by Bella Emy
I lean against him and look out over the town as the ride begins to take off. “I love riding Ferris wheels,” I say excitedly.
He smiles once I gaze back at him. “I was never really a fan… but now I am.”
I bite down on my bottom lip slightly and then reach up to let my lips crash into his.
Mmm. I love kissing his full lips. If we were ever to get stuck up here, this is exactly the way I’d want to go. I can die happy with him by my side.
As I pull away, I tuck a loose strand of my dark brown hair behind my ear and say, “Are you always this sweet, Kalen Starling?” I bat my eyelashes seductively and playfully with a smirk.
I have a feeling he loves my flirtatious tone and gestures if the look on his face is any indication of it.
“Only with you,” he answers.
I chuckle and punch him playfully in the chest. “Liar.”
He laughs and grabs my hand. “For real, babe. No one has ever made me feel the way you do every single day since we’ve been together. It’s been the best.”
I crinkle my nose with a smile and then place a soft kiss on his. “You are the best.”
He grabs me tighter and pulls me against him. I love this. Feeling him next to me. Laughing and joking around like we’re the only two that matter, and right now, it’s as if there’s just him and I in the world.
But it all comes to an end way too soon. As the ride spins and we finally reach the starting point once more, we pull our lips apart at the sound of Erin screaming toward us, demanding our attention. Her arms are waving from left to right as Jason stands beside her; a worrisome look is on his face.
“What?” I shout back, squinting my eyes at Erin. Then turning to face Kalen, I ask, “Did you hear what she said?”
“Something about Kennedy, I think.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, no.”
I turn back to face Erin, and the ride comes to a halt. As the attendant lets us out, we rush and are met with a frantic Erin and Jason by her side.
“It’s Kennedy!” Erin begins saying. “She’s in trouble… we’ve got to run.”
We arrive at the house where Kennedy is about fifteen minutes later. Apparently, it’s a friend of Tisha’s... a college friend. Turns out, it’s a frat party.
“How do you know she’s here?” Jason asks as the four of us enter the house and begin our search.
There’s loud music, alcohol, and people making out in the corners of the rooms. This is the typical scene for a college party, but Kennedy should not be here. None of us should be.
Erin pulls Jason by the hand, and Kalen and I follow closely behind them. “Because I heard her talking earlier on the phone. She was trying to be discreet about it, but I heard her anyway.” Erin leads us through the crowded place. “Where the hell is she?”
We stop once we reach the back of the house. Erin notices a blonde-haired girl leaning against the counter of the kitchen and walks up to her.
“Excuse me, do you know where I can find Tisha or Kennedy? Two high school girls?”
The girl looks at Erin like she’s got two heads. Unfortunately, she looks wasted, and I don’t think she was able to process Erin’s words.
“What?” she asks, eyes half-closed.
Figures.
“Ugh! Never mind!” Erin roars, throwing her arms up in exasperation and turning back around to face us. “I’m never going to find her in this mess.”
“We’ll find her. We just have to keep looking,” I say, hoping to reassure my friend.
Erin shoots me a horrified look and that’s when Kalen intervenes.
“I’ll be right back,” he says to Erin and Jason, and then to me, he says, “Wait here, babe,” placing a kiss on my forehead and then turns to leave the kitchen.
“Yeah, right, we’re not waiting,” Erin says.
She pulls Jason with her and I follow behind them as we make our way through the house. We catch a glimpse of Kalen racing up the stairs.
We follow as fast as we can, and sure enough, there’s a long narrow hallway with three doors on either side. All of them are closed. A bunch of people are littering the hallway, drinking or making out. Kalen pushes his way past them, saying excuse me, but no one bothers to notice.
He gets ready to knock on the first door to the right, when suddenly, we hear a girl scream, coming from the middle door.
“Stop, please!”
There it is again. It gets the attention of a few of the people in the hallway, but no one moves an inch except for the four of us.
