Now that I notice it, the scent of food has my mouth watering. Maybe that’s the reason my stomach is sounding off in alarm.
“Let’s go.”
Jabari orders us two hot dogs and fries. “What do you want to drink?”
“Water’s fine.”
We find a bench and begin to munch on our meal. This day feels so completely normal. It’s almost easy to forget he’s a famous hockey player and I’m just a girl.Standing infront of a boy,asking him to kiss her already!
I laugh at myself. Normally, being hungry makes me hangry, but apparently it’s making me loopy right now.
“What’s so funny?” Jabari asks.
“Nothing important.” I take a big bite, so I don’t have to answer any more questions. I make a yum noise and keep on eating. Though I’m completely at ease around him, he doesn’t need to know every thought.
Fortunately, Jabari starts eating his fries and allows me to keep my silly thoughts to myself. While we eat, he tells me how well his occupational therapy has been going.
“It actually feels great to be more independent. Plus, a lot of the apps they have now help,” he says.
I’m glad he’s getting the help he needs. He’s dealing with these new medical issues a lot better than I would have. I’d probably becurled up in my bed bemoaning my fate and crying over all of thewhy mes.My throat tightens.
Lord God,if Youcould,take his headaches away and even restore his eyesightif possible. Heal him in his soul so that hecan handle whatever comes his way. Amen.
After we’re done, Jabari finds another tourist attraction for us, but one off the beaten path. When we finish walking around, my stomach starts grumbling for dinner. Is he really trying to keep me out of the hotel until nighttime arrives?
I don’t ask because it’s clearly dark after we finish dinner. As we head to the hotel, nerves assault my insides like a ninja in the shadows. I press theuparrow for the elevator and try to think tranquil thoughts. Then a light bulb dawns. I get why Jabari waited to kiss me goodnight. Having a first kiss in a hotel room isn’t the wisest choice in the world. Besides, the anticipation building since the moment I saw him answer the hotel door this morning means my control might slip at just a brush of lips. Thank goodness he considered everything.
The elevator dings, and in a matter of seconds, we’re standing outside my room. What if he hates our first kiss? What ifIhate it? What if all this drama has been for naught, and I discover we actually have no chemistry? Maybe what I think is butterflies is a simple case of indigestion.
Before my mind can melt and exhaust more potential ways this might backfire, Jabari speaks. “Val...” he says softly.
I swallow. “Yes?”
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to kiss, we don’t have to. I would never do anything without your consent.”
“Idowant to kiss you. It’s just that I got all in my head.” I motion to the offender. “And worked up every potentially bad scenario possible. Now I’mtoonervous, and I don’t want to be nervous, I just want to be...” A puff of air escapes my lips.
“You want to be...?”
“I want to be so preoccupied with you that my brain doesn’t have a chance to be anxious and ruin our first kiss.”
Jabari takes a step forward, and I immediately take one back. I blink. When did the door get behind me? How much thinking have I been doing? But my thoughts stutter to a stop as Jabari puts his forearm above my head and leans forward.
Have mercy, he’s leaning. My breath hitches in my chest.
“Are you preoccupied now?”
I lick my lips. “Very.”
He brushes his hand against my neck as he slides his fingers through my hair, cupping the nape of my neck. My knees go weak, and if it weren’t for his strong arm, I’d be a puddle at his feet.
“Jabari...”
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a while now.”
“Me too.” My hands hook on his hoodie pocket, and the gap between us vanishes.
His lips are achingly soft as they brush against mine. My head swims from the headiness of the contact, and I angle forward to increase the pressure. Then the kiss goes from warm temps to hot desert nights in a matter of seconds. As Jabari takes full control of the kiss, I realize how much self-control he’d been exerting with the first meeting of our lips. Because the way he’s kissing me now has my heart pounding and my body melting from the inside out.
