Page 105 of Prince Charmless
“Yes, Taylor. I like you.” I go up on my tiptoes. “Do you want me to prove it?”
“No,” he says before I kiss him.
Are we not on the same page?
“I, uh, haven’t brushed my teeth.”
I point behind him. “Mouth rinse. Left cupboard. Go fast if you’re self-conscious.”
He makes a beeline for the washroom. “I’m trying to be polite,” he shouts.
As soon as I sit down, he’s already returned. He plants his lips on me from behind the couch, never taking them off as he climbs over the back of it. Don’t ask me about the logistics of the maneuver; my eyes are closed. His mintiness is a hangover-curing shock that feeds nervous and excited energy through my veins. I feel bubbly, carbonated, like I don’t need my morning tea. When his hand moves to my lower waist, I melt under his touch like a fudgesicle in the Mojave desert, completely helpless. How could a bad decision feel so right?
He pushes back. “What are you doing tonight?” we ask simultaneously, both sounding a little desperate.
He gestures for me to answer first.
“I’ll probably be here, lying naked in my bed, just patiently waiting to be ravished.” I try not to smirk. “Why? What areyoudoing tonight?”
“Well, I was supposed to walk through my deceased grandmother’s house with Tom before we sell it, but suddenly I have the urge to cancel.” His arms slither around my waist again.
“Are you kidding?” I put my hands on his forearms. His sweet sweet forearms.Your girl needs to get laid.“Looking through a rich lady’s old stuff, that sounds like loads of fun.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic.”
I’m...not?“What else are we going to do? Eat out and go mini-golfing? I’ll even let you kiss me again afterward.”
Taylor half-smiles. Because of his little problem involving him being the most famous man in the country, we can’t do normal things that normal people do on dates. We’ll just have to figure out a workaround.
“Only kissing?” he asks. “What are we, teenagers?”
“Any more and you’d have to beg for it.”
“Begging’s not my strong suit.”
“I know,” I lament. “I have so much to teach you.”
34
Melina
“Do you want to drive?” Taylor asked after I’d professed my undying love for his car.
Obviously, I had to adjust the seat. When I sat down, I was a mile away from the dash. The man has long legs.They’re for going fast,he told me.
I haven’t done much thinking about our arrangement since this morning, for I am being spontaneous. And spontaneous Melina doesn’t flinch, she never thinks twice, she’s always ready for action. I think I’m turning a new leaf. Or a whole goddamn tree.
Taylor directs me to his grandmother’s house, which is about a half hour away. We fill the time with conversation and music, and before I know it, I’m stopped in front of some spooky old gates. Obscured behind the wrought iron sits Grandma’s mansion. Not the Queen’s. The other one.
I drum my fingers on the steering wheel. “Kept her between the ditches for you.”
“Who?” he asks.
I roll my eyes. “Your car, Tay—never mind.”
He points out my window to a brick wall. “You have to press the thing.”
I lean out and hit a button right below the little camera. Nothing happens. I look to Taylor, who looks confused as well. Some static comes over the buzzer.
