Page 56 of The Pucking Kiss
“What is it then…” she sighed, “That you want?”
Having her sitting so close to me was distracting. I scooted closer to her and put my hand on her thigh.
“If we’re being honest…” I lowered my voice down to a whisper, “I think I really want to kiss you.”
“Why?” she sounded nervous suddenly and looked down at my lap.
“Because you’re pretty?” I said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. “And I like kissing you.”
She blushed, shaking her head. “See? This is exactly what I mean… one day you’re so affectionate, the next you’re like you only see me as a friend.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“Don’t you think that’s confusing, Bryan?” she continued. “Just a little bit?”
I shrugged. Avoiding my feelings was what I did best.
“Romai…”
“Romai, what?” she snapped, “Are you gonna say that I’m making things complicated again?”
“No…” I shook my head and directed my attention back to the textbook, “Maybe we should go back to studying.”
She let out an annoyed huff and snatched the book away from me. “If that’s how you want to do this, fine.”
For the rest of the session, she was annoyed. I could tell.
Every time I tried to make a joke, she shot me down. I couldn’t stand to see her annoyed at me, so I didn’t stop trying.
I kept trying to make her laugh.
“Hey, Romai,” I nudged her. “Do you want me to do my best Jim Carrey expression?”
“Please don’t….”
“Come on,” I said. “I’m a natural actor. You’ll love it.”
“You’re supposed to be studying.”
I ignored her and began imitating the actors’ voice, “Hey Romai, why are you mad at Bryan?”
“God dammit, Bryan,” she chuckled, finally coming out of her moody state. “You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly hot?”
“Nope,” she shook her head. “Impossible because I don’t know how to live with you, and I don’t know how to live without you.”
We both froze at her admission. She had never admitted something like this to me before. Honestly, it made my heart melt.
I laced my fingers in hers, “Do we have to define everything?” I sighed, “Can’t we just enjoy this? Whatever this is.”
She looked up at me with her wide eyes. I guess she must have seen a trace of sincerity in them because she squeezed my hand and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” she asked.
“I do have one,” I replied, laughing. “She’s under a contractual agreement and sitting right next to me.”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” she sighed. “So many girls in the school would kill for a chance to be with you, and yet, you’ve not had a serious girlfriend in years. Why?”