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“Watch.” His word of warning came too late. His lips were on mine before I could figure out what was going on. Lucas Hobbs was kissing me. Me. His best friend. His next-door neighbor.
His lips were soft, his movements gentle, not rushed. Another followed it and then another, each savory kiss taking me on a journey of discovery. Each kiss painted another part of the picture that slowly came into view.
It only took seven seconds for my mind to get over the shock. It took only seven more seconds for my body to realize this was what it had always desired.
With each kiss, I relaxed. The initial shock dissipated with the whimper of desire from my throat. Each kiss stirred a dormant need that lived just below the foundation of friendship we had built.
My lips parted, and his tongue swept in, and I knew he was right. I didn’t need seven minutes. I wouldn’t need one minute to know my entire future had shifted. A new door opening to the possibilities I didn’t have the courage to let myself see as real. A future that had always included Lucas but now in a whole new role.
His hands framed my face as our kisses grew in intensity. Grunts and groans filled the small space as we blew past first base and headed toward second. It was fresh territory for me—for us—and I reminded myself to enjoy every second. I lost count of the number of kisses we shared. I lost count of the number of affirmations Lucas whispered in my ear. You are incredible. I’ve wanted to do this for so long. I can’t believe we are finally doing this.
And then it was over. The sixty-second warning knock on the door. The giggles from the girls, the chuckles from the guys, and our perfect little world evaporated.
“Everything can change in seven minutes,” Lucas grunted, adjusting his T-shirt, which was half-off.
I reached under my blouse and adjusted my bra, the heat of the blush still on my cheeks. The trajectory of my future had shifted and now pointed in a new direction.
He avoided eye contact as he helped me to my feet. I missed that first clue, but there was no mistaking the second one. He pressed his back to the door, blocking our exit.
“I deferred my freshman year.” He spat out the words, and I knew I wasn’t the only one racing off to a different future.
His news caught me off guard. Lucas and I didn’t have secrets. Or at least none that big. He had gotten a full scholarship to a school thousands of miles away, our dream of going to the same local college disappearing the day the letter arrived. Lucas had always been concerned about the cost of college. His parents had scraped and put away a bit of money, but it would never be enough for four years at the local university. The scholarship was the answer to the guilt he felt for taking money he knew his parents could use. He was more than willing to self-sacrifice the dream we had joked together about since middle school. Tuition, room, and board completely covered for him, all he had to do was exile himself to the other side of the country, away from his family.
Away from me.
With his mention of a deferral right after us kissing, it could only mean one thing. He’s not ready to leave me. He wants an us.
I pressed my hands in prayer against my chest and looked up at his concerned eyes. “I didn’t know you were thinking of a deferral.” I stepped closer to him. “Does that mean we get to do this again and again—at least for the next year?” My question is not subtle, my need for another kiss growing as I took another step toward him.
His hands met mine, halting my progress. “I told my parents to keep the college fund money to put into that retirement fund they keep putting off.” His non-answer was the first clue that penetrated the love cloud hovering over my head. “They only agreed after forcing me to take one-third and go see the world, something they both wished they had spent more time doing themselves.”
A gentle knock on the door reminded us we weren’t alone. Lucas didn’t budge an inch.
“I’m not following. What are you saying?”
He ran his hand across the top of his head. He lowered his chin, his gaze focused on his feet. “I’m going to Jamaica for a few months. Mom wants me to become a true Jamaican.” He attempted to suppress a bubbling smile that spoke to long conversations with his parents. His mom was so proud of her homeland, a place she’d always wished Lucas had been more exposed to growing up. “I’ll be staying with family all over the island. Quality time I don’t get during rushed, short visits. I only agreed after convincing my parents to join for the first two weeks. Mom hasn’t been home in five years.”
My heart sank. He wasn’t staying for me. “And then?”
He shook his head. “Europe and then Asia, maybe Africa. I’ll see how far the money will last. I’ll be staying at hostels, mostly.” He avoided my gaze, his voice lowering with every sentence. “Then back to the US for school next August.”
I held my breath, not understanding his words. He had planned out a future that didn’t include me. He was leaving just when we’d got to the good part.
“What was this? A goodbye?” My voice cracked as his face blurred in the flurry of water that rushed to my eyes.
“Wh-what? No.” He shook his head as he finally looked in my direction. The pad of his thumb wiped away the tears. “It will never be goodbye for us. I will always find my way back to you, Adrienne.”
His words didn’t match his actions. I waved an arm behind me, down to the crumpled blanket. “But we just kissed. I thought…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, not sure if I feared my words or his response.
“Guys are going to swarm to you like bees to honey when you go away to college.” He said words he’d shared before. In the past, it was always with a smirk and a laugh. Neither was present this time. “Many of them will be playing games. Not worth your time or attention.”
We both turned with another knock on the door. This one was louder than the other—a loud laugh and a singsong of female voices, saying, “Time’s up.”
Neither one of us made a move toward the door. “I kissed you because I wanted you to know what it felt like when it is real. I wanted you to experience a kiss from someone who has your best interest at heart, who cares for you more than they care for themselves.” He bit down on his lower lip, eyes tightened. “When those boys kiss you, I want you to remember our kiss. I want you to remember how it made you feel.
“If it doesn’t take you on the journey you experienced today, move on. You are a freaking goddess, Adrienne. The queen of England. Cleopatra in the flesh. Don’t waste time on any man who doesn’t worship the ground you walk on.”
Lucas offered advice like a best friend, parting words to help me navigate the dangers of college life ahead of me. It wasn’t that different from what we’d done dozens of other times. But it was. This time, we kissed. “I only want to kiss you.” I finally said the words I thought would clarify our future.
