Just a Pucking Kiss [COMPLETED]

Chapter 16 - Mint coffee

Morgan

On Monday afternoon, the weather is awful. I hold my coat closed as I brave the wind and snow and duck into Dirty.

There's instant warmth and serenity as I stomp my feet and shake off the snow. I blink a few times to get rid of the melted snowflakes on my eyelashes and hurry to the counter while giving a small wave to Kat and Lydia.

Kat asked me to meet them here today so we could hang out. I think she's adopted Lydia and wants me to be friendly with her as well. I haven't hung out with her a lot. We had a good time at the hockey game and I can tell she's a bit insecure, but eager to make friends.

All I really know about her is that she's in media and started dating Wes after almost getting him kicked off the hockey team. I think Kat mentioned that her parents died in a car crash a year and a half ago, but that doesn't seem like the thing to bring up or ask questions about.

I grab my mug of mint coffee, the reason we chose Dirty as a meeting place, and sit down with them.

"Well?" Kat says immediately.

"Well, what?" I ask and remove my coat, scarf and hat.

"How was the date?" Kat is smiling like a child about to get free rein in a candy store.

"It wasn't a date." I sigh and rub my hands before warming them on the mug.

"She was on a date yesterday," Kat says to Lydia. "With JD."

"I knew it," Lydia says. "I knew you'd come around."

"It wasn't a date," I insist. "I only hung out with him. And the reason I did that, my dear Kat, is you."

"Tell us everything," Kat says.

I'm starting to think telling her I kissed JD was the wrong move. I don't understand why she's so eager. If anything more ever happens, it might be best to keep her out of the loop.

I blink at my thoughts. Nothing more is going to happen. We're just going to try to get along so things don't get awkward.

"We went to the photo exhibit and walked around. Talked a bit. Then we had a burger. And then as we headed to the car, we saw this place selling hot chocolate, so we had some before he drove me back to the dorm."

"And?" Lydia says.

"And nothing. We realized we can be civil for Kat's sake." I bite my lip. "I'm actually surprised we didn't fight or anything."

I was more surprised about my urge to reach out and take his hand when it started to snow. And the thoughts I kept having about kissing away the chocolate from his lip.

"You had a good time?" Lydia raises an eyebrow.

"Sure." I frown and focus on my coffee. I really hadn't expected us to get along. At most, I hoped we could find something to talk about that would take time away from him being an asshole and us fighting.

"He's not a bad person," Kat says.

"He's an ass, and he treats you like shit." I sip my coffee.

"Morgan," Kat pleads.

"Fine, he's not all bad, and I think I can learn to get along with him. But I still don't like him."

I also don't like Lydia's smile.

"When I was six years old," Kat says. "I was sick. I don't remember if it was just the flu or something else. But it was pretty bad, and my parents were worried. They tried not to show it, but I remember lying in my bed looking up at my mom and I could tell she was scared."

Kat takes a sip of her coffee, and eyes are seeing the past.

"At one point, I was so cold and they wouldn't let me have the blanket on." She shakes her head. "Anyway, I was a little scared, just because mom was. When I woke up in the middle of the night, JD was sitting next to my bed, holding my hand. He was trying so hard not to fall asleep, but his eyes kept closing. I asked him what he was doing, because he had his own room. He said I wouldn't sleep unless he held my hand."

"Aww," Lydia says.

"He was still there in the morning. And he's been watching out for me ever since. Yes, sometimes he goes a bit too far, because I think he still sees me as that little girl who wouldn't sleep without holding his hand and he wants to protect me. I think he hasn't learned how to let go and can't handle me growing up and not needing him as much."

"Ah, fuck," I say and roll my head. "You just had to go and make him human."

Kat smiles. "I know you want to see him as the devil, because all you know about him is how he's treated me since I started UNI, but there is more to him."

"Fine, I admit. He might not be a complete asshole. But this doesn't excuse everything he's done. He's still somewhat of a misogynistic ass."

"Tell us more about the date," Lydia says.

"Not a date."

"Did you kiss again?"

"No." I protest a bit too loudly. "Of course we didn't."

Lydia shrugs. "You already kissed once. What's stopping you from doing it again?"

"Common decency. A working brain? The lack of alcohol? Take your pick. I do not want to kiss JD. It was a mistake and it won't happen again."

Lydia holds up her hands.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" Kat asks. "Did you see your friends on Saturday?"

"I did. It was a lot of fun. But after having seen the UNI Lions play, I can see why they don't take Rivers seriously."

"You have friends on the Rivers hockey team?" Lydia asks.

"Yeah, I went to high school with a couple of them. Me and Anthon were best friends and we still hang out when I go back home."

"Traitor." Lydia has a twinkle in her eye. "Next thing you'll be telling us, you dress in Rivers' colors and cheer them on."

I grin. "Not against the Lions. I know better than that. But let's talk about something aside from me. What were you guys up to this weekend?"

"You already know what I did," Kat says with a wink.

I roll my eyes, but Lydia only laughs.

"Yeah, me and Wes spent most of the weekend in bed, ordering in food and talking about when we might be able to get Max."

"When do you think?" Kat asks eagerly.

"I'm not sure. He asked Chloe about it last week, and she sounded like she was thinking about it. But then she saw me and freaked out. It's like she just doesn't want him to be happy. She doesn't want him back, but she also doesn't want him to be with me."

"I'm sorry about that," I say. Lydia looks so sad about the whole situation.

"I'm just worried about Wes. He needs to focus all his energy on hockey, and I know he worries about Max more than he should."

"Is there anything we can do?" I ask.

Lydia shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. But I'll let you know if things change."

We move on to other topics and the more time I spend with Lydia, the more I like her. I had heard rumors about her partying and stealing boats and whatnot, but that's not the impression I'm getting as we sip our mint coffees and laugh the afternoon away.