“Thank you,” I said suddenly, clenching onto his hands.
“For what?”
“For everything,” I said sincerely. I gazed into his eyes, wanting him to know I really meant it.
There was a brief second of silence before Gage suddenly stood up, making me take a step back or I’d fall over. We were pressed so closely that my chest was pressed against his and I had to tilt my head up to even see some of his face.
The small voice in my head was yelling at me to just grab his head and pull him into a kiss. I wanted to, oh God did I want to. I just wasn’t sure if he did. What if I only felt this way and he was just trying to say politely that I had something on my face?
Gage was so tall that my head only went to about his chest. I wasn’t looking anywhere else but at his pink lips, wondering if they felt as soft as they looked. With me being pressed against him, the need to kiss him was getting stronger.
Just do it! Kiss him, damn it! I inwardly yelled at myself.
You know what? I have always been that girl who never seized anything or did something she wanted. I always wished I was like Amy or Macey in that regard, but you know what? Now I was going to be that girl. I was going to do something that I wanted for once, and to hell with the consequences.
As I made up my mind, I noticed Gage had lowered his head toward mine. His warm breath fanned against my face and his eyes pierced into mine, like he was seeing into my soul. One of his hands came up between us and reached for my face. He cupped my jaw as his eyes got darker and my knees got weaker.
“You are more than welcome, Carter.” That was all he said before he crushed his lips against mine. His hand was against my cheek and his kiss was soft but firm, making sure I was going to stay right where I was. Like I was going anywhere.
When his lips finally touched mine, everything inside of me let go. I sighed into his mouth having finally got what I was wishing for. Gage’s lips were as soft as I thought, and they fit perfectly with mine.
Our lips moved in sync with one another’s, like we were missing pieces of a puzzle. All the sparks that I wanted to feel were there. They were more than sparks; they were like shocks of electricity running through my body. It was something I had never felt before in my life. If this was kissing, then I had been doing it wrong my whole life. It was the foot-popping kiss I’d always wanted.
My arms finally moved from my sides to wrap around his neck. If it were possible, I pulled him even closer to me until not even a centimeter was between us. Heat radiated off the both of us; I felt like we were on the sun.
My fingers had a mind of their own as they weaved through his hair, feeling its softness. Even after all of this, his hair felt amazing, more than mine ever had. I tugged softly on the strands, which made Gage moan into my mouth. Once again, pride rang through me at the noise.
We had to pull away for a breath of air. We stood there panting for breath from a kiss that felt like it went on for days. It was without a doubt the best first kiss I had ever experienced. While it was soft, I could tell Gage was holding back on making it rough, something I was beyond excited to feel.
I looked into his beautiful brown eyes, with my cheeks flaming and my lips feeling all tingly. Nobody had ever left me so breathless; I felt like I hadn’t had air in months. Gage was staring down at me with an unreadable look on his face, but I didn’t mind it. If he wanted to look at me like that all day, I would allow it.
Both of us were silent as we caught our breath, not having to say a word. Something between us had shifted, and I knew it was for the better. My eyes darted back down to his lips, happy to see they looked a darker pink than before. I just hoped that I had kissed just as good as he did, but by the look on his face, I don’t think I had to worry.
His lips looked so much more inviting that I could not resist grabbing his face with both hands, going up on my toes to kiss him again. Once was not enough for me. Gage seemed slightly taken aback by my forwardness, but recovered instantly and started kissing me back. His arms wrapped themselves around me, one going on to the back of my neck and the other resting on my hip.
I never felt more complete in my life than in that moment.
***
Neither of us said anything about the kisses afterwards. I think we both felt like we didn’t have to. Our actions spoke louder than words at the moment, and nothing would compare to them.
After our kiss, we put the first aid kit away and headed to find Dylan. Our little moment was over and now it was back to reality. I was still worried about Dylan, so that was the first thing we were going to investigate when we left the room. I would feel better once I saw and looked him over. I felt slightly guilty about going off to clean up Gage and not doing the same for Dylan. When I voiced this to Gage, he just said that Dylan was fine and wouldn’t mind. It did very little to get rid of my guilt.
