First Kisses (short story part IX)

By: Meradeth Houston on 7:49 AM

Ah, Tuesday. It's raining like crazy here and feels like the middle of (a California) winter. I keep thinking "hey, it's spring!" only to be fooled again :)

Okay, here's where I'm hanging out today, and definitely stop by because there's all kinds of giveaways going on and other fun: Little Library Muse has a little interview running, and Jeanz Book Read n Review has all sorts of fun things going on, like a review, promo, and a little tidbit from each of the characters in Chemistry.

And now, on to some first kisses:

Entry #9

~When he finished talking, I took a long sip of his Coke and dropped my head on my hands. “Fine. If you expect me to believe all that, tell me one thing: what happened with Steven the other night?”

It was the one question I hadn’t added to the list. My ace-in-the-hole. Because he knew there was no explanation for that.

“What kind of answer are you looking for?” He leaned across the table, his face inches from mine.

All the air felt like it was sucked from the room. I wanted so badly to close that distance and find out if he kissed as well as I imagined. But I didn’t dare. I could hardly move.

“Because, it seems to me that you have some pretty interesting assumptions about me already. So, what are you looking for? That I’m Superman, ready to put on a cape?” His sarcasm could have melted plastic.

“No. Just the truth. I know you’re not a super hero. But whatever happened the other night was strange. You at least should explain it. Getting defensive just makes me think you’re hiding something.”

He laughed and looked away, finally letting me draw a breath. “Fine. Look, the bat was already mostly broken. Steven wouldn’t ruin a perfectly good one if he even had the guts to beat me up. I barely touched it and it broke. I think it just scared him.”

I didn’t buy it, but I couldn’t find any way to argue with him. Not that I’d thought he was anything “super” human, but there was something different about him. And if he wasn’t going to tell me, well, I’d figure it out on my own.

James took control of the conversation. It was another of his gifts. He asked the right kinds of questions to get me talking. It wasn’t long before we were walking along the path next to the creek on the edge of town, discussing everything from my parents to where I was going for college.

 

It was impossible to miss the fact we were alone. Having his undivided attention no longer left me feeling wiggly. Instead it was like holding a live coal in my chest—it burned so hot I almost couldn’t feel the cold.

We paused by one of the park benches, his arm brushing against mine. Every millimeter of the contact sparked against my skin through my coat. His hand took mine and I shivered at the feel of his rough palms.

“If I kiss you, promise me you won’t slap me?” he asked, not quite succeeding at keeping the laughter out of his voice.

“Depends on the kiss.” I looked up at him and was grateful for the darkness so he couldn’t see my blush.

“I’m always up for a challenge,” he said, sliding his arms around my waist and lifting me carefully so that our lips met.

It was definitely a kiss I couldn’t forget if I tried.