Page 24 of Heartless Pucker in Love

“How do you know?”

“Looking back, it’s easier to see that you were uncomfortable from the start. Your expression that night when you practically sprinted out of the gym...”

I sighed. “I wanted to warn you. Tell you to leave. I didn’t know they’d followed me outside.” I also didn’t know that I’d be captivated by April’s beauty that night. Seeing her, I wished she’d been my date for real.

“Well, being humiliated in front of a few of your buddies and Regina beat being humiliated in front of the entire senior class so…” She shrugged. “Thanks, I guess.”

I grunted. “Please, don’t thank me. I never should have gone through with it. You were right. It was cruel. I’ve carried the guilt ever since. I’m really sorry, April. I hope you believe that, and I hope you can forgive me.”

She stared ahead at the huge windows. Silence stretched between us for a while. Maybe she was going to tell me to get lost, and that she’d hate me forever. “It was ten years ago,” she sighed. “Someone told me I need to get over high school. She was right. It’s okay, Julian. You played a prank as a kid. I won’t hold it against you forever. Apology accepted.”

I released a breath and gave her a small smile. She called it a stupid prank, but she had no idea just how much her obvious hurt had weighed on me. What I did wasn’t me. Even now, I couldn’t escape putting on a facade for the masses. It made me miserable sometimes.

“Are you okay?”

I laughed. “Why do you keep asking me that?”

“You keep going somewhere else.” To my surprise, she tapped my forehead. “In here. You’ve been doing it all day. Since we left Oakland, actually.”

She noticed that. Many of the people who were around me for much longer didn’t notice. Then again, I was good at putting up a front. That made April noticing my shift in moods all the more impressive. Finally, someone really saw me. I glanced at her. Perhaps she always had. Maybe that’s why I’d always accepted her insults with a certain amount of amusement. She wasn’t afraid to tell me the truth. At present, most people in my life were yes men and women. April had a special talent for calling me out on my shit, and it was refreshing.

“I’m fine,” I lied. I wasn’t going to apologize for my mistake then turn around and make this moment about me. “Even better now that things are good between us again.”

She lifted a brow. “When have things between us ever been good, Julian?”

I pressed my lips together to fight back my smile. “When I say good, I mean back to normal. You know, squabbling, being petty, followed by a very brief period of maturity.”

She giggled and I liked the soft, breezy sound.

“That’s just us...Flower Child.” And damn if I didn’t find some of our verbal battles stimulating. Her smile dimmed a little and I frowned. “What?”

“Why would you apologize and go back to the name-calling?”

“You got it all twisted, April. I’ve never called you that as an insult. I started calling you that because I found your obsession with flowers cute.”

“Cute? Really?”

“Quirky, but cute as hell.”

“O-oh...uh…” Her cheeks burned bright pink. “Thanks...”

I smothered a grin. Her occasional lapses into flustered awkwardness were adorable. Everything about her was cute. She was gorgeous, especially like this—fresh-faced, dressed casually, and skin glowing in the soft light of the room. I cleared my throat lightly to pull my thoughts away from how good she looked. I also tried to ignore how dangerously close she was sitting to me. “I guess, I should head back to my room now.” I really didn’t want to, but there were inappropriate thoughts about April seeping in. Things like: I wonder what her lips taste like. Are they as soft as they look? Is she really naked under that robe? I’d love to take a look.

Pulling a deep breath, I stood up, putting distance between myself and temptation.

“Okay.” She stood up too and pulled her lips between her teeth, drawing my attention to the plum pink flesh.

I swallowed, recalling how I’d wanted to taste her lips when I saw her on prom night. That wasn’t the first time I thought about kissing her. There were plenty of times in our teens when we had a volatile run-in where I wanted to kiss the hell out of her just so she’d shut up. I never risked it though. Sweet, shy April had a temper and claws that she only showed to me. A cute, but feisty kitten, that’s what she was. Maybe I took satisfaction in knowing I could draw her out of her shell like no other...and maybe, I used to tease her just for that purpose.

“So, see you in a few hours then.”

She nodded and walked me out. I turned around and we stood in front of the open door, facing each other. Why couldn’t I just leave? My mind was telling me to get the hell out but my body refused to cooperate.

“So…you’re sure we’re good?”

She rolled her eyes, and I felt like an idiot.

“Julian, you made your confession and repented so you won’t burn in hell for something you did when you were eighteen if that’s what you’re worried about. You can relax.”

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