Page 61 of Don't Love the Boy Next Door
“Confidently,” she says.
“Yeah, but also…like romantically.”
Her eyes bug out. “Ooh!”
“And then he kissed me.”
“Cool. Sounds like you guys nailed it. What’s the big deal?”
“And we didn’t stop kissing.”
“Eh?” Both eyebrows lift.
“We just stood there with our lips locked. Diaz called for us to stop. Everyone in the audience laughed. But we were oblivious to all of that. We just continued kissing like we were in our own world or something. Ugh!” I grab a cushion and slam it over my face.
Phoenix plucks it off, grinning down at me. “So I’m guessing your Beast is a good kisser?”
With another moan, I snatch the cushion from her and smack it on my face. “I don’t get it. I’ve done many kiss scenes and none of them have shaken me up so much.”
She once again grabs the cushion and gives me a knowing look. “I think I know what this is about. Why you freaked out the other time and why this time you couldn’t keep your lips off him.”
I frown at her. “I wouldn’t say I couldn’t keep my lips off him—”
“It’s because you have a massive crush on him.”
I freeze for a second. “That’snottrue.”
She rolls her eyes. “Deny it all you want, bestie, but the proof is right here. You said yourself that you’ve never been so shaken from a kiss before. And considering the only kisses you’ve had were fake and not real…I think this could be counted as your first kiss!”
“What?”
“Come on, Kates, it’s so obvious! You were so shocked and confused by the first kiss because you have a crush on him.”
“That’s not—”
“That’s why you freaked out. Because you’ve never—hey, is this your first real crush?”
“I don’t have a crush on him!”
“And this kiss was even better than the last one because you’re more comfortable with him! And I’m sure his being confident and romantic didn’t hurt, either.”
I give her a look. “Phoenix, how many times do I have to tell you Idon’thave a crush on him?”
She puts her hands on her hips, returning the look. “You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t keep anything from me. I know you, Katie, more than anyone else. You don’t just have a crush, you have a crush as tall as Mount Everest.”
I shake my head so fast it nearly catapults off my head.
“It’s not so surprising, you know,” she says thoughtfully. “You guys spend a lot of time together because of the musical and the band. You have similar interests. He’s super sweet and you’ve got the kindest heart in the world. You guys are like the most compatible people out there. It’s basic chemistry.”
I fall back on the couch and fold my arms over my chest, my face heating up with embarrassment and denial. Because it can’t be true. I freaked out the other time because…well, I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s a reason. One that has nothing to do with a crush. And as for the kiss this afternoon? We were just feeling the scene and wanted to give it our all. Maybe we wanted Belleand Beast to have a long make out session, to show the audience how much this means to them.
Phoenix laughs as she peers over me. “I know what you’re doing. You’re forming all these excuses in your head. Because you don’t want to deal with the truth.”
“There’s no truth,” I grumble as I twist away from her. “You just like romance and drama.”
She scowls. “Right now I don’t. Well, before I didn’t. But now I do, because it involves my bestie!”
I throw my hands up. “How many times do I have to tell you there’s nothing there?”