When we did find Dylan, I instantly rushed toward him and checked him over, like I was his mother. I thankfully only found one bruise on his cheek and that was it. He fared better than Gage, surprisingly. Dylan didn’t stop me as I hugged him tightly, glad he was okay.
While Gage and I were in the room together, Dylan had gotten a few guys to move the guy’s unconscious bodies inside so when they woke up they wouldn’t be laying outside. That would attract too much attention anyway. He was busy cleaning this whole thing up while Gage and I made out, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel bad. Especially not when all I could think about what that kiss.
Because we were all so tired and beat up, we decided, instead of going out to eat, we would pick up a pizza on the way and eat it back at their place. That way we could relax and not worry about people staring at us. I was so hungry and tired that I had no complaints at all.
As we headed back to the car to go get a pizza, Dylan handed me my other clothes and my cell phone, which I completely forgot I dropped earlier. Checking my screen, I noticed I had a text from Macey saying she was going out and not to wait up for her. And another one which surprised me. It was from Amy and she asked if we could meet up tomorrow afternoon sometime. Almost immediately I wanted to say no and come up with an excuse why I couldn’t, but I wasn’t like that. I wanted to know why she wanted to meet up, and as always, curiosity got the best of me.
I quickly sent both of them a text back before sliding into the passenger’s seat of Gage’s car. Apparently, Dylan got a ride here earlier from someone, so he got in the backseat. He didn’t once complain about getting in the back, and I knew it was because all of us were so deep in our thoughts we didn’t care. Each of us were silent as we drove, either battling our inner demons or just thinking.
Dylan knew of a good quick pizza place around the corner, so it didn’t take long to drive there, pick out what kind of pizzas we wanted, and to start heading back to campus. I think all of us were just ready to sit down and relax. The smell of the pizza was all I could personally think about; it was ravishing. Food was definitely more important than anything else in my mind.
When we got back to campus, all of us walked in a line toward Dylan and Gage’s dorm to eat. I almost jumped Gage, who was holding the pizza, to eat it on the way there. My stomach was growling loudly, and I knew I would be able to finish a whole pizza myself. Good thing we bought three.
The moment we stumbled into their dorm room, we all but ran to the couch to eat. The three pizzas were different kinds, each one of our favorites. We didn’t even waste time to grab some plates or drinks; we just each grabbed a piece and ate. Nothing tasted better than that damn pizza. It tasted like it was made in Italy, that was how hungry I was.
As I got pepperoni and pineapple pizza in my stomach, I started feeling better and slowed down. Both boys were eating their pizzas just as fast as me, which I was thankful for because I did not want to look like a pig. After my third slice, I talked first.
“What kind of pizza did you get again?” I asked Gage, who was happily munching on a slice.
“Barbecue,” he answered around a mouthful
of food.
“Hot, Gage, hot.” I shook my head at him. “Can I try a slice?” I asked and when I did, I got sent a look like I had asked him if the sky was blue.
“Ah, no.”
“Why not? Dylan would let me have some of his,” I reasoned, pointing to Dylan, who was unaware of anything but his own pizza.
“Then eat his.” Gage shrugged at me.
“I don’t like ham on my pizza.” I stared at him while he ate, hoping my eyes would do all the talking. “You can have a slice of mine,” I offered.
“No.”
“Have you even tried it before?”
“No and I don’t want to.”
“Then how do you know if you like it or not? You could end up loving it,” I reasoned. Not even waiting for his answer, I leaned over and grabbed a piece of his pizza. Before he could stop me, I leaned back in my seat. He stared at me with his mouth open. I grinned as I took a bite of the barbecue pizza. Gage shook his head at me, reaching for a slice of mine. I could tell he was holding back saying something as he bit angrily into the pizza.
