She shakes her head. "I'm not trying to do anything."
"I know," I say softly. "Touch comes later," I add quickly, before my thoughts get dangerous. "Not obvious touch. Small things."
Her eyes flick to my hands.
I lace them behind my back.
"Incidental," I say. "A brush. A tap. Letting someone notice without knowing if it was intentional."
Her lips part.
"If you did that on purpose?" I continue. "You'd have control."
She looks at me like she's trying to decide if she should believe me.
I take a step back, but something stops me from leaving. Her eyes are on me and the image of them flicking from my lips to my gaze runs through my head. I swallow roughly.
"How are you with kissing?"
I watch as she freezes, before finally her hazel eyes fall on me. "I'm fine."
Fine?
"You should come to the party tonight."
"What's it for?"
I shrug, trying to act like her answer isn't the only thing I care about right now, "I don't know some celebration for something. Does it matter? It's a party."
"Won't my brother be there?"
"He's got a date tonight, so he's missing it."
She looks confused for a second, chewing her bottom lip before she seems to come to some conclusion, her eyes landing on me again. "Fine, I'll go but I'm bringing Charlie."
My jaw tightens a little at that, but I nod. "Save me a dance."
I go to leave her room before Leon comes looking for me when her voice stops me.
"I think I need to put some of your tips into-" she fades off as I turn back to face her, "-practice."
Put them into. . . practice.
"I mean... I'm learning all these things, but reading about it and being told about it isn't the same as doing it, right? I should probably, you know...tryit. At some point I need to put these tips into practice." She's rambling and if this were any other discussion I'd find it cute, but right now? Talking about putting my tips into practice with another guy? I don't know how I feel. She continues, her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. "Like as you teach me, I need to experience it. You know?"
I’m silent, my mind reeling as everything she's saying hits me at once.
And she's still talking. "Like maybe after you've taught me, I can go out and practice on-"
I feel tense, stiff and I know I have no right to feel this way. Have no right to want her.
"And when do you plan on doing this?"
She doesn't answer right away, looking lost. And I shouldn't step in and give her an answer, but I don't want to.
"Maybe tonight. At the party?"
If I thought I was tense before, that's nothing to how I feel right now. "Tonight?"
