CHAPTER 22
*PAST*
“Messing around”
Maya
“It’s a surprise, Amery. If I tell you anything, there would be no fun.”
“This is the part where you end our academic rivalry by killing me and hiding my body somewhere in these woods?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Orange is not my color. Also, there would be no fun when I can beat you over and over again.”
“Lying to yourself so your ego can survive. I see your trick, Aaron, but I get it. It must be so hard to always be second.”
“Who’s the president of the debate team? Who is the one with more publications on the school paper? Who won the spelling contest five years ago? Who—”
“I get it, you had your wins, but I have had mine. And there are more than yours.”
“Oh, really? Do you have a count?”
“I do, actually. It’s under the name: second best’s losses.”
“So, instead of counting your wins, you count my losses? I didn’t know that I was so much in your head.”
“That’s not—You know what I’m talking about.”
“Yes, I know.”
We looked at each other.
“Anyway, wait until you see this place. It’s otherworldly.”
“You’re hyping it up too much. There’s no way it’s that good.”
“Want to bet?”
“I don’t like to bet.”
“Why not?”
he inquired.
“You probably have heard the rumors about my dad.”
“I haven’t.”
“Come on, Aaron. It’s fine. Everyone knows.”
“I don’t pay attention to rumors,”
he said while walking beside me, his voice reassuring me.
“Our town loves rumors,”
I replied.
“Every small town loves rumors. It’s kind of its thing.”
“Yes, but usually they’re true.”
“I see. So, the rumor that you’re actually a robot that’s sent to our school just to torture our Spanish teacher is true?”
I laugh. “Absolutely. Also, to torture you.”
His laughter made the corners of my mouth turn up.
“Mission accomplished, Amery.”
He was taunting me in the softest voice.
“What about you? Any rumors that I should know about?”
“I don’t know what rumors are out there.”
“There’re a lot. One says that your family has royal blood on it. Another that you have been with a famous singer. Don’t remember her name,”
I said casually. “What else? Oh, that you never date people in our home town because it’s messy.”
“All lies.”
“So, you date people from our town?”
“No, I don’t date.”
“You don’t?”
He smirked. “Don’t tell me that you are one of those guys that thinks that dating is horrible and only does hook-ups.”
“Maya, nothing. I don’t date or do anything.”
“You mean—”
“I’m a virgin. I haven’t even kissed someone.”
“Why?”
“The girl that I wanted to kiss didn’t see me like that.”
There was a girl. Of course there was.
“You still want to kiss her?”
My voice came out raspy.
“More than anything.”
“You are saving yourself for her?”
“I guess. It doesn’t have any appeal to me to kiss someone else.”
“Do I know her?”
I couldn’t stop questioning him. He muttered under his breath something that sounded similar to you’re cute.
“What?”
“What about you?”
Aaron asked.
“No one for me. I’m too busy.”
He nodded, understanding me.
“Never see you with a guy, either.”
“Never been, either.”
“Nothing?”
he asked very casually.
“I’m too focused on school and work to focus on that. I know there are rumors, but I have never done anything.”
“I get it. I don’t even work, and don’t have time for schoolwork. Maybe in college when you get more time.”
“Don’t know. I will probably be too busy, too. Also, I get it when you say that it doesn’t have any appeal. I don’t get all the fuss behind it.”
“You read romance; you have to get it somehow.”
“I mean, that’s fiction. In real life, it’s not like in the books.”
“Not so dreamy characters. Not Sir Lancet, not his obsession with destroying the buttons of his love’s nightie.”
“Have you read it?”
I asked, surprised.
“Of course I have. I am a hopeless romantic myself. I love reading it. It’s a great way to learn tricks to save for the future, too.”
“For when your secret girl wants to give you a chance?”
“Exactly. That’s your favorite book, right?”
I nodded. “We should recommend each other romance books.”
“That’s very personal.”
“Are you saying that you would love to have your buttons torn off?”
My jaw dropped.
“How much time until we get there?”
I asked, changing subject.
“Just a little.”
“Close your eyes.”
He put his hands on my eyes anyway, and guided me softly, so I knew that I could start walking. With my eyes closed, I could feel even more how close we were. Aaron smelled good. He always did. His hands were warm and touched me softly. I felt like my soul was getting out of my body.
“Here.”
In front of me, there was a small, rustic house with a big lake behind it. The moon was reflected on the lake. I thought it would feel scary to be in the woods at night, but this felt like magic.
“It looks like one of your fairy books, don’t you think?”
“It does.”
I was in awe.
“Come on.”
He grabbed my hand, and I followed him to the cabin. He used a key to open it, and when we got inside, I was surprised by how much better conserved the interior was. There was a kitchen, a living room, and two doors that were closed.
The living room was decorated with a couch and a small TV. From behind the couch, there was a big window with gorgeous views to the lake. Everything was clean, and it seemed like people only visited from time to time. I realized that instead of being scared to be in a house in the forest, I felt at peace, happy, elated.
Aaron’s grandpa’s operation went well. Aaron was more relaxed and relieved of all the tension, or at least most of it. He wasn’t crying anymore. His eyes were sparkling again. We both were in a cabin far away from home and alone with a gorgeous view in front of us.
“You want to stay?”
“The night?”
