"THIS IS UNDENIABLY the greatest burger I've ever consumed in my entire existence," James said with his mouth full.
"Right?" I took another bite of my burger.
"How are they so good?"
"That's what everyone wants to know."
James glanced at me. "You have sauce dripping down your face." He stuck out his thumb and swiped a drop of sauce beside my lips. My breathing hitched but I tried to play it off. The last thing I needed was for my feelings to take over me...again.
"We should get going," I said. Lunch was over in fifteen minutes and if we didn't make it in time we would miss our next classes. James may have been able to afford to skip a class, but Mom would kill me if she discovered I skipped.
"I wish I could stay here all day."
"Me too." The café was relatively empty right now, aside from a few employees, a mother with her two toddlers, and an elderly couple. This place was usually packed on evenings and weekends, but since it was a weekday afternoon there was hardly anyone here. "I have an idea." I got to my feet and slipped my coat on.
"What is it?" James asked.
"Follow me." I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him outside. We sat inside my car and I began to drive.
"Is this a kidnapping heist?"
"If it was I wouldn't admit it."
"Where are you taking me?" he demanded.
"How long have you lived in Stone Creek?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, a month or two?"
"Well, I think it's time you get a tour of your new home."
"So you're a part-time tour guide now?" he asked, amusement laced in his voice.
"Where should we go first?" I noticed the familiar path I was going down and I made a few turns until we reached our destination.
"Dani, it's still winter," he said in a flat tone. "Why are we at a beach?"
"Just shut up and follow me." I parked my car and got out. James tentatively followed me as I ran toward the lake. I plopped down on the sand, not even regretting the grains sticking to my clothes. "Sit," I told him.
"Wow."
He sat down beside me, taking in the scenery around us. Although it was brisk out, it looked like a summer's day. The sun was shining brightly, reflecting onto the clear water. The waves crashed onto the sand, changing the grains from a tan colour to dark brown. A gentle breeze blew by, taking wisps of sand with it. I closed my eyes and laid down on my back, feeling the fresh air on my face. I heard James move and soon felt his presence beside me.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"How'd you discover this?" he asked. "It's basically in the middle of nowhere."
"My dad used to bring me here," I answered without thinking.
"Used to?"
I swallowed hard, unwilling to continue the conversation. "Yeah."
He must have sensed that I didn't want to speak more, so he stayed quiet. We remained where we were in silence, enjoying the beautiful view. I would have liked to spend the rest of my day here but when the wind started picking up, I couldn't take the cold anymore.
"Do you hear that?"
James raised his eyebrows. "Hear what?"
"My car's heater is calling my name."
He rolled his eyes as we stood up. "Maybe you should invest in a better coat."
"Maybe you should shut up."
"Maybe you should make me shut up."
I glanced ahead at where my car was parked before looking back at him. "If I make it to my car before you then you can't speak for the rest of the day."
"Same goes for you," he said before sprinting past me.
Instead of yelling at him for being a cheater, I decided to beat him. I pumped my arms and legs as I increased my speed to catch up to James. He was only a few feet ahead of me so I ran even faster to catch up to him. I was just an inch or two behind him when I suddenly lost my balance. I let out a yelp as I fell forward, my hands flailing in front of me as I reached out for something to hold onto. Unfortunately for James, that something happened to be him. He lost his balance and toppled over as I fell onto him.
He let out a grunt beneath me. "You little cheater."
"It was an accident!" I quickly got to my feet and I was about to lend him a hand, but then I realized the golden opportunity I had so I took it. I ran to the car, grinning proudly as I sat inside.
James glared at me as he got up and sat inside the car. "You play dirty."
"Due to my generosity, I will allow you to keep talking."
"As if I'd willingly talk to you."
"Now now, James, nobody likes a sore loser," I chided. I started the engine and began to drive back. It wasn't until I fumbled with the car radio did I notice the time. I felt like I had just been punched in the gut.
"Hey, eyes on the road," James instructed.
"I forgot about school," I said meekly.
"What?"
"I missed my afternoon classes."
He shrugged. "So? It was just one day."
"I'm going to die. I am literally going to die." I couldn't believe it. How could I have been so careless and lost track of time? Now I had to get home before Mom and delete the automated phone message the school had sent. Mom would find out eventually, but at least I'd be in the clear for now.
"Relax, it'll be okay," James said.
"Let's just head back now." I practically broke every speeding law as I drove. School was about to end in a few minutes and I wanted to get home before Brenton did. The last thing I needed today was for him to see me with James and make things even worse. Next thing I'd know, Brenton would get Mom to make me wear a tracker around my ankle to ensure I stayed away from James. We drove in silence until we reached my driveway, where I parked my car and turned to face James. "Sorry about my freak episode, and for falling on you."
"For the first time in a while I had fun," he said.
Despite the stress and worry building up inside of me, my lips curved into a smile. "Me too."
"We should do this more often."
I was taken aback by his suggestion, not expecting James to ever imply enjoying my company. "Yeah, we should."
James unbuckled his seatbelt but before he could open the door, I placed my hand on his arm. He turned around, a confused look on his face. Before he could speak I slowly moved in, closing the distance between us. I pressed my lips against his tentatively, awaiting his reaction. His lips were so soft and inviting, I had to fight the temptation to straddle him and kiss him senselessly. My eyes suddenly snapped open as I realized what I was doing. I jumped back, widening the gap between us. My breathing got heavy and I was tempted to run away and never look back. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me," I said like a blubbering buffoon. I really needed to start thinking my actions through. "I think it'd be best if you left."
