Without truly thinking about what I was doing, I leaned in closer. My lips found hers so easily that I was sure it was meant to be. She gave the lightest of noises but it didn’t sound like surprise. And from the way she kissed me back, I didn’t think it was.
At that moment, I knew that I wanted to keep kissing her forever.
But for now, I had to pull back. Heat spread over my cheeks, no doubt leaving a trail of blush behind. it was hard to mind. Not when Helena was still smiling at me.
Her cheeks glowed pink, making me hope that my blush looked even half as attractive! For several seconds, we just stared at each other, smiling into one another’s eyes. My heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm.
“Well.” Helena’s tongue peeked out to wet her lips. It was all I could do not to lean right back in. I didn’t want her to think that I was interrupting whatever it was that she was saying.
Except, she didn’t say anything. After a few more seconds, she laughed. “I’m not sure what to say,” she admitted. “Of Mice and Men has flown completely out of my head.”
That was perfectly fine with me!
I must have said it out loud - my brain barely catching up with my mouth - because Helena laughed. It had so quickly become my second favorite sound ever. Only beaten by the sound of a successful try on goal. And then followed by the sound of a great pass. It wasn’t a long list; Helena was the only thing on it that wasn’t hockey-related.
“Can I kiss you again?” I asked hopefully. Maybe I should have asked the first time, too, but Helena didn’t look like she had minded. In fact, she had kissed me back. That was obviously a good sign. While my face was on fire, all I could think about was kissing her again.
“Here? In the library?” Helena asked in a scandalized whisper. My lips parted, all ready to start apologizing. And then Helena laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Helena’s were the bluest eyes I’d ever seen, and they looked more striking than ever framed by her dark hair and her flushed pink cheeks.
Twining her fingers through mine, Helena gave them a squeeze. Instead of answering with words, she leaned in to close the distance between us. Her mouth pressed against mine, so small and so sweet-tasting. This time, she seemed to shift towards me, close enough that I could rest my free hand lightly against her cheek.
My stomach flipped with excitement as she kissed me. Kissing Helena felt almost as good as hockey. Maybe, in some ways, even better. But, perhaps, not in the library. Pulling back, our breaths caught in our throats. There was a pinkish redness to Helena’s lips, one left there by kissing me.
Fuck, she looked so nice.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
The words stumbled out of me before I could stop them. I felt my cheeks get red all over again. But there was no way I’d take it back. Hopefully, Helena would say yes and then we could kiss more. Outside of the library.
“Yes, Sam.” Her words were laced with amusement, but that hardly mattered. Not when Helena was saying yes to being my girlfriend! My heart thundered against my ribs, just like it did when I heard the puck swish into our opponent’s net.
My expression must’ve looked every bit as excited as I felt, because Helena laughed. “Were you worried I’d say ‘no’, after I kissed you over your English essay?” she asked. And seriously, I hadn’t really worried. But I’d never had a girlfriend before, how was I supposed to know whether kissing was enough of a sign?
Helena gave my hand a shy squeeze. “Do you want to drive me home, boyfriend? I don’t think we’ll get much more work done today.”
Squeezing Helena’s hand back, I grinned. “I will definitely drive you home, girlfriend.” I winked. “Especially if it means we don’t have to do this essay anymore.” That wasn’t even the main reason. Just kind of a good one.
I had to give it to John Steinbeck, maybe Of Mice and Men wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to me.
PRESENT DAY
“I know it’s going to be kind of weird, but please, Sam! I can’t get the time off work and we need the tiles tomorrow,” Pat whined on the phone. I refused to think of it as anything but whining. He’d called me to ask me to do him a favor - something, I pointed out, that was the theme of this summer.
Not that I minded! Except maybe I minded a little bit in this particular situation. “You said you’d been getting on okay,” he argued. “So I’m sure you and Helena can pick out perfectly good tiles.”
I actually agreed. Both that we could do that and that it would be weird.
What I tried not to focus on was the way my heart beat faster at the idea of spending time with Helena. That was not the right sort of attitude. This wasn’t happening. We weren’t happening.
“I told her you’ll pick her up from work,” Pat admitted, even though I hadn’t said I would go tile shopping in his place. But, of course, I would. I wanted my baby brother to be happy. Part of that involved finding the perfect tiles for his kitchen.
“Fine,” I sighed. It was possible to hear Pat’s smile through the phone.
“Thanks, man! I owe you one.”
Pat owed me more than just one, but it was hard to think that he owed me anything for this specifically. So that was how I ended up in the reception at Helena’s work. The
