back seat,” he laughs out and I shake my head as I climb out.
I’m heading toward the door when he calls out my name and jogs up behind me. “What’s your deal? Why are you acting mad right now? What do you care if we kiss?”
I take a calming breath and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Because, Preston, I’m the one who’s had to dry her tears every time you’ve turned her down for another girl. She’s your best friend and she loves you. You keep confusing her like this and you will lose her. You either need to step up and be the guy she wants you to be or stop the kissing and innocent flirting so she knows where she stands with you. Either way, I don’t care. Just make up your damn mind already!” I turn to walk into the house, but he grabs my shoulder and spins me around.
“I’m sorry if us kissing pissed you off, but the truth is, she’s the one girl I’d never let myself have. Excuse me if I can’t resist the temptation every once in a while. I mean, could you? If she threw herself at you, could you resist, or would you reach out and take her already? Huh? I’ve seen the way you look at her, Cal. Something tells me you wouldn’t be able to resist, either.”
Without another word, he walks past me into the house, slamming the door behind him.
Six
PIPER
My body is tingling and coming alive in ways it never has before. That kiss. I don’t even know how it happened. We were dancing, holding each other close. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Suddenly, he looked up and our eyes locked. The next thing I knew, we were kissing. And it was nothing like our last kiss. The last kiss, when we were 16, was amazing—but this kiss was life-changing. Every hair on my body is still standing on end.
When he pulled me back to the table, I thought he was going to insist we go someplace where we could be alone—either to tell me he’s always secretly been in love with me or pick up where we left off on the dance floor. But then Calvin wanted to go home, which ruined my evening.
His tone was short and clipped and his face showed no emotion. He didn’t look mad, but he didn’t look as carefree as before, when we were all playing darts. A part of me wonders if he’s jealous, but that’s absurd. Calvin and I have never been anything more than friends. Sure, we had one kiss back when I was in high school, but I’ve always known it didn’t mean anything. I was upset and crying, so he kissed me. It was a pity kiss and nothing more.
I’m so confused by Preston and Calvin that I’m nowhere near ready for bed. I’m primed and ready to go; I can’t just curl into a ball and drift off to sleep. I go to the kitchen, pour myself a glass of wine, and take it up to my room. I turn on the TV and flip through the channels until I land on some new game show called Reveal Your Secret. I toss the remote onto the bed and set my wine on the bedside table as I strip down and slide into my pajamas.
I climb into bed and turn off the light, enjoying my wine while I watch TV. It only takes me a few minutes to catch on to the theme of the show. People have a secret they’ve kept hidden away from the one they love most, and they bring them on the show to finally reveal it.
I’m watching a woman who’s secretly been in love with her best friend’s husband for years. She tells her best friend, and as you can imagine, it doesn’t go well. As the show continues, I laugh with some, I cry with some, and others are just stupid and pointless. I mean, who cares if you stole a penny candy from the corner market when you were 10? As the credits roll, the announcer gets my attention: “If you have a secret you need to reveal, go to the website at the bottom of your screen. You may just get the chance to reveal your secret!”
Light bulb! I could take Preston to the show. I could finally tell him the secret I’ve been too afraid to reveal. Wait, let’s think this through. Why tell