Summer Solstice

A Sweet Goodnight

He was just as gentle as before, but his lips moved more urgently across mine. I tried not to respond, knowing it was going to hurt even worse in the morning, when Konai would no longer be interested in being nice to me, let alone be interested at all.

He groaned and pulled me closer, wrapping himself around me. His fingers knotted in my hair. Firm lips pressed closer and his breath mixing with mine was loosening my grip on reality. He tasted so sweet, too sweet to be real. Giving in, I wound my arms around him, twisting my fingers around the loose hair hanging down his back. His hair was like satin running through my fingers. His hand was running up and down the small of my back, the momentum making my skin burn.

Everything was hot, my mind felt like it was melting away. I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, and he moaned again. His arms loosened slightly, then his fingers started running a trail down my neck and shoulders. His fingertips burned a line down my arms where they stopped and grasped my hands. He pulled away slowly, carefully.

It was there, that light in his eyes, the one that had been confusing me all night. It was shining so brightly it was almost too painful to look at him. He looked so utterly, blissfully happy. He smiled slightly, "Sorry, I've been waiting to do that." His grin was crooked.

"I can't explain it really, and there's no excuse for my behavior, but, I will try." I didn't quite understand what he was saying. He let go of me, and then leaned in to kiss my cheek once more. "Will you meet me at the docks tomorrow?" His intoxicating breath on my face was crumpling any will I had to say no.

Tomorrow. See him again, tomorrow.

"Yes."

He smiled again, then walked back down the stairs. He turned and smiled once more, "Goodnight Andrea." Then he got into his car. My hands were shaking slightly as I tried to open the door.

A buzzing noise in my ears startled me. I shook my head, but the buzzing was still there. I laughed, yanking the phone out of my purse and flipping it open. "Yes?" Wow, I could barely speak. Where was my voice?

"What happened? Tell me everything!"

She sounded like she was having a heart attack. I laughed into the phone. "Kaida, it's almost midnight, and your brothers going to be home in a few minutes, why don't you ask him?" Not that I wanted my best friend to know exactly what had happened.

"You disappeared off the dance floor and I couldn't see you anymore, I thought you two were fighting it out, but then..." There was a tone in her voice I didn't recognize,"...then you two spent all night together." I was glad she wasn't here to see me turn red from head to toe.

"Don't be ridiculous, there just wasn't anyone else that was going to dance with me, he was being nice." She was silent for a few seconds. "Huh, really? Because two of the guys in our history class tried to interrupt you two but Konai glared at them. He wouldn't let anybody cut in. Not to mention all the girls who'd wanted to dance with him, they didn't even bother! What is going on, really?"

I wished that I knew. "I'm not sure, not really anyways. I think maybe your brother got hit by lightning." I paused. "Kaida, I think he likes me." Likes? My skin burned from where his fingers had left a trail. "Likes you?" She was only a little incredulous. "It's okay, I mean, if you want to date my brother, it's just, you know..."

"Weird?"

"Yeah. No! I mean it's okay, it's cool, but, not something I would have expected." Yeah, that made two of us. There was a faint clicking sound in the phone. A door closing.

Kaida's voice was shrill, "How fast were you driving? Are you nuts? I hope Josap saw you and calls dad." No, there was no way he was already home. "Hey what....?" But she never got to finish her sentence.

"Andrea?" His voice, soft and soothing, saying my name.

I laughed, "Yes?"

"I will see you tomorrow, at the dock?"

"Yes Konai," I tried hard not to giggle.

"Promise?"

"I promise."