Page 76 of The Healing Dragon
AsI lay awake in bed, I trace my lips. A smile spreads wide as the memory of my first time kissing those very lips comes back to mind. How could I ever forget? It was the first time I was kissed.
15 years ago
I watch her from a bench in the garden for about fifteen minutes before I make my way inside. She is still wearing her flowy red gown. Her hair is no longer in the elaborate swirl at the back of her head, but I love it this way, all over her shoulders, spilling like delicate flames showcasing under the party’s lights.
Everyone has finally gone home. The event was hosted to celebrate Mrs. Duelos’ 50th birthday. The first ball Janelle has been allowed to attend.
I saw her seconds after she entered the room. I witnessed how, for the first time, the rest of Puerto Quinn’s high society finally realized the incredible beauty Janelle Duelo is. Dangerously so.
I take a bottle of champagne I managed to steal from the back kitchen and enter the room. She spots me as soon as I walk inside. Aside from a few staff members cleaning up for the night, we are the only two left. Janelle doesn’t stop swirling in place. Her hair and dress swing with the motion, making her look wild and free. Her smile is contagious and rare to see in the open.
I chuckle to myself as I catch up. “What do we have here?” I set the bottle on the floor and put my hands on my waist, watching her.
“Tonight was the best night.” She doesn’t stop dancing.
I grab onto her hand and pull her to my chest. Once together, I swirl her in place. We continue her dance across the ball room. The music is no longer playing, and the tables are now put away, but the light is low, and the energy is in the air.
She wasn’t allowed to dance much when the party was happening. Part of me wants to ask her why, but I know her relationship with her family is complicated and completely different from mine. The Duelo family has invisible rules they must follow withoutquestion. Their family lives in a different town and practices a different culture. I don't understand all of it.
We hear voices approaching from the double doors. We both stop dancing, gasping for air with the adrenaline running through our veins.
“Don’t let them find us just yet.” She makes a run for the garden.
I don’t hesitate to run after her, stopping just to grab the bottle of champagne from the floor. The garden lights are a few and far in between. We make our way to the gazebo hidden behind a line of trees on pure muscle memory. We can’t really see our way there and don’t use magic to illuminate the way. Once the solid wood of the gazebo comes into view under the beams of moonlight, we burst into laughter. We are too far from any house windows, so we don’t hold back.
We let our backs hit the ground side by side. Our hands grace each other as our breathing gets back under control. The chill of the night cools down my heated skin.
“Have you ever been kissed before?”
Her question is out of left field. It makes my laughter stop for a second, and then it starts again at the absurd idea.
“I think not,” I say, out of breath. A playful tone to my words from both the acceleration of the night and the wine. “I have done my fair share of kissing, but I have never been kissed.”
Without hesitation, Janelle leans over to me and places the sweetest kiss on my lips. “You now have been kissed, Jesse Oscuro.”
My brain short circuits.
Her hand is still on my cheek but has moved her face back. I don’t know exactly what comes over me, but I close the distance between us. My fingers sink into her hair as my lips trace hers. I cup her face with my palms and marvel at how soft her skin is compared to the roughness of my hands.
Janelle Duelo is the farthest thing from soft or delicate I haveever known, yet at this moment, in my arms, she is. And what a privilege it is to be the one who witnesses it.
“Why?” I ask once we finally break away.
“I may not have control over many things in my life, but I get to control this.” Her eyes pour into mine. “I decide, and my choice is you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
JANELLE
I’m certain the Fates are not awake this early in the morning. It’s immoral and almost disrespectful to start before the sun is out. The view from my window is pitch black.
It’s not beyond me to admit that I’m more than likely being dramatic. I love early mornings, but on my own terms. Being compelled to wake up early for work is something I don’t enjoy. Whatever Amy Bee has in store for me is work-related. Certainly something to do with my healing gift.
As I approach the clinic, I hear a crowd of people. When I enter, I’m not surprised to see a gathering of about twenty just inside the doors.
“It’s five fifteen. I was about to go get you,” Amy Bee says with a chirpy voice.
The room is full of the senior citizen staff from the looks of it. I never noticed how many of them have canes. The selection of canes is impressive. Some are the standard black or wood, but others have fancy decoration wrapping.
