When we get into Shane’s bedroom and he closes the door behind us, my anxiety ramps up another notch. His bedroom is a typical teenage guy's bedroom. He’s got a twin-sized bed with a splintered wooden bed frame, and a striped black and white blanket is strewn across the mattress with no attempt made to make the bed. There’s a pile of dirty clothing pushed into one corner of the room, which I suspect was his attempt to “clean” for me. A couple of posters of bands are tacked up on the peeling paint of his walls, and the top of his dresser is lined with a bunch of gold trophies that briefly glow when lightning fills the room.

Shane reaches out to turn on the light, but a second later, the bulb flickers and goes out. He swears under his breath. “Power must’ve gone out.”

“Oh.” I squeeze my sweaty palms together. I’ve been alone with Shane before in his bedroom, but it was always with his mother in the next room or about to come home any minute. We’ve never been alone quite this way before. “Should we…?”

“It’s fine.” I can just barely make out the rise and fall of Shane’s broad shoulders. “Everyone is going to bed, anyway. The power will probably come back in the morning.”

“Yeah.” I tug at the chain of my snowflake necklace. “That’s true.”

Shane reaches out for my hand again. He pulls me over to his bed, but he doesn’t push me to lie down. I perch on the edge of the bed and he sits beside me. He reaches out and gently runs his finger along the curve of my jaw.

“I lope you, Brooke,” he says.

I shiver slightly, nervous but also incredibly turned on. “I lope you too.”

A smile plays on his lips. “Good.”

“I, uh…” I clear my throat. “I’m sorry, Shane. I’m just super nervous because… well, you know, I’ve never…”

“Yeah,” he says. “Me either.”

I look at him in absolute astonishment. Is he really telling me that he…?

“You’ve never had sex before?” I blurt out.

“No…” He frowns. “I haven’t.”

“But you…” I am utterly confused. Shane has dated other girls before. Maybe he hasn’t been with anyone for very long, but he’s gone out with a lot of girls who aren’t exactly picky, if you know what I mean. And Shane is hot. His best friend Brandon—according to Chelsea—has slept with at least five or six girls in the time the two of them were dating.

“I don’t know.” His face is suddenly filled with uncertainty. “I didn’t want some stupid one-night stand. I want to be with someone I actually like. Is that so crazy?”