Page 135 of The Perfect Spiral
“Knox? Yours?” Andy prods, nudging me subtly under the blanket. He clears his throat, leaning forward in his seat, and looks up at her through hooded eyes. “Alex,” he says simply.
Wait, what? Did I hear him right? I blink a few times, as if that will help me replay what he just said.
“Alex who?” Tyler asks for clarification, probably thinking of another Alex in our year. To my shock, Knox lifts his bottle, pointing it at me.
“That Alex,” he says, taking a sip from his bottle and watching my reaction. And right now, I’m not so subtle. I’m sitting there like a deer in headlights, staring at him, blinking in disbelief.
No, that can’t be right. “Bullshit!” I blurt out.
His eyes widen slightly before returning to their original state. He shakes his head. “No, you were my first kiss. In that closet, from seven minutes in heaven that turned into fifteen, thanks to Kyle.”
My mouth hangs open in disbelief. It shouldn’t be a big deal, but I thought he would’ve kissed other girls before me. This can’t be right. I raise a questioning eyebrow, sipping my drink.
“Your first kiss was my sister?” Kyle asks, raising an eyebrow at Knox as he sips his own beer. Knox nods, picking at the label on his bottle, clearly uncomfortable.
“Yeah, she was my first kiss...Hannah?” he diverts any potential questions, and I feel Andy’s eyes on me. I look at her, and she’s smirking, sipping her drink through a straw.
“Chase Richardson, it was so bad,” she laments, her cheeks and ear tips flushed a rosy pink.
“Alex?” Andy teases, her smirk revealing her amusement. I can feel her and Hannah’s eyes on me. I glance over at Knox, who is listening attentively. I know I have to be honest. If I lie, they’ll call me out, and I’m not in the mood for shots tonight.
I lean back into the plush sofa and say, “Knox,” watching him for his reaction. He’s mid-sip on his beer bottle. He pauses momentarily, then continues drinking, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
As he swallows his beer, I see a small smile playing on his lips. He’s still leaning forward, meeting my gaze with a clenched jaw. But he’s smiling.
“Wait! So you were each other’s first kisses?” Tyler probes, and we both nod in confirmation. “Cute,” he teases, drawing out the ‘u’ as he pinches Knox’s slightly pink cheeks.
We look away from each other, a bit embarrassed by everyone’s reactions. Kyle, Max, and Cole all took it surprisingly well, but Andy and Hannah spent the rest of the night smirking at me, trying to catch my attention.
I’ve never stared at Tyler for this long in my entire life. I steal glances at Knox, and each time, he catches me.
More questions are asked, and then all the boys head inside, leaving me alone with Andy and Hannah. As soon as the door shuts, they both turn to face me, and I feel like I’m stuck in the middle.
“Oh my god! You were each other’s first kisses! That’s adorable!” Andy gushes, clasping her hands together and throwing her head back in delight.
“So adorable,” Hannah agrees, her gaze lost in the darkness of the beach.
“How? Lots of people were each other’s first kisses.”
“It’s cute, alright! Just accept it and be proud. Your first kiss was with the sexiest man alive, and you were his. What more could you possibly want?” Andy’s tone is wistful and lovesick.
“Well, it didn’t mean much to us when we were younger. It wasn’t really the best memory for me. I mean, Hannah, you saw how he treated me after it happened. He was such a jerk about it.”
Hannah nods in agreement, munching on the chips on the table in front of us. I lean over to grab some of my own when the boys come back out.
I settle back down onto the sofa, and Andy rests her head on my shoulder. Hannah snuggles up to me too. The boys smile down at us as they pass by, commenting on how cute we look.
“I’m sleeping with you tonight, Al. We need some girl time!”Andy murmurs, her voice low and tinged with fatigue.
“Same, I miss my best friend,” Hannah adds, shifting closer to me. “What about me?” Kyle pouts at the three of us.
“What about you? Chicks before dicks, Kyle!” I retort, smirking at him. He looks to Andy, hoping she’ll change her mind, but I know she won’t budge.
“Chicks before dicks, Kyle, sorry,” she echoes, backing me up on our little sleepover plan. Kyle isn’t happy, so he glares at me. He can’t keep a straight face, though, and starts to drink from his bottle to hide his smile.
He’s not doing a very good job.
“Sorry, bro, but she’s my girl tonight,” I say, pinching his cheeks. He glares at me again when Brett speaks up. He really should’ve kept his mouth shut.
