“Sleeping, I hope,” I admit. What else would I be doing?
“You’re just going to go home and sleep on a Saturday night?” he echoes skeptically.
“Yup,” I reiterate.
“Wouldn’t you rather come to a party?” He gives me a puppy dog look that I’m sure works with women of all ages.
“Absolutely not.” I refuse to budge.
“Really. You should come. It’ll be fun,” he prods one more time.
“I’m really okay, but thanks for the offer.” I smile politely, hoping he’ll understand that I’m not saying no because of him.
“Fine, but if you change your mind, call me.” He takes my phone out of my pocket and punches in his number.
There’s still another hour to go before our shift ends, and it’s clear that Chance won’t be dropping the party subject. I almost dance with relief when I hear the bell chime above the door, telling me we have a customer. I grin and stick my tongue out at Chance before turning to say, “Hi, how can I . . .” My voice drifts off as my brain registers who is standing in front of me. Brayden.
I freeze, not sure how to act. Do I pretend I’ve never met him? Or do I show that I know him and that he insulted me? I go with the first.
I clear my throat. “Sorry, welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?”
I watch as his eyes widen in recognition when he hears my voice. “Anna,” he says quietly, his gaze flickering up to meet mine.
I suddenly feel annoyed. “Hello. What can I do for you?” I ask once again.
“How about answer when I call or text you?” he snaps, sounding as annoyed as I am.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I have no idea what I did wrong.” He puts his hands on the counter.
“You called me cute!” I say, sounding as though I’m accusing him of murder. It’s possible that I’m being dramatic, but there’s no way he wasn’t making fun of me.
“Well it’s not like you told me you have a boyfriend or anything!” he retaliated quickly.
I snort, “I don’t have a boyfriend.” Is he blind?
“Well then why the hell can’t I call you cute?” he growls, irritated and possibly confused.
“Because I’m not!” I practically yell, throwing my hands in the air. I take a deep breath and add, in a softer voice, “I don’t really know what you’re playing at here, but I’m not falling for it.” I feel my throat closing in a way that tells me I might cry if I continue talking, so I stop.
“I’m not playing a game.” He drops his voice too.
“Well then why would you ask for my number? Why would you call me cute? And why would you suggest that I have a boyfriend? It’s pretty obvious to me that this is all just a joke to you. That I am just a joke,” I whisper harshly past the lump in my throat.
“I asked for your number because I thought it was awesome the way that you acted around Zander. I called you cute because you watch dorky TV shows and I think that’s adorable. And I suggested that you have a boyfriend because it doesn’t make any sense to me that you’re single,” he whispers back earnestly.
I scoff. “You need to stop complimenting me. I’m not buying it. I own a mirror,” I tell him.
“Look, if you don’t want to believe that I look at you and see somebody I like, you don’t have to. Just know that I’m not lying to you, you’re lying to yourself.” He stands up straight again, still looking me directly in the eyes.
I bite the inside of my cheek in order to stop myself from arguing further. This conversation was getting ridiculous. “What can I get for you, Brayden?” I ask him, something in my voice just a little bit broken.
“A second chance. I promise not to call you pretty, cute, gorgeous, or anything along those lines ever again if you go somewhere with me.” He smiles optimistically.
“No,” I say simply.
“Why?” He doesn’t look upset, just curious.
“Because I don’t know you well enough to spend time alone with you. You could kill me for all I know.” That makes him burst out laughing.
“I’m not about to kill you, Cutie,” he tells me, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
“How can I be sure?” I ask suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Hey, Carlos!” he calls to the back room, ignoring my question.
A few seconds later, Carlos emerges and a huge smile breaks out across his face. “Brayden, what’s up man?” he asks, grabbing his hand in a handshake-fist bump thing.
“Not much, not much. Hey, I need you to tell Anna here that I’m not going to kill her if she spends some time with me.” He sends a grin my direction. Carlos bursts out laughing and I feel a blush taking over my face. Now I feel like an idiot for being so dramatic.
“Well it’s not like I know him!” I exclaim in my defense.
