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“Two…”
I take a deep breath and lick my lips.
“Three!”
I propel myself out of the swing and for a moment, I really do feel like I’m flying. Then I hit the ground. Hard. Austin and I collide in the dirt and skid along a thousand sharp pebbles. We lay in a heap, panting and groaning.
“I so don’t remember the landing ever being that hard,” Austin whispers.
“We weren’t as big back then. We couldn’t jump this far,” I mumble. We both laugh as we try and untangle ourselves. I roll over and open my eyes to find Austin’s big, brown eyes staring down at me. Our noses are almost touching.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I may have broken every bone in my body, but yeah, I’m fine.”
Austin’s eyes glance down at my mouth. He moves even closer until I can feel his warm breath against my lips. My heartbegins to race as heat creeps up my cheeks. I’m not ready for this yet.
“It would be super cliché if we kissed right now, wouldn’t it?” I blurt the words out without thinking.
Austin moves back a couple inches. A little smile curls the corner of his lips. “Oh yeah?” he asks. “How so?”
“I’ve just seen it happen in a handful of movies. The couple jumps out of a swing and rolls together on the ground and then they kiss. Or they get tangled up by something and then they fall down and they kiss. Or they fall into water together and then they kiss. I think a first kiss should be special, not a gimmick. Don’t you?” My heart is pounding so hard, I’m afraid I’ll crack a rib.
Austin sits up and then pulls himself to standing. “Yeah…” he says. His words may agree with me, but I see how his face falls. My stomach twists in a knot. I don’t want to hurt Austin. I hate seeing him looking so dejected. He helps me to my feet again. That’s when I feel a stinging in my thigh. I look down and notice the rip from earlier has now torn clean through. My thigh must have skidded across the gravel, as little droplets of blood are beginning to bead around the tear. I also notice a small tear in the bottom of my shirt. “Oops,” I say. “So much for these new clothes.”
Austin freezes. His eyes are wide. “Seriously? Those are new clothes? Oh Emma, I’m so sorry,” he says.
I wave him off. “Don’t worry about it,” I say. “Clothes aren’t that important to me.” I shrug.
We make our way back to the blanket and pack up everything left over from dinner as well as the telescope. With both our hands loaded down, we realize we forgot to get out one of our phones to light the path.
“It’s okay,” Austin says. “It will be more fun this way.”
We laugh and trip a couple times as we make our way blindly back to Austin’s car. After dumping everything in the trunk, I climb into the passenger seat. I feel exhilarated and out of breath. Austin appears to be in the same state. I look over at him. His hair seems to be growing, as it hangs down just past his ears now. I love the way the very tips of his hair curl up ever so slightly. It looks so soft. I’m suddenly filled with a desire to reach out and touch it. I can feel my cheeks redden with the thought. But I refrain.
“Thank you so much for tonight,” I say. “This was not at all a typical date, and I loved every minute of it.”
Austin starts the car. “I’m glad you had fun,” he says. “I was a little nervous you’d find my plans dorky.”
“They were dorky,” I nod. “And they were perfect. It brought back so many memories from when we were kids.”
“That was my hope,” Austin says. “I wanted to send you on a trip down memory lane. I also know you’ve been under a lot of stress with the whole getting nominated, then this date competition, and then with those videos being released…I just wanted you to feel carefree and relax, like we did as kids. I want you to know if you choose me for your prom date, it will be a fun, relaxing evening.” Austin takes my hand and holds it the whole drive home, which isn’t nearly long enough.
Why are they all making this decision so difficult? Can’t I just have three dates to prom? I’m sure the guys wouldn’t mind sharing me, right?!
Yeah right.
Austin walks me up to the door and I throw my arms around his neck. He puts his hands around my waist and pulls me in for a tight hug. I make sure and keep my head turned so he can’t reach my lips. Just in case. My heart feels like it’s ripping a little, to be avoiding his kiss. But I just can’t do it. Not yet. I’m ready to go on a date with him. And hold his hand. But I knowwhat kissing would mean to him. And I’m just not there yet. Because I know once I do, there will be no going back.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I close the door behind me and lean up against it. I can’t wipe the smile from my face. That was a wonderful date.
“What on earth happened to your clothes?!” Mom’s shrieking voice jerks me back to reality.
“Well, I tore my pants climbing out of a tree and then when we jumped out of the swings, I did the rest of the damage.”
She walks over and grabs the corner of the torn fabric. “Those were $100 jeans! What were you thinking; climbing and jumping? You’re not a little kid anymore, young lady!”
