He turns back to me, quiet.
“Milo, you’ve been more encouraging and supportive to me in the last week than some of my friends have been in years.” I rub my chest, losing some tension as the warmth spreads. “I’ve been having so many thoughts about you I couldn’t control. Believe me, I wanted to kiss you.”
His mouth falls open. “Really?”
A soft giggle pours out of me as I cover my face. “Okay. Maybe I've spent a lot of time fighting these feelings. But, in the moment, it felt so dang right.”
He lowers Gandalf to the couch cushion and slides closer. He scoops up my hand and looks deeply into my eyes. “Jamie, I’ve liked you for longer than I can remember. After we kissed, I got scared. You’ve never noticed me before, so I figured you’d ridicule me or yell and make a scene.”
I wince, gritting my teeth. “You thought I’d do that?”
“I freaked out. Besides, it’s how you and Kai usually act when something you don’t like happens. Admit it, we’ve been nothing close to friends.”
“Well, no. That's a given.”
He drops my hand. “Even this past week. We’d have moments where I thought we were getting closer, but then you’d snap and pull away from me.”
“Sorry.” I frown, feeling the sadness weighing me down from within. “There were a ton of conflicting emotions going through me.” I huff and look over myshoulder at Kai’s bedroom. “I don’t want anything to affect my relationship with Kai.”
“He already gives me a hard time. I don’t think I could handle his tirade if he found out I kissed you.”
I shrug. “He doesn’t have to know.”
He double-takes at me. “Huh?”
I giggle, digging my fingers below my bottom lip. “I liked kissing you. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
“In secret?”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Just the thought of it gives me anxiety.”
I lean closer and whisper an inch from his lips. “You should try rebelling now and then.”
Before he can respond, my eyes close and I press my lips against his. It takes a beat or two until he kisses back. His hands run up my arms and grip my shoulders. I pull a hand around his neck and comb my fingers into his thick hair. Our lips slip and it causes a soft moan to expel from both of us. His arms pull around my back, forcing us closer together. My body temperature spikes and I increase the suction in our kiss.
As my other hand brushes against his cheek, Gandalf cries from behind Milo. We break apart and Milo turns to pick up the fake baby.
“Way to kill the mood,” Milo jokes.
I giggle, sitting back on the couch and hugging my knees close to my chest.
Milo rocks Gandalf and the cries decrease in volume. “So, what does this mean?” he asks. “We’ve kissed. Now what?”
I raise my palms upwards. “More kissing?”
His eyebrows raise. “That’s it?”
I sit up. “I like how things are between us. I think we have a good thing going. We’re amicable and there’s obviously something between us. Can’t we just be friends who kiss?”
“Is that all you want?”
The clamminess spreads down my back. No, I want a boyfriend. A boyfriend I can show off. A boyfriend that won’t ruin all my other friendships.
I nod. “For now. Is that okay?”
He smiles. “I can’t go back to not kissing you. I’m in.”
