22 First Kisses

5 ~ First Read

Violet

Angela handed out wedding invites on the way out from the party. I think it's a smart way to save money on stamps. I'm sure she has plenty more to send though. She strikes me as the girl who wants a big wedding, and I'm positive, and I mean positive, that it'll be a party.

Josh said he'd be by in about a half hour, which gives me plenty of time to tidy up around the apartment before he gets here.

I put away my books on the coffee table and arrange them nicely on my book shelf by the tv. I straighten my plants and place all their leaves right in the correct placements, and even though it doesn't seemingly do much, it makes a big difference to me.

I hear the knock on my door, and I walk over to open it and see Josh standing there leaning against the door frame.

"Let's get to reading." he says in a charming tone, and I start to feel nervous at the thought of someone reading my work.

I didn't really think it through at the party. Champagne makes me bubbly and open to new ideas. Violet without champagne is a basket case full of worries that probably won't ever come true.

I step aside to let him in, and he already seems comfortable considering he's only been here once. He makes his way slowly to my room, eyeing my cleaned apartment. I follow closely behind him, and when we get to my room, he steps in and takes a seat on the bed.

"Look, I've never let anyone read my stuff before. Let alone a guy I barely know-"

"Get to know me then." he says and my heart skips a beat at his boldness. He leans back on the bed, supporting himself with only his arms and hands.

"I'm sorry?" I say with a nervous giggle.

"Get to know me." he repeats.

"Okay, you tell me what I should know besides the stuff we've already covered. We know you're a baseball coach. What else is there to you?" I say as I cross my arms and playfully smile at him.

"I like strawberry ice cream. Chocolate and vanilla aren't really my thing. I'm an adrenaline junkie, so rollercoasters make me excited. I don't like cats, I'm allergic, and they make me sneeze. I-"

"Oh come on." I cut him off.

"What?" he asks me, confusion written all over his face.

"Tell me something good. Like what's your biggest fear? What keeps you up at night? What's something in your past you wish you could change? You know. The good stuff." I say as I crouch down and grab my box of stories from the bottom of my closet.

"Wow. Here I was thinking you were shy." he says with a raise eyebrow. "There's more to you?"

"I'm an anxious girl, but I still have a personality. I don't like the little stuff. Anyone can know those things. I'm more interested in what makes you, you." I say, feeling way more comfortable around him than I did at the start.

"Okay, that's fair. An answer for an answer?" he asks me, and I nod my head yes.

"My biggest fear is falling for someone again." he says as he meets my eyes. To be honest, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react. I didn't expect him to open up so quickly, but I'm starting to see he's not too shy with his feelings. If anything, that makes him more attractive to me.

"You will again someday. Hopefully she'll be the right one when you're ready for her." I say with a hopeful smile, and he examines me quietly.

"Your turn." he says quietly without acknowledging my comment.

"Mine would probably be falling for someone in general." I tell him as I pick through my old stories trying to find the right one to share.

"Why are you afraid of that?" he asks me curiously, and I look at him as if he's crazy.

"Look what happened to you. Now doing it again is your biggest fear." I say, and it takes me a moment to realize that was probably a harsh comment to say. I look up to see how he took it, but he seems just fine.

"You're right. It's scary, but I think it'll be more fun for you."

"Why is that?" I ask him as I sit in front of him on the bed criss crossing my legs.

"Well have you ever fallen for someone before? Like really fallen? I'm talking can't stop thinking about them."

"No. I've only ever read and written about it." I admit sheepishly.

"That's why it'll be fun for you. Everything is new. All those new feelings."

"I'm still scared of them." I tell him, and he smiles down at me.

"I think you'll do just fine." he says with a sweet smile.

"How can you be so sure?" I ask him, feeling skeptical.

To this he doesn't answer. Instead, he just stares at me for what seems like forever. Moments pass, and I choose to cut off the moment by plopping a notebook full of stories in his lap.

He looks down at it, clearly startled by the interruption, and flips through the first few pages. He clears his throat awkwardly before opening his mouth to speak.

"What's this one about?" he asks as he eyes the cover.

"It's the first one I ever wrote. Takes place in a high school with two band nerds. It's the only thing I knew about at the time."

"Why choose this one for me to read first?" he asks me.

"You gotta know where I started to know where I stopped."

With those words, he leans back and lays down on my bed. He opens up the first page and starts to read.

~

We spent hours reading through chapter after chapter of different books I've written over the years. I watched for his reactions on every page and bit my nails anxiously waiting for harsh criticism. It never came.

"You're good Violet." he says after he puts down the fifth book. We only read a few chapters from each. The ones I was most proud of.

"Really?" I ask, feeling unsure.

"Really. You've got me wanting to know what happens between these characters."

"Really?!" I say, this time feeling more excited.

"Yes Violet. I normally don't read, but this was really goo-"

I throw my arms around him, completely cutting him off, and squeeze tight. I've never put my work out there for anyone to read at all, and the first person I do makes a comment like that. I'm on cloud nine.

I pull away and he looks at me and gives his most genuine smile, teeth and all.

"You've got the charm of a little kid." he says quietly, and I feel my face become warm.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask him.

"I said charm. It's the most refreshing thing I've seen in a long time." He pauses for a moment, almost trying to contemplate whether or not to say something else. "You're refreshing." he finally says and if my face wasn't red before, it sure is now. From the looks of it, it seems like it took a lot for him to say that.

I think it's safe to say my biggest fear is coming true. I'm falling.

~

The story is picking up y'all! I'm excited for everyone to see what's coming next!

As always, thank you for reading! I love reading comments, and I appreciate every vote <3