Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
kane
FOUR YEARS AGO, HIGH SCHOOL
Tripping Over Air – Aiden Bissett
Ipull up to the address Avery gave me and take a second to breathe, my hands still gripping the steering wheel.
When it becomes clear my heart rate isn’t settling down anytime soon, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and turn to look at the wicker picnic basket in the back seat my mother foisted at me when I mentioned the date, full to the brim with snacks and sandwiches.
I wasn’t sure what Avery likes, so I basically just grabbed one of everything—some sweet, some spicy—and I worry I may have gone overboard.
The lady at the grocery looked from me to my items before shaking her head and scanning them all.
That’s when I realized I might be freaking out a bit.
My mind is full of the curve of her smile when I reminded her our date was this weekend.
I blacked out at the sight, and somehow, I ended up grabbing spray cheese for the strawberries and some black licorice instead of the red ones I’ve seen her munch on at lunches occasionally, not that I’ve been looking too hard.
Who am I kidding? My eyes are magnets finding her in any crowd so far, even a particularly fun time when she was bent over her desk and I had to avert my gaze before my dick got too excited.
I laugh to myself. My stomach feels like an explosion of butterflies went off, and my heart has been racing since I woke up this morning. This feeling is so unfamiliar that I googled the symptoms of a heart attack before I left, just to make sure.
Opting for the front door instead of texting Avery that I’m here, I take a deep breath, then haul myself out of my sleek black Audi.
The car is so ostentatious, I wince a little at the thought of Avery seeing it.
My dad got it for me the last time we moved, right before my sixteenth birthday.
It was his way of keeping me quiet and compliant, and unfortunately, I needed a car.
Which means I’m stuck playing nice until I can make my own money and free myself from his strings.
I push my fingers through my hair and smooth down my shirt as I walk up to the brown brick house. It’s bigger than it appears from the drive up, with trimmed landscape and freshly cut grass. Rust-colored leaves fall on the sidewalk with the autumn breeze blowing in.
I make my way up the long walkway and the stairs that lead to the red front door.
It feels huge, looming over me as I take another breath and knock.
I fiddle with the bouquet of light pink flowers in my hands, now feeling a little ridiculous for grabbing them when I was shopping for food.
The peonies—at least that’s what the sign in the store said they were—instantly made me think of her.
The beauty of them struck me in the same manner Avery’s has.
My heart rate accelerates with the sound of footsteps coming closer on the other side.
My ears start pounding, and the back of my neck feels hot as I wait for the door to open.
When it finally does, I’m blinded by the sight of her.
Her long hair is pulled back away from her face in the front, long strands disappearing behind her shoulders down her back.
I’m struck dumb by her blue eyes as they take me in.
Her makeup seems heavier than usual, her pouty lips painted a deep red, and all I can think about is what they taste like.
She’s wearing blue skintight jeans with holes in the knees, showing off every inch and curve of her legs, with a red top to match her lips and a leather jacket thrown over top.
The groan that rises up in the back of my throat threatens to spill over as I stare at her, at a loss for words.
What does someone say when faced with their biggest fantasy, only to realize it’s becoming their greatest weakness?
“For you,” I say, thrusting the pink flowers at her awkwardly. The brightest smile lights up her face.
Fuck me. If that isn’t the best thing I’ve seen in my eighteen years on Earth. This girl, smiling at me as if I just gave her the greatest gift she’s ever received.
“Oh Kane, they’re beautiful,” she gasps, grabbing them from me and pulling my hand to drag me inside after her. My hand burns where she touches me, and I find myself never wanting to let go of this girl. I wrap my fingers through hers and let her take me wherever she wants to go.
I could be walking straight to my death, but as long as she’s still holding my hand, I would go with a smile on my face.
I take in the interior of the house as we walk.
The place is spotless. The furniture almost looks untouched—the couch and two twin chairs with perfectly plumped pillows, and the stark white rug suggesting that not many people sit here every day.
She takes me into an equally spotless kitchen, the counters gleaming and all the stainless-steel appliances free from a single fingerprint.
She reaches up high in a cabinet above the refrigerator, and I move behind her until her back is a breath away from my front.
The heat of her sets me ablaze from my head to my toes.
I reach above her and grab a spare vase, her heavy breaths mingling with mine.
The proximity seems to affect her just as much as me.
I take a step back, lowering the vase to the counter as I watch her turn around.
A pretty pink tint is evident on her cheeks, the flush rising up her neck as she looks at me with a soft smile on her face.
“Thank you. Just let me put these in there and then we can go. I’d hate for them to wilt too soon,” she remarks bashfully.
“I’ll just buy you more if they do,” I reply with an air of nonchalance. If this girl wants flowers, I’ll make sure she never goes without.
The blush in her cheeks brightens. I stare at her, unable to put together words to describe how Avery makes me feel. I may barely know her, but I can already tell that she’s the kind of girl you do anything to keep right next to you.
Avery arranges the flowers in the vase after trimming the stems, discarding the extra leaves and wrapping in the trash—which is also empty. The house feels as if a model showroom was bought sight-unseen and they just moved in. Every room I have seen so far is decorated so precisely.
She turns to me. “All right, I’m ready. Where are we going?”
