‘Yes! Yes!’ all the kids shouted together.
‘If you say so,’ Andrew called. He bent down, took his shoes off and then raced towards the castle. Everyone screamed, including me, as he launched himself onto it, sending small bodies flying off in different directions. The children collapsed in fits of laughter and happy squeals as Andrew grabbed them by the ankles and brought them back down once they’d gotten back up.
‘Do it again! Do it again!’ one of the kids shouted. More ‘Do it again’s rang out, and Andrew put up a big show of not being sure if he wanted to and having to be convinced.
‘I’ll stay on the ground,’ I said. I folded my legs underneath me and braced myself by putting a hand on the wall, which really provided zero support, since it was about as wiggly and shaky as this entire contraption was. Andrew jumped off the castle, ran all the way to the other end of the garden, and then turned.
‘Ready or not, here I come!’ he shouted, and then started an exaggerated run towards the castle. He launched himself onto it and, once again, sent small bodies flying into the walls. But this time, something else happened. He landed on his stomach, bounced once, twice and then went flying towards me. I tried to stop his approaching body, but it was impossible. Seconds later, he was on top of me.
‘You okay?’ he asked, raising himself up onto his elbows and looking down at me.
I nodded, because I couldn’t speak. My heart had decided to somehow start beating in my throat, thus allowing no words access to my mouth. He felt so good on top of me like this. As if he was meant to be here.
‘Andrew and Pippa sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G.,’ someone sang, and my face went red.
‘We’re not kissing,’ Andrew shouted over his shoulder, sounding amused.
‘First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Pippa with a baby carriage,’ the singing continued.
‘That is highly unlikely,’ I called out from under Andrew.
‘But one can only hope,’ Becca shouted from the lawn. ‘Although, I do want more than one, please. Preferably.’
‘Three, even,’ Linda shouted.
‘Guys,’ Andrew chided them, and climbed off me. He pulled me up, which elicited another round of ‘OOOOhh’s from the kids.
‘Oh, everyone just keep quiet,’ Andrew playfully warned.
‘K. I. S. S. I. N. G.,’ the singing continued.
‘Fine, have it your way then,’ Andrew shouted, and then, with no warning, leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my lips. My entire body reacted. As if it had just been fired to life like a rocket engine.
‘Happy now, everyone?’ Andrew swung around and faced the kids. ‘And if I hear that one more time, I’m going to start throwing people in the pool! Including you, Mom.’ The kids jumped off the castle and raced around the garden as Andrew chased them. But I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
My legs were gelatinous lumps. My lips burned as if they were being incinerated. And my heart was beating inside my skull now. Such a short, small kiss and yet . . . It had the power to make me feel like this.
This.What exactly was this?I couldn’t name it, but all I knew was that I really, really wanted Andrew to kiss me again.
But we weren’t doing that any more. Kissing led to sex, and sex complicated things. I had to remind myself of that over and over in my head, especially when he whipped his shirt off and dived into the pool.
I walked around the side of the bouncy castle and pulled my phone out.
Pippa:I know we agreed to not have sex again, but he just kissed me, and now all I’m thinking about is sex again. Which seems highly inappropriate, because I am at a Christmas lunch and there are lots of kids here. But I also think I am thinking about more than sex with him . . . I think I like him. I do like him. I like him a lot. But last time we discussed things, we agreed that we weren’t going to go there. This is all so confusing. Why does it have to be like this? Why can’t it be simple. I know you’re not awake now, but I just needed to say that.
‘Hey, I was wondering where you went!’
‘Aaah!’ Andrew’s voice frightened me, and I dropped my phone on the grass.
‘Sorry, let me.’ He bent down and started reaching for the phone. The message from Jennifer was still plastered across the screen. I lunged.
‘No! No. That’s fine, I’ll get it.’ I practically pushed him out of the way, and he smiled at me.
‘Something you don’t want me to see on that?’ he asked, as if he already knew the answer.
‘No, not at all . . .’ I wiped the grass off my screen. ‘Actually, yes.’
‘What is it?’ he asked.
