Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“Fine,” he grumbled.
“Yes?” I perked up.
“I didn’t say yes. I said fine. Yes implies consent. Fine implies submission as a result of emotional coercion.”
“Eek! Thank you!” I blew out a slow breath to calm down, then I laced my fingers behind my back and closed my eyes while tipping my chin up.
“What are you doing?”
I peeked open one eye. “I’m waiting for you to kiss me.”
“You look like a three-year-old who’s just been instructed to give her grandma a kiss.”
I let my hands fall to my sides. “Fine. Then what am I supposed to do?”
He stepped closer. “Look at me.”
“The whole time?”
“No.”
“How long do I wait to close my eyes?”
Ben chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’ll just … know.”
“What if I don’t?”
“You’ll close them when leaving them open feels too weird. Think of it like a blink. If I do this,” he crept his finger toward my eye, “you blinked because my finger was so close it was hard to keep your eyes open. Well, a kiss is the same, but instead of blinking, you just close your eyes and keep them shut until the kiss is over.”
“How will I know when the kiss is over?”
“When your lips are no longer touching, it’s over.”
“Duh. You know what I mean.”
“No. I don’t.”
“Ben, you have to tell me things, step by step. Like when I had a loose baby tooth, my mom tied floss around it, and there was a countdown to her yanking it out. She kept me calm by telling me each step.”
“Oh yeah?” He squinted.
I nodded.
“Lucky you. My mom used to tie floss around my teeth, too. And she’d count down, but before she reached zero, she’d yank the thing out.”
I flinched. “Oh, that’s terrib—”
Ben kissed me.
No talking it through.
No countdown.
Just his palms gently cradling my jaw, fingers teasing the nape of my neck, and his lips pressed to mine.
It was my first kiss, so without a comparison, I couldn’t say if it was slow or fast. And I couldn’t remember closing my eyes, but they were shut. And somehow my lips knew exactly what to do. I didn’t have to think about it.
My heart beat a little faster.
A tingle of warmth spread along my skin.
And I didn’t want to stop.
That’s how I knew I not only loved kissing; I was really good at it.
Then it was over, and I realized I wasn’t the one who ended it. Ben was. But that was okay. Someone had to end it.
He was the greatest friend in the history of best friends, and my grin said as much. However, he didn’t look as pleased as he averted his gaze and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“What? Did I do something wrong? Was it bad? Too much ChapStick? Is that why you wiped your mouth?”
With a slight headshake, he brushed past me and turned on his desk lamp while lowering into his chair. “It was fine. Don’t you have a date tonight?”
“You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Frustrated?”
“Gabriella.” He rested his elbows on his desk and dropped his head, stabbing his fingers into his hair.
I hated feeling like I was annoying him. It reminded me of my sisters when we were younger. They were too busy or too cool to deal with me and my stupid questions. That was one reason why I loved Matt. When he and Sarah were dating, he never made me feel like that, and he even told Sarah to “be nice” when she’d try to brush me off like a pesky fly.
“Whatever.” I spun toward the door.
As I reached for the handle, Ben’s hand slid around my waist, fingers splayed along my stomach, and he hugged me from behind, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
I closed my eyes and covered his hands with mine. “I’m sorry I’m so annoying.”
He chuckled. “You’re just you, Gabbs. Innocent. Honest. Kind. Don’t ever be anything you’re not. If he kisses you, don’t worry about what he thinks. It doesn’t matter.”
I turned toward him, burying myself in his embrace and the way his body cocooned me. My safe place.
CHAPTER TEN
BELINDA CARLISLE, “I GET WEAK”
Gabby
“Hey!” I skipped down the stairs toward Matt waiting for me, again with his hands in his pockets while walking in a slow circle. I knew if we lasted, I’d always think back to how innocent he looked and the smile he gave me.
“Hey, yourself. You look nice.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, let’s go, friend,” he said with a smirk while keeping his gaze in front of us as we headed toward his car. That grin said he was still thinking about the previous night; the friend felt like another apology for it happening.
I was okay with being friends for the time being because I liked Julianne, and I couldn’t imagine being opportunistic like Matt’s brother had been with my sister, swooping in like a vulture to take the body while it was still warm. However, I just found out I was really good at kissing, and it was better than having my hair braided, reading, writing in my journal, Air Supply, and rainbow sherbet combined.