Chapter 14: Special Places

ADDY

I find myself staring into his eyes.

“You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t kiss you. You’re imagining things.” I finally manage to pull away from him, after what feels like forever, and walk past him. “Why would I do that, especially after you had your first kiss stolen?”

I glance back and see him standing there, frozen.

“You’re right. I was just messing around!” His voice loses its usual spark as he falls into step beside me.

I sneak a peek at him through my lashes and find him lost in thought.

“I want to talk about why I lost my temper,” he says softly.

I look up at him and nod.

We head towards his familiar car and I slide into the passenger seat.

“No bike today?”

He just nods in response.

The drive is filled with awkward silence. I keep myself busy by fiddling with my hands, not uttering a word.

~He must know that I was the one who kissed him on the cheek. Why did he drop the subject so easily?~

“Um, wish your mom a happy birthday for me.”

His words catch me off guard and I freeze.

“Um, yes, I will,” I manage to stutter out.

He glances at me briefly, as if he’s expecting something, but then sighs and refocuses on the road.

Twenty minutes later, Asher parks the car and steps out. I follow him in silence.

He heads towards a forest and I quickly catch up to him.

“Where are we?” I whisper, not sure why.

“No need to whisper,” Asher chuckles lightly, taking my hand in his and leading me deeper into the forest.

My heart starts to race as I remember the last time I was left alone in a place like this.

We continue walking until we reach a beautiful clearing.

“Wow,” I breathe out, awestruck, and Asher chuckles at my reaction. I take a moment to appreciate the beauty around us before turning to Asher.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Just thought you would like it.” He flashes me a charming smile, and I can feel my cheeks start to heat up.

“Are you going to tell me what happened that day?” I finally ask, sitting down on the grass. Asher sits down next to me.

“I just lost it, okay? You kept asking me about what happened, and I just blurted it out. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.” He leans back, resting on his arms, and his muscles flex.

~Yummy.~

“What, did you think I was going to tell the whole school?” I ask, a bit hurt, and he just gives me a sheepish look.

“Screw you, Ash!” I stand up, annoyed, but he pulls me back down, this time a bit closer to him. I gasp at the sudden closeness.

“I promise it won’t happen again!” he whines, sounding like a child, and I narrow my eyes at him, trying to ignore the rapid beating of my heart.

“Fine, last chance.”

His smile brightens and he pulls me into a hug.

~Who am I kidding? I’d probably give you unlimited chances.~

“Why do you have a reputation as a bad boy at school again?”

I can’t help but smile, rolling off him when the closeness becomes too much. Heat creeps up my cheeks as inappropriate thoughts start to fill my mind.

“Hey!” he protests, but I just laugh harder.

“First kiss, huh? How come the bad boy has never been kissed before?” I seize the opportunity to tease him, and he turns a deep shade of red.

“I don’t know. I guess I wanted to save my first kiss for someone I really liked, you know. And now I don’t have that chance anymore.”

I don’t know what to say as I look down, feeling guilty. I had taken that away from him, and now I was too scared to tell him.

“What about you?”

I look up at him, confused.

“Huh?”

“Have you had your first kiss?”

~Yes, with you!~

“Yes, with someone I like,” I blurt out without thinking. Asher looks at me for a moment before looking away, his jaw clenched.

~Great job, Addalynn. Now he’s going to think you like someone else, you idiot!~

“Asher?” I say softly, but he just glances at me.

“So, do you like him a lot?”

I just nod at him.

~What am I doing?~

He looks away again.

“Well, how’s the search going?”

I stiffen. “What?” I ask, hoping I misunderstood him.

“Any clue who it could be?”

I bite my lip hard before shaking my head and playing along.

~Why did he change the subject so suddenly?~

“It’s tough. There were a lot of people at Trevor’s party. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to find the person. Do you remember what she was wearing or anything about her?”

“I do. She was struggling in the water. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. I got to her as fast as I could. The moment I took her in my arms, she clung to me, coughing a bit. She fit perfectly in my arms.”

My eyes widen.

~Oh my god, he’s talking about me. He’s saying that ~I~ fit perfectly in his arms!~

~Swoon!~

“I don’t know why she kissed me, but when she did, I surprisingly liked it.”

“Then why did you push me away?” The words slip out before I can stop them.

“What?” Asher raises an eyebrow at me.

I cough.

“I mean, why did you push her away? Because I figured if you’re looking for her, you know, then…”

He raises an eyebrow at my rambling.

“Just continue what you were saying.” I quickly change the subject, relieved when he continues.

~Maybe he didn’t hear me properly. Thank god!~

“I did push her away, but only because I was shocked. It felt good when she kissed me, and right after I panicked, pushed her away, and turned around.

“When I was ready to face her again, she was gone.”

Asher falls silent, and I’m left sitting there, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

~Inhale, exhale, Addy. It’s not that hard!~

~Who am I trying to fool?~

“Do you remember anything else about her?” I ask, even though I know exactly what I was wearing that night. I just need to make sure ~he~ doesn’t remember.

“I can’t remember. That’s the issue.” He turns to look at me, and I quickly look away. “But the girl hasn’t told anyone, otherwise the rumors would be all over school by now.”

“Is this really such a big deal?” I ask, puzzled.

“Yeah, because no one has ever seen me kiss anyone at a party or at school before.” He pulls at the green grass beneath us, and I nod in understanding.

“What if she didn’t see you that night?”

Asher’s head snaps in my direction.

“Shit, maybe, but why would she kiss someone she couldn’t even see?”

I’m about to respond when my phone blares loudly from my pocket.

I answer the call and press the phone to my ear.

“You need to get home right now, young lady!” Mom’s stern voice echoes before she hangs up.

~Oh, shit!~

“Asher, I have to leave.” I scramble to my feet and he rises with me.

“Let’s go, then.” We both hurry toward the car, ready to head home.

All I can do is hope that Mom doesn’t murder me.