Chapter 4 #2
I snap my neck forward, a knock echoing through the small space. Dad built this for me and Jaz when we were younger so now that we are nearly adults, it is harder for us to fit in here.
Both of us were lucky enough to get our mum’s tall genes, which is great for me as it assists me when playing hockey.
Sitting up, I clear my throat before replying. “Come in.”
Surprise splashes across my face as Willow Rogers crawls into the treehouse and takes a seat beside me. Although we are teammates, we do not get along. There are multiple reasons, the first I squashed last year as I realised I was being an asshole.
Willow kept playing hockey despite all the girls quitting after they turned fourteen. I didn’t think she should continue playing as, after this age, the game turns rough. I thought I was trying to keep my sister’s best friend safe but I was just being a misogynistic asshole.
I tried to apologise but Willow didn’t want to hear it.
Then, she became unpredictable. I hate being unpredictable.
Control is everything to me and she was one thing I could never control.
Our stubborn and opposing natures clash every time we are together, so heated glares and taunts are how we communicate.
“Are we going to sit in silence? Or are you going to tell me why you weren’t at training?” she asks.
I raise my eyebrow. “I’m touched by your concern.”
Willow tilts her head down, narrowing her eyes at me. “I’m trying to do something nice, and you decide to mock me. I thought you were dying or something. Why else would Jayden Allen miss hockey training?”
I release a breath, and I can’t help the small smirk that pulls at my lips. “Worried, were you?”
Willow’s nostrils flare and based on her angry glare, she isn’t happy with my response. I won’t ever admit it out loud, but angry Willow is my favourite.
“Fine,” I say. “But Jaz told you the rules of the treehouse, right?”
She smiles. “What happens in the treehouse stays in the treehouse.”
I nod, swallowing back the fear. “My friends – well, I wouldn’t really call them friends after today, but that’s beside the point. They were talking about girls and the things they’ve done and I was the odd one out.”
Willow’s eyebrows scrunch together before a laugh escapes her chest. “Wait, you’re upset because you’ve never had sex?”
“Stop laughing. And no, it’s not about sex, well maybe. But I haven’t even kissed anyone. Until the boys said it today, I’ve never thought about it with everything that has been going on with hockey.”
Willow’s eyes settle on my face. “Oh, you’re serious about this. This is such a guy thing to complain about.”
My gaze falls to the ground, avoiding Willow. She does have a point. But it still stings that this is the situation I’ve got myself into.
“Okay, I’ve got a solution.”
My head whips around and I’m unable to look away from Willow’s eyes.
“You can kiss me.”
I choke on air, coughs spluttering from my throat. What the fuck did she just say? My gaze doesn’t waver from her as she continues to talk.
“I’ve never kissed anyone either, so we both have no expectations. Plus, even though we don’t like each other, I trust you more than any other guy.”
Every word penetrates my skin and forces its way to my heart. I suck in a breath, while I’m unable to stop my gaze from wandering to Willow’s lips. She wants me to kiss her.
“You would be okay with that?” I say, my voice low and laced with desire.
Willow nods. With her consent, I lean closer to her face allowing me to study her hazel eyes. I’ve never been this close to her and at this moment, I’m noticing every little detail of her face.
I want to commit the layout of her freckles and the specks of gold that flash in her hazel eyes to memory, because I may never get this chance again.
I lean closer. Our foreheads graze the other and I let out a shaky breath. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Willow continues to nod. Her chest rises quickly and eyes fluttering shut as she moves towards me. I follow her lead.
Nerves float in my stomach as I consider what is about to happen. But thinking about the aftermath seems so far away, so I push everything out of my mind and place my lips against hers.
One taste of her and my entire world shifts. Every brush of our lips ignites a fire under my skin as if she is the flame and I’m being drawn to her without even knowing. I snake my arm up to Willow’s neck, using my hand to tilt her head.
The kiss is messy, yet perfect in its own way. Wanting to explore, I trace my tongue across her lips. Fucking hell. Kissing Willow Rogers feels like the most natural thing in the world.
Thoughts swirl across my mind, yet one remains front and centre: Willow is letting me kiss her. And I want to keep doing it.
Willow’s soft lips part, allowing my tongue to slip inside. Both of us moan at the sensation. The sound travels throughout my body, forcing blood to rush to my dick.
Fuck my life.
Warmth crashes over my body. If this is how it feels to kiss her, part of me wants to pursue the fire for the rest of my life.
Our noses brush as I pull back from her. But I don’t move more than two inches away. I try to catch my breath but it only forces me to inhale Willow’s perfume.
Lavender circles around my body, placing me in a trance. I can’t look away from Willow’s pink, swollen lips. I did that to her. And I want to do it again.
I am so fucked.
Present Day – Hockey House
“When the fuck did this happen?” Jazmine says, bringing me out of my mind.
I inhale sharply. I hate reliving that day; it forces me to acknowledge too many feelings. Willow and I agreed that what happens in the treehouse stays in the treehouse. And she just broke that promise.
“You were never meant to find out,” I mutter to Jaz, but my angered gaze lingers on Willow.
“It’s just a game, Jayden.” Willow mumbles.
I grit my teeth, refusing to say anything else.
Is it childish of me? Probably, but that day is like a ghost that lingers near a haunted house to scare kids who try to trespass.
I can never shake that thrill that shoots up my spine or the sharp pain in my chest whenever I relive it.
The silence is palpable and my eyes remain firmly on the cup in my hand.
Toby clears his throat. “Okay, moving on.”
The night continues, but I’m no longer paying attention. After another hour, Jaz and Theo head home, giving me the perfect excuse to escape the room.
I hover behind my desk chair, reaching out to unpin a photo from my corkboard.
I brush my thumb over the woman in the picture–her blonde hair is straight, landing on her collarbone, bright blue eyes that sparkled when she looked at the rain and a candid smile.
Tears form and instinctively, I rub them away.
Allison was my first girlfriend. Besides from my first kiss, she was my first everything, yet those happy memories are tainted by the last one we had together: her dying in my arms after a collision with a drunk driver.
It wasn’t long after Willow and I kissed that I asked Allison out. I don’t know if the beginning of our relationship was because of her or because I was running away from rogue emotions that flared in my chest where Willow was concerned.
The worst thing is, I still don’t know the answer and to be honest, I don’t want to know.