Kissing the Shy Guy - Stephanie Street Page 0,52

tight. “Is that all right?” I wanted to make sure she was one hundred percent okay with me being around.

“Yes.” Melly nodded as she pulled me inside. “Jenny said we could make a snack.”

I rubbed my stomach. “Perfect. I’m starving.”

Jenna walked into the room, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “Good, because Melly wanted tortillas with peanut butter and hazelnut spread.”

“Sounds delicious. I’ve never had that before.”

Melly towed me into the kitchen following behind Jenna. She looked adorable and domestic, setting out paper plates and pouring glasses of milk.

“Melly always wants a snack after school,” Jenna said under her breath as she pushed a plate and glass in front of me at the kitchen island.

“That’s good because I do, too,” I told her, winking before turning on my stool to face Melly. “Melly, did you know Jenna makes me rehearse every day after school with no snacks?”

Melly frowned, her cheeks plump with tortilla. “Jenny! Why do you do that?” she asked once she’d swallowed her food.

Jenna shrugged. “He could bring snacks, too, you know.”

Melly turned her eyes on me, they appeared larger than they actually were through her thick glasses, but they were the exact shade as Jenna’s. Her hair, too. Despite their differences, I noticed a lot of similarities between the sisters.

“Maybe next time you could bring the snack, Adam,” Melly told me.

I put my arm across the back of her chair and she snuggled into my side. “I’ll have to remember that. But I don’t know Jenna’s favorite snack.”

Melly sat up like a shot. “I know! It’s potato chips and ketchup!”

“Melly!” Jenna dropped her face into her hands while I laughed.

“Potato chips and ketchup? That’s disgusting!” I wrinkled my nose for Melly’s benefit. She laughed at my funny face just as I’d planned.

“You’re not supposed to tell anyone that!” Jenna scolded her sister, but she was plainly not truly upset. Jenna took a bite of her tortilla, her brilliant eyes sparkling and I wondered for the thousandth time what it would take to get her to let me kiss her again.

We finished our snack, which was surprisingly good. Then Jenna informed Melly we needed to work on our performance in the basement. She could either watch us or find something to do until we’d finished. Of course, Melly, the new president of my fan club, wouldn’t hear of letting us practice without her and followed us down the stairs to the basement.

“I’m so sorry,” Jenna sighed two hours later as she collapsed on a sagging sofa in the basement. Melly had just gone upstairs, their mom having arrived home to find the three of us singing Let it Go from Frozen at the top of our lungs. Once Melly introduced me, very enthusiastically, Mrs. Bradford had led her daughter upstairs, giving Jenna and me a chance to catch our breath.

I sprawled out beside her, stretching my legs to their full length. It had been a long couple of hours. “Why are you sorry?”

Jenna swiveled her head toward me. “Are you serious? That was a complete waste of time.”

She wasn’t wrong. “It wasn’t that bad.” It had been. Having Melly with us while we rehearsed reminded me of hanging out at my sister’s house with her little kids. Whatever Daphne did to clean up, the kids were right behind her, making a mess again. Not that Melly was like a toddler, but she had been very excited about hanging out with us.

Jenna smiled half-heartedly. “You were a good sport.”

“I like Melly. She’s good for my ego.” Sitting up, I reached down to pick up Jenna’s feet and pull them into my lap. She’d been rubbing them into the carpet like they hurt.

“Oh, my goodness! Don’t ever stop doing that,” she groaned, closing her eyes as I kneaded them with my thumbs. “You don’t have an ego. It’s one of the things I like best about you.”

“Oh, really? What else do you like about me?” I wasn’t above fishing for compliments.

Jenna grinned. She still had her eyes closed, but the tension around them had eased. I redoubled my efforts on her feet. “I like it when you give me a foot massage.”

“Is that it?” I asked, running my index finger lightly up the sole of her foot.

She jerked it back. “Hey!” She sat up, scowling. “You were doing so good.”

I laughed and pulled her foot back. “You’re gonna have to come up with something better than that if you don’t want tickles.”

“Don’t be mean. It’s been a long day,” she