Page 66 of Pity Present
She looks at me with confusion. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”
“I’m saying that just because you think I’m here for one reason, doesn’t mean I’m not here for another reason, too.”
She shakes her head. “You are confusing me.”
“You think that I’m here to get tips for a coffee shop …”
She interrupts, “Because that’s what you told me.”
“Right.” I still can’t tell her why I’m really here and it’s driving me crazy. But I swear that once those Bulls tickets are in my hand, I’m going to tell Molly the whole truth. Looking deeply into her eyes, I say, “Please listen to me very carefully because what I’m about to say is one hundred percent the truth.”
She doesn’t so much as blink, so I continue. “I like you, Molly, and that’s for real. I love spending time with you. I think you’re funny and gorgeous and quirky …”
“And?” she breathlessly prompts me.
The air positively crackles with energy as I lean closer to her. “And I wonder if you would mind if I kissed you.”
I can feel the tingles as they rise on her arms. “You want to kiss me?”
“I really do,” I tell her.
“Right here in front of everyone?”
Without breaking eye contact, I nod my head. “If you don’t mind.”
She leans in toward me and reaches up on her tip toes before answering, “I don’t mind at all.”
And then, just like that, our lips meet, and I realize that maybe there was a divine plan for my coming to this event. Maybe I was meant to be here for a bigger reason because at this moment, I one hundred percent feel like Molly just might be my person.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
MOLLY
First kisses are notoriously unpredictable. Some are so shockingly bad you know you’re never going to kiss that person again; some are nice; and then there are the ones that fill you with every toe-curling emotion under the sun. Kissing Blake falls into the last category.
I’ve been attracted to him since I first laid eyes on him. And while I’m sure it would have been great had we kissed right there at the train station, the days of getting to know each other have really sweetened the experience.
The hard thing has been that even when I thought Blake wasn’t interested in me, I loved spending time with him. So much so that I might have tried to stay friends with him just so I didn’t miss out on his occasional presence in my life. Although, I’m pretty sure the friendship angle wouldn’t have lasted. I couldn’t have watched him date other women.
Having said that, somehow things changed tonight. I don’t know what happened that made Blake realize he could work and have a social life, but whatever it was, I’m grateful for it.
I know something shifted in me after spending the day withBen’s family. Life can be a sweet journey, and it can be a harrowing one. Today reminded me that when it’s sweet, you have to live in the moment and enjoy it to the best of your ability.
All these crazy thoughts are running through my head while Blake is kissing me. His lips are so soft and demanding that I don’t ever want this contact to end. I’m about to let myself completely drift away into fantasy land when Blake tentatively lifts his head far enough to break contact. I immediately groan at the absence of him.
“Wow,” he says.
“Wow, what?” I want to hear him say the words.
“Just wow,” he repeats.
“You never know how first kisses are going to be, do you?”
He shakes his head. “I didn’t have any doubt that if you ever let me kiss you it would be one of the best of my life.”
Awareness floods every corner of my body. The air between us suddenly feels alive, like it’s part of a forcefield holding us together. “You’ve thought of kissing me …” I want to hear more about this.
“I’ve thought of little else since the night we met.”
