Kiss and Break Up

by Ella Fields

  “You burped in my face first.” I put the cap back on the bottle, not meeting his gaze. I couldn’t. I headed back inside the safety of my room.

  But I had to wonder, as I heard Dash gargling mouthwash too, if it would be considered safe again after this. Would this ruin everything by making it awkward?

  “Dash,” I said, wringing my hands as I paced the floor of my room. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this. What if—”

  “What if it’s awesome and you fall madly in love with me? Well, we already know I don’t do commitment.”

  A tiny laugh skittered out. “No, what if it gets awkward? I don’t want anything to change.”

  He took me by the shoulders in the middle of my rainbow knitted rug and leveled me with his vibrant eyes. “We’ve done some pretty awkward shit, so what’s a little mouth to mouth going to change?”

  I nodded, exhaling slowly, then I frowned. “Why are you doing this? I mean, I know why I want to, but you? What do you even get out of it?”

  He grinned. “You might be my best friend, but I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to stick my tongue down your throat.” He tipped a muscled shoulder. “Let’s just say you’ll be killing that curiosity.”

  “You’ve always wondered?”

  “I’ve got eyes, Freckles. And I don’t need my glasses to appreciate the sight of something beautiful.”

  I blinked. “Wow. That was actually really swe—”

  “Shut your inexperienced mouth and kiss me.”

  I was still laughing when he grabbed my face, and then I squeaked as the world changed color, and his lips lowered over mine.

  My heart became a trumpet, blaring in my ears at the first touch of his lips.

  I pulled away, startled and still laughing. “Oh, my God.”

  Dash’s hands were warm on my face. “That good? They barely even touched.”

  “No,” I choked out, pushing his hands away. “It’s just … a little weird.”

  “Weird?” His brows scrunched. “We’ve barely even begun.”

  I blew out a shaky breath, unable to look at him as my hands flapped at my sides. I stared at his white shirt, looking at where the cotton met his tanned skin. “I don’t know, Dash.”

  “Wanna try again?”

  I looked at him then, at the eager glint in his blue eyes. “It’s not weird for you?”

  He chewed his bottom lip which was a little fatter than the top. And it’d just been touching mine. Oh, how crazy. “Maybe a smidgen. I can just picture Margot Robbie, and I’ll be good.”

  I froze. “Margot Robbie?”

  He gestured to my hair. “The blonde hair helps.”

  “Jesus.” I swiped my hands down my face. “This is dumb. Let’s just forget it.”

  He stood there a moment, glancing around my room. “Why don’t you imagine someone? That guy from the Thor movie. You like him.”

  “Chris Hemsworth?”

  “Yeah. Imagine him.” Then he grinned, waggling his brows. “Pucker up, baby.”

  “You didn’t just say that.” I laughed, plopping down on the edge of my bed.

  “Whatever. Are we trying again or what?”

  The thought of Byron and that mischievous twinkle in his green eyes, the way he’d wasted no time moving in to kiss me … yeah. I needed to do this.

  “Okay.” I shook out my hands, bouncing a little on the bed. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Dash’s lips thinned. “This isn’t a cross meet. We’re only swapping germs.”

  “You just had to say that, didn’t you?” My pep had officially vanished.

  Dash tugged me off the bed. “Close your eyes and relax.”

  I tried, but I was as stiff as a board when his mouth met mine again. He tasted like spearmint and cigarettes, but his hands were gentle as one held my chin and the other glided through my hair to the back of my head. Slowly, with the soft press of his lips on mine and the gentle exploration of their shape, my limbs loosened.

  “Open,” he whispered, his voice threaded, rougher.

  I did, expecting the invasion of his tongue, but the velvet feel of it only traced the inner edges of my mouth.

  Out of all the things I’d expected to feel when he’d suggested this crazy idea, it wasn’t relaxed, and it certainly wasn’t the buzzing sensation currently warming my insides.

  “This isn’t so bad,” I said when he pulled back, my voice a low exhalation.

  “Good. Now repeat the same to me.” My eyes were about to spring open, but he growled. “Keep them closed. Don’t think, just do and feel.”

