How We Began

by Sandra Corton

  "Let's see if they have that 'Whack a mole" game, I love that thing." She exclaimed.

  "Hitting poor innocent stuffed creatures, I never thought you would be so violent. The things you learn on a first date." He uttered, and shook his head in an overly dramatic way.

  "Just come on." Kayla tugged on his hands, making him grin, before she dragged him into the arcade section.

  "So damn bossy."

  "I think you secretly like being bossed around." Kayla told him breezily.

  "Maybe, but only by you," He leaned down to whisper in her ear, and she couldn't help another shiver, as his breath wafted against her skin. "How about we skip the mole blame, and go in there." Isaac pointed and Kayla gasped.

  A large heart shaped opening with the words 'tunnel of love' scrawled above it faced her. Swan boats seemed to be floating on the outside, waiting for their next occupants. Kayla wasn't quite sure if she was ready for that kind of thing just yet.

  "Um, how about the moles first." Kayla said, as she cleared her throat.

  "Chicken." Isaac sent her a smirk, as he trailed a finger along her bare arm.

  "Tell you what; if you win 'Whack a mole', then we'll go there next." Kayla boldly offered her deal, as she pointed back to the tunnel of love ride.

  "You’re on!" Isaac exclaimed.

  They walked past all the different games, until they found the right one. Kayla eyed him nervously, as she handed her mallet. She had no idea why she had tried to compete with Isaac. He was bigger and stronger than she would ever be. She knew that she was going to lose by the look of determination in his eyes. Secretly, she almost couldn't wait for it to happen.

  This date had only just begun, but she was having the best time. She was finding herself able to relax around him, and talk to him a lot easier than she had expected. She had been dreading the lapse in conversation, and having to fill blank spaces, but so far, nothing of the sort had happened.

  "Whoever knocks the most down wins?" Kayla asked, as she eyed the game in front of her.

  "Yep." Isaac replied, as he stood confident and ready to start playing.

  "Let's start."

  They each held their coins to the slot, before dropping them in to start the game. Isaac had his complete focus on winning the game, until he heard Kayla let out a little grunting noise. Glancing over to her was a bad idea, but he realised it too late.

  He knew he had lost the game before it had truly started, when he couldn't look away. She was a jaw dropping amazement. She used her whole body, as she thumped the hammer onto the moles head. The sheer concentration on her face was as intoxicating as the flutter of her dress, while she played away oblivious to his scrutiny.

  When her turn finished, she spun in his direction, and he felt speechless. He pulled her towards him, a little rougher than he meant to, and he kissed her. She stumbled into his embrace with her hands pressed to his chest, before she melted against him. His lips attacked hers, encouraging the heat between them.

  "Hey, we want a game." An unknown voice penetrated their layer of kiss-induced fogginess.

  He reluctantly pulled his lips from hers, letting out a blissful sigh. She looked up at him, with flushed cheeks and fiery green eyes. All he wanted to do was kiss her again. Instead, he moved back from the game, tugging her with him.

  "Hey, wait a minute, who won?" She asked with a small frown, as she couldn't see the scores on either game.

  "You did." He told her simply, his voice rough and throaty.

  "Oh." She replied, sounding extremely disappointed.

  "Wanna try that?" He pointed up to the Ferris wheel, and Kayla smiled, as her disappointment became excitement once more.

  "Yes."

  They were soon in line for the giant flashing wheel that lit up the night sky with its brilliance. Kayla was feeling a little edgy, but an awful lot dreamy as well. She had no idea where that fiery kiss had sprung from, but it had been perfect.

  She glanced at Isaac, as she touched her still tingling lips. His jaw appeared clenched, as he stared all around the carnival. His fingers tightened in hers when their gazes met and caught. A burning heat seemed to come alive between them, and she couldn't look away.

  "Do you two want to get on or not?" A gruff voice asked, and they both turned towards it. A grumpy man huffed out a breath that was stale and fetid. She realised that he was the guy in charge of the ride, even as she stepped away from him.

