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He smiled. He loved that she tried to push herself to rebel, because frankly, she wasn’t that good at it. She was too sweet still, too gentle and she cared way too much what other people thought of her. She tried, but Kayleigh 2.0 was still a big ol’ softy.
Ben:Well if you manage to rest up I was thinking we could hang out? There’s somewhere else I wanted to show you.
Ben had done some research after their night hanging out at the bar, when they had their first kiss. He wanted to help her and knew what she needed: confidence. She was the only one who could get it, but she just needed a little push.
Kayleigh:I guess I could pry myself away…what did you have in mind?
He grinned while tapping out his reply.
Ben:I’ll pick you up at 6:30, wear something athletic.
That evening, he pulled up outside her house. While he waited for her to come out, he spotted the curtain twitch and a woman’s face appeared in the window. He lifted his hand and waved at her mom. Kayleigh’s mom looked startled at being spotted but lifted her arm and returned his wave.
Kayleigh came out the front door and ran towards his car wearing black yoga pants and a light blue tank top, her peach hair fluttering around her shoulders.
“Busy day rebelling?” he asked when she opened the car door.
“Very, but luckily for you I found some energy.” She winked at him, and his heart tugged in his chest. She looked so adorable.
“Where are we going?”
He started the car and pulled away from the curb. “You’ll have to see.”
Out the corner of his eye he saw her pull her lip between her teeth, nibbling on it and he was glad his hands were already occupied, so he couldn’t reach across and grab her. As they drove, he asked her to tell him about the story she was working on. She hesitated at first and then it burst out of her. Although he already knew what her story was about, the way she told it and seeing her passion face to face had him spellbound. He was almost sad when they reached their destination.
He reluctantly pulled the car over. “We’re here.”
She looked around her at the street. “Where’s here?”
He reached across and tilted her chin up. When she spotted the neon sign,Intrigue, he heard her swallow.
“I, uh, did some digging. Get your cute butt in there and work that pole,” he said. When she didn’t move, he panicked. “This is the place, right? From the flier you described? I went looking for it and found this place but maybe it’s the wrong one.”
She shook her head before facing him, her expression earnest. “It’s the right one. How did you…why are you helping me so much?”
He shrugged. “I like seeing my friends become the people they want to be. I want to encourage them to be their best versions of themselves.”
“So, friends then. This definitely isn’t a date?”
He looked at her, her hands wringing in her lap, her teeth sinking into her soft bottom lip. He turned his body, taking up the space between them and her eyelids dipped. The air around him changed and he struggled for breath, like fire starved of oxygen.
“It can be a date if you want it to be a date?” Silence filled the car. “Is that what you want, Kayleigh?” he added. He wanted to push her to use her words. To speak up for what she wanted, like she had at the bar that night.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Good, then I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now get in there and go find out just how sexy you really are,” he murmured. Her wide eyes left his, flicking to look through the car window at the building. She swallowed again and he saw her tremor, but he wasn’t sure whether it was from fear or excitement.
“I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done, I want to hear all about it.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, then opened her door and unclicked her seatbelt.
She paused before getting out of the car slowly, like she was trying to find the courage to do it.
“I believe in you. You can do this, I swear,” he said. She met his eyes, hers glittering before her expression hardened and she slammed the car door shut. He watched her walk towards the building, her steps becoming more sure the closer she got until she had her hand on the door. She shot him another look over her shoulder, a triumphant smile on her face and he let out a laugh. With that she waltzed inside.
He shook his head smiling, how did she do it? Screw ‘be more E.P’, ‘be more Kayleigh’should be his new motto. She amazed him, she inspired him. Watching her go for what she wanted and pushing her boundaries had inspired him. He knew something was missing in his life. Ever since she had talked about that adrenaline rush she felt at the waterfall, it had been nagging at him, and it was only watching her go for what she wanted that he recognized what he was doing.
He had let the thoughts and opinions of those close to him affect how he felt about the one thing he was truly passionate about. Everyone wanted their family members to accept them for who they are and what they do, but that just wasn’t possible with his family because they valued different things in life. Their actions had made him shy away from performing, had made him quit altogether. But should he care what they thought? The one person he’d loved most, his grandma, had been his biggest supporter. What was he doing, turning his back on his passion?
He turned the car around. He needed to be back for Kayleigh in an hour, which meant he had the perfect amount of time. He drove back towards Citrus Pines, through the town and out towards The Rusty Bucket Inn. He parked up at the lot and hurried inside, excitement driving him forward, and made a beeline for Taylor.
