Page 18 of One Lovely Lie

“True, but this is important to me.” I’m suddenly overcome with a nauseating feeling that there’s a different reason why he doesn’t want to talk about it. “Wait, did you not like it?”

“What? Of course I did,” he says, stumbling over his words. “I really liked it.”

“Good. So, do you want to do it again?”

I don’t know where this genius idea comes from, but I’ve already put it out there. It shocks even me, but I can’t take it back. I don’t want to. I suddenly realize that all the thinking about Daniel could just be because I want to kiss him again and maybe do more with him.

“Do Iwhat?” His voice is a bit squeaky and if his cheeks were pink before, his face is on fire now.

“Think about it. You’re a virgin. I’m not. I can help you out and coach you through all your firsts,” I explain like it’s the most reasonable thing in the world…because it is.

That’s all it is. I just want another taste. It doesn’t have to mean anything. We’re just two platonic friends who like to kiss occasionally. I can get it out of my system, and Daniel can learn something from it.

I think my suggestion is smart, but Daniel lookspissed.

“What the hell, Magnus?” he screams, throwing his hands up in the air. “What the fuck are you talking about—coaching me? I’m not some pathetic charity case!”

“Hey, I never said you were,” I say, trying to appease him with my hands on his shoulders. “Just think about it for a second. I’m horny, you’re probably horny, we can just do this one thing together as friends.”

Because I need to have you again. Because I can’t stop fucking thinking about you and I don’t know why.

“Magnus, do you even realize how terrible that idea sounds?” he asks angrily. “You want to hook up with your best friend, no strings attached, just to teach me about sex?”

“Are you telling me you wouldn’t have sex with me?” I counter, suddenly a bit irritated myself. “Am I so horrible?”

“No, you’re not horrible, I just…” he stops himself, biting into his fist as he shakes his head. “What about our friendship?”

“What about it?” I question. “You and I are forever, Daniel. This doesn’t have to change anything. After giving you your first kiss, I realized that I want all those experiences to be special for you. I don’t want us to go off to college and have someone take advantage of you.”

Especially if I go to Germany…

Stop it. That doesn’t exist here.

Although Daniel still looks pissed, I can see the telltale resolve of his will slipping when he bites his bottom lip. He’s looking at me now with a different kind of heat in his eyes and I breathe a sigh of relief.

This shit would have been really awkward if he had said no.

He sits down with a shaky breath and rubs his hands on his thighs. “Okay, let’s say Imaybedecided I wanted to do this—”

“So it’s a yes?” I ask, immediately dropping to my knees in front of him, reaching out and wrapping my hands around his wrist, brushing my thumb against the rapid beat of his pulse point.

“Slow down, Mag,” he chuckles, still holding a nervous glint in his eyes as he picks at the thread of his pajama pants. “You promise that this won’t affect our friendship?”

“I promise,” I say with every intention in my heart. I’ll never let anything come between us, even this ridiculously crazy idea that I’ve come up with. “Have I ever broken a promise to you?”

“No…” he whispers, tucking a stray curl behind his ear as he thinks it over. I can see the gears in his head turning, but I can also see that he’s so desperate to say yes. It’s all in those bright eyes. He takes a deep, settling breath and nods. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I mimic, sitting up straight. “Okay. We’re doing this.”

“Yeah, I guess we are,” he says sheepishly, biting the corner of his lip in a way I’m sure he doesn’t realize is tempting. “What do we do now?”

This is where all my confidence is renewed. This is where I can really shine. I’m going to show Daniel that he made the right choice by choosing me for all his firsts. He’ll get a sample of what a real, intimate connection feels like and he’ll never settle for anything less.

“Now, Daniel,” I hum, running my hands up and down his thighs before my fingers reach for the waistband of his shorts. “Now I show you what I can do with my tongue.”

He gasps and I have to hold back my snicker. That wouldn’t be nice of me. Truthfully, his nervous enthusiasm is a weird turn-on. I’ve never once purposefully sought out guys or girls that lacked any experience, but it’s doing it for me now.

“Are you sure about this?” I ask him quietly, knowing that no matter how much I want this to happen, he has to be on board.

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