  "Ah, yeah." Isaac told him, before Kayla could get away.

  The man ushered them onto the ride. They sat down on the cold metal seat, and the man pushed a bar, so it went down over their laps. When they were secure, Isaac went back to grasping her hand, and she enjoyed the warmth of him next to her.

  "You look beautiful," He said the words almost too softly to hear, but she blushed as they drifted over her. He ruffled her fringe once again. "And I really like this."

  "Isaac, man, is that you?" A loud, familiar voice called out to them, making Isaac grumble. He wished the ride would get into the air already.

  "Who's the babe?" A different voice shouted out, and Kayla scrunched into her seat trying to conceal herself.

  Her happiness at their earlier kiss deflated, as she stared unseeing out towards the lake. Isaac looked across to where the voices were yelling from and groaned. Half his football team were standing across from the Ferris wheel. They were all watching him with great interest.

  He wanted to tell them to get lost, go, and find girls for themselves, instead of living vicariously through him. Didn't they have anything better to do than annoy him? All he wanted was one night with Kayla, and he couldn't even get that.

  "See you later, guys." Isaac sent them a shooing motion, as the ride began to move. He was hoping his friends would move on by the time the ride finished.

  With Kayla sitting stiffly beside him, he was glad to be heading to the top of the ride. Fresh air and scenic views of the lake that stretched beyond the carnival were welcome. His eyes didn't move from his hooting and hollering friends.

  "I didn't know that they would be here," Isaac told her seriously. He was regretting the loss of kissing her on this ride, which was what he had intended to do.

  "I figured that already." Kayla finally said as they headed back towards the ground.

  She glanced anywhere, but near his overwhelming friends. She let her hair cover as much of her face as she could. She still felt a bit exposed without having her hat to cover her face. She had been feeling fine about it, until his friends began their shenanigans.

  "You okay, over there?" He asked, as he brushed the hair back off her cheek.

  "Maybe, I just don't really like being a spectacle." She replied, refusing to look at him.

  She took in the view again, trying to ease the awkwardness and tension building inside of her. She wasn't looking forward to getting off the ride now, not with all those boys watching her. Silence took over, and now the noise of the carnival sounded garish in her ears.

  "That's our cue." Isaac's voice snapped her back to alertness. Once again, the perpetually angry operator of the ride glared at them, as if they were holding him up on purpose.

  Kayla exited the ride, and made sure to hold her dress down as subtly as she could. The last thing she needed was the guys from school getting an eyeful of her underwear.

  She heard Isaac hop off behind her, and she felt surrounded. His friends were there so quickly that Kayla had nowhere to hide. She felt Isaac clasp her hand tightly, so she stayed where she was.

  "Back up, guys." Isaac told his friends, who were busy making a spectacle of themselves.

  "Where did you find this hottie?" One of the guys hollered, and Kayla felt her anger begin to unfurl.

  "Wait that's... Kayla, is that you?" Steve exclaimed, as he forced himself to the front of the group.

  "Let's get out of here." Isaac told her, as he confidently moved past his friends without another word.

  "Isaac, wait," he heard Jay call to him, so he turned back. "I'll keep
these morons away from you," he promised with a wink. "It's nice to see you, Kayla. Keep him out of trouble for me, will you." Jay left just as quickly as he had arrived.

  Kayla was lost for words, as she heard Isaac talk to Jay. She hadn't realised that Jay knew who she was. Sure, he had always acknowledged her with a wave when she was staying with Hayley, but she had thought he was just being polite. He knew her, and that puzzled her greatly.

  "I never realised they were such jack arses," Isaac frowned to himself.

  "No, duh," Kayla told him, only making him seen more perturbed.

  "Is that why you never talked to me? Did I act that immature?"

  "How about we try the haunted house?" Kayla tried to steer the conversation away from where they were heading.

  "How about you answer my questions." He told her pointedly.

  "I... you were unreachable to me, and it had nothing to do with your maturity level." Kayla blurted out; when she could no longer stand his stare.

  "Unreachable, how?"

