Chemistry of a Kiss

by Kimberly Krey

  Heaven help me.

  “Hey,” he said in that raspy voice.

  I pulled my binder closer to my chest, dying to know if Tasha was nearby; her very presence had a way of discounting any exchange between me and Jett. “Hi.”

  He closed his locker and leaned against it, making everything else in that hallway a massive blur. It was the position he’d gotten into a moment before he kissed me. “Hey, I was going to ask about this whole rule your mom had about seeing a different guy between dates and all that.”

  My insides were trying to throw a celebration parade at his question, but I told them to quiet down and not read too much into things yet. “Well, she changed the rule a little bit, since she doesn’t want me to start seeing TJ again.”

  Jett lifted his brow. “Smart woman. Remind me to bring her a rose next time I come out.”

  That statement was like a rolling drumbeat for the parade threatening to march within me. Mainly because we’d officially put in all twelve of our study hours. In fact, we’d finished the assignment just last night and handed it in this morning.

  “So now the rule is that if I want to date just one guy that’s fine, but I can’t, like, see him two nights in a row. Except if I’m going to your games or your practices since that doesn’t exactly count as a date.”

  He held my gaze for a moment before taking a step forward. He was now leaning on someone else’s locker but that didn’t seem to bother him. “What about if we study one night, whatever homework we have, and go out the next? Would she be okay with that?”

  His question made it seem very much like he was asking me out for tonight since we’d been studying together the night before. The parade officially started its march. “I think so. I mean, yeah, for sure she would.” And if she didn’t, I’d sneak out. Or at least that’s what the marching band was suggesting.

  “So let’s go someplace tonight. Just me and you,” he said, voice low and raspy.

  I cleared my throat. “Okay. That sounds fun.”

  He held my gaze once more, an almost puzzled expression pulling at his handsome brow. Was he trying to figure it out too? Perhaps he was just as confused as I was. I hoped so.

  “Great,” he finally said. “Pick you up at seven?”

  I nodded, ready to take up my cymbals and join in the march. “Perfect.”

  Chapter Ten

  When Jett picked me up, he actually did bring my mom a rose. Mom loved the gesture, and when she told him as much, Jett shot me a sly wink to remind me of our conversation earlier. I hadn’t forgotten.

  Missy, who practically lived in her tutu now, showed off a few moves for him while my mom put the rose in water. My favorite part of that moment was when Jett told Missy to take his hand so he could spin her around. She did, and to say that my heart melted a little would be an understatement. I’m pretty sure the entire organ turned to a pile of pulsing goo in my chest. Jett was really starting to seem like the full package.

  “You brought your appetite, right?” Jett asked once he was settled behind the wheel of his truck.

  I glanced at the sack of groceries on the seat between us and nodded. “Yep.”

  “Good.” He grinned and roared up the engine.

  I noticed two ATV’s in the flatbed as Jett walked me to his truck. Something else that hadn’t escaped my attention was Jett’s letterman jacket draped along the back of the middle seat. I’d returned it earlier that week, but something told me he’d brought it just for me. It seemed he had plans for us to be outside, and evenings were really starting to cool down in Sweet Water.

  “So I know I mentioned in the hallway that it’d be just the two of us,” Jett started.

  I glanced over, preparing myself for the worst. “Uh huh,” I urged. Great. What would he say now? That our exes were going to be doubling with us?

  “Ava and Ivy wanted to take the ATV’s on the beach tonight with Connor and Levi, so I thought it might be fun if we joined them. Kind of like a big group date.”

  I liked the sound of that. Getting to know his family a bit more. “I’d love that.” His twin sisters were ridiculously beautiful but their outright kindness to everyone in sight made it impossible to hate them for it.

  “Good.” Jett stretched an arm over the groceries and rested his hand, palm up, on my lap.

  It took a fraction of a second to realize he wanted to hold my hand. I gulped, paced my frantic, fluttering breath, then slid my palm into his. Jett curled his fingers around mine, tightening his grip, and shot me that smile that threatened to make my breath hitch. “Might be a good time to tell you—since my sisters will be there and all—that my parents are sort of separated right now.”

