AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If everyone finds out I slept with Kyle, it's just going to make things worse. They'll probably react like Mom. Assume I'm rebounding, or whatever it is Mom seems to think I'm doing.
I run my hands through my hair, pull at the ends.
Ugh.
I take one last look in the mirror. My face is pale, my blue eyes watery, my eyelids puffy. As long as no one looks too closely, they shouldn't notice.
Oh, who am I kidding? They'll definitely notice.
I almost let out an embarrassing sob when I walk out the door, see Kyle standing outside the restrooms, his hands in his pockets.
The moment he lays his eyes on me, his body sags in relief. I walk into his waiting arms and let him hold me in the dimly lit hallway. I breathe in his delicious cologne, rest my head comfortably on his strong shoulder, feel the weight of everything Mom said dissipate as his body warms mine.
"Are you OK?" he whispers in my ear. The feel of his breath on my skin sends goosebumps all over my body. Up my arms, down my legs, across my stomach.
I nod my head, snuggle closer to him, sniffle. "I am now."
"Do you want to get out of here?" he asks. "We can leave. We don't have to stay."
"N-no," I stammer, "I just needed a minute. Mom said some really awful things."
"I'm sorry," he apologizes.
I lift my head, see the frown on his face, the tension in his jawline. "You didn't do anything wrong. You don't have anything to be sorry for."
He exhales and lifts a hand to my cheek. "I'm sorry for leaving you out there alone. I should have stayed."
"It wouldn't have done any good," I insist as I rest a hand on his chest, right over his heart, feel it thumping restlessly beneath my palm. "She would have cornered me at home."
"I didn't think she was going to react like that," he admits.
"I didn't either." I offer him a small smile, watch the way his deep brown irises disappear, his black pupils dilate as he stares down at me, like he's memorizing every curve and line on my face.
I stand on my tippy toes, move my mouth closer to his. Without hesitation, he presses his mouth to mine. I sigh into the kiss, get lost in the feel of his lips slowly moving against mine, the way his arms are wrapped securely around me.
"We should probably get to dinner," he mumbles after a woman clears her throat behind us. We move aside to let her by.
"You're always looking for an excuse not to kiss me," I tease.
Kyle chuckles against my mouth. The sound sends a flash of heat straight down there. The thought of falling back onto his grey sheets, naked with him, flashes through my mind.
He kisses my forehead before gently saying, "Later, Jenny."
For some reason, even though I know he's talking about kissing me, I see an unspoken promise of a whole lot more in his dark eyes.
—
"Where were you two?" Tommy yells loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear. "Making out?"
Mom spits red wine all over the crisp white tablecloth. Diane hands her a napkin across the table, gives her a concerned look. Mom shakes her head, sends Tommy a death glare.
There are two empty seats at the other end of the table. Far away from Mom. Thank. God.
I take a seat beside Ollie, who's arguing with Craig about which blue crayon is his. Kyle sneaks in beside Phineas and our thighs brush against each other. The warmth of his leg settles the uneasy feeling in my stomach.
"Seriously?" Tommy keeps going. I reach for the glass in front of me. "What took you guys so long?"
I take a sip of water, stall, trying my best to come up with a good excuse. But I can't seem to think of one. Not even sure I want to.
