Isaac: You up?
It only took a minute before she answered.
Red: Yep.
Isaac: Go out front.
Red: Why?
I smiled.
Isaac: I want to talk to you.
I got out of the car and walked toward the house. The door opened as I reached the grass. Her hair was down and everywhere as she came outside. She was wearing her usual cami, but this time she had shorts on. The new scars on her thigh shone in the light. She met me halfway across the lawn.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered. “Are you okay?”
My heart raced at the worry in her eyes. “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you, just not on the phone.”
She swallowed hard. “What about?”
I snorted. “You know what about.”
She pressed her lips together and fidgeted.
“You kissed me, Lexie,” I told her. “And I kissed you.”
“I know,” she said, her voice soft. “Maybe… we should pretend it never happened.”
The air was knocked out of me. “Do you… you don’t like me that way?”
She licked her lips. “No, that’s not it.”
I stepped closer, until she had to tilt her head back to look up at me. “Then what?”
Her eyes were wide as she answered. “I… uh… if it went bad… I could lose all of you.”
I smiled. “It’s not gonna go bad, Red.” I ran my fingertips over her jaw. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t.”
Her eyes had an edge of fear in them. “You’re not the only one who likes me.”
“What?” I breathed. It was like a hit to the gut.
“There’s someone else who likes me, and I… I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she said gently.
“Lexie, you’ve been my light for so long, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I told her. I didn’t care how stupid it sounded, she needed to know. “Do you care about me?”
She swallowed hard. “Yeah.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Then that’s all that matters,” I said.
Her eyes watered. “Isaac… I don’t want to hurt anyone. This could be a disaster.”
“So, you what?” I asked, not understanding what she was saying. “You want me to pretend it never happened?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m really confused right now.”
I reached up and held her cheek. Her skin was soft under my fingers. “I can’t do that, Lexie.”
Those emerald eyes met mine. I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers. I slipped my hands around her waist and pulled her against me. Her breathing hitched as my lips moved with hers. My hard on pressed into her as her hands moved up my chest. Her lips parted; I took my chance and moved in. She met me stroke for stroke, setting the world on fire. A small, breathy moan came from her. Fuck… that sound. I held her tighter against me. Her hands balled in my shirt. I eased back slowly, enjoying every touch, every brush of her lips. When I met her eyes, we were both breathing hard.
“Now, if you can tell me that didn’t matter, I’ll walk away,” I promised her.
Her eyes were full of tears as she looked down at my chest. “I… I can’t.”
Light burst through me. I cradled her face in my hands. “I don’t want to hurt anyone either. We can keep this a secret until you’re sure. But I don’t want to stop kissing you. And I’m not going to pretend I’m not in love with you.” Her eyes grew wider. Her breathing hitched. I bent down and kissed her forehead. Then I backed up, dropping my hands from her. I left her standing in the grass under the stars.