Page 29 of Spotlight on Poppy

"You're done with him?"

"I was done with him even before he disappeared."

Time stopped and stood still between them, neither of them talking or moving. They just looked at each other as if they were both trying to figure out the next move. A loud bang pulled them out of the moment.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know," Poppy said. He stepped around her and walked to the door. The giant metal door to the prop closet had been closed. Josh jiggled the handle, but the door didn't budge. Poppy walked over to the handle and tried to open it, still stuck tight. She wasn’t sure why she tried it if he couldn't open it, then she sure wouldn’t be able to.

"Looks like we are stuck," he said, his gaze falling to Poppy's lips.

Her hand still resting on the lever to open the door, she licked her lips and watched as Josh's expression tightened. "So, it would seem."

Josh banged on the door and Poppy called out, "Hey, anyone out there?"

Nothing.

"It's okay, I'm sure someone will come by in a minute," Poppy hadn't taken her eyes off of Josh. She was drawn to him like a magnet.

"I'm sure when you don't show up to the cast party they will send a search party," he said with a soft smile.

Time ticked on and they didn't hear anything out there. Poppy moved to sit on the stairs that led up to more prop storage upstairs and Josh leaned up against the door. A loud growl from Poppy’s stomach interrupted the silence. She put her hand over her stomach and laughed.

"I didn't have anything to eat before I came. It was a busy day and I'm starving!" she said.

"Just a minute," Joshed moved to the back of the room and pulled out a small Tupperware container. "I snagged these from the green room. I know the rules about no food in costume or in the prop areas, but sometimes I get hungry during the show." He opened the container to show her two pieces of the banana bread she had brought.

"You are a lifesaver." She took the Tupperware from him and broke off a corner of the bread and started eating. Josh settled down on the stairs next to her. Their legs touched and she relished in the feel of his leg against her. Whatever was happening between them felt right, and it felt different than anything Poppy had experienced before.

"Josh, we have known each other our entire lives. We have been in school together since the first grade and both of us have mostly stayed here in this town. Why has nothing ever happened between us?"

Josh choked on the banana bread and sputtered. "What?"

"I mean it, this isn't a big place, why didn't anything ever happen between us?"

"I don't know, I mean maybe timing? In high school, I had such a crush on you, and worked up the courage to ask you to prom, but after you turned me down, I never thought you felt the same way."

“Yeah, I wanted out of this town in high school,” she sighed.

"You left for college, then I was with Abbie, and we were together for a long time. Timing was just never right."

"You guys were engaged right?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about her right now." He turned to look at her. His eyes flashed with hunger. "I just want to clarify. You have no feelings for Damien St. Cloud."

"None." Poppy said. His hand was on her knee, and it felt like life.

"Are you interested in anyone else, Poppy?" His hand started to slowly move up her leg. She nodded because her brain could not form words, all it could focus on was the sensation of his hand on her leg and the need to kiss him.

"Poppy, can I kiss you?" he asked, meeting her gaze. She nodded again as his hand found its way up her hip. He raised his other hand to cradle the back of her head and lowered his head closer to hers. Poppy was on fire. She felt so drawn to him. He licked his lips and Poppy could not resist the pull of him and closed the distance. Their lips touched in this perfect kiss.

Poppy had never experienced a kiss like this before. Energy zinged right through her, she felt pulled to him. She wanted to be closer to him. She felt like she would never be close enough. Poppy parted her lips and Josh was right there. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and it stirred up a desire in Poppy she had never felt before. She ran her hands through his hair pulling him closer, he responded by wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her close to him. This moment was utterly magical. The pull to him was so magnetic she would never be able to separate from him.

There was a buzzing sound neither of them were aware of. They were both entranced in this kiss, not wanting to break the magic of this moment. But when her phone buzzed clear off the table, she broke away.

"My phone, I totally forgot. That's why I came in here." She stood up from the staircase but was suddenly dizzy from the absence of his mouth and his hands on her. He reached out his hand to steady her.

She walked over to the spot where her phone had clattered down to the floor and picked it up. Hannah was calling her, and she quickly answered.

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