Page 912 of One More Kiss

He looked crazy. Sounded crazy. And I couldn’t help but join in. Because fuck being sane.

* * *

“What doyou think is more mind-blowing…?” Daniel sat up straight on the couch about halfway through the movie. “The fact that these people have never seen aliens before? Or the fact that they’ve never seen electricity before?”

He was holding a box of watermelon Sour Patch gummies over him and dumping them directly into his mouth.

“What do you mean?” I asked, holding my hand between the box and his mouth to catch a couple.

He laughed, looking at me. “I just always think about that when I watch this movie. Like if we saw aliens, we would totally be like, holy shit, it’s a fucking alien! Right? But these people, they’ve never even seen an airplane before. Let alone a spaceship. The whole thing must be insane to them! The lightbulbs on the ship alone probably made them shit their pants.”

I started laughing, and I covered my mouth, hoping not to choke on my candy.

Daniel just watched me with a smirk. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

I was laughing so hard I couldn't even answer. I leaned into him, putting my head on his shoulder as I cackled at his thought process.

“What?” He laughed. “It’s a real question.”

I just shook my head.

But his face grew serious, and he clipped my chin between his fingers, tilting my head up to look at him. “I love your smile.” His words were soft, his lips still playing in a smirk.

My eyes met his, and our watermelon breath swirled together in the inch of air between our mouths. The space was closing as gravity pulled us together. But just before his lips brushed mine, the front door opened.

We both jumped, and there was a sudden obnoxious foot of space between us as Victoria clamored in. “Hey Tate, I brought Thai—” She stopped and stared back and forth between us. “Oh.”

“Hi,” Daniel offered, standing up. “I’m—”

“I know who you are.” She held a hand up. “What are you doing?”

I narrowed my eyes, getting off the couch, too. “We’re watching a movie.”

“I meant him,” she practically spat in his direction.

I looked between Vee and Daniel. He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking down.

“Vee, this is Daniel. The one I told you about. He came to check on me.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Did she let you into the bathroom? Because she never lets me in. And I check on her, well, every fucking day. Because I’m her best friend.”

“Vee.” My face was burning. I wasn’t sure where this was coming from.

Daniel’s hand came down on my lower back briefly. “I’m going to head out.” He gave me a sad smile before grabbing his bag and walking out.

I waited until the door shut before closing in on her. “What the fuck was that?” I was shaking.

“No, Tate. What are you thinking!? Did you forget everything I said?”

I clenched my fists, trying not to completely lose my shit. “You mean how you basically concluded that a hot, rich jock couldn’t possibly be into me and that he’s just using me or whatever?”

“Yes,” she shot out, and it felt like a literal bullet. She must have realized because her eyes softened. “I just want you to be careful, okay? Guys like that can literally have anyone and anything they want. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Another shot fired. “Oh, and he couldn’t possibly want me, am I right? Because I’m not the curvy blonde with dollar signs pinned to my name. Well, you know what, Vee? He’s not just a dumb jock. He’s hot and popular, yes. But he’s also damaged, like me. Hence the therapy group. His dad died, and he has depression and anxiety, and we happen to have a lot in common. And—”

She cut me off, clearly not understanding anything coming out of my mouth “I’m just saying…tread lightly, Tate. You don’t need more baggage than you already have.”

Her words burned, and I closed my mouth with a nod. I marched to my bedroom.

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