When she released her grasp, I stumbled backward. Desperate to have as much distance between us as I could manage, despite every tendon in my body aching to be close to her again. She and I had been in close proximity a thousand times over the last two years of friendship. But suddenly it felt different.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked quietly, looking down at her feet and shuffling a few pieces of hay around on the concrete floor.
“Oh, um…okay. How about you?”
“Yeah, okay.”
For a moment that felt a decade long, we stood on opposite sides of the barn alley. Shifting on our feet, refusing eye contact, but unable to walk away.
Blair broke the silence. “Five seconds of honesty?”
I nodded, though I was convinced this was about to be the most embarrassing moment of my life. If she was about to call me out for what happened this morning, I’d need a quick explanation. A list of lies ransacked my brain: I was eating ice cream and made a mess (stupid), the roof had a slow leak (she’ll know it’s a lie as soon as she gets home), I peed my pants (equally as embarrassing as the truth),shepeed her pants (not believable whatsoever).
“I really like being your friend, and I don’t know what I did last night to upset you, but—”
“Upset me?” I interrupted. “You didn’t. Being with you made me feel better after the worst day I’ve ever had.”
Her nose crinkled in the cutest way. Small freckles bunching together. A crease forming short ridges between her eyebrows. And I wanted to kiss her scrunched, confused face.
“Why did you leave before I woke up then?”
Shit.
“Um…Well. I had to go.” I fiddled with the end of my leather belt, praying she wouldn’t pry further.
“Five seconds. Please.”
I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans, crossing my fingers. Hopefully it wouldn’t lead to a bunch of bad karma or something—I had no choice but to lie. “I had to get back here before my dad and grandpa woke up, or I’d be in a ton of trouble. And I didn’t want to wake you up that early.”
Okay, not a complete lie. But I definitely would’ve woken her up to say goodbye, if that was the only reason for my early morning escape.
“Oh, God, I’m an idiot. Of course. I thought…I thought you left because you realized you made a huge mistake. Let’s forget about it. It never happened,” she rambled, hands flailing. “I mean, you had just found out about your mom, so your emotions were probably all over the place. And, like, you definitely wouldn’t kiss me otherwise.”
“I wouldn’t?”
She snorted like I’d made a stupid joke.
And something about that sparked a flame in my stomach. My boots scraped across the barn floor on my way to her, until we were mere inches apart, and staring at each other with heaving breaths. Her captivating brown eyes swallowed me whole, pulling me the final distance until they shuttered closed, and my mouth crashed into hers. Her lips parted with a sigh as she relaxed into me, arms draping around my neck. Exploring each other with soft strokes, her tongue was warm against mine, and she tasted like cinnamon gum. And when I pulled away, it took a few extra seconds for her eyelids to flutter open.
“Denny.” Her tongue slowly swept along the ridges of her teeth. “You’re my friend—mybest friend. Sometimes you even tell strangers I’m your sister.”
I grimaced. That was something I definitely wouldn’t do again.
She continued, “I don’t want to wreck our friendship.”
Nervously reaching for her hand, my heart racing, I made a promise with myself toneverlet anything come between meand Blair. “We’ve argued about things before and always stayed friends. Remember the spit swear we did last year? Kissing is no different.”
Well, it was alittledifferent. Better, for sure.
“A kiss swear?” She looked up at me, freckled cheeks rosy and eyes smoldering.
“A kiss swear.” I delicately pressed my lips to hers again. “I promise I won’t let any amount of kisses ruin things, Bear.”
That was an unintended five seconds of honesty, and a promise I had no intention of breaking. I wanted to kiss Blair Hart every single day for the rest of my life. And I wouldn’t letanythingget in the way.
Blair
I spin in circles on the old wooden bar stool, listening to Cassidy give her dad a list of instructions a million miles long. You’d think we were leaving the baby with him for a week, not a few hours…and we’ll be less than five kilometers up the road. But Dave nods along, doing a great job of at leastactinglike he intends to listen to her rules. I’ve seen my parents with Jonas enough to know grandparentsneverfollow the rules.
