"Absolutely not. I won't do it."
"Come on, Carrie! It's for a good cause and the girl who was supposed to help me came down with mono." My best friend Gina whined.
I rolled my eyes, "Ironic that she came down with mono before the kissing booth, considering mono is rumored to be the so called kissing disease."
"That's totally a myth." She waved her hand impatiently and then begged, "So will you help me. All the money is going to kids at St. Christopher's school for kids with special needs. For the kids, Carrie."
I groaned. Damn it. She had me and I knew she knew it by the smile that suddenly blossomed on her face. Gina was one you could call a blond bombshell. She was tall, curvy, and sassy. Just like the guys at school liked. We were set to graduate high school next month and I knew Gina would go places. I, however, was more reserved. Not that I wouldn't go places too, it just always seemed like I had to work extra hard for everything I got. I wasn't resentful toward Gina, because she seemed to get things handed to her. I might have been a little jealous, but I wasn't resentful. I envied her. I wanted to be her when I grew up.
I swallowed a curse and said, "Fine, but why do you need a second person anyway? Can't you just do it on your own?"
"I figure with how big my family is, I better have a backup. I do have like nine male cousins and three brothers, you know? I don't want to be kissing any of them. So, I promise to take the majority of the work today, but if any of my relation shows up, I'll need you to step in." Gina explained, as she arranged an auburn colored wig over her hair and then a pretty pink mask over the top part of her face, leaving her eyes free. This was to be an anonymous kissing booth, at least.
I hadn't thought about who I'd possibly have to kiss, though, and now that Gina mentioned her family, only one person came to mind. I'd secretly had a crush on Gina's older brother, Greg, since before I knew what a crush was. Gina didn't even know about my feelings. Greg was two years older than us and about the hottest thing since sliced bread. His hair wasn't as blond as Gina's. While hers was close to bleached blond, Greg's was kind of a dirty blond. His eyes were a rich hazel color that reminded me of honeycomb. He was a good five inches taller than me and spent a fair amount of time in a gym. In a word, Greg Neely was perfect and he'd never seen me as more than a sister-type.
Trying not to panic, I ask Gina, "Most of your cousins and brothers are older. What makes you think they'd be interested in a kissing booth?"
Gina shrugged, "It's for charity, but they did put age limitations. Everyone has to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, so that's still the majority of my brothers and cousins. They don't want a bunch of pervy old men coming at us with their tongues, which I appreciate. Now, let's get this wig and mask on you."
Gina helped me pin a long blond wig into place. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I stared in fascination. I'd always been jealous of Gina's blond hair, but had been too chicken to dye mine. Seeing myself blond now, I wasn't sure if I liked it. I looked like a different person and that's not what I wanted. It would serve its purpose for the evening, but as soon as the kissing booth closed, I'd gladly go back to my brown hair. It may feel like a dull color sometimes, but at least it was me. Gina handed me a turquoise mask and I put it in place, before we stood side-by-side in front of the mirror. Nobody would be recognizing either one of us tonight.
"Alright, let's roll." Gina stated and grabbed my arm, practically dragging me out of her house and across the street, to the community hall, where the kissing booth was now set up. There was already a large line forming, but I didn't have time to see if I knew anyone because we were yanked behind a curtain.
We were quickly instructed, by a bossy little old lady, "Ok girls, you'll take turns and I'll let you work that out for yourselves. Whichever one of you that isn't out there kissing, will remain back here. We'd like to keep your identities safe and in order to do that, we can't have you fraternizing with the customers between shifts. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am." We both said, in unison.
"Good, now discuss how you want to split the shift and then one of you get out there. We're having a great turn out." She bossed one last time before leaving the two of us alone behind the curtain.
"Ok, since I know you don't really want to do this, I'll go out first and only come get you if one of my family members is next in line or if I absolutely can't breathe through all the saliva and need a break. Deal?"
"Uh, gross, but deal, I guess." I tell her. Then I watch as she applied some lip-gloss and then she flounced out to the cheers of the crowd. I wasn't sure how long it'd be before I'd be forced to go out there, but I pulled out my phone to try to distract myself. I tried to get into the iBook that had me riveted the day before, but I couldn't get into it today. I couldn't avoid looking at the curtain opening, with dread, because sure enough Gina came back and informed me I'd have to take over for a little while.
"It's my cousin's Blake and Colby. If you'll take them and about a dozen more, so it's not so obvious, that'd be great. I mean, if I went right back out after those two, they'd know something was up and probably figure out who I am." Gina instructed.
"A dozen? How many people are out there?" I asked, with my nerves threatening to overpower me.
"Dozens. I've heard people say the line goes around the block and some are even getting in line a second time. We're going to make loads of cash for those kids." Gina said, excitedly.