“Annie, Brayden won’t kill you. He’s way too nice to do that,” Carlos says, patting me on the shoulder.
“Well how would I have known that?” I huff, putting my hands on my hips.
He laughs softly.
“Just go. Anything to get him to stop talking about this one chick he met. I swear, every five seconds I’m hearing about ‘the carnival girl.’ She won’t even call him back.”
He rolls his eyes at me and my eyes widen as I turn toward Brayden, who’s glaring at Carlos.
“Dude!” he growls at his friend, not so slyly shooting a glance at me.
Carlos looks between us. “Sorry, man, I didn’t realize you didn’t want Anna to know about her.”
Brayden looks pained as he whispers, “She is the girl.”
“What?” Carlos and I exclaim simultaneously.
“You’re the girl,” Brayden admits slowly, looking uncomfortable.
I snort, “You’re lying, it’s impossible you were talking about me.” It just didn’t seem possible that he would talk that much about her.
“Nah, Brayden doesn’t lie. Ever,” Carlos tells me seriously, shaking his head.
“Why me?” I ask softly. I don’t really know if I’m ready for the answer, but I have to ask anyway.
“Why not?” Brayden asks.
I glare at him. “What, you can’t think of any reasons?”
He sighs and, instead of answering me, turns toward Carlos. “Can you clock her out and hand me her jacket, please?” he asks.
“No, he can’t! It’s only my second day working here and I can’t leave yet!” I yell in protest as Carlos smiles and nods his head. He walks to the back room and comes out with my jacket.
“Call and tell me how it goes,” he says, pushing me toward the lift in the counter so I can leave.
“Knock it off! I’m not going anywhere!” I protest, blushing as I stumble to get my jacket back. Brayden grabs my hand and takes me outside.
“Where are we going?” I ask, freaking out a bit. What is he going to do to me? It’s late enough that there will be no witnesses if he isn’t the good guy Carlos claimed.
“There’s a park around the corner. We’re going to talk.”
“Brayden, stop! This isn’t the way to get me to listen to you! Did you ever consider that kidnapping me from work might make me not want to listen, no matter what you have to say?” I ask, panicking.
He stops and turns toward me, passing me my jacket. I slip it on and suppress a shiver. He sighs and nods, “I’m sorry Anna. You’re right. I just hate how you feel about me. I shouldn’t have done that though. I’m really sorry,” he says, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
I bite my lip and look into his disappointed eyes. Disappointed and maybe a little sad, but not mean like I expected. I take a deep breath.
“I’ll go with you, but you can’t touch me, and I leave when I want to,” I say quietly.
“You’ll go?” he asks, surprised.
I bite my lip again and nod, motioning for him to lead. The rest of the walk is slow and we don’t talk. I see the park, lit by a few poorly placed lights. It’s just a couple of benches s
et up by a play set. We move to one near the sidewalk and sit down, turned slightly so we can face each other.
“Okay, I’m just going to jump straight to the point. When I said ‘why not?’ it wasn’t because I couldn’t think of any good reasons. It was because I can’t pick just a few good reasons. I think you’re pretty and I just want to get to know you. I don’t want to hurt you like you clearly expect me to. I promise that if you give me a chance, even just as friends, you won’t be disappointed. I mean, I might be disappointed to only be friends, but I’ll take the chance to get to know you more.”
He seemed so sincere. “I’m really not worth it,” I tell him softly.
He shakes his head and meets my eyes. “Of course you are. Everybody is, especially you,” he says.
I blush and duck my head a little. I don’t know what to think of Brayden. How is it possible that people I’ve been around my entire life don’t see me as anything but inconvenient, but this stranger sees everything I try to hide?
“Just friends?” I ask cautiously.
His nod looks a little pained, but it’s a nod.
“I’ll try,” I offer slowly. “But I make no promises for how long it’ll last.”
“Thank you,” he murmurs, smiling a little. I don’t know how to describe how much I love his smile. It just brightens everything up.
“No, thank you,” I tell him sincerely.