  Drawing in a quick breath through my nose, I found his stubble-coated cheeks with my hands and lifted myself on my toes. I tried to do the same thing he did to me, but my tongue plunged deeper, meeting the warm softness of his. I licked it, stroking cautiously until I heard him hum, the sound vibrating up his throat and causing our lips to mash together.

  His hands became firmer around my head, his tongue greedier, sweeping inside my mouth before my teeth found purchase on his plump bottom lip, and pulled.

  He groaned, and it had me staggering back, my heart racing and my breath an unsteady, embarrassing sound.

  Dash swallowed, then cleared his throat as he shifted on his feet. His eyes met mine, and I looked away, down to where my mint green toes were curling over the abrasive fabric of my rug.

  Awkward. This was so awkward, and I prayed we hadn’t just made a huge mistake.

  “So that’s how it’s done.” He grabbed the TV remote and plopped onto my bed. “Got any popcorn?”

  I shook my head. “Wait, that’s um, it?”

  He started flicking through Netflix. “Well, yeah. Not much else to it. We can practice again before your date if you want, but I’m fucking starving, and we need to re-watch the last season of GoT before the new one is out.”

  “Oh, yeah,” I said, remembering I’d promised him that weeks ago. Hungry myself, I stepped outside, then scowled at him from the doorway. “Don’t put your socks near my pillow.”

  He grumbled but shifted and moved over to the other side of the bed.

  Peggy

  “Wear the blue dress. I haven’t seen you in a dress in so long.”

  I flicked through my hangers, my finger traipsing over the rainbow kaleidoscope of tulle, satin, denim, and frills. My skirts. My favorites. My true loves.

  “No offense, Mom, but when did you even get in here?” She must have snuck in while I was distracted.

  “Oh, just a minute ago.”

  “She’s right,” Daphne said. “You’re always in skirts and those god-awful boots.”

  My hands landed on my hips, and I spun around to glare at her. “They’re not awful. Mind your manners.”

  She licked her teeth, inspecting her nails. “Just saying. You have great ankles. You should show them off.”

  “I can’t walk in heels. I’ll fall flat on my face.” Forgetting my mom was there, I tacked on, “I’ve already embarrassed myself enough in front of this guy.”

  “What? When?”

  “Shit.”

  “Manners,” Daphne said with a curl to her glossed lips.

  I flipped her off, then tugged the stupid royal blue dress off the hanger.

  “At the party,” I said when Mom’s eyes kept bouncing back and forth between us.

  “What happened?” She paused. “Oh, God. You came home early.” Panic struck her features, pinching at the fine lines around her eyes. “Why didn’t you talk to me?”

  I pulled my extra-long men’s T-shirt off, then struggled into the constricting fabric of the dress. “It’s fine, really.”

  Daphne laughed. “Really, it’s classic. She freaking sneezed in his face when he went to kiss her.”

  “It wasn’t in his face,” I said, huffing.

  Mom snorted, waving her hands in front of her eyes as she tried to keep from laughing. She failed, and I glared at her when she finally gave in and set it free.

  “Sorry,” she wheezed, wiping be
neath her eyes. “That’s terrible, Pegs, but it’s not the end of the world. I’ve heard worse.”

  “Like what?” I didn’t believe her, but I was desperate to.

  Her lips pursed and so did Daphne’s as they both tried to think of something.

  “Ugh.” I pulled at the skintight bodice that fanned into a flowing skirt at my hips. “I hate you both.”

  “Is this sneeze why you’ve been moping around?” Mom asked. “I thought you had your period.”

  “I did. Double whammy.” I moved to the mirror, inspecting my hair which I’d blown out, then grabbed some vanilla lip balm and smeared an extra layer on.

  “Lord.” Mom fussed with the books on my nightstand, most of them Dash’s, and wound up the cords dangling from the controllers Dash and I had left out yesterday.

  There’d been no more practice since earlier this week, and I was glad. I wasn’t exactly confident that I was an awesome kisser, but I did feel better knowing what to expect. Warmth. Lots of warmth. A little wetness and loss of breath. Remembering caused my cheeks to burn, so I snuffed the memory.

