Derek leaned over me, his face next to mine as he looked out the window. “Africa here we come.”
I pulled out my camera and snapped a pic of him looking out the plane window. “I can’t believe we left our friends, our home, our life, for two years.”
His hand slipped into mine. Four years of being together and it still made me all gushy inside. “We’ll have each other.”
I returned his smile. “We will.”
His face lit up. “And we’ll be doing good.”
“We will,” I squeezed his hand tighter.
“Together,” he murmured, leaning over to brush a kiss on my forehead.
“Together,” I agreed.
I’d miss our friends and my parents. But the Peace Corps was an amazing opportunity that I just didn’t want to miss. Nope, it wasn’t in my plan. Just like Derek had not been part of my perfectly organized future, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t an amazing choice.
I was going to help people all the while doing what I loved.
And yes, Derek had been super-enthusiastic about travelling halfway around the world but I was too.
We’d be building a school. It was my job to document the building project and the people. Once the school was done, Derek would be teaching music.
A safari lay between us and our destination town in Tanzania. Derek had used his percentage of the Echo Stream profits to buy me a new camera. I snapped another pic of him. “I know I gave you that camera but promise me,” he growled, “you’ll take pictures of something other than me.”
I winked. “Maybe.” Then I leaned in close to his ear. “You can use the guitar I bought for you to only write songs about me.”
He gave a deep chuckle. “Touché.” Then he pulled my hand up to his lips. “I love you,” he said against the skin. It vibrated through me.
“I love you too,” I whispered back. “This is the beginning.”
“It’s been four years.” He winked. But then his face grew more serious. “But you’re right. This is the beginning and we’ve got our entire lives together ahead of us.”
“We do.” The plane touched down and I let out a breath. I stopped worrying a long time ago if Derek liked the real me. I knew he did. He brought out my wilder side, the side that agreed to go to Africa and made music videos. And I grounded him.
We were perfect for each other.
Christmas Kiss
Accidental Kisses
By Tammy Andresen
Evan
I sat fiddling with my drums. Just a tic tat tic tic tat to get my hands warmed up. November had hit Boston with a vengeance and the temperatures had plummeted down to freezing. It was no big deal other than I couldn’t get my hands to do what I wanted until I got the blood pumping.
Which worked out well today, because one of Echo Stream’s members was late for rehearsal. Drew, the guitar player, was fiddling with his strings too and so was our back-up guitarist, Derek. I broke into a more complicated rhythm and Derek caught my beat, laying a guitar riff over it.
Jam session. My favorite way to play. It was my junior year of college and I knew what I was about. The music.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect to make a living off my drums. That was difficult at best to do. But I wasn’t in a band for the attention, or drinking, or even girls. I was just here to play.
We wound up, and Drew joined in, adding a killer line to what we had going on. Man, these guys knew my soul. Drew had only been in the band a few months but that dude got it.
Winding up, I really started banging out a complicated sequence. My hands were warm now. I didn’t even open my eyes, I didn’t need to. So I didn’t see Jay come in, but when the bass fired up, I knew our last member had finally made it to rehearsal. Our lead singer was humming along. Seth was writing this in his head and he’d add killer words later, I was sure of it. Or Derek would. They both had sick talent when it came to writing.
We finally brought our jam session to an end and my fingers were singing, ready to start busting out our songs for our show this weekend.
I gave one of my sticks a spin when suddenly clapping broke out in the back of the rehearsal room. We lived in an old mansion that Boston Conservatory School of Music had purchased and converted into a dorm probably a hundred years ago. But the ballroom had remained intact from its former life and it had great acoustics. So the single clapper’s hands echoed through the entire space.
That clap was messing with my jam.
I searched the room and found the offender. Most of the other students who lived in the building knew not to interrupt rehearsal so I couldn’t figure out who the hell was here.
My eyes landed on the clapper. A perky little freshman-looking blonde with her hair piled high up on her head and skinny jeans hugging every curve. Ugh. She looked like a little sorority wannabe with big green eyes and a pert little nose, her lips covered in gloss.
