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I’m too caught up in my thoughts to actually kiss her. Fuck. Stop thinking about it. You’ve been thinking about this since you met her, just do it.
Jordan pulls back. “Yeah, it’s getting colder, and my insulated tights are just not cutting it.”
“Sorry, let's get you some cocoa to warm up.”
We leave the ice rink behind, return our skates, and I grab us two lava hot drinks. As I hand hers over, our hands touch and once more we linger. Longing glances and nibbled bottom lips tug me toward her. Part of me expects her, the older and probably more experienced woman, to do it. To just kiss me like she did the night before. It would give me permission to kiss her fiercely and endlessly, steal away all that warm breath leaving her with every exhale.
“Yo!” And then there’s Kaidan. Popping up everywhere I don’t want him to be.
CHAPTER6
Jordan
I almost did it. But it’s always almost. Unless I’m inebriated out of my boots. Do I really need a shot of Jack in this hot chocolate to give me the courage to kiss Briar again? I’d clearly had no problem drunk kissing him…but getting the nerve to do it now seems impossible.
But maybe its fortuitous that I don’t because my brother pops up, Kelsea on his arm. It appears they had the same fun date idea.
Oh god, this is a date? Thisisa date.
I’m on a date with Briar Short. Something I’ve long considered, but now that it’s in the works it seems like I’m in some dream.
“Kaidan, I thought you were at the house,” I state, cringing at my own inability to cover up the situation.
Kaidan doesn’t seem to notice me until I speak, eyeing me over, then Briar with speculation.
“Kelsea said she’d never been to our neighborhood rink, just the big one in the city center. Had to show her the legendary ice where all the magic happened.”
Before Briar can admit what we’re doing, I ramble off an excuse to cover, “I just ran into Briar here, I was getting some rink time in myself, and he was getting some cocoa.”
Briar’s honeycomb eyes burrow into me and I can feel their flicker of confusion. Kaidan can’t know this is actually a date and that it was actually me he took home last night. His friendship depends on the secret. And that’s probably all we can ever be… a secret.
The suspicion from Kaidan evaporates as he looks to the Styrofoam cups in our hands.
“Ooh, Kels, we need cocoa. This place is infamous for it, extra marshmallows! I’ll see you guys later.”
Seriously, marshmallows?
I guess I should admire my brother’s child-like ways. But come on! Grow a pair, bro. Although Kelsea seems to appreciate the innocence.
That’s one thing that Briar doesn’t have anymore. He’s had to grow up way too fast.
Kaidan guides his girl away from us to the cart beside the rental stand for the hot chocolate.
“‘We ran into each other’?” Briar grumbles. I think it’s because of how lame my excuse is, but the hurt in his next words has me questioning it. “Too embarrassed to be seen with me, Jojo?”
“What? No!” I whisper-shout, eyes bugging out. “Not at all. Just Kaidan…He…He’s my brother, you know that.”
We both clearly know that.So why am I the only one hung up on it?
“We should go, if they’re sticking around…” I’m not helping to prove that I’m not ashamed of him and every word feels like I’m stabbing myself in the heart. “I don’t think I can have a proper date with Kaidan near,” I add, hopeful that it helps.
Briar’s eye sparkles at that news and he sips his cocoa in thought. “Can I take you somewhere special?”
The rink is special, it has meaning to me. It’s where we first met and where I taught Briar to skate. But maybe that significance is mine alone.
“Please, I’d really like that.” I need to salvage this spontaneous date. It may be our first.
Or our last.