  Things had been relatively normal between us. Well, as normal as normal could be with Dash’s mood swings.

  “It’s going to be just fine, Pegs. He’s asked you out again.”

  “I’m not worried.” Lying was easy after they’d made fun of me.

  Daphne snatched the lip balm from my hand, then plucked a tissue from the box and started dotting my lips. “Tell that to your lying, over balmed lips.”

  My shoulders deflated. “Okay, so I’m a little nervous. This could be my last shot.”

  “If he doesn’t want to take you out again after this, that’s his loss, Pegs.” Mom stabbed a finger at me.

  “You’re my mom. It’s your job to say that.”

  Daphne tossed the tissue. “It’s the truth. He’s a bit daft, but he was sweet to Kayla. If he can be sweet with that girl, he’s going to find he’s hit the jackpot with you.”

  Kayla was a piece of work at times, but I’d chalked it up to her being captain of the cheerleading team, head of the prom committee, and the daughter of a movie director.

  “I can see that look in your eyes,” Daphne said.

  “What if she’s still upset over their breakup?”

  “Her mom’s a bitch, so I’m guessing she is too,” Mom interjected. “Don’t sweat it.”

  “What?” I shot my eyes at her, and she shrugged.

  “You already know she’s a bitch.” Daphne dragged my gaze back. “One who should’ve thought about that before cheating on him.”

  That was true.

  A knock on the door had us all freezing, then Mom was off the bed and racing out of my room. Daphne spritzed some perfume all over me, and I coughed.

  Mom ran back into my room with a pair of white strappy sandals, then started shoving my feet into them.

  “I feel like I’m being sent on stage.”

  “Shush. Here.” Daphne handed me my one and only clutch. “There’s a stick of gum inside. Use it after dinner but ditch it as soon as you can. Even if you have to swallow it.”

  Mom tutted. “Don’t swallow gum. Seven years in your intestines, Pegs.”

  Thoroughly whiplashed, I wobbled to the door, shaking my head as I drew in deep breaths.

  Byron was wearing crisp blue jeans, a deep blue polo shirt, and a dimpled smile. “Well, hey.”

  “Hey.” I instantly regretted my choice of dress. “Look, we match.”

  He chuckled. “Your mom home? Thought I’d better say hello before we leave.”

  Mom yanked open the door behind me, and I almost jumped out of my skin. “Hey. Byron, yes?” She gently pushed me aside with her hand outstretched. “I’m Peony.”

  Byron winked. “Peony. Wow, you guys have great genes.”

  Mom clapped her hand over her chest with a giggle. “Oh, stop.”

  “Okay, let’s go. See you later, Mom. Bye,” I rushed out, pushing past her and heading down the steps to Byron’s tricked-out truck.

  I opened the door before he had the chance, then closed it as he climbed in the driver’s side.

  “I’m so sorry. God.”

  He started the truck, turning to me as we fastened our seat belts. “For what?”

  I waved a hand at the house where Mom was still smiling in the doorway.

  “Oh.” He chuckled once more. “Don’t sweat it. Your mom seems cool.”

  I pursed my lips, unsure if I believed him.

  “Seriously. I wish my mom greeted people like that. She’d rather hide away upstairs and remain self-medicated while watching daytime TV. All hours of the day.”

  I winced. “I’m sorry.”

  He backed out, his arm looping behind my chair, bringing with it the scent of that nose-tingling cologne. “It’s fine. She’s been going through a rough patch.”

  “How long?”

  He shifted into drive, his arm falling away. “About five years.”

  Well, shit sundaes on Thursdays. “That’s, um …”

  “A bit heavy for first date material?” He scrubbed a large hand down his face. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m out of practice.”

  The word practice jolted me. “It’s okay. I’d rather talk about real things than the weather.”

  Briefly, he glanced over at me, eyes bright and smiling. “Right.”

  He remembered, so maybe he wasn’t that drunk. That didn’t bode well for the sneeze thing. “I’m still sorry about, um, sneezing on you.”

  He laughed. “Not gonna lie, it was unexpected.”

  “It was gross. You can say it.”

