The Year of Promises & First Kisses by Jessica Sorensen

Author:Jessica Sorensen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Sorensen

5

ALEXIS

West is leaning against the car when I walk out, dressed in black jeans, a matching T-shirt, and black boots. With how dark it is outside, I can barely make most of him out, except for his blond hair that almost looks white against the moonlight. I can’t see his expression until I make my way across the front lawn and stop in front of him. Only then do I realize he looks nervous. He also looks a bit tired. Or, well, maybe hungover.

That realization brings a drop of relief to me—that I’m not the only one who’s nervous. But then I start to overanalyze the cause behind the nervousness.

Maybe he really doesn’t want to do this.

Awkward silence stretches between us, filled up by the chirping of crickets and my next-door neighbor belting out the lyrics to a rock song from his front porch, something he does whenever he’s drunk.

“Hey,” he greets me with a small smile then offers me the box he’s holding. “I brought you something.”

Confused, I take it and peer in the box. Inside is a cupcake with vanilla bean frosting. “Thanks. It looks delicious.” I glance up at him. “Why’d you bring me this, though?”

He shrugs, stooging his hands into his pockets. “Don’t guys normally bring girls flowers when they go out on dates?”

“Some do, but these aren’t flowers,” I say. “And we’re not really going out on a date.”

“I know it’s not really a date, but it still felt like I should bring you something,” he explains. “And you’re not really a flowers sort of girl. But you have the biggest sweet tooth ever so I thought a cupcake would be way better.”

He’s right. I’ve never really gotten the give-girls-flowers tradition. I mean, seriously what’s the point? You get these things that just sit there in a vase until they wither and die. A cupcake however, you devour.

But anyway…

“Thanks,” I tell him. “It looks yummy.”

He smiles, his gaze briefly flicks to my house before landing back on me. “Can you take a walk with me? Or is that going to get you in trouble?” His lips quirk. “Or should I say more trouble?”

I roll my eyes but relax. I can handle a joking West. It’s when he gets nervous that throws me off balance.

“I’m good,” I say. “I think Loki’s asleep. Honestly, I don’t know if he’d even care. He’s in one of his moods where he’ll barely talk to me. Let me just go set the cupcake down, though.”

He nods and I hurry inside and hide the cupcake in a cupboard in the kitchen so no one will find it and eat it. Then I head back outside and West and I start down the sidewalk, heading to who knows where.

“You sure you’re not going to get into trouble for leaving?” West double checks.

I nod. “Like I said, Loki’s pretty much ignoring me right now.”

“I wish my parents would ignore me whenever they got pissed at me,” he mumbles.

I walk beside him with my arms wrapped around myself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.