Chapter Five
Meet the Parents
For the next three days, Brayden made it a habit to have coffee with me after work. He’d show up just before I clocked out and we’d spend the next hour talking. Well, he did most of the talking but I wasn’t as antisocial as I usually am. That’s progress. I don’t know how he got my schedule, but someone leaked it and now he won’t leave me alone.
Brayden: Come on, I no u want 2
Me: Actually, I really don’t. Zander is adorable and all, but I have no intention of meeting your family.
We’re texting back and forth. I’m irritated by Brayden’s apparent lack of grammatical skills and he’s been bugging me about going to his house since it’s my day off. I keep saying no, but he won’t accept that answer. I’m starting to think that he’s the only person in the world more stubborn than me.
Brayden: Annie I thought u r my friend :(
Me: Oh don’t even pull that! Being friends has nothing to do with meeting your family. I don’t know if you realize this, but I’m not very likable.
Brayden: Yeah, ur right.
My jaw drops. As much as I believe what I said, he’s not supposed to agree with me. I’m typing out a very angry text on my phone when it vibrates again.
Brayden: Im kidding, Annie. Calm down.
Me: Jackass.
Brayden: Lol, so thats a yes?
Me: What?
Brayden: Ill pick u up at 4.
Me: Hold on! You don’t even know where I live!
Brayden: Ro has a big mouth. C u soon. :)
I growl at my phone before calling Ro and chewing her out. Is nothing sacred anymore? My address should be private. She basically tells me to leave her alone and get ready so I move to my bed and stare at my closet with my arms crossed. I have no idea what to wear. It’s colder than usual out today so I’ll need my leather jacket. Other than that, I’m lost.
After about fifteen minutes of just staring at my clothes, I finally sigh and just grab random stuff. I pull out my blue jeggings, my brown tank top with a black anchor on the front, my mustard-yellow cardigan, a long necklace with a leaf at the end, some black boots, a gray scarf, and my black leather jacket with fuzzy stuff by the neck. The color combination isn’t for everybody, but I like it.
My hair is down in its waves and I really don’t want to do anything to it. Makeup has never really been my top priority, but I put on a little bit of cover-up, eyeliner on the top lid, and some mascara. I hear a car pull up my long driveway and I run downstairs. We kind of live in the middle of nowhere. We’re surrounded by dirt roads and our driveway is lined by a small forest and rocks. Our house was a schoolhouse at one point a long time ago. It’s made of bricks and has an old-fashioned feel.
Before Brayden can even make it to my door, I pull him by the arm back to his truck. The last thing I need is for my parents to meet him. They’d be cool, but they’re also the kind of people who will ask a thousand questions. They don’t understand the meaning of “invasive.”
“Nice to see you too, Anna,” Brayden laughs, climbing back in the driver’s side.
“Yeah, you too,” I mumble, pulling on my seatbelt. When I see that he didn’t clip his in, I give him a pointed look.
“What?” he asks when he realizes that I’m staring.
“Click it or ticket, mister” I respond, still staring.
He rolls his eyes and grins but he buckles up anyway. I smile proudly.
“Thank you,” I say seriously.
When I was a kid, my parents drilled into our heads that we should never be in a car without our seatbelts. I guess it stayed with me.
“You live really far out here,” Brayden notes, making the casual conversation he’s so good at.
“Yep, we moved here when I was little. I can’t imagine anything different,” I tell him.
“I bet not, it’s awesome. You guys hunt?” I have to laugh; it’s such a guy thing to ask.
He narrows his eyes a bit but I answer before he can say anything. “I personally can’t eat meat that I saw before it was put in those plastic wrapped packages you find at the grocery store. It’s a thing,” I inform him. I’m not a vegetarian, but if I had to hunt my own food, I would be. “But Matt and Dad hunt a bit.”
“Cool, what kind of guns do they have?” He’s like a little kid.
I roll my eyes.
“What?” he asks innocently.
“I am the last person in the world who would be able to answer that. Literally,” I explain. “Matt’s probably told me about his gun a hundred times and all I can tell you is that it’s black with a brown thingy on it.” I’m serious.
