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I bite the inside of my lip. “Hard pass.” The yearning in my voice makes me an absolute liar.
Ryan’s eyes flash with longing.
The flutters inside lift and my chest swells.
His lips part slightly and he wears a hazy, lazy smile. It’s one I can’t resist and I don’t want to, anyway.
The throb of my heart increases as I lean closer with only one destination in mind. I curl into Ryan. We melt together, turning liquid and then atmospheric after our mouths meet.
We kiss again and again. There is no beginning and no end. I float into the clouds. Flying higher and higher until all the stars in the sky rain down like glitter. New galaxies flash into being. The universe, at least my own, will never be the same.
This time when we part, he says, “You sure about that whole not liking me or the kiss thing?”
“I’m not sure about anything.”
Eventually, he walks me to my aunt and uncle’s house where I’ll stay for one more night until my sisters and their families descend tomorrow. Then I’ll have to tell Ryan about Luke. My stomach knots. I’m not sure why.
We stand on the porch, safely shrouded in the darkness.
Ryan laces his fingers through mine and in a low voice says, “Forget treasure maps. IfXmarks any spot, it’s where you are.”
“Your pickup lines don’t work on me.”
“That wasn’t a pickup line.”
I recall what he’ll tell his coaches about gems and treasure.
“Then what was it?”
“The truth.”
“Stop. You don’t have to pretend right now. The world isn’t watching. It’s dark. Only someone with night vision could see us right now.”
“Brando might be on the other side of the door.”
“His name is Brando not Rambo.”
Ryan steps back slightly. “And he’ll kill me if he—I have to talk to him.”
“We can explain. He’ll understand.”
“Not likely,” Ryan mutters.
“Well, you don’t have to keep up the charade if it’s just the two of us.” I shift from foot to foot.
“I’m not playing.”
“But I thought this was?—”
“Practice? No, Harley. It’s the real deal.”
It feels real, but I’m afraid of what that might mean.
Ryan doesn’t let me argue anymore and leans in, planting a big ‘ole whopper of a kiss on my lips. He plants a flag, marking me as his, and I don’t mind a bit.
When I go inside, I lean on the back of the door, whisper screaming like a high schooler who just went on the most perfect date with her crush.
I suppose I did.
