Unmaking Hunter Kennedy

by Anne Eliot

  She stalked across the huge open part of the room and flicked the lights to low.

  “Why would anyone care? It’s so cute when you blush,” Dustin said, following her around the back side of the couch.

  “It is not. I look stupid, and it gives me furnace-face. And you set it off again. This whole thing is too embarrassing.” Vere pushed herself up onto the high back of the couch and let her legs dangle as she kicked her feet into it.

  She still had not been able to meet his gaze. “Maybe you’re right," she muttered, kicking the couch harder. "I shouldn’t have asked you to do this. I’m sorry. God. Is your stomach still all messed up? I haven’t seen you all week and now I’m acting insane and—”

  “Don’t talk yourself out of it now,” he interrupted. “I’ll walk you through it, so it won’t be scary.” Dustin came and stood in front of her. She stilled her legs so she wouldn't kick him.

  He didn’t seem so tall now that she was sitting up higher.

  His kind, low voice had calmed her. When she darted a glance at his face, he seemed so sincere.

  “Okay,” she managed."Well...how do we proceed?"

  “First, let’s go back to imagining our perfect date. We’ve had a blast at the party. We danced a little, but mostly hung out on the crowded back patio, sitting off to one side, holding hands and talking. Hours of just you and me, talking about anything and everything until we forgot we were even at a party.”

  “Oh. Sure. I love that. I really do.” She smiled, liking the way his eyes crinkled on the sides when he smiled back.

  Dustin picked up her hand and turned it over. He let his fingers slide between hers and held it exactly how he'd held it when they'd been swimming in the lake. The side of his mouth going up in a little grin. “What do you know? We talked so long that your curfew snuck up on us. What time would that be?” His voice had somehow floated over her and into her.

  “Eleven.” Vere swallowed. She could picture the moment. She closed her eyes for a second and built the scene. He made it all sound so great...being lost in a crowd...holding hands like this. And his hand was so gentle.

  “Okay.” He met her gaze. “Let’s do this. It’s 10:52 PM. I’ve driven you home and I’ve been hoping all night for the chance to kiss you on your front porch. Good?”

  She nodded. “And I’m nervous.”

  God. Really nervous.

  She went on, “Because the date went so well, and I’m expecting this kiss, maybe? Like I’m hoping for one. And I want you to ask me out again.”

  “Yeah. I’m nervous, too, a little.” His voice had dropped. “It’s our first kiss, after all.” He reached over and smoothed a wisp of escaped hair behind her ear.

  Her knees bumped into him and she had to grab onto the couch to keep from toppling backwards. “I—uh—won’t have the bun at the party.” Vere wrinkled her nose, but when she glanced up he was staring at her hair and her heart did a huge freakish flip. “Should I take it out?”

  “I love the bun. Leave it. That detail shouldn’t matter anyway because at the end of the date, just before I kiss you, I should be looking at your lips.”

  Oh God. He’s staring at my lips.

  “Right. I’ll watch for that. The lip looking sign. I think I’ve done that myself once or twice even. But it never led to a kiss. I’ll try to practice longing-lip-looks in the mirror a ton before I go.”

  He laughed low and ran a finger along the top of her mouth. His touch sent shivers of sparkles down the back of her neck. “You have heart shaped lips in a heart shaped face. Has anyone ever told you? This one—this top lip alone—could drive a guy out of his mind?”

  “No. Don’t be silly.” Vere felt the blush tingle down to her toes. “You’re breaking my concentration. Should I stare at your lips the whole time, or should I close my eyes, or what?” She was now officially freaking out. Vere gripped the top of the couch even tighter.

  “What are you doing with your hands? Why are they there?” he asked, stepping back slightly.

  “I’m worried I might deck you. I’m—sort of off balance and screaming inside, if you must know.”

  He smiled, his bright blue gaze warm and, thankfully, not judging her at all.

  “Try this. Put your hands on my shoulders, or around my neck. Then you won’t be able to hurt me. Just in case you start to flail around.”

