summer with her as her grandson/handyman. My dad is a lawyer, my grandad was a lawyer, so was his father and I’m expected to follow in their footsteps. Our family owns one of the oldest law firms in the country, I’m the next piece of the puzzle. The truth is: I like creating, building.

My grandma has built me a secret workshop in her basement where I can create my models. She lets me keep my little secret, and I love her more for it.

I wiped the sweat off my face after finishing installing her new oven. "You could bake for the whole village with an oven this big." I joked.

"Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the party?" She asked me.

"Oh yeah, can’t wait." I smirked.

She laughed lightly. "You might actually enjoy it, Lydia has some really pretty friends. But I’m trusting you to keep an eye on her." She warned me. "Lydia is just like her mum, so beautiful. But I don’t want her to regret some things." She continued slowly, and I know exactly what she is referring to.

"Nan, please." I protested, putting my hand over her mouth to silence her next sentence.

She swatted my hand away. "She is sixteen Luke, she’s going to have sex, whether her mother approves of her boyfriend or not." She added.

"Not on my watch." I replied confidently and she laughed.

"Nan." Lydia’s voice called from the door. She hugged her before giving me an unimpressed look. "Come on Luke, make an effort. You’re not going to embarrass me in front of my friends, you need to change." She pushed me out of the room, towards the stairs. "I’m going to go get Alice while you have a shower. 20 minutes Luke, I told Pete we would meet him at the gate for half past. Hurry."

I considered making her wait longer, but I knew she would make me pay for it later. I grabbed my car keys and hurried downstairs, where I found Lydia and her friends giggling on the sofa.

"Ladies, shall we?" I shouted from the door.

The girls followed, chatting excitedly as they took their seat. Their laughter made it impossible to concentrate, Lydia being the loudest. I barely moved 500 yards before I stopped the car, I turned around in anger. I opened my mouth to shout but the words died in my throat, hypnotic blue eyes staring right at me.

I choked on my own words and took a moment to compose myself before talking. "Right girls, if you don’t settle down I am going to make you walk." I warned them, Lydia whispered something to her friends before nodding her head in agreement.

I headed to the party, stealing glances at the blue eyed angel in the middle seat through the mirror. She stayed quiet while her friends sang and giggled happily, she blushed as our eyes met and I smiled widely.

"Earth to Luke!" My cousin waved her hand in front of me, causing me to stop. "There is Pete, we are here doofus." She ran out of the car and her friends followed her before I could set some ground rules. I hurried after them but I lost them in the crowd.

Lydia’s boyfriend approached me. "Hey Luke, thanks for driving them here. I’m Pete." I eyed the beer in his hand and raised my eyebrow. "I’m not driving." He explained. "I live a few doors down from here."

"My cousin is sixteen." I growled.

"She’s drinking coke, no alcohol, I promise. I’m only having one myself." He explained. "Can I get you one?"

I shook my head. "I’m the designated driver, plus I need a clear mind to keep an eye on this one.-"I pointed at my cousin and she slapped my arm playfully.

"I don’t need a babysitter, you need to loosen up and enjoy the party." She said before one of her friends pulled her away to dance.

Pete and I stood by the door watching them, we chatted for a while and I had to confess to liking him. He seemed genuinely interested in my cousin, and I relaxed in his company until Lydia pulled him away to dance with her.

My stomach turned at the sight of them kissing and I headed out towards the pool, I spotted her sitting alone by the pool, her feet dancing in the water. She is singing to herself, her eyes glued to the sky. I stepped back, feeling like I’m intruding but I hit a can of paint causing a very loud chain reaction and a whole pyramid of cans to collapse behind me. I turned quickly to try and salvage it but it’s too late.

"Shit!" I shouted when a paint can hit my foot. She gasped and stood, hurrying away from me. "I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you." I ran after her. "I’m Luke." I offered her my hand but she ignored it.

She doesn’t meet my eyes. "I know." She murmurs before her friends appear and she leaves me standing there like an idiot.

I lose track of her until it’s time to go home, and I see Lydia pulling her towards the car. "Where are the others?" I asked Lydia.

