How We Began

by Sandra Corton

  She pushed at his shoulders, until he let her move away the tiniest amount. Frowning, she realised that she was no better than the other girls he had dated. Isaac knew how to convince any girl to do or trust anything he wanted, especially with kisses like that.

  "I can't believe you! You treated me just like you did Marnier, and you expect me to see that differently," Kayla accused him a tad more breathlessly than she liked.

  "No, that wasn't.... I didn't mean it like that. I was trying to prove a point," He said frantically, once her words sank in. He knew he was losing the tenuous grip he had on her by his rash actions.

  "What were you doing with Marnie, then?" She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a deep hurt settle over the pleasure that had her body throbbing with pleasure.

  "Marnie was... God, I don't know... a brief lapse in concentration?" He threw out the only thing he could think of, which only made her upset expression deepen.

  "You just don't see girls as people do you? It's as if we are all here for your personal use. Do you know what, Isaac? I'm not one of those girls." She picked up her discarded books, and stormed out of the secluded part of the library.

  "I know. That's the point I was making." He whispered to himself, feeling defeated. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and tried to think of his next move.

  All through his afternoon classes, he could only wonder why he was even still chasing such a stubborn and frustrating girl. He did have a ton of other offers he could take up. This girl was driving him so crazy that the thought of doing anything with another girl just made him feel sick. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

  His last class was quite possibly his only chance to salvage the day. He rushed between classes, so he could get there before she did. He sat down opposite the seat she normally sat in and prepared himself.

  She walked in, pushing her glasses up on her nose, looking as adorable as ever. She saw him, and stopped in the doorway. She took a moment to compose herself, before slowly continuing into the room. She seemed quite flustered, as she debated what to do.

  "Stop blocking the doorway, nerdy Hat Girl." A vicious voice from behind her made her take her usual seat that was next to Isaac.

  "Leave her alone, Melissa." Isaac growled at the other girl, who instantly backed down, as she sent a simpering look to him.

  "Uh, thanks, but I can fight my own battles from now on." Kayla said quietly to him, before turning to look out the windows.

  "Listen, I'm not sorry about what happened..." He trailed off, as a substitute teacher entered the room. He huffed about, waving his hands to get their attention, while looking bored and unhappy.

  "Use this period to work on whatever projects you have already been set," the teacher said with a firm look to all of them. "Just do it quietly." He finished on an order and Isaac grinned.

  This was a great opportunity for him to try to make things right! He faced her, only to see that she already had her nose buried in a textbook. He frowned, before snatching at the offending book. She glared at him, as she reached to retrieve her book.

  "You can have it back if you just hear me out," he promised, as she avoided looking at him.

  "Get on with it because I have work to do," she told him sharply.

  "Look, I know I shouldn't have kissed you. The problem is that you're so darn frustrating that I can't get you out of my head." He admitted the truth quietly; glad it seemed hidden by the others being noisier than he was.

  "I'm the frustrating one?" She asked with an astonished huff of a laugh.

  “To me you are… but in a good way.” He finished quickly, as those green eyes flickered to his briefly.

  “Well, that’s so good to know.” She replied sarcastically.

  “I didn’t mean it badly,” he replied, but she looked back out the window and ignored him. “Would you at least come to my game tomorrow?” He found himself pleading with her again, and not enjoying the sensation one bit.

  “You’ll have enough people cheering for you, Isaac. I’m sure you won’t need me. Now, hand me my book.” She ordered, and he reluctantly returned the textbook.

  “That’s what you don’t understand, I’m getting to the point where needing you is the only thing on my mind.” He told her starkly, and she finally met his eyes.

  “You’re not telling me a line, are you?” She asked suspiciously.

  “A pick up line? Do you really think I would say this to another girl? They would laugh in my face.” He answered in exasperation.

  “No, they wouldn’t. Actually, they would think it was really sweet.” She told him, before opening her book and returning to ignoring him.

  He digested her words, before looking at her fully. A blush had crept onto her cheeks, but she refused to accept his existence. Quick as a heartbeat, she glanced at him, and then returned her gaze to her book. He grinned when he noticed how much her focus had slipped.

  “Sweet, huh?” He asked, as he nudged his elbow gently against her arm. She said nothing, but he could swear he saw the smallest smile appear on her face. “Does that mean you’ll come to my game?” He asked hopefully.

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” That was the only reply he received from her.

  Even though she refused to converse with him again, he decided to take her words as a positive yes. He wanted her to be there at his game, as much as he wanted their date together, if she ever agreed. He sat back with a grin, pleased at her response, now he could only hope that she would show up.

  Chapter 7 - Midnight rendezvous

  He stood on the field anxiously waiting. He knew that she hadn't actually agreed to go to his game yesterday, but he could only hope that she would. He couldn't believe how much he was starting to depend on Kayla's presence in his life.

  "Isaac, focus!" Someone screamed his name, as the ball came flying towards him.

  He caught it easily, and started running. He knew how half-hearted his effort had been so far, but he just wasn't feeling inspired. He knew the other team had scored already, but he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn about it at all.

