Page 59 of One Little Kiss
My breathing feels too quick and the oxygen’s not getting to my brain.
“Okay, you are clearly freaking out right now,” he says.
And he sounds so calm I kinda want to kick him. Instead, I continue to gape at him with wide eyes, my lips still parted like at some point words might come out.
But that would require thought.Coherentthought.
That would require me to know what I want to say. And I don’t. I don’t know anything.
I start to back up, but Elijah stops me. “Don’t run away, Noelle…”
“Um, I have to…” I nod toward the gym where our friends are waiting. Our friends.
Our friends!
Suddenly I'm blinking back tears because I’m beginning to realize what happened, and just how much this could ruin everything. “I…I have to go.”
“Noelle,” he starts.
But like a coward, I run back inside. I forget that I’m wearing his jacket until I’m in the hot, crowded gym that smells faintly of dirty socks and too many bodies dancing.
“Hey!” Celia beams at me, heading over hand-in-hand with Heath.
They look so freakin’ happy my heart aches.
“You okay?” Celia gives me a weird smile.
I have no idea what my face is doing right now, but it’s making her look worried.
So, I nod. I smile. At least, I hope I do.
Judging by Celia’s creased brows, I’m gonna go ahead and say my smile is less than convincing.
“We were wondering where you two ran off to,” Heath says. And then he stops talking, and both of their brows arch as they look over my shoulder.
My heart starts to trip and falter. I don’t have to turn around to know that Elijah’s coming after me. Of course he is. There are some days I think I know Elijah better than I know myself. And he is so not the sort to stand by and let me go if there’s something he wants to say.
Elijah doesn’t run and hide.
But I do.
The thought isn't exactly heartening. In fact, it kinda makes me want to cry. And the fact that my heart’s racing like I’m some scared rabbit fleeing a wolf makes me feel beyond pathetic.
Even so, that’s exactly how I feel when I glance over my shoulder to find Elijah stalking toward me, his jaw clenched and his mouth set in a determined line.
“Is everything okay with you two?” Celia asks.
But the way she’s asking makes it clear she already knows the answer, so like a wuss I slip off his jacket, hand it to Celia and say, “Can you give this back to him, thanks.”
And then I run.
Well…I walk quickly. These heels are no joke, and they don’t care that my heart is tripping over itself as I try to get away from…
My best friend.
I wince. What am I doing running from my best friend?
But then again, what is my best friend doing kissing me?