"This is your second time kissing me," James stated. "I'm starting to get the impression that you like me."
I didn't reply.
"Want me to let you in on a secret?" His lips were hovering right beside my ear. "I like you too." With that he caught my lips with his own, kissing me. My arms instinctively looped around his neck and his hands snaked around my waist, pulling me close. It felt like we had kissed for minutes, but neither of us were willing to end it just yet. When we finally pulled apart we were both breathing heavily.
"The other day wasn't a mistake," I panted.
He smirked at me. "I got the feeling it wasn't."
"So when did you start liking me?" I asked the burning question in the back of my mind.
"I'm not one to talk about feelings. See you around, neighbour." James opened the door and walked to his house, but not before turning to give me a wink.
My heart thumped as I watched his retreating figure. I kissed him again. Not only that, but he kissed me back. James Hastings kissed me. I had a goofy grin plastered on my face as I sat in my car replaying what had just happened.
~*~
For the remainder of the evening, I frolicked around my house feeling like I was on top of the world. Alex either didn't notice or didn't care because he made no remarks. Instead, he was fixated on the same mindless video game he played every day. I had already deleted the school message of my absence from the landline's voicemail, and I wasn't really in the mood to do anything so I just enjoyed the rest of my evening.
"What's for dinner?" Alex asked.
"Want Chinese food?"
"Extra egg rolls please!" he said from the living room.
I called the local restaurant and ordered enough food for Alex and me. Mom and Brenton could take care of themselves. In the meantime, I decided to go take a shower. Every time I shook my head bits of sand would come out of my hair and it wasn't the best feeling. I was in and out of the shower within minutes, and I changed into my pyjamas. I went to my room to brush my hair, keeping my curtains and window open in case James was there.
We hadn't spoken since the kiss and a part of me was scared that he regretted it. The more rational side of me, however, figured he probably needed some time to process what had happened. After all, this was quite unexpected. The doorbell ringing took me out of my thoughts. I put down my hairbrush and ran down the stairs to greet the delivery person. I was starving, and all I wanted right now were some noodles and chilli chicken. I opened the door, my excitement immediately dying when I realized the delivery person wasn't there.
"Hey, Dani."
"Hi, Holden," I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
"Can I come in?"
I opened the door wider, granting him entry.
"Is the food here?" Alex called out.
"False alarm," I yelled back.
"Is Brent here?" Holden asked.
I began to walk back up the stairs to my bedroom. "Haven't seen him."
Holden followed me to my room, much to my chagrin. "How have you been?"
"Stop beating around the bush. What do you want, Holden?"
"I have a confession."
I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "What is it?"
He avoided eye contact with me. "I can't get over you." Okay, I was definitely not expecting that. I just stared at Holden, not having the slightest clue as to what I should say. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you that," he sputtered. "It's just been so hard to move on. Dani, I'm still in love with you."
"Holden," I sighed. "I think you should leave."
Instead of doing as I said, he walked right up to me. I was about to repeat myself, but Holden pulled me into him and kissed me. I tried to get away, but his hold on me was too strong. A loud slamming sound behind us made him jump, and I used that as my chance to escape. As I turned, I made eye contact with James through my window. He shut his curtains as soon as he saw me, and I felt my heart drop to my feet.
He saw Holden kiss me.
Without another thought, I ran past Holden to go explain myself to James. I dashed down the stairs and out the front door. James had just exited his house and was getting into what I presumed to be his guardian's car. "James! Let me explain!" I pleaded. He looked at me so coldly that I felt a shiver run down my spine. James then sat inside the car and drove off. I couldn't let him go so I ran onto my driveway barefoot. I had barely made it far when Holden appeared and held me back.
"Let him go, Dani."
"How about you let me go?" I tried to get out of his grip, but I couldn't. Out of ideas, I squirmed in his arms and punched him in the face. Holden immediately released me, letting out a string of curse words, but I didn't care. He deserved it. While Holden was busy whining, I went inside to grab my shoes and my car keys. I was going to slip past him but of course Brenton came home right at that moment.
He dropped his gym bag and ran to his best friend's aid. "What the hell is going on?"
"I think she broke my nose!" Holden cried as blood poured down his face.
"What's wrong with you?" Brenton shouted at me.
Although I wasn't on speaking terms with him I didn't want to be pinned as the villain. "Why don't you ask the guy who forced himself on me?"
Brenton's jaw dropped and he looked at Holden with bulging eyes. "Tell me she's lying."
Holden looked down at his feet. "I didn't mean for it to come off that way."
"Get out."
Holden looked at him disbelievingly. "What?"
Brenton shoved him. "I said to get the hell out! Don't ever come near my little sister again."
I was too surprised to even correct him that I was the older one. Holden's shirt was now stained with blood, and he glanced at his best friend with shock all over his face, taken aback that Brenton didn't defend him. He stumbled back and retreated to his car.
Brenton turned to look at me. "Are you okay?"
"Like you care."
I pushed past him and went to my car. I had to find James. I revved the engine and started driving in the direction I saw him go in. Using my car's bluetooth, I called James. Unsurprisingly my call went to his voicemail.
"Hey," I said, trying to keep my voice levelled. "I think you have the wrong idea of what happened. I promise it wasn't like that. Please come home and we can talk this out. Or even just call me back andâ" I was cut off by a beep, signalling the end of my recorded message.
I tried calling him a few more times but every call went to voicemail. I even texted him, but I had my doubts he'd open the messages. I drove all over Stone Creek but James was nowhere to be found. Letting out a sigh, I dejectedly drove home. Wherever he was, he definitely didn't want me to know.