  How in the world can he appear so relaxed?

  Vere pulled in a deep breath. “Good idea. My hands on his shoulders or neck. Got it.”

  She let go of the couch to reach for him but lost her balance.

  He stepped in closer and gently placed his arms around her waist. He stood between her knees, and felt suddenly way too close to her.

  “Thanks for not laughing at me again. It helps.” The tingle in Vere’s cheeks hit double high. She ignored it and grabbed at his shoulders, trying to keep her balance without looking too much like a dork. Dustin’s shoulders were too wide for her to find a stable grip so she held onto his upper arms instead. “How’s this?” She glanced up.

  “Much better. For now.”

  She took another deep breath and nodded. “This feels right to me. Is it feeling okay for you?”

  “Yeah. We’ve got this part.” His voice had turned husky and his smile somehow reached into her soul.

  “Stop that smile. You are so always showing off without your retainer.”

  “And you’re so always jealous of my assets. Now, where were we?”

  Vere felt so weird just grabbing onto him like this. “I’m hands on arms, staring at lips.” She gulped. “You were staring at my lips back. And I was wondering if I should close my eyes.”

  Vere couldn’t help but stare at his lips all over again, and her heart did another flip. They were so full, and gorgeous—AND LIPS—and they were going to kiss her—and she was actually looking forward to it.

  Pre-kiss embrace: A++ AND ONE HUGE OMG.

  “So...should I? Close my eyes, or not?”

  Dustin took in a long breath and glanced at the ceiling. “Right. Should you close your eyes? You’ll have to decide that as I go along. Some of kissing has to be spontaneous. Are you ready?”

  He tightened his arms around her and she was overcome with a strange, terrible shy attack. “Ready,” her voice wavered.

  When he brought his face close to hers she dropped her chin and stared at her shirt.

  The kiss didn’t happen.

  Worse, she could no longer look up.

  Well, at least she hadn’t knocked him out. And at least she hadn’t completely flipped. For the most part this was a total win because she wasn’t turning purple or blabbing like a fool. Nothing like that.

  He unhooked one of his hands from around her waist and trailed his finger down her cheek until it stopped at her chin. He tilted her face back up until his gorgeous, light-blue gaze met hers. His face was inches from hers now.

  The guy was just too perfectly made.

  Why do I feel like I can’t breathe? I’m sure that’s normal. I’m sure that’s normal. Just hold still. Don’t hit him. This is all normal...

  She remembered that Curtis had done this move on her once, but it hadn’t at all felt this gentle. Her heart hadn’t felt aching inside either.

  But why does my heart hurt so badly all of a sudden? Worse, do my stupid eyes feel like they are going to well up with tears right now?

  “Vere.” Her name sounded perfect, rolling off his whisper. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  She shook her head. “Please—don’t make me blush. Not now. I’m trying to be really serious.”

  “You—we—don’t have to do this, you know,” he said, his voice concerned, while his gaze seemed to sweep her eyes as though he’d caught on she might be starting to cry. “Hell. We probably shouldn’t...”

  He knew her way too well. And he was too, darn, nice.

  If she couldn’t kiss this beautiful, very nice and safe guy, she would never be able to kiss anyone. She doubled h
er resolve. “No. I want to. It’s just—will you kiss me first, like, all the way? I don’t know what to do, okay?”

  “Sure.” He gave his head a slight shake but his smile warmed her down to her toes. “But...I want you to know that I’m not sure what to do anymore either. Not with you.”

  She could hear his usual self-deprecating tone on the edge of his voice, but was too nervous to wonder what he’d meant.

  It felt right to close her eyes then, so she did. She wanted to hide from the intensity of his gaze. She managed to hold her seat on the back of the couch, and she forced herself to not drop her chin or turn away.

  She hoped to heaven she didn’t look too stupid as she half puckered and waited.

  His hands, ever gentle, had moved up silently under her chin, then touched her along both cheeks.

  She instinctively leaned forward, and when his mouth kissed only her upper lip first, it surprised her.