  Wow. I couldn’t believe he’d actually opened up to me about it. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

  He shrugged. “Pastor’s family’s supposed to be perfect, right? So I guess it feels a little…hard to talk about. My dad doesn’t want to make the congregation panic or anything.”

  I nodded, wrapped my other hand around the back of his, and relished in the connection for a moment. It felt very…boyfriend and girlfriend-ish. “Yeah, that makes sense. Do you think they’ll be able to work through it?”

  Jett shook his head, slowing as we came upon a roundabout. “It’s hard to say. I think…I mean, maybe I’m just naïve, but I can’t actually picture them ever not together. The whole thing kind of freaks me out, really. The twins, too. We don’t know what to think about it.”

  I nodded, not wanting him to feel like he had to share more. I mainly just wanted to be someone he could confide in. I liked knowing that, in a way, I was.

  As we drove to the beach, I traced the tips of my fingers up Jett’s wrist and along the inside of his arm. I moved to the outer part of his bicep next, tracing back down in a slow trickle, hoping it would soothe the upset in his heart over his parents. When I was younger, I hated thinking about my parents splitting up. I realized it was probably no easier at our age.

  “You know,” I said, looking over the glistening water as we headed toward the parking area. The sun was starting to set, and the sight was stunning. An array of red, gold, and every shade in between stretched all the way to the water, where it reflected over the waves. “I used to think that I might be able to keep my parents together somehow. I turned ten about a month before my dad left. My mom was pregnant with Missy at the time.”

  A knot of pain seeped into my chest at the recollection. Knowing that Jett was possibly facing a similar thing made the wounds feel fresh. “I remember thinking that I must be a real disappointment or something, because it was like, as soon as he found out they were having another girl—not a boy—he took off.” I released a dark chuckle under my breath. “It was literally the day after the ultrasound.” I shrugged and cupped both of my hands around his once more. “It’s probably for the best. What good would it have done for him to stick around longer just because he was excited about finally getting a boy? It wouldn’t have changed him.”

  The pain of that truth was like a dozen darts to the chest. I hadn’t even admitted it to myself before that moment. But I was suddenly very sick of giving my dad excuses. Giving into every what-if scenario I could imagine.

  Jett squeezed my hand. “You’re probably right,” he said softly. “It’s really odd, but with my mom, she isn’t going wild or anything. She’s just…I don’t know. I looked it up, and read that a lot of people, before they hit some milestone age, get a little…off. She’s about to turn forty later this year, and I wonder if she regrets getting married so young. She had me when she was twenty-one.”

  I chuckled. “My mom was nineteen when I came along.”

  Jett grinned. “Both were young. Like I said, my folks haven’t given us a lot of details. Originally, she went to Georgia to help my grandma get through a couple of back-to-back surgeries. She needed help getting around and stuff. That was back when school started.”

  Jett squinted as he slowed the truck and pulled into the parking area. He turned the
key to shut off the engine, moved the sack of groceries onto the floor, and scooted closer to me in the small space.

  “After the surgeries were through, my mom just kind of stayed out there. She came back for my birthday last month, but instead of settling back in, she gathered a few more of her things. Sweaters, jackets, winter-type clothes. That’s when they told us she was staying out there for more than my grandma. My dad says she needs space and time to work through a few things. She basically says the same thing.”

  I sighed, wishing I could give him some sort of assurance. The truth was, I had nothing. Except… “You guys will be fine either way,” I said. “I mean, it’s awful, and I really hope they don’t split up, but I’ve realized that people are pretty resilient.”

  “You definitely are.” Jett swept a strand of my hair behind my ear and let his fingers trace along the side of my neck.

  The sensation caused goosebumps to ripple over my arms. My heart kicked up a beat.

  “You’ve been through a lot, Harper. You really have. And you’ve always seemed so…I don’t know, cheerful.” He laughed. “Is that a dumb word?”