"With their boyfriends, they don’t need a lift home." She explained, before taking the back seat with Pete. "Alice is going to sit in the front." She simply said.

I hid a smile. "Keep it decent in the back." I warned her.

"Drop me off then take Alice home." She instructed me, and I rolled my eyes.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, I’ve grown tired of the kissing noises coming from the back seat and handed over my music to Alice.

"Choose something loud." I pleaded with her, and a small giggle escaped her lips.

She takes her time examining my music before choosing an Aerosmith CD, humming along as we head to Lydia’s house.

I dropped the happy couple at my aunts and headed back on the road.

"You used to pull my hair." Alice finally speaks.

"Did I?" I replied in surprise.

"You used to make fun of how long they were, called me Rapunzel." She explained.

An image of a much younger Alice comes to mind, so I stopped the car to look at her. "Oh my God, I never would have recognised you. Your hair is beautiful." I told her.

She blushed and smiled. "The school I go to doesn’t allow short hair, I have to have it in a bun at all times."

"What sort of school is that?" I asked curiously.

"A strict boarding school in the middle of nowhere." She whispered.

"Don’t you live with your parents?" I asked her, surprised by her words.

"Not if they can help it. My parents don’t want me around, they act as if I don’t exist. My sister Cinthia is everything they ever wanted, beautiful and graceful, she does ballet and they are grooming her for great things. I’m small and geeky, no one in their circle would be interested in someone like me. They send me to my grandma in the summer because the boarding school won’t stay open that long, and they don’t want me home." She continued, shocking me with her story.

"Your parents sound like a couple of arseholes." I told her, and to my surprise she burst out laughing.

"My sister is worse, she can manipulate anybody." She laughed harder, before wiping a few tears away. "Lydia says your family is very nice." She added, moving the spotlight onto me.

"My mum and dad are great, very supportive. My dad is a lawyer, like every first born in the family before him. I’m going to study law and work in his practice." I told her.

"You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it." She observed.

I shrugged. "I’m more into architecture, my sister is the genius out of the two of us. But I can’t let my family down, it is expected of me." I simply stated.

"Well, it’s not like being an architect would be less prestigious. I’m sure if you told them, they would understand." She encouraged me.

"My dad is already talking about Yale, his old buddies and his many great memories. He made it pretty clear that this was my future." I cleared my throat. "Anyway, what about the dragon lady? Does she ever smile?" I asked her, spotting her grandma on the porch.

Alice giggled. "Not that I know of." She smiled shyly. "Thank you for driving me home." She whispered before kissing my cheek and running off.

The next day, I joined Lydia and her friends at the beach. I do my best to keep my interest casual but after my first glance at her in a bikini I am lost. I want to make sure no guy approaches her, luckily she seems oblivious to their attention and I get to keep her to myself.

For an entire week, I spend my time taking her and my cousin everywhere but I don’t dare make a move on her. She tells me about herself, her passion for the stars, her dreams for the future.

Pete gave me the perfect chance to be alone with her, when he organised a barbecue at the beach. It was a beautiful summer night, the stars lit up the sky and everyone seemed to be having a great time, dancing and singing around the fire.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" I finally asked her, offering my hand to pull her up.

Alice nodded in agreement and let me hold her hand as we walked. I guided her down a narrow path, to a small quiet and secluded beach I had discovered a few days earlier.

"I thought you might like to look at the stars from here, no light pollution." I explained, as I gestured towards the blankets I had placed on the sand.

Alice smiled widely, making my heart summersault in my chest. She rushed ahead and lay down. "This is great, such a clear view and so peaceful."

I took my place next to her and watched her in fascination as she shared her passion with me, pointing at the different stars and planets visible to the naked eye. I do my best to follow, but her knowledge is beyond my understanding. Had it been someone else, I probably would have been bored of it but she spoke with such passion I couldn’t help but match her excitement.

"I knew you’d like it here!" Her eyes lit up and I smiled.

She kissed my cheek and blushed, I moved a little closer to her.

"Luke I…" She whispered nervously.