Carter: 2 Gage: 0
I happily ate my slice of Gage’s pizza, looking at him occasionally. After he had taken a few bites of mine, he seemed to enjoy it and I bet he would never admit to that. Next to me Dylan stayed completely silent, eating his whole pizza.
In no time all three of us were leaning back on the couch, completely full and satisfied. I had eaten every slice but one of mine while both boys finished theirs. I couldn’t bring myself to eat the last slice or else I’d puke, so I left it there. I bet in a few minutes either of them would reach for it.
I felt like I just ate an elephant as I lay there holding my stomach. I might have eaten too much, but I did not have a care in the world. Sometime during our eating, Dylan turned on the TV so we were currently watching reruns of SpongeBob SquarePants. It was getting late and I knew I should get home. Since I was finally not hungry, all my aches and pains were slowly intensifying, which meant I should head back and get some medicine.
For some reason, though, I didn’t want to leave. We were only sitting around not saying a word, but I was having a good time. Of course the day didn’t turn out as planned, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a good day. Sure, I got kind of hurt in the fight, and I was still confused as to why that happened, but I didn’t want to go back to my dorm. It would make it seem like this whole day had been a dream. I did not want the kiss between Gage and I to be just a dream.
Neither of us had said anything about the kiss, and it kind of loomed over us like a cloud. We probably should say something about it, but neither of us knew what to say. The only thing I was really worried about was that Gage would regret the kiss. I did not, and it would be heartbreaking if he did. It had to have been the best kiss of my life.
The episode of SpongeBob ended, and I knew I better go. It was nearing eight o’clock and I was exhausted. I knew the moment I got back home I’d fall on the bed and be out in seconds. I felt like I had been run over multiple times.
“I better get going,” I said when the theme song started with a new episode. Holding back a groan from my body creaking and twanging in pain, I got up. It hurt to move my back, and my hand was once again throbbing. I needed to get some pain medicine soon. Of course I could have asked Gage if he had any, but that made me feel weak in a way. Gage and Dylan weren’t complaining about theirs.
“I’ll walk you back,” Gage said, standing up as well. Inwardly I was cheering, but on the outside, I just nodded.
“Car, I’d like to say I had fun today, but I don’t think any of us did,” Dylan joked as he stood. He pulled me into his arms, and I bit back a yelp at my back. I definitely had a huge bruise there.
“You may be right,” I said, laughing softly as I pulled out of his embrace.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Definitely. Have a good day.” Sending him a smile, I turned and grabbed my other clothes as well as my phone. I still hadn’t changed, but why change now, when I was just going to go straight home anyways? Saying another goodbye to Dylan, I followed Gage out the door.
“I’m sorry today didn’t go as planned,” Gage said suddenly as we exited the building.
“Besides the whole fight thing, and maybe the training, I had fun.”
“Oh, so eating pizza was the best part?” Gage asked, looking over at me with a raised eyebrow.
“What can I say? I love pizza.” I grinned at him widely.
“Girls like you are hard to find.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“Girls who eat what they want instead of thinking about all the calories. And girls who don’t care about eating in front of a guy. You don’t seem to care that you eat a lot in front of me or Dylan,” he replied.
I wasn’t quite sure if that was a compliment or not. I hoped so; if not, I’d be incredibly embarrassed. I had been told before I should act more “ladylike” around guys, instead of stuffing my face. I didn’t care if I looked like Amanda Bynes in She’s the Man while eating. If the guy I was hanging out with couldn’t handle that, how was he supposed to handle anything else?
To be honest, though, when it was a guy I did really like, I wouldn’t be a barbarian and just stuff my face, but I wasn’t going to just order a salad and call it good, nor was I going to eat something off his plate. You might as well order the hamburger for yourself instead of being hungry the rest of the date.
I almost felt like that was how you knew if it was true love: if the person was comfortable acting like slob around you. One second you could wear sweats and sit around eating junk food, the next going to get dressed up for a night out. Get a girl who could do both.
