Page 58 of The Crafting Con
My mouth is a desert. A stark contrast to the swamps that are my palms.
“So I talked to Tyler today.”
Tyler? Who’s Tyler?
“And while I’m still planning to go to prom with him on Saturday, I made absolutely sure he knows it’s just as friends.”
There’s a pause. I attempt to form some kind of coherent response, while all I can think about is the fact that she not only kept the bracelet I made for her all those years ago, she’s wearing it. That means something. It has to mean something.
“Why?” The question comes out blunt, and I scramble to smooth it out. “I mean, um, that’s good. Good communication is, uh… good.”
Her lips twitch into a tiny smile. “Definitely.”
My heart pounds so loud I’m one hundred percent sure she can hear it. Heck, the entire neighborhood is probably wondering what all the racket’s about. “How did he take it?” Who cares how he took it? She said it.
“Pretty much the same way he takes everything, completely in stride.” She lets out a rueful laugh. “I actually felt kind of embarrassed for thinking there was air to clear in the first place, but I wanted to be sure before…”
I swallow, knee shifting closer to hers. “Before…?”
It’s her turn to lean closer, and an electric shock races up my leg where we touch. Never mind that we’re both wearing jeans, sitting on separate swings. That tiny point of contact is still enough to knock the wind out of me.
Ava’s cheeks pink, and I almost fall backward off the swing when she looks me straight in the eyes and bites that lip of hers. And then she’s standing up, moving in front of me. Hands wrapping around mine where they grip the chains. She leans in, bending slightly.
My head tilts back, angling toward hers like a flower reaching for the sun.
Her breath hitches. “Before I do this.”
The earth ceases to spin, the playground melting away before my eyes. There is nothing but me and Ava and the whisper soft feel of her lips brushing mine. It’s over before I can so much as blink, and yet I know I’ll never be the same again. Not now that I know the sheer perfection which is Ava’s mouth.
Her hands slip free of mine as she begins to straighten, but I catch them before she can move away, unfolding myself from the swing until she’s the one looking up at me. I tug her closer, reaching up to thread my fingers behind her head, thumb brushing her ear.
Her chest rises, lips parting.
I cup the other side of her head, and her arms move around me, fists gripping the back of my hoodie. And for one, long moment we just stand there, holding each other in place. This place where so many of our memories were crafted.
Where knees were scraped and bonds were formed.
Where laughter chased us up ladders and followed us down slides.
Where tears were shed, and tender hearts broken.
“Ava, I…” I swallow, throat tight with the enormity of it all. The words fail to form, but it doesn’t matter, because Ava and I have never needed them.
Our lips meet, mouths crashing together in a desperate need to make up for lost time.
It’s the single greatest moment of my life.
One that lingers with me well after we come up for air, flushed and breathless with nervous laughter. It plays on a loop when we finally say goodnight, reluctantly going our separate ways. It simmers beneath my skin while I shower and dress for bed.
It isn’t until the lights are off, and I close my eyes, that I remember my reason for going in the first place. My stomach sinks. I never told her about her dad.
First thing tomorrow, I promise myself, and then I’m back, reminiscing about a kiss over ten years in the making. And so worth the wait.
CHAPTER 23
AVA
Two days until OA Con