  We crossed the small bridge that divided the mansions from the average homes of Magnolia Cove, the lights from town flickering bright up ahead.

  “Okay, yeah. It was gross. But honestly?” He shot me a smile. “More funny than gross.”

  I bit my lips, staring at his profile. “It’s your cologne.”

  “What?”

  “It made me sneeze. In fact, I can feel my nose itching right now.”

  He let out a huff of air, turning to me at the lights. “For real?”

  I sniffed for emphasis, my nose twitching as I tried not to sneeze.

  “No way,” he said, laughter tinging his voice. “Well, I’ll be sure not to wear it next time. I’ve got some others I wanna try out anyway.”

  I smiled at him, and he smiled back before facing forward when the light turned green.

  Ten minutes later, a server at the steak house directed us to a booth in the back, away from the squealing children who were pounding on the jukebox by the bar.

  “What are you having?”

  I ran my nail down the menu, stopping when I saw the spicy chicken tenders Dash always ordered. I couldn’t stand hot food, but the sight of them made me pause and wonder how long it’d been since we’d eaten here. We used to grab dinner here after or before every movie we saw, but I was sure the last time I’d seen him eat them was earlier that summer.

  I shook my thoughts away and shut the menu. “I think I’ll go with the salad wraps. You?”

  His lashes crested the tops of his cheeks as he studied the menu. “I think the T-bone.”

  He flagged the waitress and we ordered, and then the awkward arrived again.

  “So,” I started.

  “What’s with you and Dash?”

  Startled, I sat back in the seat, the wood biting into my back. “What do you mean?”

  He seemed to pick his words carefully, his green eyes bobbing over my face. “It’s like this unspoken thing that no one touches you. But I’d always wondered why. Especially when he won’t date you.”

  Whoa. “Excuse me?”

  “Wait a second.” His brows furrowed. “You didn’t know?”

  I’d thought Daphne had been exaggerating. I never thought it was an actual thing.

  I was going to kick Dash square in the junk, then go to his house and empty his Pokémon card collection, mess them all up, and put them back in the folders in th
e wrong order, and, and … and so much more.

  “I’ll take that shocked look on your face as a no.” A harsh breath puffed his cheeks. “Shit, look, I didn’t mean—”

  “No, it’s okay.” I had to set him straight. “He’s been my best friend since we were in diapers.” I forced out a dry laugh. “Not even joking, we were potty trained together.” I cringed. “God, um, just ignore that last comment.”

  Byron was grinning. “No, please.” He leaned forward, fingers steepled beneath his strong, smooth chin. “Tell me more.”

  I laughed, despite feeling like I was close to screaming, and then I did. “Our moms were best friends in college, and they met our fathers at the same time, not long before graduating. They don’t talk anymore, but Dash and me, well, we’re still close.” Though after this, I wasn’t so sure.

  All this time, I’d thought if I just got my braces off, wore a little more mascara, maybe a push-up bra for my b-cups, then someone would notice me. I knew I wasn’t hideous, but for so long, I’d wondered if maybe I was missing something.

  What an idiot. I clearly had.

  Fucking Dash.

  “I was surprised, you know,” Byron said, ripping the wrapper off a straw and dumping it inside my Coke when the waitress set our drinks down.

  I thanked her as she left. “Surprised?”

  “To learn that he’s seriously best friends with you. You’re just so different.”

  “Maybe personality wise,” I said. “But we have some things in common, I guess.”

  “Like what?”

  I groaned. “Can we skip the Dash talk? I’m not exactly happy with him after finding this out.”

  He nodded. “You’re going to tell him, aren’t you?”

  “What did he do exactly? Warn people off me?”

  Byron bobbed his head side to side. “Sometimes. Mostly, it’s just this widely known fact. Don’t fuck with Peggy Newland or Dash will fuck with you.”

  Mother trucker.

  My hand curled too tight around my glass, slipping and almost losing purchase as I dragged it closer and took a long sip. “Yet you still asked me out.”

  His grin had the straw plopping out of my mouth. Green eyes danced over my lips. “I got done with giving a shit. Let him try.”