The Balancing Game Ch. 02

Carson and Rachael spent the next few hours talking about random things. Their favorite bands, their favorite food, pretty much anything they could think of. Rachael felt it was really easy to talk to Carson. He kept the conversation flowing, something she was horrible at.

Carson: Hey babe, I hate to ask you this, but would you be able to help me jump my car? My friend thought he would be back today, but he had to stay at his parents to help them fix things around their house.

Rachael: Sure thing baby. :) I'd be mad if you didn't ask. Do you need me to come now?

C: We can still meet when you wanted to.

R: What if I want to meet you earlier?

C: How much earlier?

R: Whenever you're ready, babe. :)

C: Well, let me finish my laundry, then I'm all yours, babe. :)

R: Just let me know babe. :)

Rachael felt ecstatic. She was finally going to meet him! She didn't care about the car thing. It would ease her into meeting him anyway. After two hours, Carson finally finished his laundry.

C: I'm ready whenever you are babe. :)

R: Okay babe. What's your address? I'll be there soon.

C: [address]

R: 15 minutes. :)

Rachael almost left, but stopped herself. It was mid-afternoon and June would be back in a few hours. Rachael didn't know how long she and Carson would hang out. She hoped he meant it when he said he was all hers because if he was like he seemed over text, she really wanted to spend the rest of the day with him!

Rachael went to the whiteboard in the kitchen and began writing. Hey. My anxiety's been a bit up today, so I'm going on a meditation walk. I'll be back later. I have my phone on me. – Rach

There. That wasn't a complete lie. She was going on a walk. Potentially, anyway. Rachael shrugged and left the apartment. She smiled all the way to Carson's.

Rachael: I'm right outside. Blue car that is running. Driver door is open.

Rachael held her breath as she opened the door. She looked around and saw no one matching Carson's photo. She had a momentary moment of panic before her phone buzzed.

C: I'll be down in a second, baby.

Rachael smiled and began playing a game on her phone. She was too nervous to look up. She wanted him to come find her. She wanted him to initiate first contact.

Carson ran up to the side of her car. "Hi." He looked her up and down as she sat in her car.

Rachael blushed and looked up as far as she could manage. He had an amazing smile. "Hi," she returned.

They stayed still for a moment before Carson broke the silence. "My car is a few blocks away. Can I get in?"

Rachael nodded. "Yeah."

Carson got in and instinctively put his hand on her leg. Rachael felt it and decided that she liked it. A lot. "Give me directions?"

"Yeah. Go out this entrance and down the street. It's in a parking lot, but I'll give you directions as we go."

Rachael pulled out of the lot and started following his directions.

Carson looked over to Rachael, who kept her eyes on the road. "You look very beautiful." Rachael blushed at the compliment. She wasn't even dressed pretty!

"Thank you." Rachael was only driving with her left hand and Carson used this opportunity to softly pull her hand into his so that he could hold it.

"Are you still anxious?" Carson looked up to Rachael. She smiled, still keeping her eyes on the road.

"I feel better now." And she did. Her stomach was floating with butterflies, but she didn't think any of it was fear from him. It was the normal fear of meeting someone new who you really like!

Carson pulled Rachael's hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. "Good."

Rachael's stomach was crazy with butterflies, but now all she could think about was his lips. How much she really wanted to kiss him! But Carson was so polite. Would he even try that today?

"Here's the lot. It's the beat up Chevy with chunks out of the bumper." This caused Rachael to giggle. "Hey! At least none of it was my fault! I just had bad luck," but Carson was smiling. He liked hearing her laugh.

Rachael pulled up beside his car and Carson got out to jump it.

Rachael sat back and watched him, thinking about how adorable he was. An adorable dork. That's how she would describe him. But he was also very attractive. She was thinking how nice it would feel to run her hands through his thick, wavy hair...

Carson opened the passenger door to her car. "You can start it now. And I'm really sorry about this." Rachael smiled and started her engine.

"Hey. Shit happens. It's life. Plus, now I get to see you earlier." She smiled up at him. Carson reached down to her hand and brought it up to his mouth to kiss it.

"You are amazing,"Carson murmured, Rachael blushed at the compliment.