  "You never once saw me. We are in the same year, even some of the same classes, but you only ever saw Hat Girl. I had an easy label that allowed you to ignore who I was. You were technically the one keeping me at a distance, simply with that label you put on me." Kayla crossed her arms, and finally looked him in the eye.

  He appeared quite shocked by her tirade. Embarrassment quickly followed, as his face went red, and he stared off over her shoulder. She winced, wondering if she had told him too much. Then again, it was his fault for asking, she argued with herself.

  "I'm sorry, Kayla. I never really realised."

  "Of course you didn't. Why would you ever look at someone like me?" Kayla huffed at him.

  "I've been kind of blind, haven't I?" He asked, as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

  "Then it's about time you opened your eyes and looked around you." She snapped, finding herself caught up in the moment.

  "I am," he was able to smile, as he looked openly at her. "Now you should get your winning prize for 'Whack a mole'." He told her, and she blinked at his change to laid back, teasing guy.

  She considered what to do, whether to argue her point about him ignoring her, or let it go. The truth was that he no longer ignored her. He went out of his way to pay attention to her. She decided to drop the subject entirely and enjoy their date.

  She glanced past the milling people, and the bright lights to find the one place that Isaac had originally wanted to go into. With a huge blush on her cheeks, she pointed, hoping they could at least get some privacy in there. He grinned brightly, and she knew that he had forgiven her for her earlier harsh comments.

  He steered her towards the rather gaudy looking ride with a swagger and a twinkle in his eye. Her heart seemed to flip around in her chest at his sheer confidence. They lined up with all the other couples, some of who were already groping at each other.

  "You ready for this?" He sent her one of his trademark winks, along with the devastating smile. She felt her knees go weak, and her body heat up.

  "Hmmm." She replied in a noncommittal way, as they took another step closer to the ride entrance.

  Before long, she sat on another cool metal bench, this one shaped like a swan. Her nerves returned in that moment, as they went through the darkened tunnel entrance. Isaac didn't give her a chance to let the nerves truly grab hold.

  He pulled her closer, and kissed her with abandon. His hands were in her hair, threading through the length, before his fingers massaged their way back up her spine.

  His lips were branding her, burning her with fiery kisses, so she never once noticed the bright pink, rather garish interior of the ride. With her eyes closed, and her body swamped with sensations, she was feeling in a realm of delightful paradise.

  His tongue touched the corner of her lips, and she shuddered, as she boldly tried the same thing with him. His groan of longing, and the way he clutched her even closer told her that he liked it quite a bit.

  She decided to experiment, as she slipped her hands around his neck. She touched the seam of his lips with her tongue, and he boldly swept his tongue into her mouth, tasting her wildly. She realised that he seemed to like anything that she tried.

  He dragged her legs across his lap, making sure to run his hands along her ankles and calves. Her skin tantalised to his touch, as she wiggled closer to him. Then his lips were on her throat, and she gasped. He began softly suckling on her skin causing charged sensations to sweep her from head to toe.

  Bright lights and noise made Kayla return to the real world harshly. When she noticed that they were no longer alone, she quickly yanked her legs from out of Isaac's hold. She moved to the opposite side of the swan boat, and watched him try to regain his breathing with as much difficulty as she was.

  Her whole body hummed from his touches and kisses. When his fiery blue gaze met hers, surprise filled her at the fierce need she had to kiss him again.

  On very wobbly feet, she managed to exit the ride. Isaac's hand cupped her elbow, and she was grateful for his support. When he used his fingers to create a swirling pattern on her arm, she was amazed that she didn't melt to the ground in a blissful puddle.

  "Wanna go again?" He asked with sparkling eyes. "I guess that's a no." He said, as he glanced at her.

  "Huh?" She returned, still a bit dumbfounded by his kisses. "I didn't say no."

  "Your stomach did." He sent her a funny little smirk, and she realised that her stomach was indeed making some grumbling motions. "So, what will it be?"

  "A burger sounds good." She told him, as they walked towards the food stands.