Those chicks were not, I repeat, not my jam.
To be fair, not many chicks were. The other guys said I was super picky and maybe I was. But I liked what I liked and I didn’t see the point in dating girls I wasn’t into. It wasn’t that women didn’t try. But to me, girls were like a good jam. It either totally worked or it didn’t. And I didn’t see the point if I wasn’t feeling it.
She clapped again and I gave a little eye roll. Her enthusiasm was nauseating. “That was so cool,” she gushed. “I loved it J.J.”
J.J.? Was she talking to Jay? Oh man, was this his new girlfriend? Hopefully she lasted as long as the other girls Jay brought around.
“Thanks, sis.” He turned to the rest of the band. “Guys, this is my sister, Kayla. We call her Kay for short.”
I didn’t mean to, but I made a little choking noise. Everyone heard it, including Kay, and all eyes turned to me. It was rude, I knew it, but Jay and Kay? I bet their parents looked like they’d just stepped out of a J. Crew catalogue. I mean blonde kids that were named Jay and Kay? Ridiculous.
“Hi,” Kay gave a cute little wave, where she wrinkled her nose as her shoulders went up and down. A blonde curl escaped from her ponytail and floated down around her face.
I saw Seth shift his weight. “Hey, Kay,” he said in that low, husky voice that spoke volumes. Sound was my thing and I could tell just by the way he said it that he was interested.
Jay smacked Seth on the shoulder. Hard. He’d heard Seth’s tone too. “My sister is a freshman,” he drew out the word freshman, “at Simmons. She’s helping to put together a Christmas charity event for the school where she student-teaches. Most of the food is being donated by local restaurants and every guest will bring a toy for a child at the school.”
“Cool,” Seth holstered his mic in the stand and stepped around the cords. “What a great idea.”
Kay nibbled at her lip and I nearly choked again. Everything this girl did was adorable in a super-annoying kind of way. “The only problem I have is music. I’d gotten a DJ to volunteer but he got a paying gig and backed out.”
Oh man. Now I knew why the blonde Bobbsey twin was here. They wanted a favor. “No,” I answered.
Everyone looked back at me, and Jay outright glared. “She didn’t ask anything.”
“Yeah, but it’s coming.” I spun one of my sticks, not sure what else to do with everyone staring. Our band was finally doing well, getting really good gigs. I didn’t want to get roped into some charity night.
Seth lifted a brow and then turned back to Kay. I saw him give her the slow perusal. His eyes slid from her sassy ponytail all the way down her cute sweater, past her skinny jeans, to the little heeled ankle boots. All right, I might have given her the same look but for a completely different reason. I wanted to know what Seth was thinking about. “Did you want us to play the event?”
She gave a tentative nod, her ponytail bouncing as another curl slipped out. “It’s only from five to seven. It shouldn’t interrupt your regular schedule.”
That somehow annoyed me even more. It’s like she knew my
defenses. She took a little step toward us. “We’re just hoping to have music for the hour people are eating. Then you can go or stay for passing out presents.” I saw her swallow. “I just want it to be special for them.”
One corner of my mouth turned down. Standing there in her designer little outfit, she didn’t look altruistic. She probably just wanted a good bump on her future resume. I knew I was judging her, but this girl was irritating me.
“I’m in,” Seth grinned. “Who’s with me?”
That didn’t surprise me at all. Seth was clearly into this girl. Though to be fair, Seth was into every girl. And one person did not mean the entire band had to join.
“I’m in,” Derek played a little chord on his guitar from “Deck the Halls.” “Could be fun and I bet it would be great marketing for us. Charity events and such.”
Great. Derek’s girlfriend, Melissa, had him thinking marketing.
“I’m in too,” Drew gave her a wave. “And my girlfriend, Chloe, will for sure help out. She’s studying to be a teacher too.”
Kay gave a giant grin. It was like somebody turned on a flood light that thing was so bright. “Thank you,” she gushed.
