Page 24 of The Kissing Part
I follow her into the backseat, where there’s a large bowl of my favorite snack—popcorn with peanut M&M’s.She remembered. There’s also champagne chilling in a bucket in the center console. My stomach growls. I planned to eat at the party, where there’s always plenty of food, but this is looking pretty good.
“Is this for me?” I ask.
The car pulls away from the curb.
She gives me a small smile. “You got me hooked on the popcorn-peanut M&M’s combo. It’s for both of us. Tonight’s a cheat night for me. Help yourself.” She opens the champagne and pours a plastic glass, offering it to me.
I take it. “Does champagne really go with popcorn?”
“The fizziness is the perfect contrast to the salty and sweet. Try it.” She pours herself a glass.
I take some popcorn and M&M’s, chew, and wash it down with the champagne. “Pretty good.”
“Pretty good? It’s excellent.”
I eat some more, reminded of movie nights in the basement of my house growing up. “Remember when we watchedBlue Forceand Harper cried at the end?”
She holds up a finger. “And she denied it, even though we could see her eyes were shiny with tears.”
“So stupid. Crying at an alien horror movie just because Lauren left in their ship.”
Shayla laughs. “She said it was because she thought she’d die alone out there.”
“It was supposed to be a happy ending. She wanted to experience their culture.”
She fist-bumps me. “RememberOnce and Always?” That was a romantic movie she wanted to watch. Harper didn’t want to see it, and my parents were at a school event for Rafael, so that left me. That night was the hottest, sexiest time imaginable between us—first in a chair and then on the bar top. Insane chemistry coupled with insane lust. I’ve never wanted someone so bad in my life.
I meet her eyes. “We didn’t see much of that one.”
“No,” she says softly. So soft I find myself leaning in. She smells citrusy and something uniquely her. My gaze drops to her luscious lips, my heart thudding in my ears.
I lift a hand to her cheek. Her skin is so soft. I forgot how soft. She leans into my palm, closing her eyes. She wants me to kiss her.Iwant to kiss her. So what’s stopping me?
I drop my hand. I let myself get in too deep once, and I swore I’d never let it happen again. I’m smarter than that. Anyway, I don’t kid myself she’ll be sticking around long.
She looks down at my hand, gives it a squeeze, and goes back to eating popcorn. I let out a breath. The moment’s passed.
“I still don’t know how that movie ends,” she says.
“I’m sure they got together.”
“Thanks for the spoiler!”
I laugh, relieved we’re back to joking around. I toss back champagne. “This is growing on me. Beats the flavored sparkling water we always had in the fridge for movie nights.” Mom never let us have soda, saying it was the worst thing for our teeth and bodies. When I finally had soda at a friend’s house, I didn’t like it. Guess it’s an acquired taste.
“You guys had the healthiest food and drinks at home all the time.”
“Except for movie night. I think that’s how Mom got us kids to always want to have it. Like a family tradition.”
She sighs. “My family tradition was a daily torture routine of beauty treatments. Mom highlighted my hair, did facials, brow waxing, skin toners, fat reducers, manicures, and pedicures. I was an immaculately made-up child.”
I suppress a wince. She didn’t have it easy growing up an only child with her mom. “Are you still in touch with her?”
“She died.”
I put a hand on her arm in sympathy. Her warm bare arm. I quickly drop it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, about five years ago. Cancer. Honestly, I didn’t feel much about it. We hadn’t been in touch for years. I was still working through the emotional abuse and control she exerted over me. For a while, I felt guilty for not feeling sad enough. Now I’ve just accepted I feel what I feel, and that’s okay.”