“I hope in a good way,” I said.
“Definitely in a good way.” He grinned over at me.
While we walked, Gage inched closer to me and I found myself doing the same. I was like a moth drawn to a flame. Our hands brushed every so often against one another, but neither of us made a move to step away. After our hands brushed for the third time, Gage took the plunge and grabbed my left hand in his right, mindful of my aching hand.
His fingers threaded through mine, and I instantly held onto his. His hand was bigger than mine by quite a bit, but it felt natural holding hands with Gage. His palms were a little rough from fighting, but they were so gentle. It was like he was scared he would snap my hand if he held on too tight.
When I squeezed his hand, Gage took that as permission to hold my hand tighter and firmer. It was just like when we were kissing earlier—we fit. We didn’t need to say a word as we walked hand in hand in the direction of my dorm building.
Yes, today was crazy and painful, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Today Gage and I had our first kiss. It wasn’t done in a romantic setting or anything like that, but in many ways, it was perfect. If the fight hadn’t happened, I was not sure we would have kissed, honestly. It was the perfect push both of us needed.
As we walked, I didn’t feel the slight cold breeze because I was wrapped in Gage’s warmth. He was still in a tank top, but he didn’t seem affected by the cold at all. The warmth from his hand and his arm brushing mine made me forget about the cold and just focus on him.
Coming upon my building, I glared at it feeling like the walk was over too soon. Just a few more minutes, I silently pleaded. I didn’t want to let go of Gage’s hand just yet. As we climbed the stairs, I thought about what I should say to him. I didn’t want to just say goodnight and let him leave, but I wasn’t sure if I should kiss him either.
“Here we go.” He interrupted my thoughts. And sadly, we were in front of my door. I stared at it, silently cursing it out even though it had done nothing wrong.
“Thank you for walking me home.” I turned to face him, a soft smile playing on my lips.
“Always.” He looked so damn sexy standing in front of me, his eyes glued to my face. He was thinking about God knows what.
Just kiss him, you idiot. You both want to, my inner voice urged. And for once I didn’t argue with it.
As I was going up on my toes and tilting my head up, Gage brought his head down, our lips colliding. In my mind fireworks were going off once more, and I leaned more into the kiss. I felt like I could kiss him forever.
This kiss was simpler than our last one, and sooner than I would have liked, he pulled away. It was a soft goodnight kiss. Gage kept his hand resting on my cheek as he looked at me. He was staring into my eyes as if he were looking for something. Gage seemed just as dazed as I was from the kiss.
“Have a good night.” He breathed out softly. If I wasn’t worried that Macey would open the door any second, I would have kissed him again, more roughly.
“Text me when you get back home.” As much as I wanted to stay and make out with him, both of us needed to go home and go to bed. He had to be just as tired as I was, if not more so.
“I will.” Gage leaned down one last time to give me a slight, but very sweet, peck on the lips. “Goodnight, Princess.” I could tell he had to physically make himself move away from me, and it made me slightly giddy. At least I wasn’t the only one affected.
“Goodnight, Gage.” Sending me one last breath-taking smile, he headed back toward the stairway to go home. He glanced at me over his shoulder and waved. I put my hand up as he turned and disappeared from my sight.
I leaned against the door for support as I reached up and brushed my fingertips across my lips; they still tingled from his. I felt like I was in a daze as my mind played back our last three kisses. His kisses were amazing, and I just knew I would dream about them all night. Like a little girl, I let out a soft squeal thinking about the two of us.
Yes, this day had turned out pretty great.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, I woke up late and severely sore. Thankfully, I had no classes today because I would have been late. I didn’t even hear Macey leave this morning, so I must have been really out of it. My body was exhausted after everything that happened yesterday, and I didn’t feel all that bad for sleeping in.
Silent Love [Part 2]_Forbidden Series Page 17