I forced a smile. I was happy for the kids, but did it really have to be a kissing booth? With dread settling in my stomach, I walked out with much less enthusiasm than Gina had. Blake stood waiting and I had to fight the urge to laugh. If he knew it was me, he'd probably run for the hills. I managed to not laugh and he was a surprisingly good kisser. Next was Colby, who was an awkward, but quick kisser. My dozen guys went surprisingly fast and painless, so while I waited behind the curtain again I was much less nervous.
Gina was out there a long time then, bless her. I was practically dozing off when she finally came back and stated, "My brother is up next and there is only about eight guys left. Would you mind finishing up? I don't think I could kiss one more person today."
I nod, "Sure." Then I move the curtain aside and trip over my own feet. Greg. I hadn't bothered to ask her which brother was in line, because I'd doubted Greg would show up today. He had better things to do, didn't he? He'd taken a year's college program to get a certificate in Auto body. He'd been working for the garage downtown ever since.
"You ok?" He asked, looking worried.I hopped up and then patted my wig, making sure it was still in place.
Then I moved to my stool and muttered, "I'm fine."
"You sure?" He leaned in, but it wasn't for a kiss. It was out of concern.
I suddenly couldn't find my voice. He was so beautiful. I stared at him in wonder. Was I really going to get to kiss him? Probably not, if I didn't snap out of it. I finally managed, "Yes, I'm sure. So, um...ready?"
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "A buddy dared me to do this or I wouldn't be here. He said I don't take enough chances. So, uh, yea, I guess I'm ready."
We both leaned. Miraculously he leaned one way and I leaned the other, so our lips lined up perfectly when they touched. For the first time that day, I closed my eyes for a kiss. Kissing Greg was like a dream and I never wanted to wake up. Even when he lifted his head, I kept my eyes closed, not wanting the moment to be over.
"Ok, the booth is closed folks."
My eyes snapped open to see Greg pushing the other guys away. They grumbled, but they went. What in the world was he doing? Then I watched as he threw enough money in the pot to cover all of those guys and then some, before he cupped my face and kissed me more deeply. I wasn't sure what got into him, but I definitely wasn't complaining. When he lifted his head a second time, he confessed, "I, um...it's been awhile since I've kissed anyone, so maybe I'm just out of practice, but I don't think that's it. Kissing you is like..."
"A dream?" I asked, with hope.
He smiled, "Maybe, yea."
I smiled too, but then I frowned. Once he learned it was me, would he take everything back that he'd just said? Before I could decide what to do or say next, the boss lady returned and dragged me behind the curtain, thanking a dumbfounded Greg. Gina and I were then escorted out a back door. Once we were outside, Gina demanded, "What happened? That wasn't enough time for you to kiss all eight guys."
"Um, Greg, kissed me and then he made the others leave. He paid for all of them and then some, before he kissed me again." I admitted.
Gina blinked at me, in surprise, "So, wow...he must have really liked kissing you. Wow. I never would have pictured the two of you together, but now, I can totally picture it."
"I've had a crush on Greg forever." I blurt for the first time, ever.
"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me? Has he ever given you any sign that he'd be interested?"
"No." I tell her, sadly.
"Well, we'll fix that. You're spending the night at my house tonight and operation catch my brother is underway. Ew, that sounds gross. We'll think of another name for our mission later."
"I don't know, Gina.""I do know and I just decided that you're going to be my sister-in-law someday. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner." She said, excitedly, and pulled me across the street to her house, where we hurried to her room to get rid of our disguises. Once I was just plain ole me again, I figured this plan of hers was a lost cause. Greg hadn't shown any interest in me before, why would he start now?
We went downstairs for a snack, because Gina insisted we'd need fuel to come up with a good plan. I went along, not at all sure if I wanted to do this. Greg was so far out of my league. When we entered the kitchen we found him and another of their brother's, Garrett. Garrett was laughing, "So you find what you think is your dream girl at a kissing booth, of all places, and you don't even know who she is?"
I tripped again. Garrett's words caused a jolt to my heart and my brain stopped working, so they forgot to tell my legs to move properly. Greg reached out and caught me, effortlessly, so I didn't face-plant into the countertop. He frowned down at me for a second, before releasing me. I blushed, embarrassed. I muttered a quiet "thank you" and then hightailed it back out of the room. I went straight to Gina's bedroom where I seriously contemplated smothering myself with her pillow.
"Chick, that was a wasted opportunity down there. You were in his arms!" Gina scolded when she came back with two sodas and several bags of chips. I wondered what she would do when her metabolism shut down. I snorted at that. She'd probably be one of the lucky ones who never had to worry about their weight.
I groaned, "I love you, Gina. I really do, but sometimes you piss me off."
"What did I do?"
