“Yeah,” I said in a flat tone—the feeling wasn’t mutual. My attention was for Ava, who looked amazing with her short, curly hair falling in her face. The casual, button-up shirt and dark, skinny jeans matched her red Chucks. She was perfectly Ava, my best friend. Excitement thrummed through my veins at the idea of getting to spend the entire day with her. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” She beamed, maneuvering around Mia. “I’ll see you later, Mia.” With a cursory wave, she walked down the steps in front of me, giving me the perfect view.
“You know, Cade,” Mia said, ignoring Ava’s dismissal. We both stopped on the steps to glance back at her. “If you get bored of Ava, I’m available and not nearly as prudish.”
Red flooded Ava’s neck and cheeks, and I was pretty sure I heard her teeth grinding together over the choking noise escaping my throat. It took some effort to recover while also avoiding saying something to get me in trouble with Ava. “Not interested,” I answered before Ava had the chance to say anything. With a hand on the small of Ava’s back, I leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Let’s go.”
I led her forward, leaving her sister behind with her mouth hanging open, as Ava’s was too. The door slammed shut right before I opened the car door for Ava, nudging her inside, since she seemed to be in shock from her sister’s outrageous display. When I got in, she sat with her bottom lip pinched between her fingers.
“I’m so sorry—”
“That was awkward—”
We blurted at the same time.
Before she could try again, I held a hand up. Of course, she was apologizing for someone else’s actions, but she wasn’t going to get away with it. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Ava.”
“But there is,” she argued. “She’s been extra skanky lately. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
“That’s not something you need to apologize for. You can’t control everyone, Ava, especially not your sister.”
“I know I can’t.” She drew in a deep breath. “What are we going to do?” She changed the subject, which I was glad for.
“We could get some lunch if you’re hungry. And I thought we could go back to The Coffee Shop tonight. They have a new indie band playing. I’ve been playing some of their stuff at the station, and Rick wants me to talk to them.”
“That sounds awesome.” Her smile and sparkling gray eyes made my chest tighten, then turn to goo, which made absolutely no sense. “So is this afternoon open for suggestions?”
“If it has anything to do with school, no.” I gave her a look. Her tone told me she already had something planned, but I didn’t want this day to have anything to do with her school obligations.
“Would you just bear with me a little?” she urged with her heart-stopping smile, which was almost impossible to resist. “It doesn’t have to do with school, per se, but there’s something I want to show you and get your opinion on.”
Silence stretched between us while I drove through town. Doing something school related, whether it was for prom or her dance stuff or whatever, was the last thing on my list, but I was going to let her have her way. Something about her wanting my opinion, her valuing it, made my heart race.
“All right.” I sighed again. “What are we doing?”
“You don’t have to sound so thrilled.” She pursed her lips. “You’re taking away my afternoon, so I need your help with something. I didn’t get the venue totally figured out because I kind of want to change it completely and I would like to know what you think.”
“Where to, hot stuff?”
That adorable blush crept over her cheeks while she told me where to go. It only took a few minutes for me to get us to the museum. I gave her a questioning look when I parked, but she ignored it. I followed her to the entrance of the two-story modern structure, looking at it with some interest but mostly confusion.
When I opened the door for her, I asked, “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing at a museum?”
“Let’s go inside first. Okay?”
The building had a musty scent to it, the displays starting right inside. There were old wagon carts, mannequins dressed in western apparel, and other things of the sort. It was cheesy but in a cool retro way. I was still a five-year-old at heart and loved old cowboy stuff, but I didn’t have to admit as much to Ava. The tall woman behind the front desk gave us a questioning look, as if she were surprised to see teens in a museum on a Saturday.
“Can I help you?” she asked when Ava approached, and I hung back to check out the old-school wagon as slyly as possible.
“I was wondering if Hilary is here,” Ava told her.
“You’re Ava?” the woman asked, and Ava confirmed. “She had to step out, but left the keys to the convention center. I thought you were bringing a group with you?”
“That will be on Monday,” Ava informed her, her tone professional. This was the Ava who earned the position on the student council, who headed up the dance team. The Ava who took shit from no one. “I only have one with me today.” She gestured toward me, while I stood next to the wagon with my arms crossed, pretending I wasn’t inspecting it.
“Okay.” The woman smiled, which made her pinched face appear several years younger. With a set of keys, she moved around the desk and stretched an arm out toward the hallway to the right. “Let’s take a look.”
Ava beckoned me with a wave of her hand, and I followed. After unlocking the double doors, she led us into the enormous room. Large, arched windows stretched across two of the walls, filling the room with natural light, which revealed a polished wood floor, a small wooden stage, and a few western decorations, including another wagon.
“I have to go back out front,” the woman told us, heading for the door. “You take your time and come get me if you have any questions.”
“Thanks,” Ava told her before she left us in the quiet room.
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “This is where you want to have prom?” I gave her an amused look but tried to play like I wasn’t very interested.
Truth be told, this was an awesome idea for prom, way better than the clichéd hotel thing most high schools did. She pinched her lip again, as if she were nervous about something that was beyond me. I continued to scan the room before smirking.