  I shook my head and grinned, suddenly fighting back an onslaught of emotion. “No. I like that word. And I’m glad. I have been a pretty happy kid, all things considered. My mom’s amazing. She never wanted us to feel like we were missing anything, you know? In fact, her parents moved out here after he left. They come over a lot, which has really helped. They’re awesome.”

  I stared into Jett’s heavenly brown eyes, my heart swelling as I detected emotion there as well. “I want Missy to have the best life ever,” I said in a whisper. “My mom too. She deserves it.”

  Jett ran his thumb along my cheek, his gaze still locked on me. “You deserve that too.” He moved in then, brushed his lips gently to mine, and kissed me in the most tender, beautiful way. It felt like more than an outward connection of his mouth on mine; it was like our souls were entwined. Soothing and encouraging one another in a moment more intimate than anything I’d known.

  He kissed me again, long and slow, as the tone shifted into something more sensual. I tilted my head, ran my hand up the back of his neck, and deepened the kiss with a sigh. So good. Even better than I remembered. I keyed in to every sensation: the movement of his masterful lips, strong and persuasive one moment, gentle and caressing the next. And when he ever so softly grazed my tongue with his, hints of hot cinnamon candy made things all the sweeter.

  I wasn’t sure how much time ticked on as we kissed in Jett’s truck. All I knew was that the moment bonded us to one another in a way that I couldn’t explain. Jett wasn’t like a lot of other guys out there, looking for cheap thrills with random girls, all to use them one day and dump them the next. I secretly thrilled in how very different he was from TJ. Jett was driven and determined. He wanted to find someone he could share a future with. Have a family with. He wanted what I wanted, and I never realized how attractive that quality was.

  But the very best part was that nobody was in sight. It was our time—mine and Jett’s alone—which told me everything I needed to know: Jett really was interested in me, the way I was in him.

  With that welcome truth flowing through me, I tuned into the wonder of Jett’s lips on mine—the chemistry of our kiss—determined to never let go of him.

  A series of taps echoed throughout the cab suddenly, ripping me from my musings in one startling blink.

  Jett pulled back with a groan and glared at the window behind me. “Great,” he mumbled under his breath. “They’re here.”

  They. They. Please say they didn’t mean TJ and Tasha. Panic trampled over the peace of the moment, reminding me that perhaps this wasn’t as real as I hoped it might be.

  Heart thudding out its frantic beat, I glanced over my shoulder to see Connor, Levi, and Jett’s twin sisters huddled up to the window.

  “Excuse me,” Connor said while cupping a fist over his mouth. It made it sound like he was speaking through a megaphone. “We’re going to need you to release the girl and step out of your vehicle with your hands up.”

  Ava gave Connor a playful slap. “You’re such a dork.”

  Thankfully, the group moved to the back of the truck to help unload the ATV’s, allowing me and Jett a chance to climb out of the truck without an audience. I was grateful for that. After helping me down, Jett snatched his jacket off the seat.

  He lifted a brow. “You want?”

  I grinned. “Yes, thank you.” I slid my arms into place as he held it up for me and offered to carry the groceries so he could help with the ATV’s. And soon I was huddled beside Ava and Ivy, watching as the guys placed boards as ramps to lower the 4-wheelers.

  “This is going to be a blast,” Ava cheered with a grin.

  “Totally,” I agreed.

  Ivy scrunched her face up as she watched Levi roar one of the ATV’s to life. “If they can get them down from the truck in one piece.”

  The three of us laughed. “Right,” I said. But inwardly, I was just realizing something. Levi was friends with a lot of the mean girls. Could it be that Jett had seen them coming and purposely kissed me at that moment?

  No, Harper, I scolded myself. What we shared was real, I was sure of it. I swallowed the intrusive doubts in my head and tightened my grip on the bag of groceries. I had all the assurance I needed. Tomorrow I’d ask Jett to the dance, just like I planned. If our relationship had started off as some sort of sham, it had quickly evolved into something more. This was definitely the real thing. I’d keep that thought at the front of my mind, and block out the rest.

