Page 29 of If My Wishes Came True
“Well, enough about my dad—for now, anyway,” he says with a chuckle. “How’s your painting going? Are you putting those art supplies to good use?”
I wince. “I haven’t started yet.”
“Well, it’s been a busy week for you.”
I smirk. “You can say that again. I want to paint, but I’ve been too distracted.”
“Maybe you’ll feel inspired today,” he says.
I know he’s referring to the perfect morning we spent admiring art—but it’s the way he looks at me like I’m the most interesting person in the room that inspires me.
“I already do.”
We stroll back home hand-in-hand. When the elevator opens to the twentieth floor, he walks me to my front door and turns to me.
Whichever part of my brain is responsible for racing thoughts has gone radio silent. There’s no pleading voice begging me to run away this time.
Charlie puts his hands on my waist. His eyes are asking me the same question they asked by the lake last Sunday.Can I kiss you?
I don’t think—I just nod.
He cups my cheek with one warm palm as the other travels to the small of my back, pressing me closer to him. I place my hands on his broad shoulders, and he lowers his forehead to mine. A simple gesture that might go unnoticed by some—but not me.
It’s been forever since a man has touched me like this. So tenderly and sweetly.
I close my eyes, smiling, and when Charlie finally kisses me, I levitate off the ground. That’s what it feels like, at least. My body is light as a feather, and I float away from my heartbreak, to a place where my wishes come true. Where the sketches in my journal become real.
His pillowy lips are even softer than I imagined. I sigh a little into his mouth, and our tongues touch the slightest bit. He tastes like coffee and mint. It’s the best kiss I’ve ever had. Something tells me I’ll never be the same.
Something tells me I’m in love with him.
But how can I be in love with someone I’ve known for a week, and have only been out with twice? Even with Hunter, it didn’t happen this fast.
And I was sure Hunter Reed was the love of my life.
The thought breaks whatever spell I was under, and my fairytale is over before it starts. The urge to run overtakes me again, like Cinderella fleeing the ball at midnight so Prince Charming can’t discover who she really is.
When I step back from Charlie, I’m so lightheaded, I have to brace myself against the doorframe. “Oh my gosh,” I say, lifting my fingers to my lips.
“I know,” Charlie says, sounding equally stunned.
Vanessa was wrong—I wasn’t projecting. I knew Charlie was special the moment I laid eyes on him. And I never should have agreed to another date. Now I’m in over my head.
“Charlie,” I begin. “I…I’m not, um…”
I’m not looking for anything serious.
I’ve said the words so many times, this should be second nature. But it’s like I’ve forgotten how to speak. So I stand there, trying not to cry.
Charlie steps toward me and takes my hand, looking at our intertwined fingers before his gaze meets mine again.
“Jenna, this can be whatever you need it to be,” he says, softly. “No pressure. I’ve jumped into relationships before I was ready, and I don’t want to make that same mistake again.”
It’s like he’s reading my mind. He can see right through me, as though I were made of glass—like Cinderella’s slipper. He knows I’m a flight risk.
I choke back a sob. “Really? Are you sure?”
He nods, his lips curved into an earnest smile. “I will take whatever you’re able to give, if it means I get to spend more time with you.”
