Just One Kiss - J. Saman Page 0,50
luck, it’ll knock me out.
Especially as my sister Charlie adds a few hearty plops of brandy to it with a knowing wink. I must look about as good as I feel.
I take a few sips, still clutching the presents Miles gave me in my hands because I wouldn’t let Fletcher take them upstairs. I nibble on a cookie and listen while my mom spews stuff about a baby shower for Savannah while I promise to help with it.
But all too soon, I tell them I’m tired and after I kiss them each good night, ignoring their questioning and concerned looks, I take my tea and my presents, and I find my room.
Setting the objects down on the bed, I stare at them for the longest of moments. That is until I hear a small knock on my door followed by it opening without waiting on my reply. “London?”
“I’m fine, Charlie.”
“That’s a lie,” Savannah states, walking into my room uninvited because that’s just her way. “Tell us what’s up. I talked to Rina this morning and she said you looked really happy with the guy. With Miles, right?”
“Miles? You didn’t tell me his name was Miles,” Charlie says, sitting on my bed as does Savannah who tries to make herself as comfortable as she can with a small bowling ball protruding from her belly. “This is the same Miles?”
I snicker, staring at my sisters. Charlie looks so much like me we could be twins other than the five-year age gap between us. Savannah too, well, other than the bowling ball. “How do you remember that?”
She hitches up a shoulder. “Because we talked about it that night. We stayed up eating peanut butter and fluff from the containers and you told me about the guy who kissed you and walked off right after. His name isn’t the most common.” Another shrug. “I remembered.”
“Well, yeah. It’s him.”
“Are these from him or presents for us?” Savannah asks, shifting on my bed on the opposite side from Charlie while I continue to stand at the foot, staring down at the presents.
“From him,” I whisper, already getting stupidly emotional. “He said not to open them until tomorrow.”
“Did you invite him to come for Christmas? Or was this a quick and dirty affair?”
I look up, glaring at Savannah and she throws her hands up instantly.
“Crap. You really like him a lot.”
“I didn’t intend to fall for the guy within a span of forty-eight hours. I didn’t even know something like that was possible.”
“London, you fell for him back in high school,” Charlie asserts with that knowing gleam in her eyes. “This was just rekindling something that had already been there.”
Maybe. But that still doesn’t make me feel better.
“I did invite him to come.” I blow out a heavy breath, sagging onto the end of the bed and picking at the brown paper of the smaller present.
Things were going so well. I mean, so well. We were laughing and having amazing sex, and just being with him felt so good. Like best ever good. Like pieces I didn’t even realize were missing fell into place.
That’s what he felt like.
The last piece to my completed puzzle. I know what I am without him. What my picture looks like. But once you put that final piece in, the entire puzzle comes together in a perfect way.
“Why didn’t he come?” Charlie again.
His story isn’t mine to tell. I shake my head. His story isn’t mine to tell.
“Not an easy thing to make work,” I go with instead.
“Do you think he felt the same way you feel about him back?” Savannah prods.
I look up, meeting my sisters’ concerned gazes and this time, I nod. Because I do think he did. I saw it in the way he looked at me. In the way he touched me. In the words he said to me. I felt it in all of it. But at the end of the day, Fletcher showed up suddenly and unexpectedly and Miles just shut down.
Maybe if he had driven me up, he’d be here now with me, but I’ll never know because he didn’t fight. And hell, that hurts.
“Well, it’s officially tomorrow,” Savannah announces. “It’s after midnight and since we’re not waiting on Santa, or the guy it seems, open them up.”
“Sav,” Charlie admonishes. “She should do that alone.”
Savannah turns back to me. “Do you want to do that alone? Or do you want sisterly support?”
I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what he gave me. “Stay,” I decide,