Love Me

The ref blows the whistle and I go sit on the bleachers to watch the match while Aiden stays to coach Logan.

Maggie takes a seat next to me.

It’s a back and forth battle. One point for Logan. A takedown for Jake.

Then a tied match.

They are grappling and twisting out of each other’s arms, when Logan makes a sweet move, flipping Jake over and pi

The ref gets down on his knees and the crowd shouts as he counts by hitting the mat. One. Two. Three.

The ref pulls Logan up and his arm into the sky, proclaiming him the wi

Maggie forgets who she was supposed to be cheering for and rushes out onto the mat, throws her arms around Logan, and hugs him.

He hugs her back in excitement.

But then he pulls away from her.

Maggie lowers her head just for a minute. Then she straightens up her shoulders and walks tall and confidently over to Jake. Jake grins at her, grabs her around the waist, and kisses her hard as Logan looks on.

Can kisses speak?

10pm

After the banquet, Aiden asks me to go for a walk, leading me down to the gym where we watched the movie on Friday.

“I didn’t get to show you this last night, so I had them leave it up.”

When we get to the door, he says, “Okay, close your eyes.” Then he leads me about ten steps across the gym floor.

I was here watching the movie. What could he possibly want me to see that I didn’t already?

He stands closely behind me, entwines his hands with mine, and rests his chin on my shoulder.

“Open your eyes.” I open them while he continues. “This is the view from a gorgeous hotel in Crete. Someday we’re going to stand on this balcony and watch this sunset together.”

“You had a sunset made for me?”

“I was the liaison between the drama department’s set designers for the gym, like Peyton worked with the art students to do the café.”

“You had a sunset made for me?” I blubber again.

“Yeah. I want to watch a million sunsets with you.”

I can’t speak. I want to stay wrapped in his arms forever and not move.

“We should probably get going before curfew, huh?”

“Yeah,” I say, but I don’t move. I just turn and look into his eyes.

He runs the back of his hand gently across my cheek. We lean towards each other and our lips melt together in a kiss.

Can kisses speak?

I hope so, because I’m trying to tell him everything I’m feeling but am afraid to say.

Aiden’s kisses are so different from any other kiss. Maybe it’s because he’s the God of all Hotties, I’m not sure, but his kisses say so much more.

Did you see the movie, Independence Day? There’s a scene where an alien does some kind of mental telepathy with the President, which allows him to see the alien’s plans.

That’s what it’s like with Aiden. When he kisses me, I feel like I can see our future.

It’s like he has the power to send me mental messages with his mouth.

His mouth. The source of all his power.

I don’t know why this surprises me.

He pulls his lips away from mine. I really wasn’t ready for the kiss to end. I don’t even care that there was no tongue. I’m never ready for it to end.

He moves his mouth to my ear as he slides his hands across the exposed skin on my back. “I’m not quoting Keats this time. Let’s try something else. ‘The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.’”

“That’s beautiful. Who said it?”

“Blaise Pascal. He was a French philosopher in the 1600s.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful. Like, you take my breath away. Sometimes when you’re tutoring me, I feel like I can’t breathe.”

I feel that way any time he touches me.

And especially when he kisses me, which he does again.

A slow, tender, amazing kiss.

It’s like when Prince Charming kisses Sleeping Beauty. He gives her that single, slow, perfect kiss to wake her up.

That’s how I feel with Aiden. Like he’s waking up something inside of me.

Kissing him is like watching fireworks: a little flash as it goes up in the sky, an explosion of colors, those colors falling and fading in the sky, and then you hear the boom.

Feel the boom. The beat of your heart booming in your chest.

“I’m really glad we’re getting to be friends, Boots,” he says. Then he chuckles. “Well, the kind of friends who kiss.”

What the hell?

Really?

Ohmigawd, I really do not understand him. Why all the wooing if all he wants is a friends with benefits relationship? Why a million sunsets?

You’re like my idol.

1am

 Braxton decided he’s going to be the life of the party and, unfortunately, Riley helped him. He’s already tipsy on coconut rum when I meet him at the Cave.

He flirts with everyone and hands out party favor buttons that he had made with Dallas’ pickup line. They say, You Look Magically Delicious in bright colors and have a big green shamrock in the middle of them.

The buttons are a big hit. Everyone wants one.

“What the hell?” Dallas says, coming to stand next to me and looking around. “That’s my line. He stole it from me.”

“Did you make it up or find it on the internet?”

Dallas rolls his bloodshot eyes. It’s obvious that he’s smoked already. “I found it on the internet.”

Braxton interrupts us, giving Dallas a swat on the back. “Dude, you’re like my idol. Girls are loving these buttons. I’m totally getting laid tonight.”

Dallas grins as Chelsea and her boobs bounce toward us. “Me too, dude. Me too.”

“He might be, but you’re not, Brax. You’re my date, meaning you’ll be with me all night.”

“Keatyn, baby. You jealous? Don’t want to share?” He pulls a flask out of his pocket and puts it up to his lips. I slap it away, causing suntan lotion smelling alcohol to miss his mouth and fall to the ground.

“You’re done with this,” I say, grabbing the flask and shoving it in my back pocket.

“There’s plenty more where that came from. And I’m just getting started.”

He wanders off into a pack of junior girls. They fawn over him like he’s the school’s new mascot. Some of them are even petting his hair.

Why did I agree to this?

And what is it about those Johnson brothers that I just can’t say no to?

Aiden comes up behind me, slides his hands down my arms, and holds my hands. “How’s babysitting going?”

“Not well. He’s already past tipsy and people keep giving him more. I’m tempted to just pin a big note to his shirt that says If found, please return to Keatyn’s dorm and leave.”

“Can I put one of those on you? If found, return to Hawthorne 38B?”

“I don’t know. You think I’ll get lost?”

“I think you’ve been lost.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He turns me around and kisses my nose, which soothes my very ruffled feathers.

“I didn’t mean anything bad. I meant it to be cute. Like you’re lost without me. You know, you say I get mad fast. So do you. You were instantly pissed. I could see it in your face.” He touches the corner of my eye and then the tip of my nose. “You get little crinkles here and you scrunch up your nose.”

I look into his eyes and forget where I am, the party around me disappearing. I lean in to kiss him when I hear Dawson say madly, “I thought you were watching my brother.”

“I have been.”

“Doesn’t look like you’re even paying attention to him. Look.” He points.

All I can see are Braxton’s arms wrapped around two girls, who seem to have him pi

“Shit,” I say, leaving both him and Aiden.

“Sorry, girls, he’s mine,” I say, pulling him away.

“Jeez, you don’t have to try and seduce the entire school your first night here.”

“Oh, I’m not, baby,” he says slurs drunkenly. “I’m just planting seeds.”

“You better have not planted any seeds,” I reply, thinking back to the book my mom read me when I was little. About how the daddy plants a seed in the mommy that turns into a baby. Ick.