“Do you need to say bye to your parents?” I ask, curious that I haven’t seen or heard another soul since we walked in. The stillness of the house almost has an eerie quality to it.
“No, they’re gone,” she waves me off nonchalantly, turning away from me to grab her purse, ducking her head a bit so I can’t see her face well.
I want to ask more, but I’m ready to get this date going.
I reach out to take her hand again, my heart soaring as she grabs it with enthusiasm and I hustle her out of the house.
I wait for her to lock up then walk her back down the walkway and open the car door for her, helping her inside before closing it. A grin stretches across my face at the thought of the next couple hours alone with her, her citrus scent drowning me.
I make my way around to my side with a pep in my step and get inside. The silence is comforting as I start the car and hand her my phone.
“Music?” I ask her, as she grabs the phone from me and holds it delicately in hers.
She looks at my phone as if I asked her to name all the United States presidents.
“What’s that look for?”
“You’re giving me your phone? What if I go through it?” she asks, wringing her fingers together in her lap. The question is laughable, considering there isn’t a thing I can think of that I wouldn’t let this girl do.
I shrug. “Have at it, the password is zero-eight-one-nine.”
A jolt rushes through me at the thought that she may know what those numbers mean.
The day I first saw her.
“I’m not talking to anyone else, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I reassure her as she scrolls through the playlist I had queued up.
“It’s okay if you are. I mean, we haven’t really even hung out before.” She tucks a lock of her long brown hair that escaped her clips behind her ear. I track the movement, wishing I could reach out and feel those strands between my fingers.
“No, I mean when I asked you out, I was hoping for exclusivity. I know we just met, but I know that I like you and I want to see where this goes,” I remark lightly, speaking nothing but the truth, no matter how ridiculous I sound.
If I only have one shot, I would rather lay it all out there now.
There isn’t a chance I’m missing out with Avery.
The feeling in my stomach is taking on new levels, churning whenever she’s near, and I feel as if I can breathe a bit easier when she stares at me.
I have been waking up every morning so excited to just see her.
Even if all I get is a small glance each day, it feels like enough just to know she’s near.
I watch as the words hit her, surprise lining her features. Her lips form a small “O” shape, her hand going to her chest.
We make the short trek from the car to the place where I laid the blanket, the one I purchased just for this. I’m about to take back what I said when she finally speaks.
“I want that too,” she answers in a small voice. Almost as if she hopes the words get taken by the slight autumn breeze rolling through the park. The leaves have already started to fall, a sea of orange and red blanketing the ground. The rustling of them fills the silence as I absorb her words.
I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face as I take a seat.
My lips stretch wider than I’ve ever felt as a mirrored smile takes over her face.
It transforms all of her features, leaving me awestruck as she stares down at me.
I hold my hand out to her, and she slips hers in mine, letting me pull her down to the blanket next to me.
The vivid fall background turns blurry as her blue eyes fill my field of vision, capturing me in their waves, as I imagine a siren lures in men. If I’m caught in her spell, I hope to never come out of it.
Her smile is radiating, her full lips stretched wide over her teeth.
The breeze blows her hair back in her face, and before I can talk myself out of it, I reach over and push it back behind her ear.
My fingers graze the shell of her ear as it glides through the chocolate strands, and a shiver runs through her, her breath hitching.
I lean in just slightly, checking to see if this is what she really wants. If I’m what she really wants.
When she tilts her face toward me, I don’t hesitate to capture her lips with mine. The kiss is featherlight at first, testing each other, until she presses into me a bit more. That’s all it takes for me to meld our lips together completely, so we’re unable to tell where I end and she begins.
My hand slips into her hair, flowing like silk through my fingers as I angle her head up to get better access.
I slowly tease her lips with my tongue, until her mouth opens and her tongue meets mine.
The fire that has been simmering in me starts raging like an inferno, and I match her stroke for stroke.
I lose myself in her, in this feeling I never want to end.
Her hand grips my shirt, pulling me closer to her. The kiss is unrelenting, until I hear a bark in the distance, reminding me where we are. I pull back slightly, keeping my hand tangled in her hair.
When I take a look at her face, eyes cloudy and half lidded, lips red and slightly puffy, I can’t help but lean in for one more kiss. A quick meeting of our lips, nothing but tenderness. So vastly different from the passion that ignited with our first kiss, but incredible all the same.
I don’t want to stop, but I know I need to.
She deserves a proper date, not me pulling her to the back seat of my car.
So I pull back, resting my forehead against hers.
My hand still holds the back of her head as we catch our breath.
Her grip on my shirt loosens, but she doesn’t pull back further.
Our breathing mingles in the air around us, until a light laugh breaks out of me.
“Wow,” is all I can say, still speechless as I stare at Avery. Her blue eyes shine, cheeks flushed red as she stares back at me. Her gaze roves over my face, as if she’s trying to catalogue my features—like I am with her.
As we sit there in silence just staring at each other, I’m hit with the sensation that there isn’t a thing this girl could ask for that I wouldn’t give her.
More dates? She doesn’t even have to ask.
Flowers every week? I’ll have them on special order.
A kidney? I’ll take mine out right now.
My heart? I think she already stole that.
Maybe it’s always been hers.