Chapter 2
I nearly choked and coughed awkwardly, then turned to stare out the window, trying to change the subject. "Are we almost there?" "Almost. We're by Riverbend Park." I turned and looked at the familiar Riverside Lane outside. Leon chuckled to himself. "I haven't been back here in years. It's changed so much I can barely recognize it."
His words pulled me back to those high school years—long when I was living them, brief when I looked back now. That park held my entire youth, and the boy at the center of it was sitting right beside me. Back then, it had felt like an endless one-sided crush.
Soon, he pulled into the hotel's underground garage. I thanked him and tried to get out, only to find the door locked. When I looked at him in confusion, he asked whether I really had nothing to say. I had no idea what he meant, and after a beat, he told me to forget it and unlocked the door.
He said he'd walk me up. I nodded, too tired to argue. A friend had asked him to bring me back safely, so I understood.
In the hallway and elevator, he looked like he wanted to say something several times, but kept stopping himself. The way he watched me got on my nerves, and the alcohol made me bolder. I suddenly spun around, grabbed his collar, yanked him down to eye level, and glared at him. "If you've got something to say, spit it out." He looked surprised at first, then amusement spread through his eyes. Before he could speak, I tipped my head up and sealed his words away with a kiss. "Shut up. You're being noisy."
The elevator dinged. I let go of him and walked off. Kiss him and ditch him—that was basic respect for an ex.
He reached for me, but I strode off before he could catch me. It didn't matter. He was tall and all legs, and by the time I swiped my keycard, he had already caught my wrist and gently pinned me to the door, one hand protecting the back of my head.
Pinned between him and the door, I glared at him. Instead of backing off, he lowered his head into the curve of my neck and laughed softly, his shoulders moving with it. That only made me more annoyed. "What are you laughing at?" I didn't dare raise my voice in the hotel hallway, but I also wasn't about to let things go any further out there. Hallway hookups were absolutely out of the question. I had zero interest in ending up in some random video online.
He lifted his head and met my eyes. The tip of his tongue brushed the corner of his lips, his throat bobbing, and in a low, restrained voice, he asked, "Can I?" The meaning hanging in the air was obvious. He had never been this direct before. It was because I'd once shyly told him again and again that I liked this kind of straightforward, serious closeness. "Focus. Don't drift off," he murmured, leaning down until his forehead nearly touched the door, the tip of his nose brushing my neck as his hair tickled my skin.
I tried to pull away, but he held me fast. His warm breath grazed my skin, and the touch at my ear made me shiver. It wasn't rejection. It had simply been too long. My voice softened. "Let's talk inside. There are cameras out here."
He let go, and I turned to open the door. Once inside, I didn't slot the keycard in, leaving the room in darkness. I spun around and pinned him against the door instead, clutching the keycard in my left hand and tugging at his shirt again to make him bend down. This kiss wasn't that reckless one from before. It carried a little anger, a little hurt, and the fierce earnestness of finding something I'd lost. He kissed me back almost at once, both arms settling around my waist, gentle but impossible to break free from. I knew I was probably out of my mind. Between the alcohol and the rush of emotion, my face burned.