Jay turned to me. “What about you, Evan. It would be hard to play without a drummer.”
Yep, it would.
Coming in November of 2018!!!!
Camp Crush
Tammy Andresen
Chloe
My fingers tapped against the wheel of my Lincoln Mercury classic convertible, my already racing thoughts needing an outlet.
“This traffic sucks,” Millie humphed next to me.
My best friend’s words made me relax. Coastal Connecticut’s traffic was a bear but it helped to know she was just as anxious to get to Camp Winni as I was. “Totally,” I replied giving her a grin. Since we were at a dead stop, I used the opportunity to check my reflection in the rearview mirror. Messy ponytail, with cute little tendrils, check. Even coating of pale pink lip gloss, check. Stylish dark sunglasses, double check.
I am not normally so fixated on the details of my face but I couldn’t help it today. First of all, I was finally a counselor at Camp Winnipeg’s Summer Recreation Program and not just a little camper anymore. I’d been waiting for this since day since the age of ten.
At least that’s what I told my mom as I had rushed out the door. And I was excited about finally being a counselor. I was going to study early education at Simmons College in Boston this fall so this was an amazing opportunity for me to teach kids and gain some experience.
The truth, though, was that I was far more eager to see my not-so-secret crush, Alex Gorski, again. It had been ten months since I’d last caught of glimpse of his deep blue eyes and charmingly boyish smile. I’d started to wonder if I was making it up, just how handsome he was. More importantly, would I still feel the same after almost a year had gone by? I was sure I would. How would he see me now that I was a counselor and not just another little camper?
He and his friend, Drew, had joined the staff last year and I had been instantly smitten with Alex. Just thinking of him made me fiddle with the loose curls about my face. Another quick glance in the mirror revealed an entirely different Chloe. My nose turned up too much, my glasses where crooked, and too many curls had fallen from my ponytail. Ugh, just thinking of Alex caused all kinds of self-doubt.
But he was a god among college-age boys. Blonde and tan, with rock hard muscles. I’d been too awestruck last year to do a thing about it and by the time I’d pulled myself together, Tiffani Parker had already swooped in to claim him. Even her name sounded snotty. Tiffani. Okay, it was a great name. I was being petty.
Tiffani was the statuesque redhead that had a way of looking down her nose at everyone. Even people who were taller than her. And her lips were always pursed, nose wrinkled as though she had smelled something foul. She made me uncomfortable, especially because I could tell she never liked me. She was always rolling her eyes when I was around her. I was relieved she wasn’t returning to the camp as a fellow counselor.
I huffed to myself, thinking about Alex and Tiffani.
Millie turned to me. “What’s wrong?”
This traffic, it’s insane,” I lied. “Why isn’t this line of cars moving?” My foot eased off the brake hopefully.
“It’s the beach. It’s always like this.” She patted my arm. “Try not to worry. I doubt there will be time for another girl to beat you to Alex in the extra fifteen minutes it takes us to get there.”
I glanced at her, laughing a little. She knew me so well. “I know you’re right but I just don’t want to take any chances.”
“Besides, he could have a girlfriend already.” She nodded while she spoke as though that were a valid point.
The corners of my mouth turned down. “He doesn’t.” At least not as far as I could discern on Facebook and Instagram. It wasn’t stalking, I assured myself. I had just wanted one piece of information. Did Alex have a girlfriend? As far as I could tell, he hadn’t dated anyone all year.
“You know who else is a total hottie?” She let out a little sigh. “Drew. He has those deep mysterious eyes. Dreamy. Don’t you get the feeling he sees right through you and he’s writing a song about you in his head?” She flipped down her own visor and started primping in the mirror. Millie was a petite redhead with ivory skin and flashing green eyes. She was stunning. How she ever made it the entire summer at the beach with that skin, I couldn’t say.
I wrinkled my nose. “Drew? He’s so…” Annoying, rude, crass, pig-headed. I tried to decide but couldn’t seem to pick just one.
