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.”
“You think?” I asked, surprised to hear him say this.
“Yeah. He seems like a good guy—and he’s crazy-into you,” he said, then chuckled. “For a second there, I thought he was going to fight me.”
“Okay,” I said, overwhelmed by all this news. What else were you supposed to say to the guy who’d just bought your kiss but didn’t want to kiss you?
“Okay—but if I still haven’t kissed anyone a year from now, then I’m coming to collect.”
He laughed. “It’s a deal.”
We said our good-byes and hung up. I sat there on my bed for a few minutes, going back over what had just happened. In a way, I could see what he was saying. And I knew that I should feel lucky to have such a great guy looking out for me. But the fact was that I was back where I started.
Kissless and alone.
But what about Cade? How weird was it that Ryder had brought him up? Had he seen something that I didn’t?
I mean, Cade was good looking. He had that tall, dark and handsome thing going for him, and had perfected his smolder so well that any girl practically melted in his presence. Also, we got along. At least, when he wasn’t upset with me because I was keeping things from him or going to Homecoming with another guy. And he had great taste in food…
Wait, where was this going? Did I like Cade? More importantly: was Cade into me? I couldn’t forget the fact that he’d gone to the dance with Kristi. And in my world, that was a capital offense punishable by public shunning.
Still, I couldn’t shake this feeling that was growing in my gut. I got onto my computer and looked over my new messages again. Right in the middle of about a dozen, was Cade’s e-mail, sitting where I’d left it, unopened. Taking a breath, I clicked on the subject line and felt a tingling bubble up in my stomach as I began to read.
TO: Arielle Sawyer
FROM: Cade Jones
Hey. I saw you run out of the dance last night. You looked upset. Sorry I was sort of a dick about everything. It was a weird night. Can we meet up? I’d like to explain, if I can.
*Cade*
P.S. I don’t like Kristi. I owed her a favor and she asked me to help her out. I had no idea she was going to say all those things.
I smiled and without thinking, hit reply and started writing back.
TO: Cade Jones
FROM: Arielle Sawyer
Can you be at Chat & Chew at 3pm? I want to talk to you about something, too.
Arielle
P.S. I’m glad you don’t like Kristi.
I hit send and started to get dressed while I waited for his response. Jumping into the shower, I attempted to wash away all the bad memories of the night before. The more I thought about this new thing with Cade, the more excited I got to talk to him. After a few minutes, I emerged from the steaming room clean, refreshed and on a mission.
I glanced at my e-mail and saw that Cade had responded.
TO: Arielle Sawyer
FROM: Cade Jones
I’ll be there.
*Cade*
P.S. I’m glad you’re glad.
I shut down my computer and finished getting dressed, throwing on a pair of ripped jeans and a striped tee. I brushed through my wet hair and pulled it back into a messy bun, before slicking some color quickly across my lids. Inspecting myself in the mirror, I was satisfied with my low-key look. The truth was, I was sick of worrying so much about what other people thought of me. From here on out, I was staying true to me.
I snatched my purse off my desk and ran downstairs and out the front door.
* * * *
The window table at Chat & Chew, was the best one in the place, because you could people-watch for hours. I liked to imagine the conversations that passersby might be having, while sitting there. It was also the easiest way to see people coming when you were waiting for a friend—or maybe even a cute guy—to show.
The diner was only 10 minutes away from my house, so it was easy enough to get to. It was my favorite diner in town, mostly because they had this desert sampler plate, where they’d bring you a small slice of all the cakes, pies and cookies they had for the day. I loved tasting a little bit of everything, because I never knew what my craving was going to be until I started eating.
My legs jumped up and down nervously as I waited for Cade. A glance at my cell told me that he was already six minutes late. I didn’t want to let myself wonder whether I was being stood up, but of course it’s where my thoughts wandered to. Had I completely misread the situation? Suddenly all my confidence and excitement started to fade as doubt crept slowly in.
Then I saw him. He walked down the street toward me, hands hidden in his pockets and his face stuffed inside the collar of his jacket. He looked down at his feet as he walked, and didn’t seem to notice me sitting there until he was less than five feet away. When our eyes locked, he gave me a little smile and a half wave, before pulling open the restaurant door.
“Hey,” he said, as he sat down across from me.
“Hey,” I repeated.
We sat there for a minute just staring at each other and waiting for the other to speak first. I must have won the stare-off, because Cade finally cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his seat.
“Thanks for meeting me,” he said finally. “I just wanted to talk to you in person and try to explain why I acted the way I did last night.”
“Yeah, what was up with that?” I asked, curiously.
Cade ran a hand through his hair, like he was trying to figure out what to say. “I was just…frustrated, you know? You’re such a cool girl and it’s been nice hanging out with you the last few weeks. And then you went to the dance with that actor guy and I kind of freaked.”
“So, when Kristi asked me to go with her to the dance to pay off a favor she did for me last year, I said yes. I didn’t know you guys hated each other. I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t there with her. Like that. It didn’t mean anything.”
I nodded as I processed what he was saying.
“And I get that my reaction to your date wasn’t cool. I just couldn’t stand to see you there with him. Dancing with him. Laughing with him. It made me mad.”
“But why?” I asked finally. “He’s not a bad guy, you know. I think people just see him as this stuck-up celebrity and that’s just not him.”
“I know. And I’m sure he’s a good guy. I guess I would’ve been jealous of whoever you went with,” Cade admitted, looking around at anything but me.
Whoa. Cade Jones was jealous of Ryder? Because he went to the dance with me? This was turning out to be the weirdest day.
“And I know that’s not fair to you. I just want you to be happy, and if that means being with him, then I’ll learn to deal,” he said, sounding pained.
“We’re not together,” I blurted out. “We’re just friends. Besides, there’s someone else who I’m sort of into right now.”
“Oh. Okay,” Cade said, suddenly looking even more uncomfortable than before. “Well, like I said, I’m happy if you’re happy.”
I couldn’t believe what I was about to say, but I channeled my inner McCartney and said it anyway. “I think I’ll be happiest if I’m with you.”
Cade’s head shot up in surprise. He searched my eyes for confirmation that I wasn’t joking. When he saw I wasn’t, relief washed over his face and he smiled.
“You don’t have to say anything right now, and I’ll understand if you don’t want to, but I was wondering if maybe we could hang out some more…” I began tentatively.
Before I could finish my sentence, his mouth was on mine and we were kissing. His lips were soft as we gently pressed them together, getting closer than I’d ever been to a guy before. I could smell the soap he’d used in the shower before he met me and sighed just loud enough for him to hear. Time could’ve stopped around us and I wouldn’t have noticed.
What felt like an eternity, but was probably just a few seconds later, we pulled away and I kept my eyes closed for a moment, reveling in the experience. I committed how I was feeling to memory, since I knew that I’d be recalling the experience for the rest of my life.
“Wow,” I said, when I could finally speak again.
“Yeah,” he agreed, now fully beaming at me. “Wait, what about your eBay thing? Did I just ruin it?”
“Actually…Ryder had the winning bid,” I answered. I watched as Cade’s face fell. “But he told me I should wait until it was the perfect time, with the perfect person. And as far as I’m concerned, you’re it.”
We grinned stupidly at each other again, and then leaned in for what would be my second kiss. And third. And fourth.
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Thanks so much for reading Ki$$ & $ell guys!!! I'm so happy you stuck around for the whole thing and appreciate all the love and support you've given me along the way! Don't forget, if you want to spread your love even further, you can buy the book on Amazon (for yourself or a friend). And if you liked Arielle's story, be sure to tell your friends about it.
:)
Britt