and then drag my nail across his bottom lip, feeling it pull against the pad of my finger, something I’ve wanted to do since the first time I saw him in the back of the ambulance. “I’m ready for you to patch me up.” Hesitantly, on unsure footing, I lift up toward him and press a kiss onto his cheek, feeling the curve of his curled upper lip just at the edge of mine, just like last night. His breath rushes out and I breathe it in. “I’m ready to heal.” My lips pull back and I lift my eyes to his. “I want you to help me.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Cora: HOLY CRAP, MAGGIE! I think I have thesis numbers 3, 4, and 5 with that!
Me: It IS a lot to take in.
Cora: Ummm…you think? Or I could just sum it up in one paper about how the freakin’ Carson family can’t catch a break.
Me: Seriously.
Cora: So…do you think she’s really pregnant?
Me: I don’t know…I hope not. That’s more than Mikey can handle right now.
Cora: And you wonder why I never let it get past second. I can’t imagine getting pregnant, and then worrying that the father of the baby might DIE!
Me: That’s completely insensitive, Cora.
Cora: You know what I mean.
Me: I know.
Cora: So you met Ran’s dad? That’s a huge step.
Me: I guess, but not one that he’ll remember.
Cora: And I’m the insensitive one? ;)
Me: It’s true though.
Cora: Ok, let’s talk about a less controversial subject. Or wait, maybe it’s MORE controversial. Tell me about the hottest kiss-that-wasn’t-a-kiss in existence. THAT I want to hear more about.
Me: That’s just it—it wasn’t a kiss.
Cora: But it kinda, sorta was.
Me: I don’t know. I just know it was crazy intense and I really wanted more.
Cora: BRB…but don’t lose that train of thought.
Me: K.
Cora: Seriously, you better pick right up where you left off…
Me: :)
The man on the widescreen has been shouting over-excitedly about some stain remover for the past ten minutes, but I’ve rummaged through the couch cushions three times and cannot for the life of me locate the AWOL remote. After two more testimonies on laundry miracles, I can’t take it anymore and decide to walk to the television to shut if off manually. The moment the volume from the surround sound cuts out, I hear my phone vibrate across the leather cushion and I yank it into my grip.
So, what did you think?
Me: That I didn’t want it to stop. That I wondered how those lips would taste and how I probably won’t wash my neck for at least a week.
Really? You wanted to know how they tasted?
Me: Um, yeah. It was beyond intense. Like one moment I wanted to scream, then the next moment I didn’t have any air in my lungs.
Your breath was literally taken away :)
Me: And that was all without actually kissing.
Just imagine how amazing THAT will be.
Me: Uhhh, BELIEVE me, it’s all I’ve been thinking about for the past 24 hours. Hold on, I gotta pee.
K.
I toss the phone to the table and head to the bathroom. When I get back, a new message appears on my screen.
Cora: Sorry about that. Ok—tell me ALL about it. Don’t leave any details out.
Me: I just did.
Cora: No, you didn’t.
I pause, completely confused.
Me: Cora, I just told you how intense and amazing it was and how I don’t plan to scrub my neck for a week.
Cora: First off—ewww, wash your neck. Second, I didn’t get any of that.
I stare at the typed letters on my screen, wondering what Cora’s deal is and how she missed all of my—
Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no.
My fingers race across the screen hyperactively like I have no control over them.
A new text pops into view.
Ran: I’d hate for you to have to spend another 24 hours just thinking about it when you could actually be experiencing it.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no!
My stomach rolls the contents of my lunch like those cages they use to call out Bingo numbers. What did I just do? What just happened?
Ran: Maggie? You there?
I stare blankly at the phone between my fingers, but can’t focus on the words written across it because it rattles back and forth like it’s sitting on the dryer rather than in the palm of my hand.
Ran: Maggie?
Me: I gotta go.
I dig my finger into the OFF switch and the phone goes black.
***
I’m not sure where I’m running, I just run, the pavement meeting each foot with alternating pressure. The rhythm