"It shouldn't take too long to jump. Just a few minutes, then I can drive it back to my place. You can follow if you want, or we can meet up and walk later." Carson moved a thumb over her knuckles.

Like hell she would leave right now! "I can go on a walk after this, if that's okay with you." Rachael looked up and got lost in his eyes. And his smile. He was so attractive.

Carson smiled. "That's perfect." He kissed her knuckles again, making more butterflies in her stomach. Carson finished and got his car up and running.

"Just follow me back, okay?"

"Okay," Rachael confirmed. They headed back to Carson's apartment. There were a few times Rachael was afraid his car wouldn't make it, but the car shut off just as he pulled in to a parking space.

Carson locked his door and came to meet Rachael as she got out of her car. "Did you see that? That was close." He chuckled and Rachael smiled.

Carson took her hand again, rubbing her knuckles. He looked into her eyes. "So, do you want to go on that walk or do you want to head up to my place?"

Rachael looked up at him. She trusted him. "Your place."

Carson's smile broadened as he led her through the apartment door and up the stairs. As Rachael entered, she noticed it was small studio room and very messy. Typical college guy. She giggled.

"Sorry about the mess. To be fair, we were originally going on a walk." Carson moved around the apartment, picking up stray socks. "Go ahead and have a seat." Carson gestured at the pull-out bed.

Rachael wasn't sure why he had the pull-out bed out, but she put down her things, kicked off her shoes, and sat down near the top. She watched him, slightly amused, slightly afraid. Not afraid of him, but afraid she didn't know how to handle this situation.

Carson finished clearing off the rest of the floor and the pull-out bed, then sat down next to her.

"Okay, I have to ask," Rachael started with a smile, "Why do you have this out and your bed over there?"

Carson laughed. "I started putting stuff on my bed, then I got too lazy to clean it off."

Rachael smiled. That sounded like her. She always thought she would want someone who was more organized than she was. Someone who had their life more together and would help her with hers. But as she looked him in his eyes, she felt a connection with him.

Carson felt something too, and he leaned forward to kiss Rachael.

Rachael felt very awkward at first. She had never kissed anyone, aside from her parents! She felt like she was doing it all wrong!

Carson broke away and looked at her. They were both smiling. And his smile drove Rachael crazy! Carson leaned in for another kiss. Rachael still felt awkward, but she felt better about it. Carson pulled away again.

"How about we put some Netflix on?" Rachael nodded her head in acknowledgement. They tried to find Thor, but it was no longer on Netflix. They settled on watching the Avengers (which he had on DVD) instead.

Rachael was feeling comfortable laying back against the cushions. She still had butterflies, but she wasn't afraid of them. Carson popped the DVD in, then he returned to the pull-out bed. Only this time, he crawled up to her.

Rachael's breathing became shallower. He was being so sexy right now. Carson reached her and put his hand on her check before leaning in for a kiss.

Upon feeling Rachael's return kiss, Carson began invading he mouth with his tongue. Rachael didn't know what to do, so she let him take over. When he retracted, she invaded his mouth as well. She felt awkward, but she was also very turned on.

Carson met her tongue and they dueled for a bit before Carson broke away, smiling. All Rachael could think about was his sexy smile. She leaned forward and began kissing him in earnest.

Knowing she was excited too, Carson pulled her down so she was laying on the bed, him on top of her. Rachael let out a small gasp as he continued to invade her mouth.

He bit her lip, causing her to inhale sharply as he slowly dragged it out between his teeth. It was the most erotic thing Rachael had ever felt! She wanted to do it back, but he was moving too fast for her and her senses were on overdrive!

Caron pulled away from her and bit at the nape of her neck, causing Rachael to make a small 'yip'. He then sensually kissed her up her neck until he reached her earlobe and began suckling on it.

Who knew the earlobe was so sexy? Rachael thought to herself. She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she moved them to his hair, egging him on. She moved her hands through his hair, loving the feel of it.

Carson returned to her mouth and began moving his hips sensually, rubbing up against her. Rachael slowly began moving her hips too, loving the feel this as well. Occasionally she felt a bump. That has to be his cock. Fuck, he's hard for me! Rachael thought to herself.

