Ki$$ & $ell

Ki$$ & $ell: Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Hey, Arielle! You feeling any better?”

            “Hi, Ryder,” I said tentatively. “I’m doing a lot better now, thanks for asking.”

            “That’s good,” he said over the phone. “I knew things would work out in the end.”

            “Yeah, I guess they did,” I answered. I was growing antsier by the minute and couldn’t help myself as I blurted out what was on my mind. “Ryder, did you bid on my kiss? Because according to my account…you won.”

            He fell silent.

Finally, clearing his throat he answered. “Yeah, I got the confirmation this morning.”

            As the admission hit me, I started to sweat a little.

“If you bid because you felt bad for me or something, you didn’t have to do that,” I said, stammering. I was nervous about this next part, but forced myself to keep going. “And if you really do want to kiss me, you could’ve done it for free last night, you know.”

When I’d first discovered that it was Ryder who’d won the eBay listing that morning, I’d nearly passed out. It didn’t make sense. He was a celeb. He could kiss anyone he wanted to. Why would he choose me? Also, if I was being honest with myself, I’d never really gotten that vibe from him.

Don’t get me wrong. Part of me wished Ryder felt that way about me. I even daydreamed more than once, about him confessing his undying love. But things between us had never dipped into the romantic end of the pool. With the exception of a few moments of hand-holding and a slow-dance, we’d remained firmly in the friend zone. The surprising thing was that I was almost okay with that.

            I held my breath as I waited for his answer.

“Look, Arielle, I didn’t do it because I felt bad for you. You’re one of the coolest, down-to-earth, funniest people I’ve ever met. You don’t need my help in that department. In fact, I think the only reason no one’s kissed you yet is because no one worth kissing has come around,” he said. “And believe me, if I thought you actually liked me like that, I would’ve made a move on you the first day we met. But we both know that your heart’s not totally in it. You feel that too, right?”

            And I did. It was hard to explain, but even though I loved Ryder as a person and as a friend, I couldn’t picture us working out as a couple. Of course, if he understood this, then what was going on?

            “I’m sorry, I’m just a little bit confused. Why did you bid then, Ryder?”

            “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you deserve to have that magical first time,” he said slowly. “Your first kiss should be with someone you really like. It should be special. Not something you do just to ‘get it over with.’ So, I bought your first kiss—and I’m asking you to give it to someone who’s worthy of being that guy for you. Because you deserve it.”

            “Oh.” It was possibly the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. Why wasn’t I in love with this guy again?

            “Listen, I have to run. We’re shooting Night Light tonight and I have to get back,” he said. As he said it, I could hear people in the background. “But before I go, can I give you some advice?”

            “Sure,” I said, my head swimming.

            “That guy, Cade? The one who was staring me down for just being at the dance with you? I think you should see if there’s something there.”