We finally reach Kalen and stand closely behind him.
“That’s Kennedy!” Erin shouts, but Kalen doesn’t hear her.
As he lifts his hand to knock on the door, there’s another scream, this time from a different voice, making him act on impulse.
“Hey! Open this door!” he shouts, turning and twisting the doorknob. Now more people look on, but still no one does anything.
“Go away, dude! This room’s taken. Try another,” a male’s deep voice booms from the other side.
“Help us! Please!” the first girl shouts again.
“Kennedy!” Erin pushes forward.
“Stand back,” Kalen says.
I gently reach forward, grabbing Erin and holding on to her.
“Shut up, bitch!” the male’s voice says.
More people are now on alert and some of them crowd around us.
“What’s going on?” one of them asks.
“Stop! Don’t touch me!” A voice from inside the room bellows.
“Oh, my God! That’s Kennedy!” Erin screams again. “Let my sister go!”
Kalen pounds on the door, hoping the guy will open up, but we all know he’s not going to.
“Fuck!” he shouts in frustration.
“Yo, let me try to open it,” Jason says, walking up, but as he grips the knob and tries turning it, it’s no use.
We need to act quickly; there’s no time to waste. Whatever is about to go down behind those closed doors, it’s going to be soon. We need to get Kennedy and her friend out of there as soon as possible.
“Stand back, guys,” Kalen says, preparing himself for the impact.
The three of us move back, and as he takes a deep breath, he charges at full force at the door. In an instant, it barges open, and the four of us rush inside.
In the middle of the room, Kennedy and Tisha, stripped down to their bras and panties, are sitting on a bed. Their clothes are scattered all over the floor. From the horrified looks on their faces, this was definitely a forced attempt. Thankfully, it looks as though we arrived on time.
A guy probably around twenty-one or so stands at the corner of the bed, staring back at us wide-eyed. Another guy around the same age as him is standing against the wall with his arms up in the air.
“What the hell are you doing in here? Didn’t you hear me? I said this room was taken, man,” the first guy says and walks up to Kalen.
My heart is beating in my chest. I’m so afraid this guy is going to try something on Kalen.
But Kalen doesn’t back down, standing his ground and looking him straight in the eyes. “Look, man. They don’t want to be here. They’re leaving, so just let them be.”
The guy laughs, tilting his head back. “Why the hell should I listen to you?”
I can sense Kalen’s temper beginning to rise. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to have to make you let them leave.”
He scoffs at Kalen. “Oh, yeah? Try me, hotshot.” He shoves Kalen with both of his hands, but Kalen doesn’t lose his footing.
Before I know it, Kalen’s fist connects with the guy’s face, and he goes reeling to the ground. We all look over at the other guy and he’s still holding his arms up in the air, but this time, he speaks. “Hey, man, I’ll be right out of your way!” He quickly exits the room past us.
“Erin!” Kennedy shouts.
Erin runs over and embraces her sister. “Oh my God, Kennedy! Are you all right?”
She no
ds. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know things were going to turn out like this. Tisha and I just really liked them, and we were so excited when Josh and Devin noticed us… I texted you as soon as I felt like things were changing and before I knew it, they began kissing us and touching us over our shirts and… ugh, we didn’t know they were going to… well…”
“Shhh…” Erin wraps Kennedy up in a blanket. “It’s all right. You’re fine now. But these guys are bad news. You’re lucky we arrived in time.”
I walk over to them and help Tisha up. “Thank you,” Tisha says as I hand her her clothes.
“Let’s wait outside while they help the girls get dressed,” Kalen says to Jason, and they both exit the room.
They close the door to give us some privacy and wait for us to come out.
“Wow, Kalen was really stellar, wasn’t he?” Erin says to me as she helps Kennedy into her clothes.
I smile. “Yeah, he was amazing.”
Her eyes widen as she smiles back. “He was a superhero. He stopped something really bad from taking place, and he deserves a reward.”
