“What took you so long?”
“I was in class when you text me and you know—”
“He kissed me.”
There was a moment of silence as Vannah covered her mouth feeling strangely emotional suddenly.
“He did?”
“Uh, huh.” Swallowing back the unexplainable emotion, she shook her head, feeling her brows pinch as she drove into her parking space at the dorms.
“Oh my God! I knew he was into you! Tell me everything and don’t you dare leave anything out.”
Clearing her throat, Vannah smiled willing back the same feelings of utter enchantment she’d been feeling earlier. She didn’t like this emotional stuff. So, she shook it off and began from the beginning giving Xochitl all the details she’d demanded.
“And then he kissed me.” She paused when she felt the goosebumps all over her arms just remembering the moment, and closed her eyes to take it in.
“And then what? What did he say after? Are you gonna see him again?”
“Well, at first he didn’t say anything. He just stared into my eyes as I completely melted and then he did it again only not as long. He knew I had to be somewhere soon, so after the second time he walked me out to my car.”
Remembering the way his friends or co-workers smirked knowingly as they walked out of his apartment and down the stairs, Vannah realized where the confusing emotion was coming from. Telling someone about the magical kiss made it even more real but it also made the second part just as real. She’d begun to feel a knot in her belly when she’d seen the way his co-workers eyed her and Byron. They’d even snickered under their breaths. This was probably the norm for Byron. Vannah had even begun to wonder when the last time was, they’d seen him walk someone up or down from his apartment. Was it the day before? That very morning? The feelings of humiliation that she could be so taken by a few kisses, and she very likely was far from the only one he’d kissed that way, had just begun to sink in. Then they reached her car and he kissed her again and she’d melted all over again. It was pathetic but it’d washed all the other feelings away and she’d driven off in mind-bending bliss.
Leaving the part that had her stomach knotting up again, she answered Xochitl’s other questions. “I don’t know. He held my hand all the way to the car, in front of all his co-workers but that could mean nothing. Then when we reached my car before I could say anything, he kissed me again and Jesus Christ, Xochitl, if kissing were sex, I’d be so pregnant right now.”
Glad for Xochitl’s giggling, Vannah allowed herself to enjoy the moment again and chuckled too.
“I’m serious. I wish I could explain it, but it’s indescribable. All I know is I’ve never been kissed like that.”
Not that she’d been kissed all that many times still, her gut and bursting insides were already telling her she never would be kissed that way by anyone else again.
“So, what did he say? Don’t tell me he just kissed you and didn’t say anything else.”
“After the last kiss by my car, he just told me to be careful.” She explained about the OfferUp book exchange. “He leaned his forehead against mine looking into my eyes and you know how intense that man is. And I know you’re going to call me cheesy, but it felt like he was looking deep into my soul. It went on for so long my heart nearly exploded. Then he just told me I’d be hearing from him. Whatever that means. I was in such a daze I think I just nodded and got in my car.” She laughed nervously, willing the emotion away again. “I’m surprised I didn’t crash I was in such a stupor.”
She heard Xochitl laugh under her breath. “Yeah, cheese. But sometimes cheese is good. Well, we knew he was interested and now this. He’ll be calling you for sure, girl.”
Quiet for a moment as the confusing fear knotted up her stomach, Vannah sighed. “I guess.”
“What do you mean? You don’t want him too?”
“No,” Vannah practically scoffed. “Of course I do, but I’m just saying. If he doesn’t, that’s okay too. I don’t wanna get my hopes up, you know. You’ve seen the guy, Soch. Kissing a girl is likely a harmless and common practice for him. I seriously doubt—"
She stopped talking when she heard the beep. Glancing down at her phone her heart walloped when she saw the name on the text she’d just gotten.
With a gasp, she brought her hand to her mouth. “That’s him. He just texted me.”
“See! Read it! Read it!”
“Hold on.” Putting Xochitl on speaker, Vannah hit the screen popping the message open and read it out loud. “Check in. Just wanted to see how the book exchange went for my new associate?”
“Check in?” Of course, Xochitl sounded off-put by that.
If it weren’t for that last part, Vannah would’ve been snickering at her so easily irritable friend. Instead, Byron’s confusing demeanor the night of the party came to mind. You meet all your friends at frat parties? He’d gone from playfully clarifying they were more than friends today, making her heartbeat skip in the process, to using the more technical term he’d first used-associates. Was this his way of making sure she wouldn’t make more of those heart stopping kisses? That he’d be all for being one of those kinds of friends to her, but his saying they were more than friends today was just his way of preparing her for his startling kiss.
Since Xochitl was too hung up on the check in thing and hadn’t commented on the second part of his text, neither would Vannah. She wasn’t even sure what to make of it anyway. For all she knew he was just teasing. So, she explained about the other part instead.
“He’d offered to go with me.” Vannah breathed in deeply in spite of the weird feeling in her belly. “Said it was dangerous. I guess this is his way of checking up to make sure I’m okay?”
“He’s worried about you already, Vannah.” Xochitl went from sounding off-put to excited. “And yes, I’ve seen the guy, but I’ve also seen the way he looks at you. Then first chance he gets he kisses you, and now he’s checking up on you? Text back!”
Vannah could practically hear the huge smile in her friend’s voice. “Okay,” she said smiling nervously and began tapping at her phones screen reading as she wrote. “It went fine. I got the book and I’m already home.”
“Add an open-ended question,” Xochitl urged still sounding as excited as Vannah’s pounding heart felt. “Something he can’t just respond with yes or no. Oh, I know! Bring up his bartering comment. Ask him what other dishes he likes for future reference.”
Feeling her insides tighten, Vannah went on with the rest of her text, reading it as she wrote it for Xochitl. “Curious, and for future reference in case my car gives me any trouble, what are some of your favorite dishes?”
“Perfect,” Xochitl said and Vannah hit the send button. “I wish I could stay on the phone with you to see what he responds but my next class already started. I’d skip it but I have a quiz and I can already tell I’m gonna need every point I can get in this class.”
They hung up, and Vannah hurried out of her car. She had a paper she needed to work on and then still needed to get in those lab hours she’d mentioned to Byron. Her phone dinged before she reached her dorm and she slowed to read the text.