Kiss Me Already

by Sally Henson

  I nod. Yes. It’s worth it. YES! “Yes, ma’am, it’s worth it to me.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Regan didn’t stutter or hesitate.

  This is so much better than keeping secrets and fighting over stuff that’s not even true.

  High-five and chest-pump parties are going off in my head, in my body. “Should I call him tonight? Or, talk to him in person Friday when I come home?” I’d almost drive her home right now if I could get by with it.

  “Hmm. It’s usually best to talk to him face to face.”

  “What if he goes off like he did the last time?” Regan’s bent over, focused on the screen of the phone balanced on my knee as if she can see her mom in there.

  “We’ll see, sweetie.” Mrs. Stone didn’t come right out and say she’d evangelize for us, but I think she’ll be a positive, quiet force.

  When we hang up the phone, I toss it on my bed and let out a victory cry. “Yes!” All the crap we’ve been through since August, trying to keep us a secret, the weight of it all, flakes off my shoulders. I reach down and grip Regan around her hips, lifting her in the air, parading her around my room in a victory dance as if we’ve won the state championship.

  Regan’s laughter is music to my ears.

  When I finally put her down, the alarm I set to know when we should start heading back to the bus goes off. It’s as if time knew and was waiting for our parade to end before putting the world back in motion.

  Her arms slide around my waist.

  Home. This is my favorite place to be—next to Regan with her arms around me. If only I could do the same, but those stupid girls dumped their coffee all over her. Just the thought of what they did to her lights a bonfire inside me. “I’m so sorry about your burns.”

  She shakes her head. “I’m fine. Thanks … for telling me about Johanna, about what she said when she moved.” The way she looks up at me, I know this is the right move for us. She rests her cheek on my chest.

  I puff up even more when she does that, but knowing it’s ending causes the air to escape. “It's time to go.”

  “I can't be late.” She kisses me once more.

  Argh, I don’t want her to go. I reluctantly hand her my sweater and try to help her put it on, pulling it away from her bubbled skin.

  “I think it's better already, Dr. Cary.” She lifts the sweater to her nose, sniffing. It’s clean, it shouldn’t smell bad. She looks back up at me with sparkly eyes. “It smells good. Like you.”

  My chest goes back to puffing up. If it continues like this, I’m not going to be able to fit through the door. It won’t matter by that time, I guess, because I won’t be able to let her walk out the door. “You mean Dr. Love?”

  “No.” Her laughter is the tune I’ve been writing for her. I think I’m falling even harder for her.

  I gotta keep it together here. I shrug and divulge the definition. “Love, that’s what the name Cary means; therefore, you may call me Dr. Love.”

  “Ha!” She swipes the trash bag off the dresser and stuffs the wet clothes she had stashed under the bed in it, tying it up and stuffing it in her bag. “What kind of crack professor taught you that?”

  I tug on my coat and hold hers out, gently slipping it over her shoulders. “I wish we could do this every day.”

  She hooks her bag off the bed. I take it from her as she turns toward the door. “You could sit out and wait for me to graduate.” She glances back at me over her shoulder.

  I know she’s teasing, but I’ve considered it. “I've thought about it.” More than once.

  “What?” Regan’s voice matches the expression of horror covering her face.

  I lock the door on our way to the elevator. She’s glowering at me as if I’m in trouble. It’s kind of funny.

  “Lane, I was teasing. I wouldn't want to condemn you to Stelmo to wait for me.”

  I hitch my shoulder, pushing the down button. “With your dual-credit classes, you’ll be caught up with me by the time you graduate anyway. And that’d put me at a freshman when you're a sophomore or junior if I waited. We'd have the same problem in reverse.”

  We don’t say much on the way down the elevator, but we don’t have to. I like that she doesn’t feel the need to talk all the time. She never has. Besides, with my hand in hers and her head on my shoulder, we don’t need words to connect. If her back wasn’t messed up, I’d have my arm around her, too.

  Regan stops at the threshold of the elevator when the doors open, staring down at it as if it’s a giant cavern. Her eyes scroll up to mine. She takes a deep breath, stepping out with the corners of her mouth lifting. “The gateway for no more secrets.”

  The doors begin to close. I step back and put my hand between them so we can have a redo.

  Regan pouts. “What are you doing?”

  I pull her back into the elevator with me. “We should take that step together. Don’t you think?”

