Kendall
I barely slept last night. It's hard to sleep when my brain won't shut off. Instead I relived every moment of that kiss and now I need someone to talk to about it.
Me: EMERGENCY!!!
Me: Meet me at our spot in 30.
Skye: Are you going to make me work out first?
Me: No time.
Skye: It's seven am!
Me: Emergency BFF session. I need you now. Cake is on me.
Skye: I'll see you in 30.
When I get to the bakery it's already busy with the morning rush of coffee and donut orders. Skye isn't here yet so I place an order for our coffee and two slices of cake and then grab a table toward the back so we'll have a little bit of privacy. I'm itching to tell Skye all about my kiss with Levi. I have a lot to catch her up on.
After several agonizing minutes of watching the front door to the bakery open and close with only strangers walking through, Skye walks in with her hair up in a messy ponytail, black leggings, and a t-shirt that reads, "If you're looking for a morning person go look somewhere else." She looks like she just rolled out of bed and I'd normally tease her for it, but she came out just for me so I'll leave her alone.
"Hey, doll. What took you so long?" I never said I wouldn't grill her for being late.
"Screw you."
"You're the one who looks like she was just screwed."
"I was, and it was great. Noah likes it in the morning but it gave me even less time than I had before. I rushed to get here."
"That explains the just fucked hair."
"Yeah, but it doesn't explain why my best friend called me here at seven-thirty in the morning. It's summer break. I don't have school. I would have liked to sleep in." She falls forward and rests her forehead on the table.
"If I let you sleep then I couldn't tell you about Levi kissing me last night."
Her head comes up as she slams her palms on the table and shouts, "Shut up! This was so worth waking up early. What happened?"
"He walked me out of work like he usually does, but this time we stayed around talking about our childhood, sports, and Brody. When my cab pulled up we had this moment..." I pause as I try to adequately explain it. "It was just, ugh, it was perfect and then he kissed me."
She stares at me as if waiting for more information. When I remain quiet she says, "That can't be it. I need more. Was it a quick kiss on the lips like you'd kiss your grandma goodbye? Was it rough and demanding–like he couldn't get enough of you and wanted to screw you right there on the street? Or was it soft and sweet, like something out of a Christian romance?"
"It was a little bit soft and sweet, and a little bit rough and demanding. It was perfect."
Skye bounces in her chair with glee as she claps her hands together. Customers at other tables are beginning to stare so I reach over and clasp her hands in mine to keep her from clapping. "Would you relax?"
"Says the woman who called me over here first thing in the morning. I'm just so excited for you. You've wanted this for so long. If I'm being honest, I didn't think it was going to happen. I thought Levi would be the first guy I've ever seen you not get."
I take a deep breath and have to agree with her. "I thought that, too. Especially after he told me he was abstinent."
"He's what?" She practically chokes on her question. "No way."
"There's a lot I haven't told you. I've gotten to know Levi a little bit more this week, and that includes finding out he hasn't had sex in five years."
"Why? He's gorgeous. He must have women throwing themselves at him."
She looks just as shocked as I did when I found out. Tucking my long hair behind my ears I squirm in my seat, hating having to address the countless women who'd love a piece of him. "Yeah, women like me who probably find it hard to accept a no. It's a personal choice he made. One I think has a lot to do with Brody, although Levi hasn't made that clear yet."
"Who's Brody?"
I talk to Skye so much I can't believe I forgot to tell her about Brody.
I spend the next fifteen minutes catching her up. I tell her about offering Levi sex and how he turned me down. I tell her about how he dropped the abstinent bomb on me and then about Brody. Then I tell her about running into Levi and Brody at the farmer's market, and then Levi and my dirty texts. By the end we've finished our coffee and cake and Skye is completely caught up.
"Wow. I knew there was a lot more about him we didn't know, but I never would have thought he had a kid. Noah never told me. How do they communicate? Does Levi know sign language? I've heard some people who have deaf children never learn."
"I'm sure that's true but Levi made a point to learn American Sign Language. I've watched them communicate. It's really beautiful."
"I got to ask, Ken. Is a kid something you want to take on? Because if you start a relationship with Levi you'll be starting a relationship with his kid, too."
She brings up a valid point and it's something I've been thinking about ever since the farmer's market.
"I don't know. I guess so. I mean it's not that serious. First, I'd like to get through a date with him before we make any relationship decisions, but I've met Brody. He's a cool kid. If things worked out with Levi and me, Brody would be an added bonus. I'd be like the cool girlfriend or something."
"More like the cool stepmom."
"Don't jump the gun. I have no plans for marriage."
"Then maybe you should rethink this whole Levi thing. If the man has been abstinent for this long, it's probably because he doesn't want to parade a bunch of women in front of Brody. If Levi kissed you, that might mean he's considering a long-term relationship with you."
I eat one of the crumbs off the plate as I consider what she's saying. "You've been in your married bubble for too long. Let's just focus on the kiss and tell me what you think I should do next. Should I make the next move tonight or wait for him to make another move? Should I call him? Should I text him? I need your help. It's never been this complicated for me before."
"If I'm going to help you figure this out I need another slice of cake."
"I'll go order two. The stress is making me famished." I get up from the table so I can order and then add, "I'm not even going to make you work out for it."