She scrunched her nose again. “Yes. If I stood on this couch right now, I’d be terrified of falling.” She leaned into my face and pointed to her chin. “See this?”
I had to squint to see a tiny scar that was barely noticeable.
“In the fifth grade, I stood on top of the monkey bars, trying to show off to the boys.” She chuckled in spite of herself. “Epic fail, because I needed four stitches after that little stunt.”
“Come here,” I said, inching closer. I closed the gap between us and kissed her chin lightly. “There, boo-boo gone.”
A tiny blush touched her cheeks as though she wasn’t expecting that, and then she pointed in my direction for me to go.
“I’ve never . . .” But nothing came to mind.
There were a few random coasters scattered on the table, my beer sitting on top of one made of glass. But what caught my eye were the white letters against the black cork coaster, a Shakespearean quote.
“The course of true love never did run smooth,” it read.
The first thing that came to my mind flew out of my mouth. “I’ve never had someone write me a poem.” Dumb. I should’ve skipped my turn.
Her eyes danced with amusement. “Poems,” she cooed. “The boys loved writing me poems.” She pointed her beer bottle in my direction again. “You get one more, because I took two turns.”
I tried to think of something good, something light, but nothing came to mind. I had started this game to get to know more about her, and I was beginning to realize how truly boring I was.
“I’ve never been in love,” I finally said.
It was such a weird guy thing to say, but it was true. I’d only experienced puppy love, not the true, all-consuming love. I knew once I felt that all-consuming part, I’d make it a point to marry that girl.
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Jeez, Brian. What’s up with the serious ‘I nevers’? And wait. So you, Brian Benson, have never been in love.”
“Nope. Never.” I shook my head. “Not where I couldn’t live without a girl, couldn’t function.” I’d thought I was in love many times, but now knew it hadn’t been the real thing.
I waited to see what she would do—would she drink, or would she not? She didn’t move or speak, so I prompted, “You’ve been in love?”
Immediately, her smile left her face, and I knew her relationship with this Cole guy hadn’t ended well. I gripped the bottle tighter, wanting to know about this bastard, particularly his address.
Her tone was disconnected, quieter. “Yep. A long time ago.” She seemed closed off all of a sudden, and I felt a chill in the air at the change in mood.
My instincts told me to drop it, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not today. Not this time. “So what happened? He let a girl like you go?” I used flattery to try to change her mood, but she didn’t give an ounce of a reaction. I knew this guy had hurt her, but I had to tread carefully because, knowing Kendy, she’d close up like a clam, like she’d done every time before.
“It was a long time ago.” Her stare turned vacant as her breathing slowed. “Cole was my first and last boyfriend in high school.” Her tone was acidic, hatred ringing in her eyes. “Fucker cheated on me and stole more from me than you can imagine. He walks the streets of Bowlesville like he owns the fucking joint, when he’s a piece of dog shit.” Her voice got louder as she spoke. “I hate him.” The way she said it, the way her eyes filled with pain, even though her voice reeked of hatred, had my insides on fire with a rage I’d never felt before.
I clenched my jaw from revealing any emotion.
I wondered what guy in his right mind could cheat on Kendy, or even cheat in general. Was this the guy she’d been talking about at the park? Had he been abusive toward her?
Her words rang out in my head. Took away your free will, where you felt helpless.
I wanted to ask her more, though I knew she wouldn’t answer. Still, I needed to take away the cold, disconnected look in her eyes.
The next second, I was inching closer, ducking my head so I was in her line of sight. “I’ve never kissed a nurse before you.”
***
KENDY
One minute my body was shaking, and the next Brian’s handsome face was in my line of sight. I didn’t take a sip, because I had never kissed a nurse, either. I had only ever kissed a doctor, but not the doctor who I had my sights on.
Cole’s asshole face was imprinted in my head. His cocky ways, his arrogant self. “Bitch! You think you’re better than me? You think you can just leave me?” Trembling, I shook my head to get the visual of him looming over me out of my mind.
Being in love was blind. He was hella hot and the most popular guy at Bowlesville High. Maybe that was why I’d had my eyes on him. I’d felt flattered when he’d asked me out. He was the only guy I’d ever dated all through high school. I’d thought he was the one, maybe because he was the only one I’d ever known. There was a difference.
When you were young and in love, you thought love lasted forever; you thought love could only ever be pure. You expected it to be perfect and drama free. I had expected it to be like those princess books, when the prince scooped up the princess and whisked her away in the pumpkin that turned into a carriage.
You never expected a relationship to leave you gutted and heartbroken.
The more I thought about Cole, the more my hands shook with anger. The next moment, I rammed my lips against Brian’s, wanting to have some essence of control. I needed to be in control.
I shoved him down on the couch, his head hitting the cushions, and ran my hand down his chest. I reveled in the firm span of his six-pack, which instantly made me wet. My tongue moved from his chin to the outer shell of his ear while my hands gripped his hair.
“I’ve never done it on a brown leather couch,” I breathed, flicking my tongue against his.
He shifted beneath me, and I could feel how ready he was. My insides clenched with anticipation as I pulled at his shorts. I guess the ‘I never’ game was over, which was fine by me.
***
BRIAN
I rubbed my eyes and stood. My head was spinning from the abrupt movement, and from one too many beverages last night. The last thing I remember was putting Kendy in a cab and giving the driver one too many bills. I walked slowly into the living room, shielding my eyes from the bright light.
Trey was already dressed and sitting on the couch. Leftover pizza from whenever was on the coffee table in front of him.
I didn’t say a word as I strolled to the windows, pulling the curtains together to lessen the light in the room.
“Holy shit,” I said, rubbing my eyes with the back of my palms. The roof of my mouth felt like sand paper. I was probably dehydrated, but I needed to sit before I toppled over.
I plopped next to Trey, who had this amused smile on his face, which didn’t help my mood.
“Why you smiling like an idiot?” I practically growled at him.
“Don’t know,” he joked, still looking at me like I was the funniest thing on the planet. I’d seen him butt-ass wasted before, and I’d been more sympathetic.
“Got something to tell me, bro?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
My eyebrows pulled together. “What?” My headache coupled with my queasy stomach was giving me major issues with my mood.
“Come on, man. Don’t hold back. What’re friends for? Lay it all out on the table.”
“You’re speaking a foreign language, dude. And a little too loud.” I let my head hang between my hands and massaged my temples with my fingertips.
“When did you start falling for her?”
My head shot up, causing the whole room to spin. “What’re you talking about?”
“You and the blondie. The one you’re doing. When did you—”
“I heard you. But I told you, we’re not like that,” I snapped, glaring at him.