Page 19 of The Pucking Kiss

A flush of warmth spread inside of me, hearing his words. I expected him to be a brainless jock obsessed with sex, but he was more emotionally intelligent than I expected him to be.

“But…” he continued, “I really think you should change that soon.”

He leaned in closer to me, and for a moment, I thought he was going to swoop in and kiss me. I could feel his breath fan across my face, and my breath began to hitch in my throat.

“Bryan….”

Was I really about to have my first kiss with the guy I had a crush on for ages? My heart was beating like a drum.

He tucked away a stray piece of hair from my face, cupping my face ever so gently. His gorgeous green eyes were boring into mine now, and my own gaze dropped down to his lips.

But just when I thought that he was going to close the distance between us, he pulled away suddenly and flashed me a grin.

“But not today,” he winked. “Now, weren’t you here to teach me math? We should really get on with that.”

Frustrated and breathless, I quickly gathered myself. “Sure. Let’s start.”

Chapter 8

Romai

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror in the hallway. My heart was racing with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Bryan was going to be here any minute now.

My reflection did not resemble what I usually looked like. I had really put in an effort to look good this evening. I smoothed down the skirt of my emerald green dress. The material was made out of silk, and it was one of the things that my mother had left for me.

The figure-hugging dress accentuated my curves perfectly, and more of my skin was on display than usual. I draped a self-conscious arm around myself as I continued to scrutinize myself in the mirror.

The dress was a departure from my usual casual attire of jeans and an oversized T-shirt. I had saved this dress for special occasions, and tonight felt like one. After all, it was my debut with my boyfriend at a party.

“Well, well, well,” I jumped up as my grandmother snuck up behind me. I had been so absorbed in looking at myself in the mirror that I didn't even notice when she entered. “You look beautiful.”

I gave her a little twirl so that she had a better view of what I was wearing. “Do I look like a total freak?”

“Don't be ridiculous. You look like a beautiful princess.”

“Thanks. I, uh, thought I'd dress up a little bit tonight.”

My grandmother stared back at me with a quizzical expression. Even though she was always supportive of me, she seemed curious as to why I was dressed like this.

“Are you stepping out for the night?”

“Yeah, it's this party,” I told her sheepishly. “I hope that's okay. I won't be gone too late.”

Her smile widened, and she began nodding furiously. “Of course, my dear. I'm so happy that you're going out. It's not good to always stay inside at your age, and you need to socialize with your peers.”

My nerves eased at the support that she was showing me. I stepped forward towards her, and she wrapped a comforting arm around me. “Do you want me and Grandpa to drop you? I'm sure he'll be just as excited to hear that you are going to a party.”

I shook my head. “No, actually, a friend is coming to pick me up.”

“A friend?” she raised her eyebrow. “A special friend?”

My cheeks reddened. But just as she was about to bombard me with more questions, the doorbell rang, indicating that Bryan had finally arrived.

Saved by the bell.

“Oh, look at that. He's here already. I really need to go, grandmother,” I said, rushing my words and making a dive for my handbag. “I'll see you later, OK?”

As I made my way out to the front door, I wobbled in my heels. Tonight, I decided to go all out and wore the tallest heels I could find. Of course, I was not used to walking in them, so I stumbled, trying to balance myself with the wall as I finally opened the door.

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