Some Kind of Normal

“I don’t think anyone has ever called me beautiful.”

It took a second for my words to sink in, and just as the hot fingers of embarrassment worked their way up from inside me, she stood on her tiptoes, her hands now sunk into my hair. She offered up her hot, open mouth, and that was it. I was done.

I was a guy who wanted a girl so badly, and just like any other normal hot-blooded dude, all thoughts but Everly flew out of my head. I slid my mouth across hers. I accepted what she was offering, because right now, in this moment, there was nothing but this kiss. There was no embarrassment or awkward movements or anything that didn’t feel right.

She was soft and smooth and pliant in my arms, and as I deepened the kiss, I thought I heard her groan. I cradled her head so that she couldn’t move, and I tasted every inch of her mouth. Cherry gloss, spearmint gum. The more I tasted, the more she pushed against me, and I couldn’t help myself—I let one hand travel down her back because most of it was exposed.

All that soft skin, naked and exposed.

I trailed fingers down her spine, and I knew that she wasn’t wearing a bra because I felt her pressed against me, and by this point, I was pretty damn sure she felt all of me. Like all of me.

I pulled back a bit, because this was going way too fast and we were both breathing hard. Resting my forehead against hers, I struggled to get my shit together. When I thought I was okay to talk, I took a second and prayed that everything would come out right.

“That was pretty amazing,” I said slowly, taking my time. And who was I kidding? My hands were still all over her. It was more than amazing. I don’t think the right word had been invented to describe what I was feeling. Where was Nate the poet when you needed him?

In the distance I could hear the echoes of the bush party. Kids laughing and arguing and singing along to Nate, Brent, and Link. Funny, any other time, I would have felt left out. Like who did they think they were, jamming without me?

But right now, with this girl and the stars and the fireflies flickering along the ground, I felt like I was the king of the world.

Total chick analogy, but whatever.

“I think amazing doesn’t come close,” she said.

A smile crept across my face. Good to know I wasn’t the only one who felt it.

“So, where do we go from here?” I asked, moving my head a bit so that I could see her. She gave a small shrug and was quiet for a moment.

“You’re so not the guy that I…” Her eyes flew to mine, wide and more than a lit

tle embarrassed.

“The guy that you…” I prompted.

She exhaled and kind of shuddered. I felt it move down her body, and since we were still pretty much glued together from the waist down, I can’t lie, I had a moment where I thought things might get dicey for me. Dicey in a way that wasn’t cool for a guy in this situation.

Relax. Chill. Sure I might have been smiling, but on the inside, I was in pain.

“I just never expected a kiss like that.”

I wanted to fist-pump, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate that sort of display.

“It was pretty epic,” I said.

A small smile crossed her face. “I’ll have to agree with that observation.”

“So what are we going to do about this? About you and me?”

Her eyes kind of clouded over, and she pulled away. It was a gentle maneuver, and I got the feeling that I should maybe give her some space. Truthfully? I needed a moment too.

She was quiet for a long time, and I was starting to get worried. Maybe she wasn’t as into me as I thought. Maybe her idea of a boyfriend wasn’t some brain-damaged dude who wasn’t always the most eloquent.

“I’ve got stuff going on,” she said softly. “I’m not in a real good place right now, and I’m probably not the best choice for someone to be with. Not exactly the most fun to be around.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets because, God, I needed to do something with them other than what I wanted to do, which was put them all over Everly.

“If I was looking for fun and easy, I’d hang out with Jess. And I’m not dissing her, because there’s nothing wrong with that. Hell, even though I feel older than my parents some days, technically we’re still teenagers. We’re supposed to be having fun, getting crazy, doing stupid things. But you and I are on a bit of a different path from most of the guys back there.” I motioned toward the noise from the party.

She nodded but didn’t say anything.