  He insisted on paying, as he bought them both hamburgers. He passed her dinner to her, before grasping her free hand, and leading them towards the lake. It was quieter, once they left the carnival behind, but the lights twinkled on the water keeping everything lit up.

  He found an empty picnic bench, so he put his food down on it. He hoisted himself up on the tabletop, and then offered Kayla a hand up as well.

  He watched as she fussed with her dress, making sure that it covered her modestly. A small breeze had whipped up, and she frowned at the lake, as she tried to control her skirt from flying around. She looked so freaking adorable that Isaac could only stare, as a mile wide grin filled his face.

  "Uh, dresses! Who ever thought they were a good idea?" She grouched, which made him let out a low, delicious chuckle.

  "Not sure, but I think they're a great idea," he told her, as he gave her that head to toe glance that warmed her whole being.

  "Okay," she stuttered, sounding ridiculous to her own ears.

  "Do you want to know why?" He asked casually, as his blue eyes burned with a stormy fire.

  "I'm not sure that I should answer yes." She replied hesitantly.

  "I'll tell you another time." He told her, as he handed her the food that she had sat on the tabletop.

  They ate in companionable silence, as they glanced out at the lake. Kayla occasionally looked his way, feeling a dreaminess fill her more with every second she spent with him.

  Their eyes caught eventually, and Kayla knew he had been looking at her the same way she had been watching him. She smiled, as everything inside her seemed to spark at his attention.

  "Do you want to try the Ferris wheel again?" He sent her a wicked little grin, and she glanced at him from beneath her lashes.

  "Yes, please, but first."

  She couldn't believe her own boldness, as she leaned across the space between them and kissed him. He smiled against her lips, as he returned the kiss with the fiery spiciness from earlier.

  With the gentle lapping of the water in the lake the only distraction, they kissed as the darkness deepened. With his lips skating from her ear to her throat, Kayla decided that this was the best date ever.

  Chapter 14 - The strange morning after

  Sunday morning's arrival came with Kayla stretching, only to find a headache resounding with great intensity. Instead of the happy smile at su
ch a wonderful date, she clutched at her head, and tried not to groan.

  Thinking about being at the carnival with Isaac helped. Through the blinding pain, warmth and happiness flooded her system at the very thought of him. A grin spread on her face slowly, as a sigh escaped her at the fantastic kisses that they had shared.

  A worry built inside of her when she realised that she had no idea how the night had ended. She blinked her eyes open, and found something else strange she still wore her contacts. Focusing beyond her headache, she pushed slowly up in her bed.

  Her hand touched something she definitely wasn't used to, another body. That had her eyes snapping next to her, and her mouth dropping open. She stared in disbelief at what appeared to be her room, having no idea how she got here. Panic welled, as she desperately tried to remember what had happened last night.

  Her hands went to her mouth, as she gulped in air, and dared to glance at the body next to hers. Yes, it was definitely Isaac, which sent her heart into a galloping thunder, and her head to a deep painful drum beat. A strangled noise escaped her, which made Isaac frown.

  She wanted the time to lay here and stare at him. To take in his softly sleeping face, and rather delectable naked chest, but her panic prevented her. She went to scurry away from him, but found herself tangled in the sheets.

  "What? What's going on?" Isaac shot up in the bed. He saw her, and his eyes widened even further.

  "Why are you here?" She asked pointing a finger to her bed, and trying not to wince at how much it hurt to talk.

  "Kayla? That's a... wow, really good question." His jaw dropped open, as he stared hard at her.

  She looked down, and saw that she was wearing pyjamas. Her Mum had bought the set for her a while ago; and she loved it, but she had to admit that it appeared quite dowdy. It wasn't something that she wanted Isaac to see her wearing. The long sleeve shirt seemed to cling to places that attracted his stare, as did the capris pants trimmed with lace.

  "Where am I?" Isaac pushed onto his elbows with the sheet falling to his waist.

  "Oh my God! I hope you have clothes on under there," she exclaimed, as a red stain filled her face.