  But it felt warm, safe, soft and so sweet. Wonderful.

  He pressed his lips harder, lower. Taking both of her lips against his with more tentative pressure.

  She pressed back, and he deepened the kiss.

  Sparkles shot straight out the back of her neck, down to her toes, and right out the top of her head!

  OMG. I’m kissing a guy. And he tastes like a fresh, Granny Smith apple! And it’s...mmm...feels so...wow...

  His hands left her cheeks as his arms came fully around her in a real embrace, and her arms went easily around his back. His body pressed into hers and the smell of his awesome fresh-soap smell surrounded her—while their lips moved gently and sweetly together.

  It sent her over the top of any preconceived expectations.

  This rocks.

  Kissing: No grade high enough. Simply, fantastic!

  Her heart danced. By now it had performed thousands and thousands of floating, butterfly flips. Apples became her new favorite food. Her arms were covered in goose bumps and the butterflies moved to a full riot all through her stomach and lungs.

  She opened her eyes and risked a glance at his beautifully sculpted face, and then stared at his half smiling lips, wondering how something as simple as lips could make her feel this amazing.

  She smiled up at him and met his gaze.

  He pulled back slightly and gave her a strange, worried look. “What? Not good?”

  She didn’t even care if he thought she was a total freak. Her smile turned into a wide grin. She could not have stopped smiling for anything at that moment.

  “What? No. It was perfect. Can we do another? Just one more—to get the lip placement thing figured out?”

  Not waiting for him to answer, she leaned in all on her own and placed her lips right back onto his. She opened her mouth a little and pushed out her tongue and flicked it against his smile. Apple-flavored smiles!

  He gasped and she could feel him grow tense.

  God. Maybe that wasn’t done.

  Maybe she should have asked first.

  She pulled her tongue away and tried the regular kissing thing again. She’d so seen this a thousand times on the big screen, and now she was doing it. And that apple flavor was beyond anything she’d ever imagined!

  Bonus tingles.

  No wonder all that flavored lip gloss junk flew off the shelves.

  He groaned and finally kissed her back. The movement of his lips was a bit stronger this time.

  She opened her mouth slightly under his gentle pressure to do so. His tongue darted between her lips, swirled around her mouth and then back out.

  WOAOOH....

  That was so weird, but nice!

  French kissing on kiss number two!

  Not bad. Why had Jenna called it disgusting last year?

  So...freakishly awesome.

  Feeling courageous, she decided to copy his French kissing move to give it a try on him. She tilted her mouth to the side and let her tongue dash into his mouth. His lips moved so softly against hers and his arms pulled her closer. She had this sensation they were both actually breathing the exact same air at the same time.

  It’s possible I’m a total kissing natural!

  It didn’t take long before Vere’s head spun in wild circles all over again. She relaxed, letting herself be swept away.

  She turned into water, fire, heat. A person she’d never met before. She held onto him as tightly as she could because her spine had melted. Vere couldn’t focus on anything specific beyond the absolute perfect feeling of being in these exact arms, locked in this perfect, endless, kiss with his warm, gentle hands working their way up her waist, lighting fires wherever they touched.

  They kissed and kissed and kissed and kissed until the room spun farther out of focus.

  Until he stepped quickly away, turning his back. “God. I’m sorry,” he said, as he ran his hand through his hair. He did not turn back. “I totally lost control.”

  His breathing was as rough as hers.

  Vere was glad he wasn’t looking at her, because the sudden loss of contact and the absolute explosions going off in her mind made her topple backwards onto the length of the couch.

  Classic.

  I do not even care.

  I’ll never care about anything again...I will just lie here forever not caring.

  She swung her legs around straight and lay there flat on her back and stared, still disoriented, at the slow turning ceiling fan. She heard his voice as though it was coming from far away.

  “Vere. Did I knock you over? Shit. I’m so sorry! Did I scare you or anything?”

  “Sorry for what?” she breathed out dreamily, returning to real consciousness. “Kissing is awesome! And of course you didn’t scare me. How could you?”

