She also wanted Jack to keep his home, to be able to continue to wait for his father to find his way home. She wanted to ease that stress and fear that she saw lurking behind Jack’s smile. This was all he had. And she had the chance to save it for him.
Why did she care?
She barely knew him.
Except shedidknow him. She’d walked into other realms with him. He’d told her secrets that she knew he’d never shared with anyone—about the magic, his childhood, his father. He’d trusted her in a way that no one ever had before. He listened to her. He respected her.
Opening her eyes, Calisa turned to look at Jack.
He shifted, glancing behind him. “What?”
“Come here,” she said.
He took a step toward her until he was nearly in the doorway to the closet as well. Inches from him, she knew what todo.
“Kiss me,” Calisa said. She added, “Please?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
He could have made it awkward. He could have asked questions. He could have accused her of using him to find her “epiphany” or started an uncomfortable what-do-you-want-out-of-this-relationship conversation. He could have said no.
But he didn’t.
Jack cupped her face in his hands and lightly brushed her lips with his.
He then drew back and looked into her eyes, and she felt something inside her melt, like chocolate in the oven. Calisa covered his hands with hers, and she leaned in to kiss him.
Kissing her back, he stepped forward until their bodies touched, and she felt the warmth of his skin through the fabric of their shirts. He wound his hands through her hair, and she wrapped hers around the back of his neck. His lips were soft. Her breath matched his breath, her heart thudded fast againsthis, and she felt aware of every inch of her skin, as if her entire body were vibrating.
The kiss deepened, and she pressed herself against him as he gathered her closer. She was within his arms, and that’s all there was—the outside world may as well have ceased to exist. It felt as if everything had condensed to just this moment and just the space around their two bodies, so close that they were one breath, one heartbeat.
The kiss ended, and Jack looked at her as if he never wanted to stop looking at her. She reached up and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. She knew she was smiling goofily, but she couldn’t seem to stop—and didn’t want to.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he said back.
She wondered what she should say. There didn’t seem to be words big enough to hold everything she was feeling. She felt as if she were floating.
“Do you want to try the door?” he asked.
Door?
Calisa stared at him blankly.Oh, right, the portal!She stepped out of the closet doorway, pulling him gently with her. She liked the way her hand fit in his, like it was meant to be there, puzzle pieces that clicked together.
She pulled the closet door shut.
“Open,” she said to it softly.
And then she opened it—and the portal swirled blue, filling the doorframe.
Jack squeezed her hand. “You did it.”
“Wow.” Calisa gawked at the shades of blue that spun and danced in the watery portal. She reached out and touched it lightly with her fingers. She wasn’t imagining it.It worked!A part of her was shocked, but another part simply felt content, as if of course it worked. “We need to tell Kendra.”
“Right. Yes, we do.” He didn’t release her hand, and they headed together for the stairs. Her head was still spinning, and she felt as if she could float down the still-damp steps without needing to touch them. With her free hand, she held on to the handrail. Every step, she glanced at him.
I should say something. About the kiss. About him. About us.
