Page 493 of One More Kiss

“How could I not?” he says. “You wore it when we kissed for the first time.”

I half expected him to mention when I flashed him and a group of strangers but I lovingly loved he remembered our first kiss.

“Oh, and when you flashed me and everyone else at the park.”

I sulk when he reminds me of that embarrassing moment but he laughs and kisses my lips this time. I try to hold back from blushing but my face is burning hotter than the sun. I turn my focus on the feast he’s cooked up, including his Grammy’s secret recipe cornbread. “I thought you didn’t know the recipe,” I question him.

“I was going through some of Grandpa’s belongings and I discovered Grammy’s recipe box in an old Army trunk. She scribbled the recipe on the inside of the box, I guess for memory and safe keeping so I thought I’d make it for you because one, you love it. And two, I forgot to buy you dessert.”

“Well you’re lucky I loved your grandmother and her cornbread.”

“What about love for me?”

I loll my head to the side and smile. “The love was there…before you up and forgot about making me dessert!”

Julian’s hearty laugh trickles the butterflies that are already losing their cool in the pit of my stomach. We quietly collect our plates and start adding delicious food to them. Bubbling hot mac and cheese, potato salad, barbecue chicken and ribs, and Grammy’s one of a kind cornbread. We take our seats on either side of the table and Julian leans down and fishes out two beers from the cooler and pops the tops off both before handing me mine.

“How are things down at the library?” Julian asks as he takes a healthy swig of his beer, my eyes watching his Adam’s apple work with each gulp.

“It’s good,” I say, my voice a bit flustered. “We just finished the new children’s area. New books, new learning toys, all the squishy slime their little hearts can desire. How are things at the guidance center?”

Julian pauses midway with his beer in his hand. “It’s um, going well.” He takes a long drink and places the bottle down. “There’s um…this kid, Jordan. He’s struggling a bit. He doesn’t have many friends and his mom is in and out with a new man every few weeks. He’s a great kid. Reminds me of myself.”

Julian has been a mentor at our town’s newest guidance center for a few months. If anyone knows the method of life, it’s him. He doesn’t like to talk about his work there often and I understand. I’m sure there are subject matters that inflict terribly on the heart but his eyes warm when he speaks about this young boy and I instantly remember a younger Julian with his biker attire and long, wavy brown hair.

“I’ve been trying to guide him the best I can,” Julian continues.

“If Jordan is able, we are looking for volunteers to help remodel the teen area at the library tomorrow. We need strong arms for painting and building tables and chairs. He’s welcomed to join us.”

Julian smiles. “Yeah, sure, I’ll let him know.”

I finish just about everything on my plate when Julian sneaks his hand underneath the foil I have covering up my cookies. He pulls out a cookie and breaks it in half, the scent of the chocolatey nutty goodness filling the air between us. “Do you remember the night at the bonfire?”

I nod. “The night I made it clear to you that I wasn’t a little girl anymore.”

“There was something else you said too.”

I take a minute to think back, the sudden remembrance of the cheap vodka I guzzled down that night hits my senses and I feel the urge to vomit. Bits and pieces of what I said to Julian are fuzzy, but it shoots me like an arrow in the chest at what he’s searching for me to remember.

“I told you ‘I love you’,” I murmur.

He hands me the other half of his cookie like a reward and proceeds to get up from his chair. “Let’s take this to the swing.” He extends his hand and I willingly place mine in his and we take the brief stroll across the patio towards the swing, him wanting for me to sit and get comfy before he uses the heel of his boot to kick off against the ground and make the swing move gently back and forth.

“Why did you want me to remember that?” I flick my eyes towards him. “Are you afraid I lost love for you?”

He chuckles.

“Hey, you brought this up. The least you can do is answer“ The last word dies on my lips as Julian swiftly turns his head and lays his lips on mine. I was taken by surprise, my body stilling in sudden response. It soon registers the familiar feeling of his soft yet perfectly rough kiss that makes both my heart sing and my toes tingle. I kiss him back with matched force and the swing stops swinging and his hands find their way into my hair. His tongue traces over the seam of my mouth and I open for him, letting his tongue play with mine as my body hums with pure excitement and need.

“Julian,” I whisper across his lips in agony. I’ve missed him. His smile, his laugh, his scent, his touch. I want to be smothered in him. I want to hold on and never let him go.

His next breath comes out in a harsh pant and his beautiful hazel eyesthe perfect blend of brown and greenpeer up at me in response. His lips part and he’s about to say what I hope my little heart wants to hear before a loud jingle breaks the moment and I push back away from him.

“Shit, sorry.” Julian fumbles with retrieving his phone from the front pocket of his jeans. When he finally manages to get ahold of his iPhone, his eyes turn down at the screen and something instantly puts his expression off. He glances at me for a nanosecond before answering the caller. “Jordan,” he says with a panic-stricken voice.

The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up in alert. I thought this abundant feeling of anxiety every time something worrisome came knocking on the door would go away but it still lingers after all this time. Julian’s brows furrow before they ease up and go back to their smooth form.

“Oh, okay. Yeah, sure, bud. I’ll be there in a little bit.” He hangs up with Jordan and his shoulders sag in relief. “Jordan got a flat tire on his bike and his house is about a five mile hike from his job. He waits tables at Moonshine’s.”

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