Page 109 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
We spend much of the afternoon trying to conquer the slackline, then leave it and go for a walk along the river, enjoying the dappled sunshine.
“I’m going to miss you when school starts next week and I go back to Princedelphia,” I say.
Kalle’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows. “Yeah,” he croaks. “Me, too.”
We stop to watch the water rushing around the rocks in its path. After a bit, he reaches out his hand like he’s going to take mine, pauses, then holds it out more emphatically. “Let’s walk some more.”
I love the way his palm feels against mine. He’s warm and solid, my prince. My friend.
We walk along a quiet path in the woods quite a distance from home, enjoying the fragrances of spruce and pine and encountering no animals except for a squirrel or two. In a clearing dotted with scraps of metal fuselage from an old plane crash, he stops. His cheeks have gone red, and he’s biting his lip. Though he’s turned to face me, he doesn’t look me in the eye.
“What is it?” I ask.
He scrapes a hand through his hair. “Can I say something? Except I feel like if this goes wrong, it will mess everything up.”
“You could never mess things up with me,” I assure him. But my pulse is pounding in my throat, because the look in his eyes isn’t one I’ve seen before.
“I like you,” Kalle says.
I chuckle. “I like you, too.”
“No,” he says, reaching out and squeezing both of my hands. His have gone clammy. “I like you. More than as a friend.”
Dizziness takes over, and I put a hand on his arm to help me stay upright. “Really?”
“Yeah.” His voice cracks.
“I like you, too.” I huff. “I always have.”
“Can I try something?” Kalle asks.
I think I know what he’s about to do … I definitely know what I’dlikehim to do … but I can’t let myself think that, because what if I’m wrong? The one thing I’m sure of is that I trust Kalle. Period. “Of course.” I pause, grinning. “Should I ask what?”
“I’d like to kiss you.”
My poor brain can’t think anything other thanholyshitisthisreallyhappeningandyesplease. “I’d like that also very much, too. I mean, I’d like that, too. I mean, yes, please, kiss me.” Kill me now.
And Prince Kalle, my best friend, leans forward and brushes his lips against mine.
My breath stops. I feel like I’ve just been electrocuted—in the best possible way.
Kalle is kissing me.
I’ve never been kissed before. I’ve met guys who’ve said they were interested in me, but I haven’t done anything about it, because none of them were Kalle. But my body figures out what to do pretty fast: I kiss him back.
He pulls away and nods a few times. “I’ve just been wanting to do that for a very long time.”
“Me, too. You have no idea.” Taking his face between my hands, I kiss him this time, and he parts his lips, inviting me in. I respond instinctively, deepening the kiss.
Kalle tastes like mint—my favorite—and arousal shoots through me. He clutches me to him, and we kiss under the pine trees until Kalle startles. He whips his head to the side. “Shut it.”
“What?” I laugh, my lips feeling stung.
“The squirrels seem to think they need to comment on my technique.”
I start laughing. “We’d better practice some more.” When we finally break apart far enough to look at one another, we’re both panting. “Did that really just happen?” I whisper.
He clears his throat. “Yeah. Okay. Wow.”
