The Tale Your Eyes Tell

The Tale Your Eyes Tell: Chapter 7 - A Step in the Right Direction

 “Yo, where did you guys go last night?” Addison said from behind me, worry in her voice. “We couldn't find you anywhere.”

“Sorry...” I trailed off as I turned to them both, nervous to tell them the real story. “It's a really long story, but Kyle and I sorta broke up...”

“You what?!” They yelled in unison.

“But you two were so happy at the fair before, what happened in that short time?!” Kaylee pouted.

It was then that I dived into some of the more shameful details, including the dull kiss with Kyle and his pressuring attitude. They understood how special my first kiss was to me, and that moving on to making out too quickly would be scary, but they seemed biased about my story. According to them, I should have given it time since Kyle was such a cute guy.

“You know, Kaden was the one who helped me after Kyle pushed me down and accidentally hit me... He even took me home.” I felt it would be wise to not bring my kiss with him until I reintroduced him in a better light.

“Oh, really...? Well, that's nice of him, I guess...” Addison added quietly.

“And what happened with Maggie isn't true, I swear. He's such a nice guy and I feel really bad about not listening to him before.”

They eyed each other suspiciously, then nodded.

“If you think you can trust him, we won't stop you, but still be careful, kay?”

They were obviously wary of him still, but it was a better response than I expected.

“Well, I was hoping to thank Kaden again, so I'll see you guys in class.” I waved goodbye as I noticed his tall figure wander into the background.

“Kaden...?” I called quietly as I moved behind his hunched frame.

He straightened up as he turned around to face me, the hint of a smile on his lips.

“Good morning, Trixie.” His tone was soft.

“So, about last night...” I started off, containing a blush.

“Yeah,” he chuckled shyly then peered cautiously around us.

He took discreetly pulled me behind a set of lockers as he bit his lip.

“Trix...” He started slowly, nervously. “I know you were just dating Kyle, so this is probably too soon, but I really like you... Do you think, maybe you'd want to go out with me...?”

His eyes were sincere and his timidity was endearing.

I smiled wide at his proposal and joked,“You know, I never thought you'd ask.”

We laughed briefly together and he turned away as he put a hand behind his head.

“That wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I wasn't sure how you'd react, to be honest.”

“Last night didn't give you a big enough hint then, did it?”

“Well...”

He smiled genuinely as he leaned down to hug me and I curled my fingers into the soft cotton of his hoodie while I held him close.  A sharp, yet muted, scent emanated from his skin, like a pine forest after a fresh rain. It was an entirely soothing aroma and it filled my very being with a sense of calm.

Abruptly, the bell rang and we were forced to part to our classes. As he pulled away, I secretly longed to kiss him again, but I knew it wasn't the right time. We'd already had our first kiss, but it was so spur of the moment. It would take time to build up to that level of intimacy again.