Page 12 of Choosing a Forever
Tayleigh’s cheeks turn pink as her gaze wanders over me. “Well, no. You’re a firefighter, so you’re obviously very fit.”
“Regardless of my job, you’re not judging me for my food choices, so maybe you shouldn't judge her based on that either.”
She looks like she wants to argue but doesn’t. She just picks at her sad, bland lettuce and carrot mixture while I finish my burger.
When I take Tayleigh home, I tell her that while I had fun, I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other again. I don’t kiss her goodnight or feel the excitement and anticipation when you have a crush.
When I get home, I take Siren out to do her business and spend the whole time thinking about Mack. She still seemed guarded when I was talking to her. Maybe it’s because she wanted to get back to celebrating with her sisters, but I can’t help feeling like it’s something else.
Well, you broke her heart and haven’t seen her in over a decade. You’re not exactly BFFs.
Right, that makes a lot of sense.
Thinking about herdoesgive me the excited anticipation you feel when you have a crush. I want to see her. I want to spend more time with her. I want to reacquaint myself with Mackenzie Thorpe and hear about what her life’s been like the last ten years. Find out what’s changed and what’s the same.
When I finally get in bed, I check to see if she’s accepted my follow request. I can’t help but break out into a grin when I see she has. It looks like a lot of her posts are old, before her parents’ accident. Pictures of her in tattoo chairs and showing off the designs she’s had permanently etched into her skin.
I scroll until I get to a picture of her at the beach dated six years ago. Her hair is purple in the photo, and she’s wearing an electric blue bikini that leaves very little to the imagination. My face flushes, and I know I should scroll past, but I can’t seem to make myself.
I take in the softness of her round belly and the dips of her hips where the string of her bikini sits. I’m enthralled by the colorful artwork covering her thick thighs and the way her breasts seem to spill out of the triangles barely covering them. Her smile is wide and radiant, the nose rings glint in the sun, and her hair is thrown into two messy braids, her skin is pink from the sun and—
I throw my phone on the bed like it’s on fire. I try to think of fire drills, the way my grandpa used to eat corn, and cleaning up Siren’s poop.
When none of that works, I resort to singing hymns like I was taught to do on my mission to try to push away the arousal threatening to take me over. The trick works, but instead of lust I feel a slimy, icky sensation as the words pop up in my brain.
Even though I don’t want to be part of the church anymore, some things are so ingrained in me it’s hard to unlearn them. Masturbation being a sin is one of those. I’ve never given in to any of those urges—never really had them if I’m being honest—but the picture of Mack is tempting me to touch myself.
When I finally feel like I have control over my lust, I pick my phone back up and exit the app. No more scrolling through Mack’s photos while I’m alone.
Chapter 5
Mackenzie
14 years old…
The breeze blows my hair across my face, and I use my free hand to tuck it behind my ear. Tal is walking me to the tracks halfway to my house, telling me all about the latest fantasy book he’s reading.
I prefer a mystery or romance, but listening to Tal talk about the creatures and their powers is exciting.
Maybe it’s because it’s him, though.
He pauses to dig through his backpack and produces a lined piece of paper with doodles on it. The biggest sketch is of a dragon’s body with three heads—a horse, a cow, and a pig.
A giggle bursts out of my throat. “What inspired this?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, I just wondered what a dragon with the heads of different animals would look like, so I drew it myself.”
“You’re really talented, Tal. This is a bit creepy, though.”
His cheeks turn red. “I didn’t think it’d look as weird as it does. Do you hate it?”
“Not at all. It’s just a little… off-putting. But you know I like your art. Do you have anything else?”
Tal pulls out another paper, this one depicting some type of princess. The girl looks familiar, and—
My eyes shoot up to his. “Is thisme?”
Tal nods, scratching the back of his neck. “I got a little distracted during science. They had us watch a movie since there was a substitute, my pencil kind of took on a mind of its own…”
