I gulp. “...Been kissed.”
Dax blinks at me. His forehead creases, unable to comprehend my words. “What? You’re joking.”
I click my tongue, avoiding his gaze. “Don’t look at me like that. I was just waiting for the right time. It was supposed to be special.”
“It’s just a kiss.”
“It might be no big deal to you, but it means something to me.”
Dax rolls his eyes. “I just wanted you to stop blabbing about medical stuff.”
“I just wanted you to see your options.”
Dax stands, and his broadness makes me quiver. “And why do you think you can control what I do with my life?”
I clutch my elbows, feeling two feet tall. “That’s not what I was doing.”
Dax scuffs his boot across the ground. “Look, you were helpful in the hospital. I couldn’t stop thinking about you with the washcloth and the ice pack.” He blows out a hard breath. “I mean, man, no one’s done anything like that for me before.”
I wipe under my eye. “Well, that’s a little sad.”
He chews his lip. “So you get why I wanted to see you again?”
Tingles run down my spine.
“But, when it comes to treatment, or whatever, can you agree to drop it?”
My stomach flips with unease. “Okay.”
Dax scratches his head, making his hair messier. “You were kidding, though, right?”
“Huh?”
“That wasn’t your first kiss,” Dax says with a hint of embarrassment. “I mean, there’s no way. Look at you.”
An indignant gasp shoots out of me. “What are you saying? I look like a girl who gives it away?”
He lets out a nervous snort. “No. You look like a girl who’s asked on a lot of dates. I’d assume those dates end with kisses.”
“Well, mine don’t,” I reply, standing taller. “I’ve never been on a date with a guy who was worthy of a kiss. The closest they’ve ever gotten was the cheek. I always wanted to wait for the perfect first kiss.” My gut sinks. “And then you just took it, and I had absolutely no control over it.”
“Maybe that’s been your problem,” Dax says. “You’ve been trying to control it when it should be spontaneous. I mean, who ever heard of a great, passionate kiss that was planned and controlled? It doesn’t exist.”
My frown stiffens. “I wouldn’t call what you did great or passionate.”
Dax rubs under his chin, stepping closer to me. “You want to try it again?”
I recoil in disgust. “Eww, no.”
Dax laughs. “Eww? Did you really justewwme?”
I look up and into his eyes as we stand a foot apart. There’s nothing about this unruly and reckless boy that should charm me. But my heart throbs, and my intuition doesn’t tell me to run.
“I didn’t like the proposition,” I say with a dry mouth. “It’s not exactly spontaneous.”
Dax nods, smiling. “You want me to wait for the right moment?”
I bite into my lip, hesitation freezing me from within. I clear my throat, and reply, “I wouldn’t say you have the greenlight.”
