Footsteps faded behind me by the second block, then the dizziness hit. Stopped beside a mailbox just past the third corner.
Shaking started in my fingers, moved up through the arms. The steering wheel took all that tremble, held tight as if letting go would mean breaking into pieces.
Out the door I went. Really did it this time. Feet moving while she stayed there, frozen on the steps, eyes locked, mouth half-open -
Was it real? Did she even notice? Could I have been more than a passing thought?
Still, it meant nothing. Kissing Jayce was just a thing that happened. True, there'd been mistletoe above them - yet the kiss took place. What stuck wasn't the moment, though. It was how her eyes held his afterward. That look lingered. That moment her hand brushed his arm out by the patio light. Not long after, her laugh rose up when he spoke of Barcelona streets and old cafés.
As if his feet knew the floorboards.
