Chloe

I looked up at him and the softness of his face took my breath away. What had just happened?

I’m going to be honest. I’d almost sung Taylor Swift’s, “Why You Gotta be so Mean.” Much as I’d told myself I was over it in the car, when he’d spun me around in front of Simmons, I’d realized if I wasn’t careful, he could suck me right back in. But then when he’d kissed me in front of those guys? Honestly, I’d wanted him to. I wanted to take a chance and start all over with him. It was crazy but there it was.

I wasn’t, however, going to be a pushover. It was time we talked about a few things, for real. If he didn’t feel about me the way I did about him then I was just going to get hurt again. It was time for some honesty.

We hung out with the guys for another hour and then left to tour Simmons. “So,” I gave him a little punch on the arm. “How did it go?”

He gave me that grin, the one that made me melt. “I think really well.” Then he pulled down his sunglasses and winked at me. “But I think they’d rather hire you.”

Heat filled my cheeks that had nothing to do with the sun. “Stop,” I murmured, my hands stuffing into my pockets as I looked at the ground. The guys did seem to like me but somehow discussing it felt a lot like our previous discussions about Alex.

“You know you’re gorgeous, right?” He reached for my hand and pulled it out of my pocket, holding it in his.

“Don’t say that,” I pulled my hand away. I did want Drew. I knew that now, but not if we were just going to repeat what had happened yesterday. Unlike Janis Joplin I wasn’t going to get my heart broken over and over.

He winced. “I’ve got some explaining to do.”

I stopped walking. “Maybe we both do.”

It was his turn to stuff his hands in his pockets. “I know a great place to talk it out.” Then he grabbed my hand again and started pulling me toward the train station.

It took nearly an hour but I found myself stuffed into a booth in the North End, Boston’s Little Italy. The seat was cracked and worn but the smells from the kitchen were divine and the dark wood paneling made it feel intimate and cozy. We were tucked in a corner and the sides of the booth were so high, we were completely sheltered.

We ordered some sodas and then I got lasagna and Drew ordered up carbonara. As we sat sipping our drinks, I couldn’t help but fiddle with my straw. We’d waited to talk until we got here and now silence filled the space between us.

“So,” I finally said. “I guess I’ll start.” I cleared my throat. I had no idea where to begin, actually. He’d apologized for kissing me but that didn’t make me feel any better, nor did I know where we stood. Or why he had done it. Did he want to be friends? Was he teasing me?

“Don’t start,” he said it so low that my gaze left my straw and met his. “I want to kiss you.” He leaned in closer. “Tell me that it’s all right?”

I caught my breath. Was this a smart choice? I doubted it. He was so close and I leaned even closer. I didn’t want to think, I wanted to feel. “Okay.”

As his lips touched mine, my entire body tingled with excitement. It was even better than I remembered. This time, I knew who it was and I knew that Drew was more exciting than any guy I’d ever met. He kissed me over and over until my head was swimming.

The swinging of the kitchen door finally broke the kiss and we stopped just in time. We parted, just as the waiter came around the corner with two steaming plates of food.

The amazing smell of garlic and cheese filled my nostrils but my eyes wouldn’t leave Drew’s lips. I wanted him to kiss me again. And again. Who cared about food?

His hand reached for mine under the table. “That was amazing.”

It was amazing. We ate our food and left, stopping by Government Center where he bought flowers for me. No guy had ever given me flowers before. Which made sense since no guy had ever kissed me before either.

As I looked down at the gardenias and lilies, I couldn’t help but wonder what it all meant.

“Thank you,” I gave Drew a smile as he led me back toward the T.

He kissed me again, in the middle of the street in the middle of Boston. “You’re welcome.”

“Does this mean that we’re making kissing a regular thing?” I couldn’t hold back any more.

He blinked down at me. “Do you want to make it a regular thing?”

Did I? “That depends.” I squared my shoulders. “Why did you kiss me the other night?”

“Why?” Drew had led me down into the nearly deserted train station. The air was cool but I could actually see a little pink in his cheeks. I’d never seen him blush before. What did that mean?

“Was it another joke? Were you teasing me?” As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them. It had been one thing to think it but another to say it out loud. I’d accused him of deception but this was more specific and somehow, as soon as I said the words, they sounded so wrong.

His face went from pink to pale. “You think I’d kiss you to tease you?”

I shrugged. I couldn’t back down now and so I puffed out my chest. “You have publicly humiliated me on more than one occasion.”

His mouth hung open and just as he was about to answer the train pulled up. With his hand at my back we climbed in and took a seat but he didn’t say a word for the half hour it took to get back to my card. Not. One. Word.

I had completely messed this up.

* * *

Drew

She thought I’d played some giant practical joke on her. I ran my hand through my hair. This was for real? Because it felt like a dream.