Carson pulled away from her mouth and slowed his hips to look at her. She knew she was smiling as she looked up at him. He went back down to her mouth and bit her lip again, dragging it as he had done before.

Rachael inhaled sharply again. Is this going to be an 'every time' thing?

Carson resumed kissing her, but he became bolder and moved his hands to her breasts. As he squeezed them, Rachael let out a small gasp. She wanted more!

Without letting him break the kiss, Rachael took his right hand and moved it to the hem of her shirt. Carson began to move his hand away, thinking he had gone too far, but Rachael kept a firm grip on his hand and slowly pushed it up under her shirt.

That was all the invitation that Carson needed. He broke the kiss and brought both hands up under her shirt. "May I?" he asked.

Rachael nodded, smiling. They worked together to get her shirt off, then his. Carson resumed kissing her, this time using his hand to explore her now exposed skin.

Every touch from Carson felt electric! Rachael was so wet, she was afraid of him feeling it if he bumped up against it.

Carson moved his hands to the side and began kissing her, moving from her neck to her still-encased breasts. When he hit the top of her bra, his mouth jumped and he bit her nipple through her bra.

Rachael made a small 'yip' sound and pushed down on his head so he would continue. Carson bit the other nipple through the bra, but then moved his hands underneath her, pulling her into a sitting position.

Rachael was so consumed in the kiss, she didn't notice him reaching for her bra until she felt her breasts released from their captivity. She snaked her arms through the straps and Carson caught the bra, throwing it to the side.

Rachael felt so free as Carson moved his hands up and down her entire body. He pushed her back so she was lying down again, and he took a nipple into his mouth. Rachael was expecting to feel something, but she felt little. She even checked to see if that's what he was doing!

Well, I guess they just aren't that sensitive, Rachael thought to herself. She let Carson finish, running her hands through his hair. She loved doing that.

When Carson believed he paid enough attention to both nipples, he started kissing Rachael down her stomach. Rachael almost jumped up into him! Her stomach was super sensitive!

Rachael ran her fingers through his hair faster, but Carson stopped and moved back up to her mouth again. But she could hardly complain as he bit her lip again, causing her to inhale sharply. He was driving her crazy!

After they both slowed down, Carson pulled Rachael into him. Rachael snuggled up and felt something she hadn't felt since she was a child. She felt safe.

The way they were situated, Carson was laying straight with his arms tight around Rachael. Rachael moved so one leg was on draped across him, almost lying on top of him. He had to adjust himself when she moved her leg on top of him, and that made her smile. She did that.

That gave her some fire and she leaned up to kiss him again. He returned the kiss, but she wanted more contact. She straddled him and pushed him back against the bed. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, taking control, but it definitely got him all riled up!

He moved his mouth and hands to her breasts and began suckling and squeezing, occasionally eliciting a moan from Rachael, if he was rough enough. Carson moved his mouth back to hers and slid his hands down to her ass, squeezing it hard, one cheek per hand, causing Rachael to lurch forward.

Rachael was taken off guard, both by the squeezes and how good it felt. He began massaging her ass and she was moaning into his mouth as they continued to make out. Carson got bold and slid first one hand, then both down her shorts to squeeze her ass.

Rachael loved the skin on skin contact, but she knew she couldn't go further. She couldn't face June if she did.

Luckily Carson didn't go any farther. He kneaded her ass while she straddled him, grinding her hips into his. Rachael felt so good, she was afraid it wasn't real.

But it was and they continued kissing and watching the movie as the night went on, though they missed most of the movie.

"Should we get dinner?" Carson was sitting next to Rachael, just having broken away from a kiss.

Rachael was breathing heavy. "Probably." Carson leaned in and began kissing her again. After a few minutes, they broke apart.

"We're never going to get anywhere if you keep doing that." Rachael smiled.

"I know, but you're so goddamn sexy." Carson bit her at the nape of the neck and she let out another 'yip'. But reluctantly, Rachael pulled away, laughing slightly.

"Come on. Where's my shirt? We really need to eat." Carson moved in to kiss her, but she pushed back on him.

He leaned forward again. "Just one more." Rachael dropped her hands and Carson kissed her, biting her lip several times over. He drove her absolutely crazy!

