Page 38 of Believe in Caloosa Springs

“When you are done being all emo and self-deprecating, I would sure like to kiss you.”

I could feel my face flush, and the back of my neck suddenly felt like it was on fire. “Well, since you used a five-syllable word and all...” The words came out of my mouth slowly, and I suddenly felt like I was frozen in place.

You’ve kissed two dudes at once and swallowed cum on a livestream, why the fuck are you panicking now?

Porter smiled and leaned over the center console, closing most of the distance between us as his hand came up to rest on the side of my cheek moments before his lips brushed against mine. Slow at first, just testing, then his hand moved to the back of my neck and as he deepened the kiss. His mouth was warm, and I got the faintest taste of coffee as his tongue pushed past my lips and into my mouth. The kiss lasted forever and not nearly long enough all at the same time, as Porter slowly pulled away, and brushed his thumb across the top of my cheek.

“Thank you,” he whispered, a warm smile tugging at his lips. “I was worried I’d blown my shot to ever get to do that.”

My brain had completely turned to mush, and I had no clue how to respond to him, so I didn’t. I just sat there staring at him (with the stupidest look on my face, I’m sure).

“Can I text you?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Are you gonna text back?”

“Are you gonna send me nudes?” God, my brain-to-mouth filter wasgone.

Porter laughed. “Would you like me to?”

Yes.“Yes.”

The crests of his cheeks were turning pink; he was so fucking cute. “Okay.”

“Okay,” I repeated, and got out of his car.

I walked up the driveway, bound and determined to not look back over my shoulder like some love-sick puppy dog, and failed. Like that guy fromHadestown,I looked back and saw the stupid, cheesing grin on his face through the windshield and felt myself blush again.

Stupid.

My little love-sick fairytale bubble popped the second I crossed the threshold of the house and saw Mandy sitting at the kitchen counter.

Fuck, I still had to tell her about the Jeep.

“Hey,” she said casually as she took a sip from her coffee mug. “Were they out of donuts?”

Fuck!

“Well, actually, I never made it to the diner. I mean, I did, but I never made itinsidebecause the road was icy, and I crashed your Jeep into the back of George Barlosky’s car, and then I had to pay off his bar tab. But then Porter kissed me.”

Mandy’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and she set her mug down on the countertop. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I think I sprained my wrist.” I held my hand up as if a sprain was something she was going to be able to see with her naked eye.

Mandy stood there with her mouth open for 30 solid seconds.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“I’m trying desperately to unpack that trauma-onion you just threw at me.” She bit her lip. “Is my Jeep totaled?”

I shook my head. “No, just some dents and scratches on the grill.”

“Damn, you couldn’t have totaled the thing? I’m so fucking underwater on that bitch.”

I scrunched my nose. “Girl, you make, like, a hundred grand a year. Just pay the fucker off. What is wrong with you?”

“I’d have to, like, whip out my savings, though, and that makes me nervous.”

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