‘I like your friends,’ Leo grins, nodding over towards Peach and Gavin, who are shuffling from left to right, arms wrapped around each other like a couple of thirteen-year-olds at the youth club disco. ‘Most people at these kinds of events are so bloody serious. It’s nice to see someone having fun.’ As he says this, he twirls me under his arm. It makes me dizzy, but in a pleasant giddy way.
‘They’re great,’ I tell him, feeling guilty about getting grumpy at Peach. ‘Though I don’t really know Gavin, to be honest. Tonight’s his first date with Peach.’
‘Ah.’ Leo nods slowly. ‘That makes sense. While you were chatting with Peach before, I’m pretty sure Gavin called you Jess!’
Oh shit.
Act natural.
‘How bizarre,’ I say steadily. ‘He’s a little tipsy, I think.’
I glance over to where Gavin and Peach are dancing, now grabbing each other’s bums and squeezing them in the manner of someone squeezing a stress ball. They are well on the way to being wasted.
I manoeuvre us a little further away from them on the dance floor, just in case.
I squint up at Leo. Does he suspect something? He doesn’t seem to . . . But I can’t risk it. I need to distract him from all thoughts of Gavin calling me Jess, I need to eradicate that memory from his mind. At least, that’s my reasoning for what happens next. I tilt my head up and to the side, my eyes flicking down to Leo’s mouth. He takes the hint like a champion, immediately leaning towards for a kiss.
Our lips meet.
KABLAM! POW! YESSSSSS!
If there wasanydoubt in my mind that the kissing we did in the park was anything other than a fluke, that has now been completely obliterated. Because this kiss is even better. Leo weaves his hands up into my hair, his tongue slipping gently into my mouth. My entire body relaxes into it, and if I didn’t know that it was something that only happens in romance novels, I’d swear my knees go weak.
Fuck. I should probably stop kissing him now. When I kiss him, everything gets complicated. Thefeelingsget stronger, making me all wibbly and dazed and stupid.
Have to stop kissing him.
But Ican’tstop kissing him. Things feel, I don’t know, better when I kiss him. Calmer. Like medicine. Just a little longer will be all right, won’t it?
I don’t know how long Leo and I kiss on the dance floor for. I lose all concept of time. It could be two minutes, it could be two hours. I don’t even care.
‘Well, well, well. Don’t you two look cosy?’ comes a familiar voice from behind us.
My blood runs cold. I break off from Leo, my eyes flying open.
Standing there, and looking like the cat that got the cream, is Summer.