  Chapter Eleven

  “So, what do you think?” I asked as I stared at the poster before us. A dozen photos of Jett and I were pasted along the bottom half. Pictures that had been taken just last night at the beach. Some were selfies, but others were shot by Ava who, according to Jett, had her mother’s flare for photography. She’d forwarded them to Jett who forwarded them to me, which gave me the idea to ask this way instead of the way I’d planned prior.

  “I think it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen,” Summer said in an almost reverent tone. “You guys look perfect together.”

  “Agreed,” Bailey said with a sigh.

  I moved my gaze from the prints of us by last night’s campfire, cuddled up to each other on the ATV, and the one of Jett lifting me in his arms (my favorite) to the question I’d poised in colorful markers above it: Can you “picture” us at the Sadie Hawkins dance together?

  “You guys are seriously the cutest couple ever,” Summer said.

  I glanced down at the ring I was spinning around my finger. Jett had given it to me last night. He’d pointed out the charms attached to many of the rings I’d worn, which made the charm on this one just perfect: a set of smooching lips. “So you’ll never forget the time we learned about the chemistry of a kiss.”

  My heart melted at the very recollection. Forget? Impossible. Of all the rings I’d gotten over the years, this would forever be my favorite, I was sure of it.

  Jett was busy putting in his double shift for the day, like he did most Saturdays, while his dad and the twins met Jett’s mom for lunch someplace between Atlanta and Sweet Water. That meant we could set up the poster, the candy, and the basketball balloons I got him whenever we wanted. I decided since Jett’s shift ended at seven that night, we’d drop it off around six-thirty and have it waiting there for him when he pulled into the driveway.

  I hoped that one week was enough notice. The dance was on Saturday, after all.

  A mountain of nerves built inside me as I pulled into Jett’s cul-de-sac. No cars or trucks sat parked beyond the garage. And when I took a peek inside, I saw that the garage was empty as well. Perfect. In about thirty minutes, Jett would drive up and see what was on the porch. Part of me wished I could be there to witness it.

  We worked quickly, propping the poster with two big rocks. I used those same rocks to weigh down the helium balloons I’d bought to go with it. We sprinkled t
he porch with chocolate kisses and cinnamon candies (the combination stealthily symbolizing our hot kisses) and stepped back to check out our work.

  “It’s perfect,” Bailey said with a nod.

  “Totally,” Summer agreed.

  I thought so too. For a brief moment, I considered snapping a picture of the display, but I thought better of it. Ava would probably do that. Maybe she’d make him pose in front of it as well—that would be so cute!

  I grinned. “All right, I guess we’re good.” Anticipation fluttered through me as I pictured Jett walking onto the scene. I nodded, enjoying the burst of warmth that image brought, and forced my eyes off the sight. “Guess we better take off before he gets here.”

  I couldn’t help but think, as we hurried back to the car, that Jett and I were stepping into new territory. Dates that didn’t revolve around our exes and what they had planned. We were on our very own journey, as a new couple, and I couldn’t wait to see where it led.

  Chapter Twelve

  I really wanted Jett to hurry and answer back, but I was a senior now and I knew how this worked: Jett could answer how and when he wanted, and it was my job (as the one who asked) to smile, wait, and not mention the dance invite until he did.

  Besides, it usually took at least a few days (sometimes longer) because guys wanted to think of a clever way to respond, often incorporating the same theme.

  I reminded myself of that very thing when Sunday went by without an answer. Part of me was hoping he’d put me out of my misery by bringing it up at Sunday service. You know, say something like, “I found the most awesome thing on my porch when I came home from work last night.” Or “Wish I could think of a good way to answer this hot girl who asked me to the dance.”

  But he gave me no such thing.

  On Monday in class, he said something a little encouraging after bumping my elbow to gain my attention. “I got Saturday off work,” he said under his breath.