“This is kickass, Av.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, I do.” I gave her a hard look. “Don’t doubt your awesomeness, Ava. This is a way better idea than a stupid hotel.”
“That’s what I thought.” The smile that lit up her entire face, as if I had just given her the nicest compliment ever, made my heart melt like a pansy.
Going into full-on geek planner mode, she told me where they would set up the photographer and how they could decorate everything along with the theme. My complete attention was trained on her while she gestured wildly along with her explanations. She moved around the room, and I followed, beaming like it was Christmas morning.
When she was in the middle of explaining the cheesy outfits people could wear, I lost all control. Her enthusiasm, her excitement for life was far too captivating. This was the perfect moment to find out how she really felt about me, consequences be damned. I grabbed her arm, pulling her close and pressing my lips to her silky-smooth ones. The gasp I swallowed appeared to be a good sign. At least she wasn’t shoving me away.
The scents of vanilla and cinnamon clouded my senses when I tangled my hands in her soft curls. My heart pounded in my chest as she clutched my shirt in her fists, holding onto me as if I were her lifeline. A simple kiss had never felt so amazing.
I stopped the kiss when we were only getting started by pulling her head back with my hand gripping her hair but murmured against her lips, “Let’s get some lunch.” Her glassy eyes gave me complete satisfaction.
Turning for the door, I left her staring after me all cute and dazed. When I glanced back, I caught her touching her fingers to her lips, which had to be burning as much as mine were. With a playful
grin, I prompted, “You coming?”
Indecision clouded her gaze, as if she were trying to decide whether she was going to be mad at me or go along with it. Apparently choosing the latter, she dropped her hand and shook her head with a bemused smile. We went out to the lobby, giving a quick thanks to the woman at the desk before leaving. Instead of going back to my car, I pulled her along, trying to find the roach coach that had the best tacos in Portland.
She didn’t bring up the kiss, but I was certain she mulled it over. I wanted her to think about it good and long, since I wasn’t quite ready to tell her what it meant to me. It wasn’t as if we touched or kissed on a regular basis—we didn’t touch at all, ever, which I was beginning to regret. We had kissed a few times when we dated, but this one… this one was so much better, meant more.
Once I found the Mexican food truck, I ordered a dozen tacos, laughing at the exasperated look she gave me. “I’ll eat whatever you don’t,” I told her when I grabbed the tray of food, then led us to a small table. “This place makes some of the best tacos in town.”
“I’m sure they do, but that doesn’t mean we need twelve of them between the two of us.”
“We’ll manage,” I assured her before putting the fresh-made salsa on a taco. “Dig in.”
She rolled her eyes, but complied. “Oh my God,” she groaned around her first bite. “You were right, they’re amazing.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes while I watched her finish off two tacos and start on a third. “Aren’t you going to ask why I kissed you?” I asked.
She crinkled her nose. “I’m sure it had something to do with you wanting to kiss me,” she pointed out, making me laugh, but I didn’t confirm or deny. Her shoulders slumped. “Are you actually going to tell me if I ask you?”
“Sure.” I nodded but didn’t go on.
“Umm?” she prompted. “So why did you?”
“I didn’t say I would tell you right now.” It took all my control not to laugh at the grumpy face she made. “But I will tell you when the time is right. I just want you to be prepared… in case it happens again.”
Her jaw dropped, a choking noise escaping her throat, making me chuckle. Throwing her off guard was my new favorite game. With her mouth clamped shut, she glared. “That was rude.”
“How was that rude?”
“You totally brought it up to get a reaction out of me.”
“I got the reaction out of you when I kissed you,” I teased but didn’t expect her face to go completely slack, her walls to slam in place. My fists clenched, the taco in my hand crumbling. “Don’t do that.” I jabbed a finger at her, making food fly everywhere.
“Do what?” Her chin jutted out.
“Don’t close off,” I said. “I can see your wheels turning.” I tapped on her forehead. “It meant something. I’m just not ready to tell you what it meant yet.”
“Stop being all cryptic.”
“Don’t devalue it, Ava,” I growled. Did she think I was so awful, I would kiss her just to mess with her? “I don’t go around putting moves on any girl just for the hell of it. Okay?”
Our staring contest had to have lasted ten minutes. She could take whatever time she needed to figure out how damn serious I was. It probably scared her. Hell, it scared me too. Making myself vulnerable to another person could end up destroying me, but I was willing to do it for her. She was better than anything I deserved, but that wouldn’t keep me from reaching for the impossible this time.
She pinched her lip for a second before shoving her short curls from her face. Patiently waiting for her response was nearly impossible, but I managed. Lips pressed together, she finally nodded, allowing me to breathe again.
Chapter Six
Ava
After finishing our tacos, we walked around town, stopping in small shops just to have fun and look around. The weather was decent, with only a slight drizzle coming down in random intervals. Hanging out with him made me realize how much I missed all my friends. Another day would have to be taken off in order to spend some much-needed time with them.