Except for the part where my stomach ached like someone had kicked me. That felt disgustingly real.

I know I’d teased her, but really? She’d thought I’d toy with her emotions like that?

We got back to her car and I held out my hand for the keys. I’d heard her start to sniffle, and though I hadn’t looked at her, I knew she was in no shape to drive.

She handed them over and I finally looked at her face. It was red and puffy as though she’d been crying for a while.

I winced and opened the passenger door for her to climb in. But I still didn’t say anything, because what she’d said, that hurt.

It dug way down deep. I know I could push people away but I wasn’t mean. Which was why I had to stay silent. I needed some time before I could respond.

We got on the highway and I just started driving. It had gotten late and the day was cooling off. I pushed the gas pedal a little faster, wanting to get back to camp.

“Are you going to talk to me?” Chloe asked. “It’s been almost two hours.”

“It was a lousy thing to say,” I snapped. Then I took a breath. “I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking. I know that. But to think I was playing a prank on you? Sarah hurt me when she broke it off to party with some piece of Eurotrash. But you? Did you actually think I would be so mean?” I ran my hand through my hair. “What is so wrong with me that girls don’t take me seriously?”

Chloe gasped. “I’ve been wondering what’s wrong with me that you teased me so much.”

And there we were. We’d now officially hurt each other’s feelings.

“I teased you last summer,” I started. “Which was a crappy thing to do, by the way, because I didn’t know how to handle my jealousy over Alex.”

She made a choking sound. “What?”

“I was jealous of your feelings for Alex and sure I wasn’t worth your affection.” An exit was coming up and I honestly was tired of talking without looking at her. So I pulled off the highway and into the parking lot of a Day’s Inn. It was the first place off the highway we came to. “I know it’s not a very good reason but I didn’t know how to handle my feelings for you while you were so obviously into him. I should never have teased you like that but I would never be cruel enough to kiss you just to embarrass you.”

I cut the engine and turned to her. I could see tears in her eyes.

“I knew calling the kiss a prank was stupid the second it came out of my mouth. But I didn’t think you’d ever actually like me, I’m so--”

“Amazing?” I said.

“Annoying,” she filled in. “And you asked me before what is wrong with you. There in nothing wrong with you. I think you’re fantastic.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Except for when I tease?”

She shrugged looking down at the seat. Her fingers picked at a loose thread. “I don’t even mind that. As long as it’s not in front of anyone. I mean, I don’t care about Millie and Alex. And Alka Seltzer was kind of funny as long as everyone in camp isn’t saying it.”

My hand slid across the seat to grasp hers. “You’re serious?”

“I am,” she nodded. “It’s just when you teased me in front of all the other counselors that I thought you were trying to torture me or something. No guy has ever really liked me and so when you kissed me, I guess I assumed it was one more way you were teasing. Especially since you didn’t tell me it was you.”

I rubbed my hands down my face. “My sharp tongue is a plague.”

“That’s not true. I love it when you stand up for me. I’m so bad at that.”

My heart squeezed at those words. I did want to protect her. She deserved to be cherished. “I guess I just can’t figure out how, after I kissed you, you didn’t know how I felt. I’ve never had a kiss like that before.”

“Really?” She beamed at me and scooted closer. “It was that good?”

“Yep,” I said. “It was that good. Was it for you?”

Her head bobbed up and down, that hair cascading around her shoulders. “It was unbelievable. I guess I thought they were all like that. I didn’t,” she paused. “I didn’t have another to compare it to.”

My mouth fell open as I tried to process that. Millie’s words about how Chloe didn’t have much experience came crashing back. “You’ve never kissed anyone?”

Her eyebrows drew together as she cocked her head to one side. “I’ve kissed you.”

“Yeah,” I pulled her into my lap. That was the amazing thing about these old cars with the big wide seats. “And you’re going to again.”

A touch of a smile ghosted across her lips before mine descended to cover hers. It started slow but soon we were full on making out in the parking lot of the Day’s Inn. I didn’t even care. It was the best kiss of my life.

I don’t know how long we sat there but it was a really long time. Finally I pulled away. Not because I wanted to but because we had to get back to Camp Winni. It had gotten dark and we still had over an hour to go. “Chlo,” I ran the pad of my thumb across her swollen lips nearly losing my resolve. “I don’t want this to end but…”

“We’ve got to get back,” she said as she kissed my thumb where it rested on her lips. That only made it harder to set her on the seat next to me.

“So you have to tell me how you figured out it was me and not Alex that kissed you. I was on my way to confess by the way. Down on the beach the other night, I was going to tell you.” I inserted the key back in the ignition.

“I went to tell Alex that even though he’d kissed me, I only wanted to be friends and he looked completely confused.” She giggled. “And then it all just clicked into place.”

I turned the key and nothing happened. Nada. We were stuck at the Day’s Inn, in the dark.