His voice carried no games. No traps. It made me want to match it.
“Because I usually don’t do this,” I admitted. “The whole dating thing. Getting to know someone. I usually skip straight to,” I gestured vaguely, “other stuff. It’s easier. Less complicated.”
“Less scary.”
“Yeah. Less scary. But you made it pretty clear that wasn’t what you wanted. And I could’ve walked away. Probably should’ve walked away. But I didn’t want to.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
The space between us tightened. Streetlight caught his eyes, shifting them gold and green. Cedar and citrus drifted from his skin, clean and subtle.
“Jett.” Barely above a whisper.
“Yeah?”
“I want to kiss you.”
My breath caught. “Okay.”
“But I also don’t want to rush this.”
“Also okay.”
“So I’m going to kiss you goodnight. Right now. And then I’m going to get on the subway and go home. We’re going to do this right. Take our time. Actually date.” He stepped closer, near enough that I could count the shadows under his lashes. “Is that okay with you?”
“It’s frustrating as hell, but yeah. It’s okay.”
He smiled. “Good.”
Then he kissed me.
Soft. Careful. His hand slid to the back of my neck and pulled me closer. Wine, tiramisu, and something underneath that was him. The kiss deepened for one dangerous second, long enough to know it could be everything, before he pulled back.
We stood there, foreheads almost touching, both breathing a little harder than we should’ve been after one kiss.
“Goodnight, Jett.”
“Goodnight, Ellis.”
He stepped back, hands dropping to his sides, and the cold rushed in where his hands had been. He smiled, that careful smile now definitely cracked wide open, and turned toward the subway entrance at the corner.
He went. My lips were still tingling, my pulse loud in my ears over one date. One kiss.
My phone buzzed the second he disappeared down the subway stairs.
Calliope:TELL US EVERYTHING
Sierra:How did it go??
Raven:You’re alive, right? Please confirm you’re alive.
I typed back, still standing on the sidewalk like an idiot.
Jett:He kissed me.
Calliope:AND???
Jett:And it was perfect.