"Nothing! That's the biggest problem. You're gorgeous, can eat what you want, can do anything you set your mind to, and you're super nice on top of it! If you were a bitch to people, I'd probably have to hate you, but you're not."Gina sighed,
"Listen Carrie, I'm tired of you thinking that you're less than. You're pretty in your own way. I'm going to help you see it! I'm going to give you a makeover tonight, not because you need one, but because you deserve to see yourself the way I see you! Now, get up and stop wallowing!"
An hour later, Gina had made good on her promise. My hair was fluffed out and curled. My eyes looked bright and excited, accented by smoky gray eyeshadow. Gina had gone very light on the foundation, claiming I didn't need it. She'd placed just enough blush to make my cheekbones stand out in the most beautiful way. Somehow I'd let her talk me into a red and navy maxi dress. It was strapless and fitted at the top, showcasing that I did indeed have boobs. It flowed down the rest of my body and was way too long, considering it belonged to Gina who was quite a bit taller than me. Gina shoved red heels on my feet that I just knew would kill me.
"Um, I can't just go downstairs and lounge around the living room like this. I'll look like an idiot." I tell her.
She rolled her eyes, "That's why we're going out, Silly."
"Isn't the whole point of this to gain Greg's attention? How will I do that if I'm not around him?"
"Would you have a little faith in me, please?" She said, stepping into her closest, and coming back out wearing the tiniest, tightest dress I'd ever seen. She flipped her head over, fluffed her hair, and then flipped it back, letting it settle in perfect waves over her shoulders.
I glared, "Have I mentioned, I love you, but you piss me off. One flip of your hair and you're ready to go out. It took me an hour!"
"Love you too and I took extra care with you because this is going to be a big night for you." She said, then stepped into heels even taller than mine and effortlessly walked out of the room, blowing me a kiss over her shoulder.
I guess that was my que to join her. I wobbled the first few steps, but then started to get the hang of it. I totally would have made it all the way down the stairs, without tripping down the last few, if Greg had not suddenly snapped, "You're not going out like that, Gina!"I jumped, and tripped for the third time that day, which propelled me down the stairs. Greg caught me, yet again, only this time we ended up chest-to-chest and nose-to-nose, with his arms wrapped tightly around me. Since the dress I was wearing didn't allow for a bra, I was worried that my suddenly, very alert nipples would stab him to death. His eyes met mine and I held his stare. His widened and then dipped, before he suddenly released me and snapped, "Ab-so-fucking-lutely not! Gina, what the hell did you do to Carrie? She was fine the way she was!"
"Fine?" I gritted out. I'd never hated a word more than I did that one, in that moment.
Greg groaned, "Not fine. I mean, you know what I meant!"
"We're going to Fritz's and we're eighteen, so you can't stop us. If you don't like it, then come with us, oh big protective one." Gina said, glaring at her brother. When Greg looked at the floor and his shoulders drooped in resignation, Gina winked at me, but hide her smirk when Greg lifted his head to glare at her.
He snapped, "Fine! Let's go."
"Fine, but loosen up. I refuse to hang with you if you're going to look like a crabby bodyguard all night." Gina huffed and then flounced out the door, getting into the backseat of Greg's car, leaving the front passenger seat for me. Since she was playing mad at him, I hoped it wouldn't be too obvious that she was just giving me the chance to sit next to him.
Greg surprised me by opening the door for me, but I managed a mumbled, "Thank you."
Before I could get inside, Greg leaned close and whispered, "I didn't mean fine in a bad way. I'm just saying, you don't need to go to all of this trouble to look good. Neither does she, but she don't listen to me."
I felt warm all over as I repeated, "Thank you."
My happy feelings didn't last long. Greg placed a call on the way to Fritz's and invited someone to join us. I just knew it had to be a girl, but as soon as we got settled around a pool table, it was Lance Corrigan who joined us. Greg and Lance had been tight in high school, but I hadn't realized they still hung out. I watched Gina perk up at the sight of Lance. While my crush on Greg had been kept a secret, Gina had not been quiet about her crush on Lance.
In fact, as Lance caught sight of Gina, he whirled on Greg and said, "Seriously, man, what the fuck?"
I winced, embarrassed for Gina, but her grin didn't slip. Greg grabbed Lance and whispered something to Lance, who looked surprised by whatever Greg said. Then Lance turned to Gina and said, "May I buy you a drink?" As Greg elbowed Lance, he amended, "Soda. May I get you a soda, or tea, or water or anything else non-alcoholic so your brother doesn't break my ribs from his elbow jabs?"
Gina grinned and sauntered over to him, "Sure."
"Behave Gina." Greg warned.
"Sure." She repeated and then went up to the bar with Lance. I blinked in surprise. What just happened? Lance had always ignored Gina before. He wasn't rude, but he never really gave her the time of day. Now he was buying her a drink?
