CHAPTER 23
Like…happily ever after?
Her heart might have stopped—she wasn’t sure—but it came back with a fervor, pounding at her like someone furious was at the door about to barge their way in. Did he mean to not solely be friends as well? Did he even know what he was saying?
“They…they…you know, happily ever after…I mean…” she stammered, saying nothing really in the end.
“What? It’s not like this?” he asked.
She wanted to say no, but his face was inches from hers and somehow that stopped her. “Not quite. They…they get married. Have kids…”
He nodded understandingly.
“Kallias,” she murmured. Fear didn’t want her to, but she might as well know. “Do you…do you want to be more than friends?”
“What is more than friends?” he asked. “Making babies?”
She blushed so hard she wanted to pull away, but his hands gently held her in place.
“I…don’t even know if that’s possible,” she stammered again. How could he look so calm? “But…”
“I don’t know. Do friends want to hold each other like this?” he asked.
“No, probably not,” she admitted. “Probably not this close.”
“Do friends have happily ever afters?” he asked. “Or want to stay forever?”
“No,” she agreed. “Kallias, I don’t want to be just friends. I want to kiss you.”
He smiled again. “Ah ‘kiss’ once more. Is ‘kiss’ making babies? Is that why you were so embarrassed?”
“No. No, a kiss is when you press your lips against someone, and when two people kiss, they kiss each other’s lips.”
“Oh, we do that too. Affection.”
“Affection,” she murmured in agreement. “And not the family kind.”
She was surprised to see him blush, but that surprise was quickly surpassed by the shock of him pressing his lips against hers.