“We’ll need to get back at one point tonight, but I think there’s some food here. Do you want to stay?”
“I would love to stay longer,”
I replied.
“Great. I’ll start the fire.”
I sat on the couch and looked at the lake. He seemed to know what he was doing, his muscles moving in a hypnotic way.
What was wrong with me?
I was acting like a teenager with a crush.
I mean, Aaron was gorgeous, but he was pining for someone else, waiting for her.
Of course, Aaron would do that.
He sat next to me. Not too close. Just some platonic space. Friends.
“Do I know her?”
He made a sound in the back of his throat. He swallowed.
“Maybe. Do you have a thing for someone?”
I looked at him incredulously. “What? Did you expect me to give information without receiving any?”
“Who is she?”
“Why don’t you try to guess?”
“It’s Lucy?”
“No.”
“Really? She is very pretty and smart.”
“My girl is very pretty and smart, too.” His girl.
“Does she know that she’s your girl?”
“I don’t think so. I thought I was more obvious about it, but I now know that I wasn’t. At least to her. Some people joke about how much they could tell that I have a crush on her. Are you going to give me names of the people that you have had feelings for?”
He made a pause. “Anyone from school?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever thought of him when you are in private?”
“Alone in my bed at night? Yes. Have you?”
“All the time,”
he continued. “She can be infuriating, but she’s extremely intelligent, a hard worker. Patient for those she cares for. Not so much when she’s about to win.”
We both were very close. He looked at my mouth, and our eyes found each other. “A smart mouth. Dreamy, pretty eyes.”
He touched my hair. “The most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”
We both were so close, our lips were almost touching. He seemed nervous for a moment, and I thought he might backtrack, but he looked at my eyes and said in a raspy voice, “Can I kiss you, Maya?”
My voice wasn’t working. It was like I was stuck. He started to pull back, and I panicked. I grabbed his shirt and kissed him. Our lips collided. He didn’t reply for a moment, and I separated. I fucked up. I have no idea how to do this.
He touched my cheek, and I looked at him. “Let’s try again.”
This time, we both moved slowly, and our lips touched. It was sweet, and soft, and warm, the best thing to ever exist.
His hands were on my cheeks while mine were on his shirt.
I was his secret girl.
His first kiss.
The one he was saving himself for.
That made me kiss him harder, and I moved my hands to his hair. He made a sound of satisfaction, and I was more than pleased with it. I felt his tongue on my lips, and let it slip in. We didn’t know what we were doing, just that it felt great.
“If you want to stop, let me know,”
I said to Aaron.
“I don’t. You?”
“No.”
We continue to kiss. This time, he started to kiss my cheeks, and I made a sound of objection. He laughed and continued to kiss my face until he got to my jaw, and then my neck. I moaned.
“I love that sound. Even better than my fantasies.”
“What are we doing in them?”
“So much, I don’t know where to start.”
“Say one.”
“I want you in my lap.”
I put my legs on either side of his.
“Like this?”
He nodded. “Or like this?”
I said, lowing myself until his hardness pressed against me. He moaned. He nodded multiple times. I looked at his eyes; they were so shiny.
He was more than happy. We continued to kiss, and this time it was me that stopped to kiss his face.
His cheeks, his nose, his jaw, his neck.
I softly bit the space between his shoulder and his neck. He moaned again and grabbed my hair with his hands, forcing me to kiss him again on the lips. “I found a secret spot, Willow.”
He smiled against my lips. “You can find all of them.”
“Just me.”
“Just you, my love.”
My heart was going to explode.
“Willow.”
“You think it’s too fluffy? What about my sweetest rival? My dear nemesis?”
“Willow.”
“I say it in the most romantic way.”
His eyes shone with mischief. “My Amery.”
“You’re way too good with words right now. I need to up my game.”
“We are going to compete even in this, my love?”
I moaned. I started to rub myself against his hard-on, moving my hips, loving the friction.
“Maya, fuck.”
We continued kissing. I was getting so close.
I moaned, “Aaron.”
Suddenly, he moaned my name again, and I felt a spasm go through him. I waited until his breath became more even, and I stopped.
He wasn’t hard anymore.
He just came.
I made him come.
With my name on his lips and my hands in his air.
He looked nervous.
His cheeks were red, and from this close I could see all his freckles. They looked delicious with the red on his cheeks, the mess of his hair, and the ripeness of his lips.
I started to kiss them. Starting from the left, kissing the arch of his nose, and then his right.
He was embarrassed. So cute. I didn’t want to say something that could be taken as offensive, so I just continued to kiss him until he realized that it was alright. That I was happy.
“I didn’t expect to come this fast.”
“I don’t mind.”
I stopped kissing him. Maybe he wanted to finish kissing or wanted to clean himself. I looked between us, and there was a wet spot on his pants. I wetted my lips. So hot.
I caused that. For being a newbie, it wasn’t bad.
“You look proud.”
“I won.”
He seemed paralyzed by what I said. “I mean—”
“You did.”
“Willow, can we continue to kiss?”
He nodded. “Or do you want to change?”
“I’ll change later. Just because I came, it doesn’t mean that we have to be finished. I want to make you come, too. Do you want to?”
I nodded. “Can you show me how to do it? Show me how you do it.”