“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.
Staying focused after a night like that was even more difficult than I had anticipated. Every time I licked my lips I could feel the cut and it reminded me of Kyle's persistence, the break up, and then of Kaden's kiss. It had been an eventful 24 hours and all I wanted to do was reminisce about Kaden's display of heroism. As I continued to think back on our first few encounters, I understood that Kaden should have been the one all along. Since I’d met those bright blue eyes, I'd had a crush on him, and I scolded myself for not following instinct sooner. It would have resulted in considerably less heartbreak for all three of us involved.
The moment the lunch bell rang, I packed up my things and left for the cafeteria, excited for my first official lunch with boyfriend Kaden, not just friend Kaden. The mere thought brought a smile to my face.
“Trixie?” A familiar voice called out to me.
I froze and any remnant of a smile disappeared. I continued to walk on, but he followed.
“Please, I just want to talk, Trix...”
“I'm sorry, Kyle, I'm not in the mood... Another time.”
I still felt bad about dumping him without a proper explanation, but I needed a break from the emotional drama. This time he stayed where he was and I carried on to the cafeteria in search of Kaden.
As usual, I spotted him leaning over the empty table, listening to his outdated ipod. Luckily I brought lunch for two, and this time I could actually sit next to him without it seeming intrusive.
“I brought you lunch,” I said excitedly as I scooted in beside him.
He smiled at me and reached his arms out for a hug, but stopped short.
“Why don’t we eat lunch outside? It’s not too chilly out today and no one is out there to see us.”
I nodded and gathered my things before walking out with him. We seated ourselves at a table far away from windows, but close enough to hear the bell.
“Much better,” he chuckled quietly and put an arm around me. “So, did you ever think we'd end up like this?”
“No, not really to be honest,” I laughed, too, leaning into him.
“This certainly has been an odd year for me... I'm sorry if I ever seemed standoffish, I'm not exactly a people person.”
“Seemed? Good one,” I laughed and so did he.
“Okay, I know, I know… I really need to work on it.”
“I understand. After what happened... I wouldn't be speaking to any of these people either.”
He nodded as he took the sandwich and stared silently into the distance as if contemplating something.
“What is it?” I asked carefully.
He let out a disconcerting sigh.
“I've just been thinking about how much you remind me of my mother... You're kind and you worry about hurting others... I can see that you don't care so much about what people think of you as long as you're doing the right thing. She was a lot like that,” he whispered gently.
His words left a strange impression on me. I felt so much for Kaden and I couldn’t imagine living the life he did. After all, the thought of losing a parent had never really crossed my mind until I'd met him. I guess it seemed like they would always be there no matter what.
“I'm so sorry...”
“Don't be sorry, I'm just glad you're here... And that we finally feel the same.”
