Page 40 of Further To Fall

Carter

The full moon lit the walkway as Kyle and I made our way to the front door. Summer had slid into fall and, before I knew it, winter was almost over. I had taken Kyle up on his offer to take me out. It was now our third official date. He’d taken me to a screening of one of his favorite films and out for ice cream after. The film hadn’t been my cup of tea, but the ice cream was delicious, and the company lovely.

As we reached the door, Kyle grasped my elbow. “I’m not going to ask to come in, but I would like to kiss you goodnight.”

So far, the dates had ended with an awkward hug or a peck on the cheek. Asking for a kiss kind of took the fun out of it in my mind, but I should be grateful that Kyle had sensed I wanted to take things slow. “I’d like that.”

His hand released my elbow and came to the small of my back. He dipped his head, eyes closing as his lips met mine in a gentle touch. I shut my eyes, trying to lose myself in the moment. Kyle’s tongue dipped between my lips, but the rhythm felt out of sync. Seconds passed, but no sparks came to life.

Kyle pulled back, sucking in a breath. “Wow. That was, wow.”

I bit the corner of my lip, unsure of what to say. Evidently, Kyle hadn’t felt any lack of chemistry. Or if he had, he was covering it well. “Thank you again for the movie and ice cream.”

“You’re welcome. How about I cook you dinner next Friday?”

I twisted my fingers. I hoped these dinner plans didn’t mean that Kyle was ready to move things along physically. “Um, sure. That’d be nice.”

“Great.” Kyle bent forward for another quick peck. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight,” I said and darted inside. Pushing the door closed, I sighed as I leaned against it.

“Is that a happy I’m-in-love sigh?” Taylor called from the living room.

I started towards her. “You couldn’t hear me sigh from all the way over there.”

She cackled. “No, but I could see your dramatic shoulder rise and fall. So, tell me all about it. How was date number three?”

“It was nice,” I said as I plopped down next to her on the couch.

“Nice? Uh-oh, what happened?”

“No, it reallywasnice. The movie wasn’t my favorite, but I still had fun. Kyle’s sweet, and he makes me laugh…” I trailed off.

“But?” Taylor prompted.

“But he kissed me tonight, and there were just no sparks.” I let my head fall onto the back of the couch.

“Ah. Don’t get too discouraged,” Taylor said as she patted my knee. “Sometimes, it takes a while for you to find your sexy-times groove with someone.”

“That’s true,” I admitted. But I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case for Kyle and me. I had never felt the kind of attraction for Kyle that I’d felt for—I stopped myself right there. Comparing Kyle to Austin would get me nowhere. “He’s cooking me dinner on Friday.”

“Ooooooohhhh!” Taylor sat up, suddenly very interested. “Are you going to sleep with him?”

“What?! No! Do you think he’s going to expect that? He just kissed me for the first time tonight.” My stomach felt just a little bit queasy.

“No, relax. Kyle seems like the gentleman type. And if he’s not, just knee him in the balls and head on home.”

A small giggle escaped my throat. “Your solution is always to knee the guy in the balls.”

Taylor shrugged. “What? It’s a good solution.”

I leaned over and enveloped her in a hug. “Thanks for being such a good friend and sticking with me through my sulky phase.”

She squeezed me back. “Anytime, girlie. But I’ve gotta say, I’m glad we can leave the house again.” I snorted and pinched her side. “Hey! Watch it!”

“Yeah, yeah.” I rose from the couch. “I’m gonna grab a shower and hit the hay, I’m exhausted.”

“It’s all that making out, takes it right out of you,” Taylor said as she waggled her eyebrows.

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