“What about other places?”
That shouldn’t have sounded so dirty and shouldn’t have set my skin on fire.
“Yara?” David asked when I took too long to calm my thoughts. “Are you…”
Oh no. No, no, no. I’ve shown my hand.
David smiled, satisfied with his ammo. He was a starved man stepping foot back into civilization.
“You are,” he decided with a low exhale. The noise wasn’t mocking; it was intrigued.
“I’m not.” I flipped up the mirror with enough force to raise concerns about its structural integrity. David would typically scold me for being so rough with his belongings. But not this time.
“You’re imagining me kissing you somewhere else,” he said.
I want to be a butterfly at this point. Weightless. Free. Able to escape this car and find some safe flowers in a field far, far away from this man.
“‘Course I was. I was mapping out all the logical points at which a boyfriend would kiss his girlfriend.” Sometimes it was best to fight his fire with nonchalance. David backed off when he realized something didn’t bother you.
“Where exactly would those be?”
“Cheeks, temple, forehead.” I touched each spot as I spoke, as if he needed help to figure out where everything was. “All of which is fine with me, so engage as you see fit. Especially when my sister or Ren are in sight.”
“Got it.” He nodded. “Anywhere else?”
I frowned. “I don’t know. How about you tell me, sinceyou seem so interested in the topic? Where else would you like to kiss me, David?”
“Like’s not the word I’m looking for,” he said.
“Oh? When you figure out your vocab, please share. I’m still waiting on pins and needles for what you decide to call us.”
“I’m working on it,” he promised and looked over at me with a smile. David’s gaze lingered. He didn’t turn away even when I raised a questioning brow.
The radio came back on, giving me a jump scare. David blinked, the spell breaking as he cranked down the volume.
“We’re an hour out,” he announced. “We’ve got hand-holding, waist grabs, shoulder grabs, and mapped out kissing zones all in the green. Anything we’re missing?”
I chewed on my lip and shook my head. “You?”
“Alright, let’s move on to red zones. I have only one. Don’t shove me right here and we’re good.” David gestured to his chest area.
My brows furrowed. “There would never be a need to, but… why not?”
“It’s a boundary,” he said firmly. “Just don’t do it.”
“Got you.” I stared at the area. “You said shove. What about touching it? Casual like. Gentle.”
The chest covered a large area. I needed to know if I should avoid it altogether.
“I’m fine with gentle touch,” he promised. “A soft pat, rub, you can even rest your hand there. Just nothing with too much force... my foster dad used to shove a lot there. It’s a trigger… I’m working through it, but not there yet.”
My shoulders sagged at the tidbit. Much like in his room, I was hungry for more about him. David hadn’t faked throughout high school, but he minimized. Made his life seem like such a void, bland and empty when it was everything but.
“Red zones for you?” David asked.
I cleared my throat, reminding myself he didn’t owe me anything about his life. No matter how many dares and time we shared, if David wanted to keep certain things to himself, that was his right. I’d respect it. Mourn it. Contemplate ways to help him understand that I could be a safe place. But ultimately, let him decide.
“No boob or butt grabs, and I’m golden,” I said.
