Seconds passed and finally the door opened.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. Can I come in?”
She hesitated for a second and then stood back, allowing him to enter.
He stepped inside her home and stared at her. It didn’t look like she’d been crying.
“I asked you to leave me alone,” she said.
“In my defense, I did.” He forced a laugh, but clearly, he wasn’t entertaining today. “And now I really want to talk to you.”
“You’re persistent, aren’t you?” she asked, closing the door behind him.
He went to touch his hair again, only to stop and drop his hand. “You didn’t immediately push me away.”
She folded her arms. “So?”
“The kiss. You didn’t push me away. A part of you must have liked it.”
Laylah shook her head. “Seriously, is that what you’re going to come up with? That some part of me should have liked it just because you’re you?”
“I know what I felt. You wanted me to kiss you.”
“Blue, I barely know you.”
“We’ve been going to the same school since kindergarten.”
“And that doesn’t actually mean I know you. This is ridiculous. I don’t know why you’re even here.”
He grabbed her arm, pulling her close. “I’m here because I felt your response and I know you want me, and badly, because it’s the same way I feel about you. I wanted that kiss. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a long time, and I never thought I’d get the chance, but guess what, I finally did, and it was fucking glorious.”
“Blue?”
“What? You feel this. I know you do.” Her breaths had deepened. He refused to let her go.
She licked her lips, and he groaned. “Don’t do shit like that.”
“I … that was my first kiss, Blue,” she said.
He jerked back and she sighed. “See, you didn’t want to know that.” She brushed past him, and he stared at the space where she’d stood just moments ago.
“Wait a minute, that was your first kiss?” he asked, finally following her into the kitchen. He couldn’t believe it. There was no way that was her first kiss.
She opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. “Not all of us have a reputation for screwing the entire cheerleading squad.”
“Look, I will never touch any of them, ever again,” he said, putting his hand flat on the counter. “I was your first kiss.”
“The more you keep asking, the bigger the embarrassment, Blue. I don’t want to talk about this.” She unscrewed the bottle and took a large gulp.
He liked being her first. “Does that mean you’re a virgin?”
She spat out her water, quickly covering her mouth as she choked on some. “You can’t just randomly ask a girl that.”
“Why not? It’s a perfectly valid question.”
“It’s an unfair one.”
“Well, are you?”
“It’s none of your business.”
He wasn’t getting anywhere with her. “You know I’m not a virgin.”
“I know you’ve shacked up with half of the town.”
“Not half of them. Come on, tell me.”
She stared at him and finally shook her head. “Yes, fine. I’m a virgin, Blue. Most of my eighteen years have been spent hanging out with my friends, studying, and reading books. I’ve never had a boyfriend and kissing random strangers isn’t on my list of things to do before I grow up. You’re my first kiss, and the reason I slapped you was because…”
He waited.
Her answer seemed to stretch on.
“Even though I thought it was pretty great, I didn’t want my kiss to be in front of a bunch of our friends who will do nothing but point and gossip about it. I wanted my first to be … I don’t know, different.”
He closed the distance between them, which he seemed to be doing a great deal with her just lately. All he wanted was to be near her in any way that he could.
Cupping her face, he tilted her head back, pleased she didn’t try to fight him.
“Blue, you don’t have to do this.”
“I took your first kiss and I didn’t know it was your first time, otherwise, I would’ve done all of this differently. When it comes to you, I want everything to be perfect. You’re special, Laylah. You always will be. I’m sorry I messed it up, but allow me to make it all better now.”
Her plump lips called to him, and as she released a gasp, he took possession of her lips, righting the wrong from earlier. When she remembered her first kiss with him, this would be the one she recalled with excitement.
The same kiss she’d one day tell their grandchildren about.
****
There was no one to laugh or mock. The moment Blue’s lips touched hers, she lost all willpower to fight him. At first, she didn’t know where to put her hands, and then slowly, she placed them on his chest and slid them on up to circle around his neck. Blue’s hands moved from her face, sliding down, not touching her breasts, to finally cup her waist.
His tongue traced across her lips and she opened up, moaning as they tasted each other.
It was slow.
Seductive.
Intense.
When he pulled away, she didn’t want the kiss to end, and that was a very new experience for her.
Glancing up at him, she waited, wondering, and offered him a smile. “That was … nice.”
“I can do a lot better than nice.”
She put her hand to his chest, holding him off. “I need time to think.” She nibbled on her lip.
“This isn’t some kind of joke, Laylah.”
“But why now? Why after all of these years? We’ve known each other for so long.” She tilted her head back, a little surprised by how tall he actually was.
“I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t ready to see you. I don’t get it. Now, though, when I look at you, I can’t think of anything else.”
“Your reputation?”
“It means nothing. Honestly, I’m not going to cheat on you nor am I going to go looking for anyone else.” He stroked her cheek. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before in my life. Do