  Her eyes brighten while she gives me a nod.

  I raise our clasped hands in the air and declare, “No more secrets.”

  We head south out of my building. I let go of her hand when we reached the Rec. Center parking lot, closer to the buses, but she says it’s okay and keeps hold of mine. Maybe someone will see us, and word will get back to Frak and put a stop to this stupid plan of his.

  I rub circles on the back of her hand with my thumb as we walk to meet up with Tobi and Haylee. Before we left the lobby of my dorm, I shot them a text that we were on our way.

  It seems too soon, but I start my goodbye. “I'll see you Friday night.” People are starting to congregate around the bus. “I'm sorry my V.I.P. treatment didn't turn out so great.”

  “It was such a great day, Lane. Up until that girl ruined everything. I’m blaming all this…” Regan circles her hand from her head to her waist. “… on Johanna.” Her face sours when she says her name.

  I stop in the middle of the sidewalk next to the parking lot where all the different schools have parked their rides. My head shakes with unbelief at the jealousy she’s holding on to after everything I told her about Johanna. “It was my fault. I should’ve told you the first day of class. But now you know everything and there are no more secrets. Right?”

  She looks down at her shoes and tugs me toward a tree, leaning her shoulder against it. “You’re right.”

  I follow her lead, leaning my shoulder against the tree too and sigh. “You don’t sound convinced.”

  She looks up at me with a look I didn’t expect. That look. The one that always shifts my heart into hyper drive.

  Regan takes a step closer. “Thanks, Dr. Love, for dressing my wounds and taking such good care of me.”

  I glance away, surprised at her actions. My grin’s uncontrollable. “Are you flirting with me, Miss Stone?”

  A soft giggle bubbles out of her. “These are going to be the longest two days of my life.” Her fingers grasp my coat.

  “You took the words right out of my mouth.” Mmm, speaking of mouth. I’d really like to kiss her one more time before she leaves, but we’re right here in front of the buses where anyone and everyone can see us. Holding hands in public will be enough to start the whispers.

  She murmurs the words, “Kiss me already.”

  “Here? What if someone sees us?” I don’t care who sees us. I’d broadcast it on national media—international webvision. Breaking News: Lane and Regan are a thing.

  She leans closer. “I don’t care.”

  I try to give her a kiss that will last until I see her Friday night. One that makes her miss me like crazy every time she thinks about it. It’s me that’s going crazy already missing her. She has my heart thrumming like the purr of a kitten. I’m already missing her and she’s still feeding me sugary sweet kisses.

  “Miss Stone, would you like to introduce me to your friend?”

  “Uh, oh.” Regan whispers against my lips.

  Who’s this jerk-face?

  She turns toward a guy walking toward us from the sidewalk. My eyes n
arrow at him.

  Tobi bounces into me, kissing me on the cheek. “Mr. Kellen, this is my boyfriend.” My body flinches away from her.

  Haylee cuts in between Regan and me, wrapping her arms around my waist, pressing the side of her face against my stomach. Yeah, that’s how short she is. “Mr. Kellen, this is my boyfriend, Lane.”

  Regan looks between the three of us, the corner of her mouth tugging down on one side.

  Ah, he must be the new teacher. Oh, crap! He’s the new teacher.

  A smirk comes across Kellen’s face. This dude’s not much older than me. “Well ladies, it’s time to board the bus. Say goodbye to your boyfriend without all the kissing, please, unless you’d like me to give your parents a call.” He looks to me, doing his best to conceal the grin, lifts his chin, and walks away.

  Thank you, Mr. Kellen. He gave us a pass this go-around.

  Tobi and Haylee hug me “See you this weekend?” Tobi asks.

  “Maybe.” I flash her a grin.

  Tobi hooks Haylee around the shoulders, giving me and Regan a minute alone.

  “I guess I better go.” Regan fits her fingers through mine, and we move to the sidewalk, where she joins the girls.

  My body stills as she continues and her fingers slip away. She turns, walking backward a few steps. “Friday.”

  “Friday.” I stuff my hands in my pockets and watch her walk away.

  I swear her eyes blast pixie dust all over me when she glances back at me over her shoulder one last time.

  Join Sally’s Notes

  Thank you for reading Kiss Me Already, the second book in the Regan Stone Series.

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  Continue reading in the Regan Stone Series with book three, coming soon. (Note to the reader, the Regan Stone series is a continuous series.)

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