He laughs a little before reaching across the middle part of the seat to grab my hand. I freeze and stare at him. “What? Friends hold hands!” he protests as I retrieve my hand.
“Not us,” I tell him.
He looks disappointed, and I feel really guilty, but all I can think of is that he’d end up changing his mind and I’d be humiliated when he pulled away. “Sorry,” I mumble.
“It’s fine,” he says softly. “I knew you probably wouldn’t let me.”
I am a little irritated at him for doing it even though he figured I wouldn’t like it. I’m also mad at myself for being so predictable.
A silence fills the car and before long, I’m asking if he has a radio. He gives me a look like “you must be joking.” I roll my eyes. “Some cars don’t have radios, Brayden,” I inform him in a matter-of-fact voice.
“Well, this one does, Anna,” he responds in kind, teasing me.
I wrinkle my nose at him, making him laugh, and reach forward to tune to my favorite station. Now it’s his turn to wrinkle his nose. “Ugh, you listen to this crap?” he asks, sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth.
I giggle and stick my tongue out back at him.
“Yes, I do. And now you do too.”
He shakes his head but doesn’t change the station.
As we drive out of town, I ask him why Zander goes to school in my mother’s school district. It doesn’t make sense to me that they drive so far to go to such a tiny school.
“Actually, my sister-in-law was reading the newspaper and saw an ad for the festival. I had nothing better to do so I joined them. Now I’m glad I did.” He winks at me. I can feel myself blush as I stare out the window. As soon as my cheeks cool off, I turn toward him and see that he’s smirking. I ignore that and ask, “What grade is Zander in?”
“He’s not in any grade, yet. He’s in kindergarten this year and very proud of that. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it tonight; he’s
been asking about you,” Brayden informs me happily.
My eyes widen. “He remembers me?”
“Of course he does! You only gave him ‘the bestest monkey in the whole wide world,’” he chuckles.
I squeal. It’s too cute. I’m about to say something but we pull into a driveway. The house is beautiful and looks fairly expensive. It’s not a mansion but it’s definitely bigger than mine. “Come on, Mom’s dying to meet you,” Brayden announces excitedly before jumping out. He beckons me with a wave of his hand and I stumble my way to him.
He takes my hand and this time I don’t even think of pulling away. “Brayden?” I ask.
“Yeah?” He smiles.
“I hate you,” I grumble halfheartedly.
A beautiful grin takes over his face as he looks down at me. “I know.”
I grip his hand tighter and tighter as we get closer to the door. The inside of his house smells like potpourri with a hint of rose. It’s incredible. Mixed in with that is the smell of dinner, which is amazing. The warm atmosphere in the house hits me and I suddenly feel my nerves dissolve. Apparently Brayden thinks I’m incapable of simple tasks because I suddenly feel my jacket being taken off my body. I look at him curiously as he freezes and swallows hard.
Following his gaze, I look down and see that my neckline was pulled down with the removal of my jacket, revealing a lot more cleavage than usual. Blushing like a tomato, I’m sure, I yank the top up and rest my hand over it. Brayden chuckles softly and hangs my jacket and scarf up. I kick my boots off before walking on their spotless carpeted floors.
He leads me to the kitchen, where I can already hear voices. “Gamma, Gamma, Gamma! Toy pwane! Toy pwane!” I recognize Zander’s adorable squeak before I see him running around everybody, his right hand up in the air. There’s a small, white plane grasped tight in his little fingers and he’s making buzzing noises. As soon as he sees me in the entryway, he stops and grins even wider. It’s the same grin as Brayden’s. “Hi, Annie!” He exclaims, waving before returning to flight.
I wave nervously as everybody’s attention gets turned to me. “Okay, let’s get the introductions out of the way,” Brayden says, standing forward. “Guys, this is Anna. Anna, meet my mom, Adrienne; my dad, Paul; my sister-in-law, Evie; then you know Landon and Zander. There’s also their daughter, Nora.” He points to a small child on her mother’s hip. She’s the only blonde in the room and absolutely adorable.
Just One Kiss Page 3