Rachael pushed back against him. "That was one. Food. Now."

"That was a bit more than one." Carson smiled, but then moved to help Rachael find her shirt.

Rachael didn't mind that she had to be the one to push him away, but she wished he would take more control. She wanted him to tell her to do things. She craved it so badly. She also wanted him to be rough! God, if he would just bite her nipples...

Carson found her shirt and her bra and tossed them to her. She smiled and put them on quickly. As she stood up, Carson pulled her into another kiss. Reluctantly, Rachael pulled back knowing that if she didn't stop him they would both forget to eat.

"Come on, let's go," she giggled. Carson took her hand and they left the apartment. She loved holding his hand. Safe, she thought to herself.

They went out to grab pizza and Thor (because Carson was adamant that she watch it as soon as possible), then they returned to his apartment.

When they got back to his room, Rachael thought it would be a good idea to send a text to her roommates. She really didn't want them to worry.

Rachael: Hey. I'll be out late tonight. See y'all later.

Rachael waited for a response, but when none came she shrugged her shoulders. Apparently being vague is okay.

Rachael turned her attention back to Carson who was grabbing her a plate of pizza. He sat down next to her, and for the first time she noticed scars on his arms.

"Babe, what are those from?" The concern in Rachael's eyes was evident, but Carson didn't look her way.

"I don't really want to talk about it. It's something from my past."

Rachael leaned down and kissed him. "Okay, baby. I want to hear about it sometime, but only when you're ready." Rachael didn't look up to him again because she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

"You know, I used to have some too. But I used a dull blade so it wouldn't go as deep or scar as easily. I don't know if that was dumb or smart." Rachael let out something between a chuckle and a snort.

He pulled her close and sighed. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours?"

Rachael looked up at him. "Yeah. But only when you're ready baby."

Carson sighed, but to Rachael's surprise, he began his story. "I had kind of a shitty home life for a while growing up. My mom died really young. Cancer. And my step-mother was verbally abusive. I didn't feel close to her or my dad."

"I felt close to my aunt and my grandmother, but they both passed away too. My aunt when I was still in grade school and my grandmother when I was in high school. Both cancer. Things got really rough and I wanted escape."

Rachael rubbed his arm in support, and Carson continued, "People in my life just leave me. I got distressed." Carson began tearing up. "God, I'm sorry."

"For what baby? You're upset. It's okay."

"Yeah, but you don't need to see me like this." Rachael took his hands and sat in front of him until he looked up at her.

"I need to see you. If it's at your best or your worst, it doesn't matter. I need to see you. I don't care that you're crying—"

"I do."

"Shush." Rachael waited a moment for him to settle down before continuing. "I don't care that you cry. It's not less manly or any of that bullshit. Life sucks and sometimes you need a breakdown. And I want to be there for it."

Carson looked up at her, giving a semi-forced smile. "Okay. But it's your turn now."

Rachael felt a knot in her stomach and laid back on the bed.

"Oh, come on now. You said you would. I want to be there for your worst to." Carson picked up one of her hands. Rachael looked up at him and seeing the concern on his face, she smiled.

"Okay," she said in a quiet voice. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I lost people too. I moved a lot, and I lost a lot of those friendships because I was young and the internet wasn't for young children and snail mail sucked."

Carson let out a small chuckle and she smiled. Then she continued, "So one time, when I was transitioning from kindergarten to first grade, my family moved cities. And I lost my kindergarten best friend, which upset me, but I made a really good friend and first grade was awesome."

"But the summer before second grade, I went on vacation and she stayed back." Rachael took a deep breath. "She got hit by a car while I was gone and died a few days later."

Carson squeezed her hand, giving her the comfort to continue. "I blamed myself for the longest time. That particular vacation I was going to ask her to come with us. I thought it was too late, so I didn't ask. During vacation I asked and my parents and they said they would have said yes. They got the news later that day and told me after we were back home."

A few tears fell from her eyes and Carson wiped them away. "I don't really have anything extreme other than that. But I always felt like people left me. I don't really have friends from high school or any time before. Every time I moved, I think they forgot about me." Rachael shrugged. "Maybe I wasn't memorable."