  The moment he spotted a drab grey cardigan in the stands, next to his sister, was when the game became real to him. Then he ran because he wanted to impress her. He scored goal after goal simply due to the ecstatic feeling coursing through him that she had actually attended his game.

  The victory was one of the sweetest he had ever had. The team was jubilant, even Steve slapped him on the back, and cheered along with the others. This was the moment that he was sure would impress Kayla enough that she would agree to go out with him, at least once.

  He tried to get out of the change room quickly. He wanted to see her and talk to her, before she left. He struggled past all his raucous teammates with great difficulty. He finally made it out, only to come face to face with a surprising confrontation.

  "I came here, and that's all he asked me to do," Kayla's voice had him wanting to jump around the corner just to talk to her, but he paused.

  "He hasn't played that well in weeks, and it’s because of you, I know it," his sister’s voice astounded him. He hadn't thought Hayley was on his side in this at all.

  "Please don't make me do this, Hayley. I'm glad they won the game, but I just want to go home." Kayla pleaded making Hayley sigh.

  "Fine. Is your Mum working tonight?" Hayley changed the topic, and Isaac wondered why.

  "Yeah, she's got the late shift again." Kayla said with a sigh.

  "Come and stay over like normal. You know my Mum won't mind, and your Mum is happier knowing that you have company." Hayley said encouragingly.

  "I can't… not if he's going to be there." Kayla's words made Isaac's body clench with anger. He just couldn't take in that she was still trying to avoid him.

  "Isaac will have some celebration party to attend," Hayley assured her. "Don't worry about him at all."

  “Yeah, I guess I didn't think of that," Kayla answered with relief obvious in her voice. "I'll g
o and get my stuff. I'll see you back at your place." Kayla said happily, and his sister quickly agreed.

  Isaac stood there unsure of how to feel. Kayla would only come and stay with Hayley if he wasn't there. A crushing disappointment mixed with anger filled him. It seemed that she still didn't have any faith in him at all. He thought back to their fiery kiss, and knew that he had made the wrong choice.

  He had to stop putting her into the same category as other girls he dated. He was finding it incredibly difficult to do. He was coming across as a one trick pony who only knew how to treat girls one way. He found it was something that he didn't truly like about himself.

  "She's gone, Isaac, now get around here," Hayley ordered, making Isaac jump in shock.

  "How did you know?" He asked, as he sheepishly peeped his head around the building.

  "I could sense the lurking." Hayley said dryly, and he winced at her observation.

  "Should I just give up?" He asked hopelessly, feeling like a small child.

  "No, she's coming around, I think. I'll help you out with her tonight. Just don't let me down. I will break something of yours if you hurt her." Hayley warned.

  "Why are you suddenly helping me like this?" Isaac asked suspiciously.

  "Because I'm your sister, and you love me." She fluttered her eyelashes at him, and he let out a laugh of disbelief.

  "The real reason, Hayles. You didn't even want me to know who she was not so long ago." He reminded her, and she grinned cheekily.

  "Very true, because I thought you were going to treat her like all your other girls. You surprised me on that part. There's also the fact that you're still showing interest more than a week later, which is a pretty darn long time for you. I was also hoping she might help tone down your player tendencies." Hayley answered honestly.

  "Hey, I'm not like that!" He tried to defend himself.

  "Yeah, right! I guess I'll find out the truth tonight." Hayley said with a snort, as she noticed their parents approaching them

  "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Isaac asked looking perplexed.

  "You might find out, tonight." She said mysteriously, as her parents began congratulating Isaac for his game.

  He puzzled over his sisters words. He had never really seen himself as a player. Sure, he dated many girls, but most of them knew that he didn't really see a future with them. He always told them up front how he wanted things to be.

  He threw those thoughts out, and looked at his phone. All his friends were commanding his attendance at some party tonight to celebrate their victory. He was debating whether to go, when he first heard Kayla's voice downstairs.

  Party forgotten, he quickly headed down to meet her with a jump in his step. On the way, he bumped into his parents, who were all dressed up and heading out. It looked like tonight he would be free to spend as much time getting to know Kayla, as he wanted.

  "Kayla, it's good to see you." His Mum gushed, as she gathered the cardigan covered girl into a hug.

  Confusion overwhelmed him for a second, until he recalled Hayley saying that Kayla had spent nights at their house before. If only he had realised this sooner, but she had never existed to him, with his own world overshadowing hers.

  All he had ever seen was exactly what she portrayed. A girl with an affinity for hats that covered her pretty face and incredible hair. A nerdy type person that he would never be interested in, ever. He had always liked the girls that wanted his attention, but now he was in a completely new game.

  With the pleasantries finished, and his parents finally leaving, the two girls made their way upstairs. When she first spotted him, leaning casually against the balustrade, she physically took a step back. Her eyes filled with panic and he sighed. He was getting tired of this reaction from her. She always started freaking out at his presence.

  "Hello, Kayla, I didn't know you were coming to stay. There's spare room in my bed in case you were wondering." He sent her a sultry wink and right on cue, she blushed.

