Page 11 of The Art Of Starting Over

“No.” Hayden kept his voice low and tried to add a hint of seductiveness, although he wasn’t sure he’d done it right. “I want to kiss you.”

“What about Colt?”

“He’s not in here.”

Hayden’s heart picked up the pace as he thought about kissing Devorah. He’d seen enough TV to know where his hand should go and what his mouth should do, but knowing and doing were vastly different things in the minds of teenagers.

He cupped her face and leaned in. At first, he kissed the side of her lips and got more of her cheek than anything.

Awkward!

He tried again, and this time their lips pressed together. Another try, and he held his lips to hers for longer.

“Can I try with tongue?” he asked.

“I’ve never done that,” she said.

“Me neither.”

“You won’t tell Colt?” she asked.

“Never.”

“Okay.”

Hayden kissed her again, but this time he had more confidence and slipped his tongue into her mouth. When his touched hers, an explosion of terror, anxiety, thrills, and happiness rushed through his body. Devorah tilted her head up slightly and pushed her tongue a bit deeper into Hayden’s mouth. He moved his head to the other side, just like he’d seen numerous times while watching soap operas with his mother, and then back.

“We should stop,” she said, pulling away and resting her forehead against his.

“I know, but I don’t want to. That was, wow!”

“Maybe we can do it again.”

“When?” He knew he sounded eager. He was, and he had no idea how to control what he felt. His heart raced, and his skin felt as if it were on fire.

“Are you spending the night?”

From that night until he left for college, they made out every chance they could, but he never had the courage to tell Colt he wanted to date his sister. He regretted never saying something.

Now, Hayden stared at Devorah as his mind fumbled for something to say. The first thing that came to his mind was to ask how she was doing, but he could see that, just by looking at her, she was not well. He took her in. The long dark hair he remembered from years ago was still as beautiful as ever. Her striking brown eyes, the ones that had kept him mesmerized for years, were bloodshot and sitting on top of bags that looked bruised.

“What’s wrong?” he asked before he could stop the words from coming out. He should’ve started with “hi” or a compliment. “What can I do to help?”

She blanched and looked away. He fought the urge to turn her chin toward him so he could wipe away the tears rolling over her cheeks. Someone had hurt her.

Who?

Her husband?

Rage boiled in his belly. The last he knew, she’d married Chad Campbell, the biggest piece of shit Oyster Bay had ever encountered. He was an outsider looking in. Not someone from OB, Rhode Island, or even New England. He thought he could come to town and rule the roost. Most of the guys in high school hated the kid, but the girls seemed to fawn over him. Probably because he was a shiny new toy.

Hayden reached for her hand and felt his own hand warm. “Devorah,” he said softly. Her name had always been one of his favorites. It was unique and often mispronounced. Anyone who didn’t know her and saw her name would say “De-vor-ah,” when it was pronounced “Dev-ra.” Her name matched her.

Devorah smiled sadly and took her hand from his. He refused to let the rejection sting. “Hi, Hayden. Fancy meeting you here.” She looked back at the school and sighed.

“Yeah, I could say the same. What are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “Oh, you know.”

---