I smiled again and kissed the tip of her nose, I leaned towards her and she trembled beside me. The anticipation was killing me, but I knew this was her first and had to take it slow. I rested my forehead against hers, our breaths mingled before I closed the distance and kissed her lightly on the lips. I whispered her name between my lips before I kissed her again, as her hands tentatively explored my chest. I traced her lips with my tongue, her hands held on tight to my shirt as she opened for me. She tasted of vanilla, a hint of strawberry and Alice, her scent enveloped me and I never wanted to be without it. I covered her body with mine and we carried on kissing. Alice ran her hands in my hair, pulling me closer to her, deepening the kiss. I fought to keep control of my body as we lay on the blanket, looking at the stars as we caught our breaths. Her lips are swollen from our kissing, making her irresistible.

"We should head back." Alice said, making me groan.

She giggled at my protests and stood up, offering me her hand. I pulled her into my arms, making her laugh before kissing her again. I managed to distract her for a few more minutes, but too soon she has convinced me to head back to the party.

We re-join our friends, where Alice surprised me by sitting on my lap by the fire. Lydia and Pete sat next to us and we spent the rest of the evening in their company.

The next morning I called Matt to cancel all plans to head back early, I was determined to spend as long as I could with Alice.

It didn’t take me long to realise I had fallen head over heels in love with her. Alice was bright and funny, we talked about nothing and everything, I let her see the whole me and she opened up about her family and her insecurities.

We spent every sunset at the little beach on our own, we kissed and went swimming, we argued about our imaginary beach house I would build for us. She encouraged me to reconsider studying architecture, and I told her to pursue her love for astrophysics.

We had been dating for two weeks, Alice had managed to sneak out of her bedroom after dinner and we had run off to our beach. It was a moonless night, and we had gone there to watch the shooting stars.

I lay a blanket on the floor and patted the space next to mine. "Come sit." Alice looked nervously at her hands. "What’s wrong?" I asked her.

Alice shook her hand before crawling onto my lap, straddling my hips. "It’s early for the shooting stars." She whispered before wrapping her arms around my neck.

I caressed her back and she shivered, making me smile. "You’re not dressed for a night of stargazing." I teased her.

She kissed my lips tenderly. "I thought the dress would help the situation."

I covered her shoulder with my jacket. "What situation?" I asked her.

Alice rolled her hips against my crotch, making me moan out loud. "I want you to be my first Luke." She whispered in my ear before biting my lobe.

I closed my eyes, gathering my strength to stop. "We came here to look at the stars, I wasn’t planning anything else for us. We have only known each other a few weeks."

She met my eyes before pulling her dress off her shoulders, revealing she had been naked underneath, except for her panties.

I swallowed hard. "I love you Alice." I whispered, pulling her closer. "I want you to know that I love you, I have never felt like this for anyone before."

She smiled widely. "I love you too." She kissed me hard, rubbing herself against me.

I rolled her over on her back and climbed on top of her, taking charge. This would be her first time, I knew it would hurt her and I was determined to give her as much pleasure as I could before causing her any pain.

I explored her body with my mouth, watched her as she experienced her first orgasm. I loved watching her back arch in pleasure, as she called my name.

I positioned myself between her legs and kissed her lovingly. "Tell me to stop if it gets too much."

She nodded nervously then smiled back at me. I rubbed my finger against her clitoris, she moaned softly against my ear as I touched her. I waited for her body to relax before pushing through the barrier of her virginity.

Alice cried out in pain and I stopped, kissing away her tears. "Don’t stop." She murmured, urging me on.

I worshipped her body with mine, pouring all my feelings in our lovemaking.

"I love you so much." I told her, as she lay on top of me, her head resting on my chest.

She kissed my chest in response.

"I think we missed the shooting stars." She joked as we made our way home.

"The dragon lady is going to kill us." I teased her.

She laughed and pulled me in for another kiss. "Being with you is worth the punishment."

I checked the watch and smiled. "I think you can still make your curfew, even if you have sneaked out. I think this qualifies as a misdemeanour." I winked.

She kissed me goodnight before we got to the house, knowing her grandma wouldn’t approve of the two of us being openly affectionate to each other.

"Climb into my room tonight, I’ll leave the window open." She whispered before running into the house.

That night, I slept in her bed for the first time. Every night after that, I climbed into her room at night, we made love in her room, she slept in my arms. She was heaven, my very own star.