  "That's real mature, idiot." Hayley rolled her eyes at her brother’s lack of subtly, as she led Kayla into her room

  Hayley gave him the grand total of zero percent time with Kayla that evening. So much for the help that she had offered him. He felt so frustrated that he finally decided to go to the party. He stormed out of the house, and decided to forget about the whole Kayla situation.

  He went from hoping the party atmosphere would cheer him up, to hating it. Girls were surrounding him, giggling and falling over drunkenly, but he still couldn't get her out of his head. Even the one beer he had wasn't enough to block out the memory of his kiss with Kayla. He gave up after a while. He was tired of the cheering and the obvious flirting, so he went home.

  With the house in darkness, and disappointment clutching at him, he knew that he had missed another opportunity of getting to know Kayla. He wanted to be enraged about it, but he found himself feeling miserable, instead. He flopped onto the couch, and just stared at the wall for a long time.

  Movement caught his attention, as something on the stairs moved. A torchlight flashed, and with growing excitement, he knew it wasn't any of his family members. He silently watched the figure move into the kitchen, and turn on the lights.

  He stood as quietly as he could, and paced soft footed toward the kitchen door. Her back was to him, as she poured a glass of water and slowly drank it. His mouth went dry at the cute shorts and singlet top she was wearing, showing off more skin than he had ever seen before. Her hair cascaded down her back in a long messy curtain covering curves that he was now dying to see and hold.

  "My offer still stands," Isaac teased from the door.

  She let out a piercing screech, before turning to face him. The glass clattered into the sink, as she clasped both hands around her cheeks, before pushing her glasses up on her nose.

  "I... I didn't know you were home," she whispered, knowing that she sounded lame.

  "Otherwise you would have chosen to be thirsty all night?" He asked sounding affronted. "I'm sorry that came out harsh, but you can't keep avoiding me."

  “Uh, yes, I can." She said simply, as she went straight to the doorway that he stood in, ready to push past him if need be.

  "Give me a chance, Kayla. Even right now." He spread his arms pleadingly.

  "To do what?" She asked, as she bit down on her lip even harder, making him want to kiss her for as long as possible.

  "I promise I won't try anything," he raised his arms defensively, but she still looked cautious. "Look, you sit on one side of the couch, and I'll sit on the other."

  His best pleading look had her agreeing, and she hadn't even realised. He could be so darn adorable sometimes! She questioned whether being alone with him was such a smart idea. The fact that he genuinely seemed to want to spend time with her melted her resistance. She couldn't see another opportunity like this ever cropping up again.

  "Fine." She finally whispered, and he let out a long sigh.

  "Good, come on."

  He grabbed her hand, before she could refuse. He let her sit down on the huge black leather couch, and handed her a blanket. He hadn't said anything about her state of dress, and she hadn't thought about it, until she snuggled under the blanket trying not to blush.

  He sat down on the opposite end of the couch, and stretched out his long legs across the length of the couch. She quickly curled into a smaller ball to keep him from touching her, so he dropped his legs of the couch.

  "Have you been drinking?" She asked, as she quickly glanced to him, before lowering her hands to her lap, so he couldn't see them shaking.

  "Yep, but I only had one beer," he replied truthfully.

  "Oh, okay," she muttered, as the silence stretched between them.

  "I can't believe that I never noticed you before the kissing booth. You've always been here haven't you? My parents knew you, they even hugged you, but I had no clue." Isaac shook his head ruefully.

  "I stay with Hayley when my mum does back shift." She finally admitte
d.

  "Where does your mum work?" He raised an eyebrow, and she wondered what he was thinking.

  "She's a nurse."

  “Okay, well that's better than what I was thinking." He made a dubious face.

  "What were you thinking?" She asked, as he glanced awkwardly away.

  "Uh, don't kill me, but lady of the night." He said, and then winced.

  He dared a look at her, only to notice her jaw drop open. A second later her leg thrust out from the blanket, and kicked him hard, before she dissolved into gales of laughter. He had never seen her look so carefree and relaxed around him. At least until he clasped hold of her ankle.

  "Let go." She said, as she tugged at her captured leg.

  "I'm not doing anything," he replied innocently. "You're the one that took up my side of the couch."

  "You insinuated that my Mum was a prostitute." She blushed, as she said the words.

  "I'm sorry for that one, but anything on my side of the couch gets to stay on my side." He insisted, as he drew a delicate pattern around her foot. She reflexively pulled back and let out a giggle.

  "Don't." She ordered, and he sent her a smirk complete with teasing twitches of his fingers against her foot.

  "My, does that mean you're a little ticklish?" He asked, his blue eyes gleaming at her.

  "No, not at all." She denied quickly, as she tried more frantically to pull her leg from his grasp.

  "Hmmm, this is something that needs testing." He said in a serious tone. He ran a finger along her sole, and she erupted into giggles once more.

  "Isaac." She said his name on a gasp.

  It took everything within him not to reach across and kiss her madly. He cleared his throat, his hand going still, and he felt awash in a sea of green at the intensity of her gaze.

  "I will never understand how I missed seeing you in all this time." He said softly, while she looked perplexed.

  "I've been here for years." She stated simply.

  "And I've been completely blind." He admitted with a small laugh.