the first person who’s said that to me? Usually, I get the same spiel that had I put in more effort or cared more, I would have done better. And that is somewhat true, but I remember being in third grade, looking down at my workbooks and feeling so sad. So empty.”
Bennett didn’t even think about it.
His hand reached out and squeezed her fingers. He meant the gesture to be comforting. He hadn’t intended to feel his skin burn with interest as if Dakota was made of electric attraction.
“I’m sorry you went through that.” His voice was much heavier than the topic dictated.
Dakota didn’t seem to mind. She tightened her grasp on his fingers. “Did you miss having friends and going to birthday parties?”
Her question took him by surprise.
“I guess not. I never went to one, so I didn’t really know what I was missing. I’ve seen a few movies where the first boy and girl party happens. It’s a coming of age rite of passage, isn’t it?”
Dakota rolled her pretty blue eyes. “Oh, sure. It’s a rite of passage to be locked in a smelly closet with Mr. Farrell’s sweaty gym equipment with his son, Toby.”
“You were locked in?” he asked in shock.
“Sort of. The other kids don’t let you come out until you’ve spent seven minutes in heaven.” Another impressive eye roll. “Toby and I just pretended to kiss. He told everyone we did, of course. I went along with it because I wanted to be left alone. It wasn’t until I was a little older and lucky enough to get locked in with Jason Cortez that I had my first kiss.” She laughed. “It wasn’t nearly as romantic as I thought it was going to be.” Dakota shrugged. “You didn’t miss much.”
She was wrong. He would love to be locked into a closet with her where the main goal was to kiss for as long as they possibly be could. The thought surprised Bennett. He had been attracted to women before, of course. He had even had a few girlfriends over the years, but never had he felt such a bright burning attraction.
It made his limbs tingle with awareness. It made his heart beat faster, and for some odd reason, he kept puffing out his chest.
“Any other teenage rites of passage I should be mourning?” His tone was light and teasing.
Dakota tapped her chin. “Definitely. There’s the first time you get drunk at a party.”
“Was it awful?” he asked.
“Well,” she blushed. “It depends on your opinion. Back then, I was mortified, but now, I think it’s a pretty hilarious story. My friends and I had stolen some peach schnapps from the liquor cabinet at my place and brought it to a senior party. We shared the entire bottle with the three of us. I got sick during a game of kiss-and-blow. I puked all over this poor plotted ficus. My friends pulled me all the way home, where I slept in the bathtub with a pillow. My friends slept on the cold ceramic floor to keep an eye on me. It really solidified our bond. Especially when we were deemed social outcasts by the upperclassmen because of my puking performance. Apparently, the plant was the mom’s favorite, and I killed it.”
“You were lucky to have good friends.”
“Right?” she agreed. “They all went off to date seniors the next year, so it wasn’t as bad of a social suicide as we thought it was. What about you? What’s your most embarrassing story from growing up? I’ve told you two now, so you better make it a good one.”
Bennett had loads of stories he could share, each more mortifying than the last. He wasn’t sure if he should actually share them, though. He still hadn’t recovered from the shame of a few of them.
“Come on.” Dakota nudged him with her shoulder, giggling softly as she did. “What have you got?”
He pushed his glasses up his nose. “It’s a lab story because that’s mostly where I spent my time as a teen. I must have been fifteen when this happened. I was interning at a lab, and the other interns hated me. I was much younger than them, and we just didn’t know how to relate to each other. It didn’t help that Dr. Farrah had a soft spot for me. He was fascinated by my success at such a young age. Anyway, he gave me the task of monitoring two tanks. One had a nest of reptiles and the