Page 25 of Bending Under Pressure

After I pay for my milkshake, we head toward my house in our separate cars. After the other night and my inability to stop kissing him, I’m nervous about having him over to my house. This will be the first time he’s seen it. The first time we’ve really been alone, too. Keelan parks behind me and we walk up to the front door.

“I feel like I should have already seen this place as many times as I’ve been in the driveway,” he says as we enter.

I laugh. “Well, I’ll give you a tour.” We walk through the living

room, kitchen, and down the hallway to the bathroom, Mom’s room, and finally my room.

“Wow, I didn’t know you were a bookaholic,” Keelan says as he stands in front of my three bookcases, full of books. He scans my titles and I feel self-conscious, almost as if I’m standing naked before him.

“Yep.” I’m not sure if me loving to read is a good thing or not in his eyes. I usually only read at home because at my old school, I got sick of people telling me I read too much. Like really? How is that even a bad thing? Once, I got in trouble for reading because I wasn’t watching the video the substitute was playing. We weren’t going to be quizzed on it and it had nothing to do with the class. It was a last-minute way to waste time since our teacher hadn’t shown. I sit on the edge of my bed, thankful I cleaned my room yesterday as Keelan continues to look around. I lay back, my legs dangling from the knee down.

When he’s satisfied, he sits down next to me, mocking my position. “I like your house and your room.”

“I like yours better.”

He laughs. “Why?”

“Feels more homey.” What are we supposed to do in here? I mean I’ve never had a boy in my room before. I’ve never had a boy over without one of my parents’ home. “Why do you race?” I ask, needing to fill the silence.

“I love the rush, the power of my car, and the way it feels when I drive over the hills.” I know exactly what he’s talking about. Your stomach drops; it’s such an odd sensation to start with, but it’s addicting. Keelan turns his head toward mine, so I do the same. “Why do you love it?”

Honestly, I hadn’t considered my reaction to riding with him and why I enjoyed it so much. I remember sitting in the passenger seat, feeling the lurch of the car as he took off, and watching everything fly by so fast while we were so close to Alan’s car. “The speed,” I answer quietly. Even though I wasn’t driving, it was incredible. “I felt invincible.” The headiness of that caused me to feel confident enough, powerful enough, and brave enough to lean over and do the only thing I could think to do at the time—kiss him—because the moment was too incredible to let it simply end when he stopped the car.

Keelan’s lips stretch into a grin. “It’s even better when you’re driving. Maybe Friday after my game, I can give you your first lesson.”

“You were serious?”

He props himself up on an elbow, angling toward me a little more. “Yeah, I was. Unless you don’t want to learn?”

I prop myself up as well because I want us to be on even ground without him towering over me, but it only puts our faces so close together. “I want to learn.”

“So, Friday?”

“Yep.”

Keelan smiles’ it distracts my eyes and causes them to drop to his lips. I stare for a moment too long because they move, whispering, “I want to kiss you.”

My gaze snaps up to his and my heart starts pounding like a horse galloping at full speed. This is why you don’t invite boys into your bedroom! They will want to kiss you and God knows what else. I’m near panic as I gulp, but I barely nod my head; part of me trusts Keelan to just kiss me. His hand feels impossibly warm as he slips it underneath my hair and grasps the back of my neck like he did in the car after the race.

His head tilts as he brings me a tad closer. Am I still breathing? Suddenly, I feel lightheaded. Keelan presses his lips to mine, my eyes falling closed. I wonder if I’ll pass out while he’s kissing me and if he’ll go tell Cameron about it. When our mouths part and I taste his tongue, I forget how to think, how to breathe, and oh my God! I’m making out with Keelan Moore!

All of a sudden, I’m too aware of our breathing, his mouth, his hand, and how his knee is touching mine now. Dizzy at his kiss, the arm holding me up collapses, and I’m lying flat on my back. Holy cow, his torso is on my torso and I think I’m going to pass out soon.

“Haley! Who is here with you?”

Keelan jumps back and sits up at the sound of my mom shouting from down the hall. I sit up, my lips feeling swollen, and try not to laugh as Keelan scoots to the other end of the bed.

“A friend,” I answer as she appears at my bedroom door.

She frowns when she sees us.

“Hey, Mrs.—” Keelan falters, realizing he doesn’t know my mom’s new last name.

“Mrs. Rita is fine,” she tells him with narrowed eyes, and I have to refrain from rolling my eyes. “What have you two been doing in here?”

It’s not like I can say we were watching TV because it’s turned off.

“Talking,” Keelan answers for me. “I had a rough day, met my birth mom and all, and Hales was letting me get it off my chest before I have to go home and answer my mom’s bazillion questions.”

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