Read This Girl Stripped for Free Online Page A

escape . It may not be everything I needed to get out, but it was something, a start. It was a beginning. It was my beginning to the journey of healing.
    A soft knock at the door startles me. I click on the save button and slam the laptop closed. I notice his eyes first. I always do. They are so bright green. So damn sexy. River stands in my doorway chewing on the corner of his lip, a nervous tendency I've noticed. Something we share.
    “Hey,” he mumbles as he nods in my direction. I want to yell at him for just disappearing for the past couple days. Honestly, I never thought he would come back to me. After everything that happened, everything he learned about me and his brother. Hell, any sane person would have run for the hills.
    “Hey stranger,” I have to sass him. We both have small smiles.
    “Sorry I took off like that. I had to sort some shit out.” He looks uncomfortable, leaning against the doorframe. “Mind if I come in?” he questions and when I nod, he makes his way toward me and joins me on top of the comforter.
    “That’s fine. You don’t have to answer to me, River.” It’s the truth. He could’ve left for eternity and it wouldn’t have bothered me. I lie. It would’ve bothered me, but I would’ve pretended it didn’t.
    “Paisley, look…” he pauses as he turns toward me. His eyes making contact with mine, he takes a deep breath and speaks. “I like you. It scares me because we both aren’t ready for whatever this is.”
    His hands run through his hair before rubbing his eyes. He’s nervous and I can’t help but watch him. He’s completely fascinating; everything about him intrigues me. There is so much desperation and mystery hidden behind his beautiful eyes. There is pain as deep as mine. I wish I knew where it came from, like he knows my secrets.
    “River, whatever this is, we both feel it. But, we can’t act on it. We just can’t. There are too many outside factors already that would only cause us both a lot of pain - and our families. It just…” I can’t put the right word on it.
    “It’s not smart. But, I can’t stop thinking about you.” The sincerity drips from his words. I want to beg him to hold me and tell me everything that is holding him back. But, instead he pulls away from me, and stands.
    “Glad we are on the same page, Paisley.”
    Like that, he is gone - again.
    I feel as alone as ever.

Where Does the Time Go?
    Three weeks passed in a blur. Every day I would sit down for an hour or two typing away on the laptop, recording every memory that made any sense. I never intended to write a book, but the story I’m telling is starting to resemble an actual novel. I was certain it would never see the light of day.
    It has been years since I picked up an actual book, but in the past few weeks, I dove into the works of John Steinbeck. The simple stories of everyday people always hit home for me. There aren’t any millionaires or rockstars. Just your everyday people. I like that. It’s something I can relate to, despite the extra ordinary people in my own life.
    River comes and goes. Always sending mixed messages, which I’ve stopped trying to understand. Everything about him is fucking confusing. A few days ago he slipped and pinned me against my bedroom wall. When our lips met it felt like fireworks going off. It was rough and forceful, then he caught himself. I could see the deep regret in his eyes with the way he treated me. I could love him, but he would always pull away.
    Everything about him makes me come back to life after all the trauma I’ve been through. I don’t know if sex is something I will ever look at the same, but with him it all just seems so different. Not that I plan on having sex with him or anyone else.
    I started working part time at the little art store Star owns in town. I make custom jewelry for anyone who asks. Mainly tourists traveling through Woodstock; although, this time of year, they are few and far between. But it gives me some