It Started With Hello

Chap. 33

"Did you bring food or eat before coming down here?" he questioned, finally removing his hand. Honestly, she didn't think about eating before coming. "I honestly didn't think about it," she shrugged as if it didn't matter.

He grumbled before pulling his bag onto his lap, pulling out a blue Tupperware container along with two bottles of water. "Um, my mom made this. We can share." Opening the container, there was spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread. It looked delicious, but she knew she shouldn't eat it, so she shook her head no, making him sigh. "Listen, my mom will be really upset if you don't eat this. My dad too, honestly... I'm pretty sure my parents care more about your well-being than mine." He grinned, handing her a fork, which she took reluctantly. It was nice to know that his parents still seemed to like her even after learning about her crazy parents.

She swirled the fork in the spaghetti, taking a big bite. She moaned, closing her eyes at the flavor. It was so delicious; it had been a while since she had flavorful, bad-for-you food. Opening her eyes, he was staring at her, making her mouth go dry. She opened one of the bottles of water, taking a gulp.
"I'll let my mom know you approve," he grinned, taking a bite out of the garlic bread. "So how did that fake date go? Jake... or whatever his name is, didn't try anything, right?"

She let out a little laugh as she set down the bottle, thinking over her answer. The last thing she wanted was to pull him into her drama, but Jason already seemed to hate him, so... "It's Jason, and honestly, the guy's crazy for real." His fork paused on the way to his mouth.
"What did he do?" The look in his eyes was like he wanted to track Jason down this very moment to beat his ass.

She took a bite of the bread, wiping her lips. "Well, it's hard to explain. It's just the way he acts around everyone else is completely different from when he's around me. He wants us to be together, and just so you know, he is not my boyfriend." She held up a hand as if to reassure him. Why did she feel like she even needed to bring it up? It's not like they were together or anything.
"Nice to know," he said, the corner of his lip going up slightly "Luckily, after we saw you, he brought me home." She leaned back, eating another forkful of spaghetti. She looked over at him. "By the way, are you sure it's okay if I keep your phone?"

He shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he licked his lips. "Yeah, keep it. I already have a new one." She nodded, looking into the container. He looked down and fidgeted with his rings, as if he had something he wanted to say.
"If I wanted you to go somewhere with me, would you go? If I could figure out a way around your parent situation?" she let out a laugh, wondering what he was even talking about.

"Depends on where you want to go," she said honestly. He always seemed to pull her into crazy situations, but she never really minded.

He looked up at her again, playing with the ends of his hair. "Sooo, every summer, me, my parents, Alex, Chris, and Kandy go camping for a few weeks. Um, is that something you would wanna be part of?" He was acting nervous, and it was honestly adorable to her. He never really showed this side of himself to her. She bit her fork, thinking how she could ever turn this down.

"If you can figure out a way to make my parents agree to let me go, then... yeah, I would like to go." He smiled, nodding as she took another bite of food. She rolled her eyes as a memory suddenly came to mind. "I honestly can't believe Jason was my first kiss, and now he's my first boyfriend, even if it's forced."

He watched her for a moment as the alarm on his new phone went off. He reached in his bag, turning it off. "Lunch is almost over. We better pack up." She handed him the fork, bottles of water, and container. He packed everything back up, putting it in his bag before pulling out his uniform white button-up, putting it back on, rolling up the sleeves. He stood up, throwing his bag over his shoulder before reaching out a hand to her. She grabbed his hand; he easily pulled her up. Their chests touched for a moment before she let go of his hand, taking a step back.

"Well, I better get going." She turned, fiddling with the end of her ponytail. She started to walk away when he grabbed her hand again, making her turn back to face him, confused. He looked deep into her eyes for a moment, a silent question passing between them. Then, slowly, he raised his hands to cup the sides of her face, his thumbs gently caressing her cheekbones. Her breath hitched. He leaned closer, his gaze locked on hers, and then his lips, soft and warm, met hers.

Emma's eyes widened, a jolt of pure shock mixed with something electric shooting through her. Unlike Jason's harsh, forced press, Blake's kiss was gentle and tentative, a soft exploration. Her eyelids fluttered closed, a soft sigh escaping her. Her hands, almost on their own, rose to cover his on her cheeks, feeling the cool metal of his rings against her skin. He tasted faintly of spaghetti and mint, a surprising, comforting combination.

A thousand tiny fireworks seemed to ignite behind her eyelids, sparkling through her entire body, a warmth spreading from her chest outward.

Every nerve ending hummed. When he slowly pulled his lips away, he lingered for a moment, his gaze still holding hers, before his tongue darted out, just barely touching the corner of her mouth. A shiver, completely unlike the fear Jason inspired, ran through her, a delicious, teasing chill. He still stood incredibly close, their breaths mingling, as he whispered, "You had tomato sauce on your lips."

Her eyes slowly opened, blinking up at his grinning face, a playful light dancing in his green eyes. His hands finally fell from her cheeks, and he took a step back, breaking the spell.
"I'll see you around, Emma." He walked around her frozen body, out from under the bleachers and into the bright school hallway.

She just stood there, rooted to the spot, a dazed smile slowly spreading across her face. "Oh my god," she whispered, touching her tingling lips with her fingertips, "Blake Black just kissed me!" The world felt lighter, brighter, and the excitement for tomorrow surged through her.