Not overanalyzing our amazing kiss was impossible, since he kept touching me, kept holding my hand, or placed a hand to the small of my back while we walked around. I didn’t know what to think of any of it, so I tried to go along with it, as if it were totally normal. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, my heart remaining squeezed tight the entire afternoon, but I was more than okay with it. If it meant only one day of this absolute bliss, I would take it.
To my utter dismay, the day flew by, the sun setting on the horizon when he herded me back to his car. When we got to The Coffee Shop, he led me inside and went to order drinks while I searched for a free table. Bodies crowded the small shop, Cranium having drawn them there. The small stage near the front of the shop had sound equipment set up on it and instruments out. The only free table was near the back, where I waited for him.
He came to the table a while later with two Italian sodas, a bag of pastries, and a crooked smile that made my stomach flutter. The cheesy smile I wore when he bent to peck me on the cheek before sitting down couldn’t be helped. Blood rushed up my neck and over my cheeks, but I hoped the dimmed lights wouldn’t give me away.
Taking out two Danish, two coffee cakes, and two bagels, he said, “I hope these will do for dinner. I didn’t even think about grabbing something before we came.”
“This is perfect.” An excessive amount of saliva filled my mouth when I snatched a coffee cake. The four tacos I ate earlier should have held me off just fine, but I couldn’t resist a good slice of coffee cake. “But I don’t think we’ll need this much.”
“Didn’t know what you’d want.” With a shrug, he took a bite of a cheese Danish.
The band came onstage then and started testing the sound. The excitement bubbling in my stomach had me to bouncing in my seat while I nibbled on my cake and sipped my soda. The singer was the girl who served our coffee that morning, explaining her and Cade’s exchange that had made me unnecessarily jealous.
He grabbed my knee, making heat run up my leg. “Excited?”
“I haven’t done this in a long time.” I waved a hand around, encompassing the whole day with him.
“I know.” The sad look he gave me when he squeezed my leg hurt my heart. “They’re really good. You’ll like them,” he said before I could put too much thought into the glum look.
His hand remained on my leg while we finished our pastries and the band began to play. They blew me away. All the band members, besides the barista girl—who had some amazing vocal cords on her—were guys. From the looks of the tattoos and colorful hair dawning the stage, I thought they would be screaming rock, but they were more a mellow, alternative rock that drew me in.
They even did a cover of Of Monsters and Men’s “Little Talks,” one of my favorite songs. The urge to get up and dance was overwhelming, but there just wasn’t room. How well they played had the rest of the noise and people in the shop disappearing.
While I was leaning forward in my chair, watching the singer belt out a verse, Cade leaned close into my side. “They’re pretty amazing, huh?” His lips brushed my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. With a huge smile, I agreed.
At some point during the show, he grabbed my hand, twining his fingers with mine. Even though he had done the same thing throughout the day, him holding my hand in such a casual manner still took me off guard. The warmth of his hand engulfing mine was savored with hopes we could stay like that forever.
When the band wrapped up and everyone clapped and cheered, Cade leaned against my side again. “Will you be all right if we stay a little longer so I can talk to them?”
“Of course,” I assured him, trying to tug my hand from his, but he held on tighter, pulling me through the crowd toward the band.
The singer was in the middle of a conversation with someone, and the rest of the band was packing their stuff up. The girl recognized Cade over the person’s shoulder and gave him a nod, see
ming much more animated than she had been that morning.
Her bright red lips stretched in a warm smile when she came over to us, hollering, “Hey, Cade! How’d you like the show?”
“It was great,” he told her, before putting an arm around me, pulling me close to his side. “Grace, this is Ava.”
“Nice to meet you, Ava,” she told me, sticking a tattooed hand out for a quick shake. “I think I saw you this morning.”
“Yeah, that was me. Your show really was great. You have an amazing voice.”
“Thanks.” She beamed, as if it was the first time someone had pointed it out, which was impossible.
“Is it okay if we talk for a minute?” Cade asked her, and she nodded. He squeezed me with the arm around my shoulders. “Will you be okay? I’ll only be a minute.”
“Yeah, of course. Go do your thing.”
Before walking to the back of the shop with Grace, he pressed his lips to the top of my head. How touchy and sweet he was being was throwing me off. Though I wanted to enjoy it, wanted to believe it was a good thing, fear overwhelmed me. If he was only acting this way because we were hanging out or whatever, it was bound to hurt if he acted totally different when we were back at school and around our friends.
Obviously, I wanted to be with him, but I also didn’t know if he could get over my schedule issues. It wasn’t as if I was changing anything, especially now that I had gotten the acceptance letter to my school of choice. Keeping my grades up was top priority. Nothing could interfere with my determination to attend that school.
The doom and gloom overwhelmed me while I stood there in an awkward manner. The colorful tattoos covering the drummer’s hands, arms, and neck, leading to his bright green Mohawk were apparently the only interesting things to stare at. He sat on his stool, bent over his drum set while I gawked. The extensive ink and hair did nothing to deter how handsome he was. His shoulders, broad and muscular, were visible under his black tank top.
Probably sensing my blatant staring, he looked up and flashed a smile. “You like the show?”
Ava (A Hart Twins Novel Rx Book 1) Page 5