I chuckle at her comment. “Maybe I’ll be the one to give him that reward.”
She laughs. “Yeah, you better. Because if you don’t, I’m sure there’s a line of girls out there ready to do so.”
I scoff. “They’d better not count on it… he’s mine. All mine.”
We open the door and exit the room with Kennedy and Tisha by our sides.
I’m last to walk out, and once I do, my eyes lock with Kalen’s. His smile makes me forget everything that just happened.
“Love, can you walk us home?” Erin asks Jason.
He nods and steps away from the wall. “Of course, babe. Let’s go.”
Tisha and Kennedy follow Erin after she says, “Hey, we’ll see you guys tomorrow. Lex, I’ll text you later.”
I wave as the four of them leave, and Kalen comes up to me. I tilt my head up as my eyes flit to look into his and a small smile pulls on the corners of my lips. Then I wrap my arms around him. “That was a very brave thing you did, Mr. Starling.” I lift up onto my tippy toes to plant one on his lips.
As we pull away, he smiles and shrugs. “I did what anyone would have done.” He pulls me closer, motioning for another kiss.
Instead of giving in, I shake my head. I need to let him know what he did was admirable. He needs to hear it. “No. You did what no one else did. There were plenty of people around aware of the situation, but not a single one of them did a damn thing about it. You’re a hero, Kalen.”
He chuckles. “Thanks, babe.”
“You’re making me fall faster and faster for you with each day that passes by, Mr. Starling,” I confess, reaching up onto my tippy toes and finally kiss him again.
As we pull away, I see the biggest smile forming on his lips.
“Wow, you completely caught me off guard, but in the best possible way. I’ve been feeling the same way for a while now. I think I’m possibly already in love with you, Lexi.”
I want to tear up at his own confession. I want to tell him that I’m so happy to hear those words leaving his lips. Instead, I look at him with an adoring gaze. “I will always be yours, Kalen Starling.”
He smiles. “I adore you, Alexa Alderidge.”
I smile back at him as he places a soft kiss on the top of my forehead. This guy. This absolutely amazing man makes me feel like I’m on top of the world, and I don’t ever want to come back down.
As we pull away from the wall, he grabs my hand, and we make our way down the stairs and finally out of the house.
Chapter Fourteen
“I thought we were going to your house?” I follow Kalen as he tugs on my hand, and we walk down a deserted street.
I’m not surprised there’s no one around. With it being after eight in the evening on a Thursday night and the weather already starting to cool off for the season, most people are at home relaxing after dinner.
But me? I’m out with Kalen after telling my parents I was meeting Erin at her house for some dessert and a movie. Typically on a school night, that would be a no-no, but since tomorrow is Friday and Mom knows I’ve been doing well in school, as usual, she and Dad are not giving me a hard time. Plus, my parents were very familiar with Mr. and Mrs. Cole, and they were fond of Erin.
Not to mention that the two of them have been in their own world lately, fighting on and off.
So, leaving the house after we finished the macaroni and cheese casserole had been a breeze.
Kalen turns to face me as we come to a corner and smiles. Man, he’s so cute. “We were, but there’s something I want to show you.”
I raise an eyebrow tilting my head to the side as he pulls me into him and embraces me on the corner. “Another surprise?”
He chuckles. “Maybe.” The light changes from red to green and he gently pulls me forward. “Come on, we’re almost there, babe.”
We walk hand in hand on Main Street until we get to a small shop. Miller’s Boats and Water Adventures.
As he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, he then places it into the lock. I stand behind him and wrap my arms around his waist as he then turns the knob, unlocking the door.
“Why do I have the feeling we’re not supposed to be sneaking in?” I ask.
He pulls me around to meet him with a kiss, allowing me to step in first. “We’re not sneaking in if I’ve got the keys, silly. One of my dad’s friends owns this place. Come, I want to show you something in the back though. Let me just hit the code.”
