Page 44 of Bending Under Pressure

I nod, hold out my hand, and then lead her to my car. She’s silent on the way back. She is gripping her phone in her hand and every few moments, she drops her gaze from the scenery to stare at it. As usual, my parents are out on their date, and Cam is at Jess’s house, so it’s only us. We walk inside and Haley sits down on the couch. I grab the remote to turn on the TV. After finding a DVD of Fast and Furious, I pop it in and turn to her.

“Want something to drink? Tea, Coke Zero, water?”

“Coke, please.”

Grinning, I say, “You really are a girl after my own heart, aren’t you? If only I could get you to see the light about Virginia Tech.”

A rush of accomplishment fills me when she laughs and rolls her eyes. “You wish, Keelan.”

I leave and grab us each a can. I take a seat next to her, start the movie, and relax into the couch. We both take a sip before setting our drinks down on the coffee table. My level of comfort around Haley rises the more I’m with her. It’s how I can reach over and take her hand without thinking too much about it. But I find myself still holding my breath for a reaction from her. I want to see how it affects her. See if it messes with her like it messes with me.

She squeezes my hand. From the corner of my eye, I watch her chest rise with a quick breath and then she rests her head on my shoulder. Just like that, we watch the movie. At one point, I get thirsty, but I’m comfortable and I like her leaning into to me, so I stay thirsty. It’s hard to focus on the movie completely. How can I? Haley is here, next to me, on our couch, in my house, and we’re alone. Thoughts of kissing her again, like we did when we were alone in her house, pass through my mind multiple times. However, I’m content with sitting like this with her.

When the movie ends, Haley says, “I just don’t get it.”

I frown. “Which part?”

She sits up, pulling her legs onto the couch after she takes off her shoes, and turns toward me. “Not the movie. I meant my dad. All this time, he’s wanted nothing to do with me. He’s barely tried to be in my life since we moved here. Now, all of a sudden, he wants to make things right. Why? What changed?”

I have no answers for her, or none that I think could be correct, but I try anyway. “Maybe he feels guilty now that you know what he did and has been doing since y’all left.”

“Oh, so now he grows a conscience?” She shakes her head, an angry glint in her eyes. “He gave me this long spell about how he was sorry and wanted to make things right with me. He apologized for showing up at my game like he did.” Haley pauses and hangs her head to look at her hands in her lap. “He sounded really sorry,” she whispers. Desperately, she wants to forgive him. I can tell by how she talks about him. She’s angry, but she obviously misses him too.

“Hales, I think you should give him a chance.”

Her head snaps up. “I want to, but he keeps bringing up his new family and how I would get along with Carly because she plays tennis too.” She takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to know them. They are a part of what ruined my family. He wants to thrust me into his new life. All I want is my dad back.”

“Did you tell him that?” I ask.

“No.”

“Then, you might want to.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Are you racing Alan again tonight?”

“No. Have you met Finn yet? He’s on the baseball team?” Haley shakes her head. “Well, that’s who I’m racing.”

“Who usually wins?”

I crack a grin. “Who do you think?”

Haley laughs. “Okay, then who do you lose against? You can’t win them all.”

“Why not?” She tilts her head with an oh, c’mon look. “I’ve lost against everyone I’ve raced a handful of times,” I admit. “As far as you’ve seen,” I lean closer, “I’ve only lost when you were driving, but it was worth it.” Eliminating the distance between us, I do what I’ve wanted to do since the moment I saw her today.

I slip my hand beneath her silky blonde hair to gently grab her neck and kiss her. My intention was to simply press my lips to hers for a few moments and then pull away. But this is Haley and it’s impossible to stop tasting her. She’s like this vortex that keeps pulling me further and further in until I’m lost, my senses stripped and replaced with all things Haley. When I kiss her, there’s no pressure. Not to do well in school and in football. Not to learn about Natalie and Keira. Not to be the best, grateful kid to my parents. There’s only my Hales and me.

The kisses are slow, languid, and lazy. The heat that always seems to be between us, just below the surface, is still there, teasing us every so often with a suck on a tongue or quick lash of it against the other’s. When Haley’s hands grasp my face, my body seems to move on its own accord to lay us down. And I am on top of her.

Holy Hales.

But I feel a slight change in her, a quick tensing of her muscles. I pull away, resting my forehead against hers. My chest heaves with my heavy breathing. She doesn’t seem nervous, but her body is betraying her. Her fingers twitch against my cheeks.

“This okay?” I breathe, hoping it is because she feels good beneath me, but if it isn’t, then back upright we go.

Her eyes search mine. “Just this,” she whispers, pressing a quick kiss to my lips to reinforce her meaning.

Just kissing.

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