Page 15 of Rescue My Heart

McKenna clenched her eyes shut, forcing herself to think of something else, anything else. But the memory of the kiss had its own rhythm, playing on repeat in her mind. She could still feel the lingering heat from Mazey’s body, the way their lips had moved together so naturally, as if they'd done it a hundred timesbefore. It was frustrating, really. She had kissed women before, but none of them had made her feel like this.

Eventually, the fatigue won out. McKenna felt herself slipping into sleep, her mind still clinging to the last thought of Mazey before she drifted off.

Her alarm blared, jolting her awake. McKenna groaned, blindly reaching for her phone to shut it off. She blinked against the early morning light streaming through her curtains, her head heavy with exhaustion. What time did I even fall asleep? she wondered groggily.

It didn’t feel like she’d gotten much rest at all. The night had passed in a blur of half-conscious thoughts, and even in her dreams, the kiss had replayed over and over again. No matter how hard she tried to forget it, Mazey was right there in the forefront of her mind: her smile, her touch, the feel of her lips. McKenna rubbed her eyes, feeling the weight of the restless night settle in her bones.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, sitting there for a moment as she let herself wake up fully. Why did this have to be so complicated? It wasn’t just a kiss anymore. It was everything that came with it. The feelings she couldn’t quite pin down, the questions about where Mazey stood, the way her heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster she couldn’t control.

McKenna ran a hand through her hair, staring blankly at the floor. Should she reach out to her? The question gnawed at her, but she quickly shook it off. No, she wasn’t going to make the first move. If Mazey wanted to talk about it, if she wanted to explore whatever was happening between them, she’d have tocome to McKenna. And if she didn’t? Then maybe the kiss had meant nothing to her after all.

But that didn’t sit right with McKenna. It had to have meant something to Mazey. There was no way she didn’t feel that too. Yet, the uncertainty was still there, and it clawed at her. The doubt. The nagging fear that maybe she’d misread everything.

She stood up, stretching her stiff muscles, and tried to shake off the sleep that still clung to her. Today would be a fresh start, she told herself. She had work to focus on, and she wasn’t going to let herself get distracted by one kiss. No matter how much it had affected her.

But as she went through her morning routine—making coffee, checking her phone, preparing for the day ahead—her mind kept wandering back to Mazey. To the way Mazey had kissed her with that sudden urgency, that spark of something undeniable, and then had gone back to being cool and composed as if nothing had happened.

McKenna sighed, sipping her coffee, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Be patient, she reminded herself again, but the words felt hollow now. Waiting wasn’t something she was good at. She was used to taking action, solving problems, moving forward. But in this situation, all she could do was wait and see if Mazey would make the next move.

She stared at her phone, half-expecting a message from Mazey that wasn’t there. Maybe it was too soon, she reasoned. They had both been caught off guard by the kiss. Maybe Mazey needed time to figure out her own feelings.

Still, McKenna couldn’t shake the feeling that today was going to be a long day, filled with more questions and no answers. She’d do her best to get through it, but she knew one thing for sure, Mazey wasn’t someone she could easily forget.

Just as she pulled into the parking lot, her phone buzzed. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen. She frowned, her curiosity piqued, and opened the message.

“Hey, stranger. Thanks for all the safety tips. It’s really going to help me with my character.”

McKenna’s breath caught. It must be Mazey. How had she even gotten her number? More importantly, why was she texting? They hadn’t exchanged much beyond that one encounter, and yet here she was. McKenna stared at her phone for a second, unsure how to respond, her mind swirling with the kiss they'd shared and how Mazey had brushed it off afterward.

She typed back quickly, keeping her tone light. "Can I assume this is Mazey?"

A moment passed before her phone buzzed again. "Yes, it is. Do you have any other actresses coming to ask for advice on rescues?"

McKenna let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. She wasn’t used to this kind of banter, especially with someone she couldn’t quite figure out. "Nope. Just you."

Her phone buzzed almost instantly with a response. "Good. I like that. You really helped me yesterday. You really know your stuff.”

McKenna felt her cheeks warm. She wasn’t sure why Mazey’s words affected her like this. It was just a text. It was just friendly. She could feel herself overthinking it, reading into every word, and tried to convince herself that it was nothing more than a casual message.

"I’ve been doing this for a while," she replied, trying to keep her cool. "I hope I can teach something as simple as safety when it comes to rescues."

The pause that followed felt heavier than it should have. McKenna found herself staring at her phone, waiting for the next message, wondering why it even mattered. It was just Mazeybeing polite, she told herself. But the memory of the kiss tugged at her mind. She thought about the way Mazey had pulled her close, the warmth of her lips, the electricity between them and then the way Mazey had acted like nothing happened afterward.

Her phone buzzed again, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You did more than that. I feel like I understand a lot more now. About the role. About other things."

McKenna’s heart skipped a beat. Other things? Was Mazey hinting at the kiss? Or was she just being vague? McKenna couldn’t tell, and that uncertainty was gnawing at her. She didn’t want to push, didn’t want to assume anything. But there was something there, wasn’t there? Or was she just imagining it?

"You’re a quick learner," she typed back. "Glad to be of help."

This time, the pause was longer. McKenna stared at the screen, waiting, her mind swirling with a million questions. Was Mazey reaching out just to talk? Was she looking for something more? Or was this all just professional, like Mazey had insisted at the end of their encounter?

Finally, her phone buzzed. "I’ve been thinking a lot since yesterday. About how you made everything feel easy. I guess I didn’t expect that."

McKenna’s pulse quickened. The message felt different. Not flirty, exactly, but more personal. She could feel the vulnerability in Mazey's words, and that surprised her. For someone so confident, Mazey was hinting at something deeper. But was it about their kiss or just the connection they'd shared?

"I’m glad it helped," McKenna typed slowly, unsure of how to proceed. "Sometimes things are easier when you’re not thinking too hard about them."

She hesitated before sending it, wondering if that was too vague, too cryptic. But maybe that was for the best. She didn’t want to push Mazey into saying something she wasn’t ready to admit. If there was even anything to admit.