“Movie?” he suggests.
“Sure.”
“Well, we’re going out,” his dad announces.
“We are?” Anna asks, surprised.
“Yep. Marsha and Heath are going dancing, and I told them we’d go with them.”
“And this is why I love you,” Anna says, standing from her seat. “I’ll be ready to go in ten,” she says as she rushes out of the room, making us all laugh.
“Have fun,” Griffin tells his dad. He stands and laces his fingers through mine and leads me downstairs to the basement.
“What do you want to watch?” he asks.
“I don’t care.” It’s true. I don’t care. I just want to spend time with him.
“How about we talk instead?”
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask, but I’m pretty certain I already know.
“Anything.” He sits on the couch and pulls me down onto his lap.
“Why are you always pulling me onto your lap?”
“Does it bother you?”
“No. I was just curious.”
“Honest answer? I’m not sure. I like having you close and touching you. I know that after tomorrow it’s going to be a long time before I get to again, and I guess I’m just trying to soak up as much of you as I can get.”
Neither one of us says anything for several long minutes. We’re both content to just sit here and enjoy each other. My mind is flipping through every scenario of long distance, and even though I think it’s doomed, I still want to try. I really like this guy.
“What’s your favorite color?” he asks me.
“Blue. What’s yours?”
“Blue.” He grins. “Favorite food?”
“Lasagna. My mom makes it from scratch and it’s so good,” I tell him. “You?”
“Carbs.” He chuckles. “I love it all. There’s not much I won’t eat.”
“I hate onions.”
“Good to know.”
“When I was little, I would order onion rings when we would go out to eat. I’d peel the breading off and leave a pile of onions on my plate.”
“So it’s not the taste?”
“No, I think it’s the texture. I just don’t like them.”
“Hobbies?” he asks.
“Softball, school, which isn’t really much of a hobby as it is a necessity, hanging with Karina and our friends, spending time with my family. Especially my nephew, Jett. He’s my older sister Paisley’s son. He’s so much fun to be around. She’s pregnant again, and I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew.”
“That’s something I won’t have unless I marry someone who has siblings. That’s the sucky part about being an only child.”
“You have Oliver. He’s your best friend. I can imagine his kids will be your nieces and nephews. Kind of like my uncle Drew. He’s not my uncle by blood, but he is in my heart.”
“I guess I never really thought about it like that.”
“What about you? Hobbies?”
“Baseball, school, which like you said is a necessity, the guys, that’s about all I have time for.”
“All the more reason not to add a long-distance relationship that’s sure to be stressful being away from each other to the list.”
“You see, regardless of whether or not you agree to date me exclusively, you’re still not going to be far from my mind.” He places his hand on my jaw, and I turn my head to look him in the eye. “You’re not easy to forget.”
His whispered confession has the butterflies take flight once again. Who am I kidding? They never leave when he’s around. I’m sitting sideways on his lap with my feet propped up on the couch. We’re close, so close that I could lean in and kiss him. I want to, but I don’t want to make the first move. I don’t know why. It’s not like there are written rules for these kinds of things. He’s trying to get me to date him long-distance, or at least continue talking to see where things go. I know he wouldn’t reject me, but I still don’t want to make the first move. I don’t have a ton of experience, and what if I mess up, or… gah, I need to just get out of my own head.
“Peyton?”
“Yeah,” I say, shaking out of my thoughts.
“Can I kiss you?”
Is he a mind reader? “Please.”
His hand slides behind my neck as he leans in close. Tentatively, he presses his lips to mine. They’re softer than I imagined. It’s just a quick brush of our lips, but it sends fire racing through my veins. I’ve never had that happen just from a kiss. Hell, I don’t know if I’ve ever had that happen.
“Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” I pretend I don’t know what he’s talking about. Maybe the earth didn’t move for him like it did for me.
“Electricity.”
Okay, then again, maybe he did. “I thought it was just me.”
“Not just you. I think we should try that again, you know, just to be sure.” The corner of his mouth lifts in a smile as he leans in again. This time, his tongue traces my lips, and they part automatically, welcoming him. The kiss is languid as he explores my mouth. One hand still rests on the back of my neck, while the other wraps around my waist, holding me close.
I lose all track of time as he kisses me. He’s in no hurry as his tongue lazily strokes against mine. I try not to think about how much practice he’s had at this very thing and more. I hate the thought of someone else getting this side of him. I can’t control his past, but maybe just maybe, if I’m willing to take a leap of faith, I can control our future. It would take a lot of trust and communication. I’m not afraid to put in the work, but I don’t know him well enough to know if the trust will be there. We haven’t had enough time to build that foundation.
Griffin pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead against mine. “What’s going on inside that pretty head of yours?” he whispers.
“So many things, Griffin.”
“Stand up for me,” he says, dropping his hand that’s resting behind my neck and tapping my thigh. I do as he says and watch as he moves to lie down on the couch, just like he did earlier today. He pats the spot in front of him. I move to lie down, and his words stop me. “Face me. I need to look into your eyes, and I’m not done kissing you.”
Doing as he asks, I lie down, facing him. He wraps his arms around me and holds me close, and places a kiss on the top of my head.
“Talk.”
“It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. If something is on your mind important enough to capture your thoughts, I want to hear it.”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“Hey.” His index finger rests under my chin, and he lifts my gaze to his. “There is nothing you can’t tell me. You know what? I’ll go first. I was thinking about how it’s going to suck to go weeks, maybe even months at a time without kissing you.”
“I was wondering how many girls you’ve snuck down here. How many you’ve kissed like you’re kissing me.” I pause. “And more,” I confess.