Page 75 of Wild For You
I said hello to the people we passed on our way to the stairwell. Once we reached the top, Kelsey walked over to the large pane windows that gave a breathtaking view of the Smoky Mountains.
“Wow. I don’t think there is a more beautiful view in all of Ashfield.” Kelsey sighed as she leaned against the glass.
“It’s pretty great. Aspen has a place she goes when she hikes that has an amazing view of the entire town.”
“Hm….“
“This isn’t what I wanted to show you, by the way.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. Follow me.” Off to the side was a ladder built into the wall. It used to extend all the way to the floor, but when the landing was added on the second floor, it was cut in half. I hoisted Kelsey up and stood beneath as she climbed. When she reached the floor above us, I began my ascent, mostly pulling myself up as I went.
When I reached the top, Kelsey stood near the small opening in the darkness.
I searched around the wall and found the light switch Nash helped me install when I was in fifth grade. Flipping the switch, a yellow glow from a single bulb in the middle of the room illuminated the loft.
“Wooow,” she breathed as she looked around the space.
I had a bedroom at the house, of course, but this was where I played. Drawings littered the walls. Newspaper clippings about me were tacked onto the wood. Pictures from school and camps were pinned on a corkboard.
“Look at you. You were adorable.” Kelsey pointed out a picture of me in eighth grade, when I won the science fair. My glasses and braces made me nearly unrecognizable.
“Sure.”
“You were. Believe me. I went through the same awkward phase.”
“Now that, I find hard to believe. Come on. There is one more thing I want to show you.”
“This isn’t it?”
“Not completely.” I turned down a long, narrow hallway that led to the opposite side of the loft. There was a sliding glass door that opened onto an outdoor deck barely big enough for two people. Mom used to worry that I would fall off the roof somehow, but Dad assured her that I was fine.
“Oh, my goodness. This is so cool!” Kelsey exclaimed as she stepped out onto the deck. During renovations, they changed out the wood and the door, then the roof was replaced.
“If you look hard enough, you can see the Ferris wheel at the Fall Festival.”
Kelsey leaned over the railing and narrowed her eyes, while I instinctively reached out to take hold of the back of her sweater.
“Yes!” she shouted.
“On a clear day, you can make out most of the town.”
“I am so jealous of you right now.”
We stood on the deck until the first raindrops sprinkled along our arms. Inside, I locked the sliding door and walked over to the main loft space. The sound of the rain hitting the metal roof was like nature’s own drum. The steady beat was something I’d fallen asleep to many times in this space.
“Come here.” I beckoned Kelsey as I tugged at the bottom of her sweater.
She quickly placed herself between my arms and pressed her hands against my chest. My hands cupped her face and slid back into her hair, gathering the strands until I held them in a single fist. Without much effort, I tilted her head back and pressed my mouth against hers in a needy kiss.
Using my free hand, I stroked the skin above the waistband of her jeans, feeling her tremble under my touch.
“Andrew,” she moaned into my mouth, and I captured each note of desire.
“Going to have to be a quick one, baby.”
“Okay.”