On the last night together, we spent the night kissing and planning our future together. I bought her a phone, so that we may keep in touch while she was away at her boarding school.

We fell asleep sometime in the early morning, naked in each other’s arms.

I’m awakened by the incessant pounding on her bedroom’s door. "Alice!" Her grandmother shouts. "Open the door, It’s time to get up."

I climbed out the window in my underwear, rushing back to my house to get changed. I headed straight back to her house, and found Alice in tears at the door as her grandmother loaded the car with their luggage.

"We’re going." She whispered sadly.

"I thought you were leaving tonight." I said, confused.

She shook her head. "She said she wants to avoid the traffic, but I think she knows." She murmured.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, I buried my face in her hair and inhaled deeply.

"Never in a million years would I have imagined love to feel like this. You have bewitched me, my little star."

She raised her gaze to meet mine and smiled, before standing on her tiptoes to kiss my lips. "I’m going to miss you so much." She admitted in anguish.

"I’ll miss you more." I told her. "Call me tonight." I begged her.

There was so much I wanted to tell her, but her grandma pulled her away from me before I could say anything.

Minutes later, I stood in the middle of the street, staring at an empty road, fighting the urge to run after her.

For the following three months, we spoke every day as she managed to keep her phone hidden.

The week before we were meant to meet up, I called her after school and she burst into tears and I knew something was wrong. She insisted she was just lonely, and was missing me but I could sense she was hiding something from me.

When she failed to answer my next call, I jumped in the car and made my way to her boarding school. The building was surrounded by tall, grey walls, and it felt more like a prison than a school.

I walked past a few girls in uniform, it felt like passing through a movie set in the 1950s. The only adults scattered around the grounds were stirn looking women and nuns. I felt disgusted that her parents would send her to such a soul crushing institution.

"Can I help you?" A young student asked me, blushing.

"Yes, my name is Luke. I’m looking for my girlfriend, her name is Alice." I replied.

The girl exchanged a look with her friend before running away from me. I watched them approach a woman by the entrance and whisper something to her, before she looked at me and nodded at them to go in.

I assumed she might be the headteacher, and headed straight for her.

"Can I help you young man?" She enquired.

"I’m here to see Alice." I simply replied.

She didn’t look fazed by my question. "I’m sorry but we don’t have an Alice here with us."

I closed my eyes in frustration, took a deep breath. "I am her boyfriend, I know she is here. Is this some kind of prison? Why isn’t she allowed visitors?" I asked.

Her face remained emotionless. "Luke, this is a school. It most certainly isn’t a prison. Parents determine the amount of freedom our students receive." She explained. "I cannot help you with your search as I do not have a student here by that name."

I shook my head in disbelief, fear gripped me and I knew something had happened to her.

"I spoke to her just yesterday, she was here then. Did they take her away?" I asked but she stayed silent. "Please, I need to know that she’s okay." I begged, grabbing her hands in mine.

She took a deep breath. "I’m sorry Luke, I can’t divulge information about former students."

"She’s gone? Where?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I need you to leave now Luke, you look like a nice man. I wouldn’t want to have to call security on you." She replied before heading back into the building.

I screamed in frustration, and spotted a security guard heading straight for me. I raised my arms in defeat and gestured to him towards my car.

When I reached the car, I spotted one of the young girls from earlier hiding behind a pillar.

She handed me a note. "This is for you."

The note simply read:

It’s over, I’m sorry.

"This can’t be right." I protested.

Tears pulled in her eyes. "You’re right, it’s not."

I grabbed her arm. "Did she write this? Did they force her to?"

She shook her head. "I’m sorry Luke, she did. She said you might come, she is gone forever. You won’t find her again." She told me before running back into the school. I folded the note and placed it in my pocket, then climbed into the car. I pressed the call button on my phone and rang hers, I felt it vibrate near me and turned towards the back seat of my car. There sat a box with all my letters to her, our pictures, our memories.

My heart shattered in a million pieces.

That night, I drove to my parents home, my soul filled with rage, and a new found determination to change. No woman would ever come this close to breaking me again, that chapter of my life was over.