He walks over to the alarm pad and disarms it with the touch of four numerical buttons. Flipping on the light switch, he stands back and says, “Check it out,” pointing up. “And it’s not even real.”
A large makeshift plastic boat hangs over our heads; it’s massive and it looks so real. It’s got a white base with light blue stripes running in squiggly lines down each side.
“Wow!” I announce, taking in its size. The white sails emerging from the middle section make it exactly like one you’d see sailing offshore.
He stands behind me, and as I dart my eyes to where he is, I see him with his arms across his chest, admiring the same boat. “Isn’t she something?”
I nod, averting my attention back to the sailboat up above. “Yeah, I can’t believe how real it looks.”
“That’s not what I wanted to show you though… come on,” he says and grabs my hand once more.
Kalen leads me to the back of the shop where we’re met with another door. Once more, he inserts the key with his free hand into the lock, and it swings open. As it does, it gives way to a much larger room, like a garage. Tens and tens of boats and ships line the area.
He walks in front of me, letting go of my hand. “Check this out… isn’t she a beaut? One day, I’ll have my very own boat and sail out onto the sea.”
I love how he’s so passionate about this stuff. His eyes glow with a twinkle in them whenever he talks about life out on the sea. I can see the wheels turning in his head. He has a vision, a dream, and I know he’ll get there one day.
Finally he turns around to meet my gaze, and I smile softly at him.
“That’s wonderful, Kalen.”
Smiling back, he walks up to me and takes both my hands in his. “Would you come with me someday, Lexi? Would you sail out onto the waters with me? Just the two of us together?”
My smile never fades, but I get choked up inside at his request and I can’t form the words. He doesn’t wait for me to say anything though. Instead, he pulls me forward and we walk through the garage of the store.
“Come, babe,” he says.
We walk until we reach a rowboat on its side in the back of the room. With its bottom right-side-up, Kalen lets me go, willing me to walk around it. “After you, Miss.”
I furrow my brows. “What? Back there?” There doesn’t appear to be much room between the boat and the wall.
He chuckles nodding. “It’s not as snug behind there as it appears
. Trust me.”
I take his word for it and make my way around the boat. To my surprise, there is a small workbench against the wall, hidden from sight on the opposite side. I take a seat on the bench, and he joins me.
I watch him fumble with his fingers as he looks around. “I know it’s not much. Honestly, it’s nothing. But at times, when it’s raining or the creek is not so quiet and there are people there, I come here, right in this corner of the world and imagine I’m out on the seven seas, sailing away from the rest of the world. And I think. I could literally stay here for hours and be content.”
Kalen must really love boats and the ocean for him to come here and stay as long as he does. It’s definitely cool to be able to come here when there’s no one around and just be alone. Sometimes, getting to spend that time with yourself is so soothing. At least I’ve always thought so, and I guess Kalen does, too. I don’t always get time to myself. When I’m at home, anyone can come into my room at any given moment. Of course, my parents knock, but it’s not the same as being completely remote, away from it all. And away from their bickering, which lately is constant.
As Kalen leans against the wall, I turn my back crashing into his chest, and his arms wrap tightly around me.
“Oh, Lexi. I could stay like this, here in this moment with you forever.”
His confession brings a smile to my face because honestly, I feel the same exact way.
I giggle softly, but he doesn’t hear me. “I could, too, love.”
His hands run up and down the length of my arms. It feels so good when he does this. “Lexi?”
“Hmm?” I tilt my head to the side and meet his gaze.
Kalen’s eyes land on my lips, and it feels like he’s going to kiss me. Instead, he then looks back into my eyes, and as he takes in a deep breath, he slowly says the words, “I love you.”
I swallow thickly as every emotion I’ve been feeling inside comes to light. I do love him. These feelings for him are real. I know they are now because he’s said the same. I didn’t think they could be, but knowing that he is feeling the same way I am lets me know I’m not crazy and that it is possible. Even if we’ve only known each other for a few short months.