Page 61 of Penalty Shots

I'm about to sit down, but the straightforwardness of his question nearly makes me miss the chair, and I stumble back into it. Keelan has quick reflexes and reaches out to catch my arm.

"I'm kidding." He chuckles, letting it go to allow me to settle down. "I know what this is?"

I clear my throat uncomfortably and reach for my backpack. "And what is this?"

"We're friends." He smiles and then drops into his messy bed, pulls out his own book, and starts flipping it to the current chapter we're discussing. "Ok, now let's get back on track. We got a lot of ground to cover."

Three hours and a split energy drink between the two of us later, I feel like my brain is mush. I slam my textbook closed.

"We have two more chapters."

"I can't," I practically cry from my place on the floor, my head resting at the edge of Ryker's bed.

Keelan closes his book, too. "Ok, I hear your pleas, my little queen. We can take a break."

"Thank God, because if I have to read another stream-of-consciousness rant, my brain is going to burst."

"Alright," he says, pushing himself up off his place on his bed. "Let's get up and get our blood flowing."

He jumps up and starts shaking out his limbs, then reaches down to help me up.

I reluctantly take his hand, and he hauls me off the floor and straight into his chest. "Woah, there. Don't be so eager."

"You did that on purpose."

"Maybe." His eyes sparkle with mischief, and I can't ignore that dipping feeling again—the same one I felt the first time I interacted with this guy.

He reaches for his bright blue iPod shuffle and starts spinning it until it lands on a song he wants. Then he plugs it into his stereo and presses play.

The words start immediately."Today I don't feel like doing anything. I just wanna lay in my bed."

Keelan sings along to them. And as he does, he dances in a circle around me, belting out the words.

I just stand there, watching him dance around me and shake my head. By the time the chorus comes back on, he grabs my hand and spins me around, locking me in as he twirls us and sings.

I can't help but relax. Keelan is so carefree. So fun. I wonder what kind of life a guy like him had to be this way.

He must have a great family. His parents are probably those kinds of people who jam out to music while they cook together, and they have random dance parties when the mood gets too glum.

Keelan is all bright light and joy. And without even trying, just by being with him, I feel that seep into my own life.

I couldn't stop the smile on my face if I tried. The song gets to the part where he talks about meeting a really nice girl and having really nice… ahem.

And as he sings that part, Keelan dips me and slowly brings me back up until we're face to face.

I want to kiss him.

I've never felt the urge to kiss someone so much in my life, but I want to. Nobody is around. He's already joked about going on a date. It could be our little moment. We'd never have to talk about it again.

So, before I can talk myself out of it, I reach for his neck and pull his face down to meet mine. He gasps, the song's words halting on his lips as we kiss for the first time.

The warmth of his mouth on mine makes the world feel like it's stopped for the briefest of moments. The music fades to the background, and it's just the two of us holding each other.

Kissing each other.

Wanting each other.

But it doesn't stop there. Like a dam that's been cracked and the waters unleashed, our hands move over our bodies. Exploring. Feeling. Touching.

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