“Tall,” Millie filled in. “Dark. Handsome.”
Well, yeah, there was that. But he was also the lead guitarist for a band and thought he was way cooler than the rest of us. He was always putting down the camp and what he called ‘the perky joiners,’ aka yours truly. “You forgot obnoxious and egotistical.”
Millie turned to me. “You’re not wrong, I guess. Remember when he sang, I’m a Barbie Girl every time you walked into the craft room?” Millie gave a shrug. “Though he only seemed that way with you.”
Great. Alex’s best friend hated me and only me. That did not bode well. A little niggle of worry slid down spine. Why did Drew dislike me so much? I wasn’t hateable. I was nice to everybody, I tried my best to be enthusiastic and helpful. But I pushed these thoughts aside. I would not care what Drew McCabe thought about me.
The cars finally started moving and we gave a little whoop. We were close enough now that I opened the top to my little pink retro convertible. I know, it’s so girlie and cheesy to have a pink convertible. But I loved it. It was so…me. It had been my aunt’s, who I admittedly took after. Same bubbly personality, same messy blonde hair.
She’d finally gotten married last year and, with a baby on the way, needed something more practical. She said it was an early graduation gift but I’d heard my dad say that she couldn’t give the car away. I didn’t care, I was so thankful she’d given it to me.
Millie let out a cheer as the top folded back to let the sun shine in on the worn seats. Then she promptly broke out a tube of sunblock from her purse and started applying it in the mirror.
I flipped on the radio, hunting for the perfect song. I loved to sing, especially if the song was upbeat and happy. Finally, Katie Perry’s, California Girls came on and I cranked the volume, both Millie and I singing at the top of our lungs. Aside from being in Connecticut, instead of California, it was perfect. This was going to be my summer. I just knew it. And I was going to land the perfect guy. Bring on the sun and the beach, this was my year.
We finally pulled into Camp Winni and I grinned as all eyes turned to us. Every other year, my parents had had to drop me off, to sign all the waivers and stuff. But now I was eighteen and a counselor. Only the counselors arrived without parental units. “Hey,” a few guys I didn’t know called and waved. Millie waved back as I maneuvered through the crowd of people and cars to find a parking spot.
I
could already smell the beach and see the line of shingled cottages that would be our home for the next six weeks. I loved it here.
As if that wasn’t amazing enough, just as I was pulling into a vacant spot, Alex walked down the sidewalk right in front of my car. Sweet serendipity. He was everything I remembered. Broad in the shoulders, with lean muscles and a square jaw. My breath caught just looking at him. Ours eyes met and he lowered his sunglasses to give me an appraising stare. “Nice wheels,” he said, drawing out the two words to show his appreciation. Then he added a whistle at the end for effect.
I blushed, looking down at my lap as butterflies flapped around my stomach. For sure, this was the year he would see me as dateable material. “Thanks.”
“I guess somebody grew up this year.” Alex still had that same tone of appreciation and my heart beat wildly in my chest. This was it. He was finally noticing me.
I heard Millie tsk next to me. “Stop it,” she said as she clicked the latch on the door to open it.
My heart went from wild beating to seizing in my chest. I looked quickly at Alex to see that he was appraising Millie. Not me. This couldn’t be happening. I swallowed the lump that was clogging my throat as tears inexplicably sprang to my eyes. I’d been planning this perfect moment for a month.
Right up until now, it had been happening exactly as I had pictured it. Cool car, perfect guy greeting me, him telling me how much more mature I looked. Except for it wasn’t me he was looking at. I knew Millie was a total hottie. Jealousy and self-loathing bubbled in my chest. I was a frizzy-haired freak. I’d never been so deflated in all my life.
“Hey,” Drew nodded toward me with a smile and then stepped off the sidewalk to come to my car door. I refocused my gaze. I hadn’t even seen him until he’d spoken. “You made it through graduation, I see.”
Love Notes (Accidental Kisses #3) Page 10