  He came around to the front of the couch and dropped onto his knees beside her. His expression seemed tortured. “I’ve had a lot of kisses but...never one that has felt like that.”

  “What do you mean? Was I a total pro compared to all the others?” Vere rolled onto her side and looked at him, still feeling as though she had no bones in her entire body.

  “No. Of course not.” He shook his head, laughing a little. “You were a disaster at first, if you want a real critique. But then, you figured out the tongue thing. So...then, yes. I award you instant pro-status.”

  She scrunched her mouth. “Hey. You could lie a little if you want. I didn’t notice anything wrong at the start. But...well, wow. Sorry if I wasn’t so good at it.”

  “Vere. You were perfect, even when you didn’t know what you were doing. Perfectly cute and—shit—what I mean is, that kiss, you and me, what happened there was something else. Something special. Didn’t you feel it?”

  “I don’t know. How many times do I have to say I liked it? Are you fishing for more compliments?”

  He moved closer and stared into her eyes as though searching for something. His intense gaze had returned, and it was making her nervous. She hardly recognized him suddenly, but his look also made her feel like she should kiss him again.

  But that would be totally inappropriate, wouldn’t it?

  Class is over, Vere, DUH.

  “No. I’m serious. I wasn’t going to say anything to you, but after that kiss, I have to at least try.” Dustin swallowed.

  “Say what? Try what?”

  “I’m in love with you.”

  Her heart clenched. “What? Don’t joke. Not about that.”

  “I’m talking head over heels, down on my knees, from the bottom of my heart, IN love, with you, Vere. That kiss blew me away. I know you felt something too—something more for me. Don’t you?”

  Vere sat up. Her head spun in confusion, and her limbs felt suddenly shaky. “How can you say that? There’s no way you’re in love with me. We just kissed, that’s all. It was great, but it can’t be love. Jeez.”

  “I think it is. I’ve felt this way about you well before we kissed. I wasn’t going to tell you because of Curtis, and because I’m leaving soon. I didn’t want things in our friendship to get all messed up.”<
br />
  “Well, they’re messed up now.” Vere rolled her eyes.

  He had to be joking.

  “You set it all off. You asked me to kiss you!”

  “Yeah, well you’ve just added to it! MAJOR.”

  “Believe me. I’m totally sincere. I know I might have waited too long to bring it up. But...I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t at least try to convince you of my feelings. Not after that kiss. Not after how it’s rearranged my whole heart.”

  “I think you’ve lost your mind.” She shook her head.

  “Give me a chance. Don’t go after Curtis. He’s not right for you. Besides, how can you even think about him now?”

  “Easy. Because I was thinking about him before that kiss. It’s why I called you over to help me, remember?”

  “Yeah, but what are you thinking now? The kiss didn’t change your mind? At least give you some sort of doubt?” His cheeks had started to turn a little pink.

  Her brows shot up. Way UP.

  The guy is pulling his own blush! He’s serious.

  Vere didn’t know what to feel or to think, so she got angry instead. “But you’re Hunter Kennedy! The Hunter Kennedy. As if you totally forgot that part. Hello? You sell out entire football stadiums? People scalp your front-row tickets for thousands of dollars? You wouldn’t have even looked twice at me three weeks ago. And you’ve said it to me more than once. Remember? Because I sure do!”

  He sighed and shook his head. His gaze wavered but did not once leave her face. “Yeah, but you know me as Dustin McHugh. And I haven’t stopped looking at you or wanting to be near you since the moment I first met you. How about that?”

  “That was because Mom and Nan made us hang out. Then, yes, we became friends. That’s all. You made that clear.” She threw her arms wide. “Dustin McHugh—he is—you are—my best friend. Ugh. I do know that you are one of the best friends I’ve ever had.” She raised her voice in total frustration. “That’s why we hang out. That’s why I called you and trusted you with THIS. That’s why we can talk so easily, about everything. You’re nice to me and I’m nice back. We’re friends. Friends play nice. It can’t be love.”