Greg must have noticed my confusion, because he explained with a shrug, "Gina's had it bad for Lance for years, but what she doesn't know is Lance felt the same and I stopped him. I just wanted to keep my baby sister...well, the baby for as long as I could. I can see the woman she's become, though, and I know she'll really dive into the dating scene now that she's eighteen and about to graduate from high school. So I'd rather see her with my buddy Lance, who I can trust to treat her right, than some douche bag."
"So that's why Lance was confused just now. You told him you wouldn't stand in his way anymore?"
Greg nodded and then stepped closer to me, "May I tell you another secret? Although, it really isn't a secret."
"Sure." I said, trying to portray the confidence that Gina had.
Greg leaned in, even closer, and said, "I really enjoyed kissing you this afternoon."
I gasped, which made him chuckle. Blushing, I said, "I didn't think you knew it was me."
"I didn't at first. Then when you tripped into the kitchen, the same way you'd trip at the kissing booth, I started to wonder. Then when I caught you as you fell down the stairs and got a good look at you, up close and personal, I knew. When I held you in my arms, I knew. When I looked into your eyes, I knew."
"Uh..." I nervously wet my lips and watched as his eyes dipped to watch the movement of my tongue.
He drew closer, my chest now bumping against him, as he leaned down, speaking against my lips, "Want to know another secret? I know that you've had a thing for me, for years. I never did anything about it, because you're younger than me and my sister's best friend. After kissing you today, however, I can no longer stay away."With that declaration, he kissed me. This kiss was so much more than the kisses from earlier. While those had been a little timid, this kiss held nothing back. He cupped my face with one palm, while he held the back of my head with the other. This kiss was so amazing, I found myself losing my balance. The next thing I knew, he lifted me onto the barstool behind me and tried to step between my legs, but my long dress got in the way.
"I'm second guessing this dress again." I tell him, as he frowned down at it, like it was severely offending him.
He glanced up and smirked, "You could take it off."
I laughed, "I'm in a public bar!"
He chuckled, "I didn't mean here. Maybe we should go out to my car...or better yet, let's go back to my place."
"Your place, as in your parent's house?" I tease.
"Yea, I really need to get my own place."
Suddenly, I grew uneasy and decided to go for it. He'd willing kissed me, knowing it was me this time, so I knew he was interested. I just didn't know how what exactly he was interested in, me or sex? So I asked, "Greg...do you really like me, for me? I mean, this isn't because of this makeover your sister talked me into, is it?"
Greg turned serious. He placed his hands on my hips and leaned close, as he said, "Carrie, I've known you for most of my life. You've been a thorn in my side at times and it would have been easy to place you into the sister box, but I never could. I may have acted like it, but I could never see you in that light. Now that I've kissed you, I know that I was right all along. I figured we'd be good together. We're great together. You feel the sparks, right?"
I nodded, but continued, "Yes, but...Greg, I'm not very experienced. I know you were mostly joking about getting me out of this dress...I mean, I think you were. I just...I can't...I won't jump right into bed with you, so if that's what this is about then—"
He kissed me. Right in the middle of my tirade, he kissed me. I felt myself melt all over again and was basically putty in his hands, when he lifted his lips, but kept his forehead against mine as he explained, "Yes, I was mostly joking about getting you out of your dress. I mean, I would love to see you in your birthday suit, but there will be plenty of time for that later. I'm in no rush. I love that you're not overly experienced and I'd never rush you into anything you don't want to do. I'm not going anywhere and I want to see how this thing between us plays out. You in?"
I blinked back tears. Never in a million years did I ever expect to be having this conversation with Greg Neely.
I nodded and said, "I'm in."
"What's going on over here?" Gina and Lance rejoined us. Gina had a Caesar's cat expression on her face. I wasn't sure it was because she'd caught me almost making out with her brother or if it was because her hand was firmly placed inside Lance's.
"I was just getting ready to ask Carrie out on a real date." Greg said, surprising me.
He winked, "Dinner and a movie tomorrow night?"
"Absolutely." I tell him with a grin that feels like it just might split my face open, it's so big.
"Well, now that's settled. Lance and I were discussing heading back to the house, making popcorn, and watching a movie. You two down?"
"Yea, let's go." Greg said and held out his hand for me. I looked at that hand in wonder, before placing mine inside.
I knew Gina probably thought the shift with Greg and I was due to the makeover, but Greg had convinced me that it wasn't. I did owe my best friend a huge thank you, however, because if she hadn't talked me into helping out with the kissing booth I doubt my biggest dream would be coming true. I hadn't asked Greg which friend dared him to come to the kissing booth, but I silently thanked that person.
I didn't know where this thing would go, only time would tell, but I was one hundred percent, all in. As Greg looked at me, then, his eyes smoldering, without any shield in place, something told me he was all in as well.