Page 27 of My Rock Star Neighbor
Maddie smiles slightly.She’s toying with me.“And let these dumplings go to waste when they should be eaten hot?”
We sit down at the table as Maddie sets the steaming dumplings in the middle.She helps herself first as I distribute the drinks.
I’m in the middle of chewing when she says, “No kissing.”
I nearly choke.What?
“No kissing?”I ask.
She nods.
I blink.“But what if it’s absolutely necessary?”
“Why would it be absolutely necessary?”
“I don’t know.But the fact that you’re making this a provision means you could see a situation where it might happen.”I pull my chair closer to hers.“Why don’t you want to kiss me?”
A flush appears on her cheeks.I lean in closer.
“I promise you, I’m a good kisser,” I say.
“How do you know?”she asks, looking earnestly at me.
Is this an actual question?Am I getting reporter Maddie about to grill me about how I’m a good kisser?Does she think I’m not agood kisser?
“Because I’ve never had anyone suggest we stop.”
She seems to consider this evidence deeply, staring off into the corner.
I add, “And when I’m kissing a woman, she grabs my shirt or—”
“I get it.Have you kissed anyone in the past two years?”she asks.“Maybe you’re rusty.”
Rusty?No way.
“Are you worried I’m rusty?”This is getting more and more nuts.“I promise you, I’m not rusty.It’s like riding a bike.It’s not something you forget.But if you find me rusty, I’m willing to practice with you until I get better.”I grin.
Maddie’s blush deepens.“I just said ‘no kissing,’ and now you’re suggesting we practice it.Do youwantto kiss me?”
I take in her big brown eyes asking me this and her very pink lips.Sometimes, I would definitely like to kiss Maddie.Especially at times like now.“I have no objection.And practice makes perfect.If you really want no kissing, of course, I won’t kiss you.But what if it’s some situation where everyone is tapping glasses or something and people will think we’re not dating?Can’t we have an emergency clause that allows it?”
“Okay.But then we need a code word, and we both need to say it before any kiss happens.”
Now, Ireallywant to kiss her.
“Great.What’s a good code word?”I ask.“Pucker up?”
She laughs.
“Yeah, that doesn’t seem like a good one if it’s going to make you laugh,” I say.“How aboutThank you?Because honestly, thank you.”
She hides a smile.“That sounds good.I will add that.”
She drafts the next clause:
Clause 11.There will be absolutely no kissing or physical contact other than hand-holding, with the sole exception that if there is a situation where one person believes that if we don’t kiss, we will be perceived as not dating, that person may say “Thank you”—
“But we might say thank you in another context, so maybe ‘thanks much’ is better,” I say.
