Bell, Book, and Sandals
Page 20
Ryan and I walked down the hall to my apartment. My lips still tingled from the kisses we had shared. That strange sensation had indeed wilted into almost nothing as he held me on that hilltop. Now only a warm pulse ran through me any time his skin came in contact with mine.
I couldn’t believe it, even as I could still feel the phantom caress of his hands as he had held me close to him. I had made out with Ryan Everheart. Wouldn’t the girls back home just die if they knew? And Stephen! I bet he’d regret tossing me a side.
No, it had been more than that. We weren’t two hormone-ridden teenagers frantically making out in the back of a borrowed car. It was experiencing the first kiss with that someone special. It was the stuff of movies. It would rival even the greatest kisses in history. It had been filled with passion, magic, and romance. And I really, really hoped there would be more of it.
We stopped in front of my door. Ryan looked down at our entangled fingers, a look of sadness passing through his eyes as he realized he would soon have to separate them. “I had a great time, Maxie,” he finally spoke.
“I did, too,” I told him, smiling as his fingers caressed mine at the confession.
He leaned close, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek. His fingers were cold and I shivered even as I wanted more. “When can I see you again?” he asked me softly.
I giggled at his question, feeling heady, as if I had drunk a whole bottle of wine. What was wrong with me? I was drunk on the feelings which tried bubbling up with such force, I thought I’d explode. Was this normal? Could I really be falling head over heels for this guy? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was Ryan wanting to see me again. How could someone not feel giddy after something like that?
“As soon as you want to,” I told him. So much for playing hard to get!
He smiled…and not the movie star smile. It was the same honestly sweet smile he’d been wearing since we left Jaden Park. “In that case, there’s a movie premiere I have to attend tonight. Come with me?” he asked. “I’d love to have you by my side.”
I felt dizzy. I couldn’t help wondering if I was already in bed dreaming. That’s what it had to be, right? Me on the red carpet? On the arm of someone who wanted me there? It didn’t get any better than that. “Are you kidding me? I’d love to,” I squealed, throwing my arms around his neck.
He laughed softly as he held me to him. “Then it’s a date,” he whispered into my hair before pulling back. “I’ll pick you up at seven.” He leaned forward, closing the gap between our lips.
My hands instantly found themselves in his hair as I kissed him back, taking my time, wanting to draw it out for as long as I could. I wasn’t ready for this date to be over. Not after it had gone so well.
After a few minutes, he pulled back and smiled down at me, almost apologetically. “I have to go,” he spoke, his voice calm and collected, totally opposite of what I was feeling. “I’ll see you later today.” He squeezed my hand gently and stepped back, heading down the hall.
“Good night,” I called after him, before digging in my purse for my keys. I couldn’t believe my luck. Just when I thought I was at the lowest point in my life, I stumbled into a fairytale. Tonight I would be walking the red carpet with Ryan Everheart.
I suppressed another squeal as I let myself into the apartment, heading through the parlor into the kitchen. Tossing my purse on the counter, I sighed, letting out some of the excitement bubbling in me.
“What was all that squealing about?” Van’s voice asked, cutting the silence around me.
Startled, I practically jumped out of my heels as my eyes came to rest on her. She was seated at the table, hidden by shadows.
I reached over and flicked on the light switch, filling the room with a brightness that chased all the shadows away but one. It looked like the shadow of anger in Van’s eyes was there to stay. Oh, goody.
I wasn’t going to let her mood get to me. It had been the best night of my life and I wasn’t going to let her jealousy ruin it.
She sat there waiting for an answer, chocolate ice cream dripping from the spoon in her hand; splattering back into the carton in front of her. Oh boy, I was just in time for the pity party.
I turned away from her, not wanting to get into it. “It was nothing,” I said, dismissing it as I floated across the floor, snagging a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Come on, Maxie,” she said, licking the chocolate mess off the spoon. “I don’t buy that.”
I grabbed my purse and turned to look at her, apprehension in my eyes. I wanted to tell her. I wanted her to be happy for me. She was the first real friend I had made here, and I didn’t want to think that a little jealousy could get in the way of that.
Sighing, I pulled out the chair across from her, setting my purse and bottle of water between us like a mini protective barrier. I was going to tell her. Everything, if she’d let me. I just hoped it wouldn’t blow up in my face.
She took another bite of ice cream, silently waiting for my confession.
“Ryan asked me to go with him to a movie premiere tonight.”
She stared at me for a moment, frozen in some thought I couldn’t read. She suddenly frowned, letting the spoon fall from her fingers back into the soupy mess in the carton. It splashed and I jerked my purse back, hoping none of the fleeing chocolate droplets had leeched onto it. I waited patiently, clutching my Louis Vuitton to my chest, out of death-by-chocolate’s way, while she decided what to say.
Finally, leaning forward, with a squint to her eyes, she spoke, “I suppose you said yes?”
I gave her a frown to match her own, as I looked at my friend, dumbfounded. “Of course, I said I’d go. Why shouldn’t I?”
She stood up from the table, grabbing the carton of ice cream as she did. She dumped it into the sink, brown ooze splashing across clean steel, and turned back to me. “Everything’s back to normal in your perfect world, isn’t it?” she asked softly. “This is where you think the great Maxie Duncan should be. Dating a movie star. You really don’t know a thing about yourself, do you?” She turned around, heading out of the kitchen and into the back hall. “You’re way over your head, Max,” her voice drifted back to me, challenging me. “I just hope we’re around to pick up the pieces in the end.” The sound of her bedroom door slamming punctuated her words.
I sat there, my jaw practically to my knees. How could she not be happy for me? Was she really that jealous of my sudden luck? I stood up, trying to shake the slight cloud of guilt suddenly trickling through my stomach. I had nothing to feel guilty for. It wasn’t my fault Ryan picked me. I shouldn’t have to apologize because Ryan liked me.
My mind drifted back to Ryan and those shared kisses by the beach. My lips tingled as I remembered the feel of those kisses. Those perfect moonlit smooches and the feel of his hands on me swirled in my mind, causing instant giddiness to overtake me once again.
This was what life was about. Who cared what Evangeline thought? This was about Ryan and me, and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought.
I drifted into my room, still on cloud nine. How perfect the night had been. Ryan was an absolute dream come true. This was what my instincts had been leading me to. A chance at a fairytale ending. Is that not what all girls were entitled to?
Smiling, I started to slide my heels off, my mind still dreamily on Ryan and his lips. I froze as I stared at my feet, my smile fading in shock. My feet weren’t touching the ground! I was floating, really floating, above the floor.
“Help,” I squeaked, too soft for Van to actually hear me. How was this possible? People can’t hover off the ground. Why was I doing it? I turned my body, pivoting for the door. I felt like a fish, trying to swim upstream. I needed help and I needed it right away.
After what seemed like hours, I managed to hook my fingers around my doorknob. Heart racing, I pulled the door open and I stepped into the ha
ll.
I looked down, dazed, when I realized that’s exactly what I had done. Stepped. I felt the hardwood floor creak as I shifted my weight, verifying the fact my feet were indeed planted solidly on the floor.
I looked around me, trying to figure out what had happened. Standing in the hallway, I couldn’t be sure anymore. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my frantic heart. I was fine. My feet were on the ground. There was no reason to panic.
Turning around, I hesitantly stepped through my doorway. My feet behaved just fine. Just like they should. I tried to shake it off as I got ready for bed. Too much to drink. Way too much excitement. That’s all it had been. I kept repeating that like a mantra as I drifted off to sleep.
Because if it had been real, it meant something was very wrong with me. And that just had no place in my perfect world.
Sixteen