Page 3 of Indirect Attack
“Your hair looks good like that,” she said finally.
“Yeah?” I shifted. I’d been unsure about the change, wondering what she’d think of going from shaggy blond locks to a Marine-issued buzz cut.
“Yeah.” She lifted her hand and ran it over the fuzzy layer, and I hoped she didn’t feel the shiver that ran down my spine at her touch. “It’s a good look on you. You’ve changed.”
“I have?” Having her close, wanting to say more and tell her how I feel but unable to do so had reduced me to one-word answers.
She nodded. “You’ve filled out a bit. You were all arms and legs in school.”
Her appreciative gaze moved over my shoulders and arms to my chest, and I had to clutch at the rough, peeling wood of the stairs beneath my hands as I wondered how to respond. I’d never been good at talking to girls, and now that I realized I had feelings for Jasmine, she seemed to fall under the heading.
“Yeah, and there’s just something different about you. Something more mature.”
Jasmine leaned closer, close enough I could smell the body wash she used. I knew it came in a pink bottle with flowers on it because I’d seen it every time I’d gone to the bathroom at her house. The scent permeated her clothing so that when I thought of her, I thought of the smell, too.
A breeze picked up, making the trees shimmer and pick up the crisp leaves to swirl them over the browning lawn. It lifted and twirled the thin stream of smoke from the burning pile, and a spark popped.
“Is that a good thing?” I finally managed to ask.
Jasmine’s eyes were large and green as she stared up into my face, and my voice sounded strangled to my ears.
“Yeah.” She licked her lips slowly, then pressed them together. “I’ve really missed you, Ben.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I managed through a tight throat.
I could feel something between us, a flickering flame of warmth and a current of anticipation.
“I have to go back in two days,” I croaked, the words coming out of nowhere.
Jasmine pulled back and blinked, breaking the moment, and I cursed myself. Why in the world had I said a damn thing?
“And I’m only here for fall break. So?”
She was leaning again, and I mirrored her, our faces so close I could feel her breath on my skin, her lips parted and inviting.
“I have a huge crush on you. I’ve had a massive crush on you since we were kids.”
The words came out in a rush before I could stop them, the letters crowding together until I didn’t even know if she could understand me.
But Jasmine’s green eyes widened, and I saw something I hadn’t dared to think possible but I’d hoped for. Then the corner of her eyes crinkled as she smiled again.
“That’s good, then, because I’ve had a massive crush on you since we were kids.”
“Really?” This time, it was my turn to be shocked.
“Ever since you kissed me for that Halloween dare.”
I could only stare at Jasmine for a long moment, the play of light on her softly pale skin, the sharp angles of her face I’d studied in the photo until lights out, the soft curve of her mouth.
And I kissed her.
It was a soft kiss, a sweet kiss, our lips touching gently, like neither of us was sure we should or if it was a good idea. And then it became something more as we both gave in to our feelings, the rush, the thump of my heart, the way the candle flame of attraction became something more that fizzed and shimmered between us.
My pulse was still tripping under my skin as Jasmine pulled away, the low grumble of my dad’s truck reverberating through the soles of my shoes.
“Is your mom home?” she asked softly.
It hadn’t been the words I’d been expecting. “S-She’ll be home soon,” I stuttered.
