Page 10 of Broken Grump

He hesitates, but he eventually tips it back, down his throat.

“Holy shit!” he exclaims after balling his hand into a fist and coughing into it.

“Strong?” I ask innocently.

“Yeah. You could say that.” He dabs at his mouth with the back of his wrist. “To be honest, I don’t really drink that much.”

Oh?From my vantage point, it looked like he was used to taking shooters with his friends all night.

“Water,” he says, and we both laugh.

I wasn’t much of a drinker at the time either, except for when Abuelo wanted to share a night cap. So I just set the bottle down, and we sat there in silence for a bit.

“So . . .”

“So,” I repeated.

Then, after a few more seconds of awkwardness, I surprise myself after I lean forward, grabbed the back of his neck, and kissed him.

It was magical, at least from my point of view. His lips are soft, pillowy, and tastes like what potpourri smells like. Granted, I know that was from theGuifiti. But still.

When I pull away, my anxiety starts kicking in. And it doesn’t help that he wouldn’t say anything.

Shit, shit, shit.“I—I’m sorry,” I say with my eyes wide.

Why the hell did you do that?

Eventually, he laughed. “Sorry? For what?”

“For—”

Before I could finish my sentence, our lips were smashed together again, and his long fingers were tangling in my hair.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he admits after coming up for air.

My heart felt so full to the point that I was worried it might explode.

“Me too.”

“Really?” he cups my face in his hands.

I nod, and he smiles before resuming the kiss.

Oh, God.My stomach flutters from the familiar view. Just being back in this room has all of those naïve and giddy feelings coming back to me.

I squirm in my dusty seat as I start experiencing a pulsating feeling between my legs. The memory keeps flooding my mind.

The way we rose to our feet, and he guided me over to my grandpa’s desk? It was unforgettable.

“Should I lay down?” I ask.

Instead of answering, he lifts me up and climbs on top of me.

I’m wearing a tank top, so the cool wood caused goosebumps to form on my bare arms.

“You okay?” he asks after he seems to take notice.

I bit down on my lower lip and nodded. “Mhm.”

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