Page 20 of Love at a 7-Eleven

And then he did it again—so gentle.

He pulled back. Then he touched the side of my face as he leaned in and let his mouth touch mine with more firmness for several long seconds. His mouth wasn't fully open, but it wasn't closed, either. I felt the warm slippery inside of his lips, and I clinched my fists, resisting the urge to hold onto him.

Caleb pulled back and let his hand drop from the side of my face. He let out a hoarse moaning sound.

"I like you so much, Lila."

I grinned. "Well, that's good. I like you too. Let's get out of here and meet at the diner tonight. I don't want to get you in trouble with Marcus and Kevin."

"Are you coming to watch me play basketball?"

"You must be good," I said.

He shrugged. "Not really. We go light. Kevin likes to see Marcus dunk on everybody, so it's more like the Harlem Globetrotters with Marcus as the star out there."

I reached up and touched his cheek with my hand while placing a kiss on his other cheek. I took a step back, knowing we had to get going. I felt his hand touch my arm and tug me toward him.

"Can I just get a hug?" he asked as he pulled me into his arms.

I wanted a hug, and I went to him with no resistance. I took him into my arms as he took me into his. Our touch had been so light up until now, and it felt so gratifying to take a firm hold of him. I let my face rest against his chest, wrapping my arms around his mid-section. His arms were so securely wrapped around me that for an instant, I was overwhelmed and felt some magical connection like I was one with him. I lost my breath because of it. I was aware of the feel of his body—the smell of it, and its warmth. Part of me knew that it was too soon to feel this way, but I felt love radiate through us during that hug. I felt it. It was undeniable. We both held onto each other for what must have been a full minute. Maybe two. I had no concept of time.

"We better go," I said, sounding reluctant. I let go of him when I said that. "I'll look over at you guys from the walking track, but I might not get to talk to you again today. I'll text you later to make sure we're on for tonight."

"Oh, we are," he said with such certainty that I let out a little laugh.

I turned and grabbed my skates and we headed toward the door. I could feel the sincerity in everything he did and said. I got the impression that I was the only woman he had found himself having real feelings for, and it was honestly the most incredible feeling in the world.

"What are you teaching me about tonight?"

"You have to show up to find out," I said.

He reached out and opened my brother's door, and EJ was walking up just then.

"Hey, E," I said, trying to sound like I wasn't shocked to see him. "Got 'em!" I held up my skates. I had forgotten that Caleb was supposed to be 'using the restroom' and had no excuse to be there with me. "I was telling Caleb what a maze this place was," I continued. "I told him I'd show him to the basketball courts. Unless you're going there, you can walk him." I did my best to sound unconcerned.

"I came in here to grab Kevin one of my baseball cards," EJ said. "But I have a few messages to deal with, so I'm not going back right this second."

I nodded. "Oh, yeah, I'll show him to the courts. I had told him I would."

The two of them shook hands and I left the office with Caleb. My brother smiled at me before we walked out, and I was certain… almost certain… that he had no idea anything was going on between us.

"That was a close one," I said, speaking quietly once we were on our way down the hall.

"You can say that again," he said. "I am glad your brother wasn't thirty seconds earlier. That was really close."

I laughed, thinking of the questions I would have faced from my brother if he had caught us hugging. Caleb and I walked together for a minute or two before he broke away to go to the courts.

I made my way to the ice skating rink by myself.

I had spent a lot of hours skating in my life, and I felt comforted by going through the familiar motions of putting on my socks and boots and getting onto the ice. I put in my earbuds and kept my head down. I had a lot going through my mind.

There was a certain smell on the ice, and it worked as a balm to my emotional state, a soothing bit of soul comfort while my mind was racing. There would be hockey practice later, but for now, the rink was nearly empty.

It felt so nice to get onto the ice.

I took three small steps to get going and then I glided, my weight on one leg and then the other, taking long strides and building quick momentum. I was refreshed and comforted by the smell of the ice and the feel of the wind on my face. I loved the weightless, gliding sensation. My muscles instantly fell into a pattern of long strides where I gently swayed from left to right, maintaining a medium speed as I went around the rink, enjoying the mindlessness of it all. My thoughts were occupied with other things, so it was nice to do something physical that was so familiar.

I thought about Caleb and replayed everything that happened in my brother's office. I vaguely hoped he didn't have cameras, but ultimately, I didn't care. There was nothing I could do about it, anyway. Mostly, I remembered the things Caleb said to me. I wasn't sure what he was telling me. I knew he wasn't making me any promises but other than that I had no idea what to expect. He was attracted to me, and he seemed to be surprised by that fact. I had no idea what to make of that. Part of me was honored and the other part was scared.

---