He didn’t know what to do other than hold her tighter. Students crossed the plaza. Birds chirped in the trees, and a soft breeze blew. Sunlight was warm against his face. She nuzzled closer, and the weight of her body pressed on him. He felt the impression of lips on his neck.
Did that count as a kiss?
She turned her face to the side and peered up at him through damp eyelashes, and he brushed the residual moisture on her cheek away with his thumb. So soft, so pretty. He stroked wet tendrils of hair back from her temples, and her lips parted.
In an instant, everything changed. The wind became velvet, and sound was the loudness of his heart and the rush of his blood. Colors brightened and danced. The green of her eyes, the yellow of her shirt, the blue of the summer sky, it all centered around the pink of her mouth.
He didn’t realize what he was doing until he saw his fingertips smooth over her bottom lip. What a sight to see his tanned skin against her pale face. Her eyes went luminous and dreamy, and when he ran his fingertip over her lip again, her mouth opened wider. He found himself leaning toward her, wanting, wanting, wanting, but he managed to stop before he broke all his rules.
“You can kiss me,” she said, her voice half whisper, half husky rasp. “Anytime you want, you can kiss me.”
Girl loves boy loves girl repeated in his head. He couldn’t love her, couldn’t make her any promises. He should stay away from her.
Eyes steady on his, she continued, “You can kiss me . . . and touch me . . . and not marry me. I just . . . want to be with you. Before I go.”
Her words sent clashing reactions through him. His stomach bottomed out at the idea of her leaving, but concurrently, tension drained from his muscles. She’d given permission and made it clear she had no expectations. Kissing her wasn’t connected to dating or a relationship or marriage or love. He could just kiss her because he wanted to.
He could kiss her.
His skin went hot, and he knew it was going to happen. He was going to kiss Esme. It was inevitable now.
He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek, and a shaky breath sighed between her lips. He had to taste them, had to know them.
Now.
Cradling her jaw in his hand, he leaned toward her.
“Esmeralda, it is you,” a loud voice interrupted in a thick Russian accent.
* * *
• • •
Oh no, that voice was familiar.
Esme jerked away from Kh?i with a start, and her heart dropped when her fears were confirmed. It was her. “Hi, Angelika.”
Kh?i looked from her to the tall blond Russian woman, and Esme broke out in a cold sweat. He was going to find out she was a big liar, and then he was going to look down on her more.
“I did not know you have a boyfriend,” Angelika said.
Kh?i didn’t correct Angelika. Maybe that meant something, but Esme didn’t have time to think about it. They needed to leave right away. Maybe if they were fast, Kh?i wouldn’t figure it out.
She jumped to her feet. “We need to go. Later, Angelika.” She wanted to grab Kh?i by the arm and drag him after her, but she was afraid of touching him the wrong way. After a moment’s hesitation, she limped off on her own, hoping he’d follow. Luckily, he did.
But instead of letting them leave in peace, Angelika tagged after them. “I am thinking of applying here if I pass the GED. But I do not know if I will pass. If you take the test, you will pass.” To Kh?i, she said, “Esmeralda is very smart. She gets As on all of her tests in class.”
Esme’s heart jumped and started beating so fast her vision blurred. Too late.
“You’re taking classes?” he asked. “At the adult school across from my mom’s restaurant?”
She nodded as she stared down at the ground, wishing she could melt into the cracks between the bricks. Now he knew she wasn’t Esme in Accounting. She was Esme who hadn’t even graduated high school.
Angelika took an uncomfortable step back. “I, um, I will see you later. Have a nice weekend. Nice meeting you.”
Esme waved, and Kh?i flashed his usual barely there smile at Angelika before focusing on Esme again.
When he opened his mouth to speak, Esme hurried to say, “We’re done now. We should go.”