💋 THE LIST 💋
- Lip ring
- Harvey
- Nathan
Between nights spent staying up talking to Nathan and lunches filled with getting to know Jason and his friends, the week seems to pass quickly. When Friday rolls around, I feel like I couldn't be more excited to spend time relaxing and catching up on sleep.
I get home with a very simple plan in mind: sleep. But my plans are thwarted when I find that we have company!
Alina, her sister, and their kids are over already—I wasn't expecting them until tomorrow. The children are nowhere to be seen, but I can hear joyful laughter coming from upstairs. The moms are huddled in the kitchen, which smells incredible.
"Hellooo," I call, pulling off my coat. The huddle of mothers flocks over to me, smattering kisses on my cheeks and chattering in a mesh of half-English, half-Russian about how much I've grown. They walk me to the kitchen, where Roman is sitting at the table reading a book.
Roman looks entirely different from the last time we saw each other. His once thin and mousy frame now shows evidence of a committed gym routine and healthy diet. His brown hair, once buzzed short, is now a mess of tousled curls that frame his face, drawing attention to deep brown eyes. He catches me staring and smiles, clearly lavishing the attention.
Glad I wore something cute today, I think to myself, glancing down at my black sweater dress and knee-high socks. The two of us never had a very friendly relationship, what with the language barrier, but I figure it's never too late to start. Still smiling, I stride over to him.
"Well, hello, who are you and what did you do with Roman?" I ask as I open my arms for a welcoming hug.
He laughs as he folds me into his arms. "You're looking at the new and improved model," he says in a thick french accent.
I laugh too as I pull away. The room is suddenly quiet, and we both seem to realize that our parents are watching our interaction. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he clears his throat.
"Maybe you can show me what there is to do around here?" he asks.
"Definitely," I say, motioning for him to follow me. I roll my eyes as the moms exchange excited glances.
"Don't eat anything, dinner will be ready soon!" they call as we put our coats on, mine still warm from a few minutes ago.
Roman calls something to his mother in French, and she responds with an annoyed titter.
"What did you say?" I ask him as we walk out.
"I told her we were going to smoke weed so we'd be extra hungry," he responds with a laugh.
I smile in a way that I hope looks like I'm in on the joke. "Too bad we're just grabbing a coffee."
He chuckles. "I'm just kidding. Do you smoke?"
I shrug. "Never really tried it."
"Not even at parties?" he asks.
I smile sheepishly. "I don't go to a whole lot of parties."
"Surprising," he says. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
I shake my head.
"Also surprising," he says slowly. "What other surprises do you have in store for me?"
I elbow him jokingly in the side. "What's with the interrogation?"
"Just trying to gauge how much fun we're going to have," he replies, looking at me in a way that makes me blush. Instead of looking away, I meet his gaze.
"We could have a lot of fun," I grin, holding the door to the cafe open for him.
Once I get my tea, and he gets his coffee, we find a bench outside and start catching up as if we've been friends for years. He tells me that this trip couldn't have happened at a better time since he and his girlfriend just recently broke up.
"It's a change of scenery. Good for the soul." He sips his coffee.
I scoff. "Yeah, I'm sure the scenery of this Canadian suburb is real competition for France."
He laughs. "Maybe it's the company, then," he says with a wink.
"Can't argue with that," I smile, meeting his eyes. My gaze travels down to his mouth, and I can't help wondering if he also thinks kissing has to be done at an angle—the thought makes me laugh.
"What's so funny?" he asks.
I figure it's safe to tell him—he's only here for a few days, after all. I recount the tale of my first kiss to Roman, but to my surprise, he doesn't laugh nearly as much as my friends did.
"It's a bit sad, no? You deserve a better first kiss than that," he sighed, still smiling.
"So I've heard. Know any volunteers?" I laugh boldly. His gaze is still on me, intense now, and I inch closer to him, eager to see how this will play out.
His eyes flash down to my lips. "I do know one..." He murmurs as he closes the gap between us, softly pressing his lips to mine.
He tastes like coffee and vanilla; the combination is intoxicating. All the anxiety I felt last week with Yorkie seems like a different person experienced it. This, with Roman, feels effortless.
My hand moves to his face, resting my fingertips against his jaw. His hand finds its way to my waist, pulling me in closer as his teeth softly skate across my bottom lip.
He pulls away slowly, just inches away from me. I open my eyes to find him smiling at me.
"Your phone is ringing," he whispers. I shake myself out of his kiss-fueled daze and pull out my phone, but I've already missed the call. My mom texts me immediately.
*Why aren't you answering? Dinner is on. Come home*
I look up at Roman. "Time to go," I smile.
He stands and offers me his hand, which I willingly take.
"So what did you think?" he asks.
I bite my lip. "I think I'm gonna remember that one as my first kiss instead."
He laughs. "Happy to oblige."
--
We sit across from each other at dinner, sneaking glances at each other between courses. If anyone noticed, no one said anything.
After dinner, we sneak up to my bedroom, but our plans to continue what we started are quickly thwarted by our younger siblings, who beg us to watch a movie with them. Reluctantly, we follow the kids down to the TV and settle into the sofa. We sit next to each other, but not so close as to draw suspicion from the parents in the adjoining dining room. I hardly pay attention to the screen, instead replaying the feeling of Roman's kiss. I get the feeling he's doing the same as his fingers secretly find mine beneath the sofa cushions.
Disappointingly, our guests leave straight after the movie. Between goodbyes, I hear my mom finalizing details for Ben's birthday party that Sunday.
"Birthday party?" I ask her.
"Yes... do you want to come? Doesn't really seem like your thing." She gives me a confused look.
I shrug and look at Roman. "Are you going?" I ask innocently.
He nods, smiling.
I look back at my mom. "I'll come," I shrug again, as if it's nothing. My mom raises an eyebrow and nods slowly, dragging her eyes between Roman and me.
"Mhm," she says thoughtfully. "Maybe, then, we can send you two on an errand to pick up some last-minute supplies? You know there's always something forgotten."
Roman and I nod as casually as possible. He sneaks a wink at me before heading out.
I walk upstairs and take a shower before changing into sleepwear. I pull out my list from its secret spot and add Roman to my list.
It's going to be a very good holiday weekend.
YOU ARE READING
The Kiss List
Romance"Let's make a list of places we want to hook up in and people we want to hook up with," Jessica says with a playful glint in her eye. - Making a hook-up list was not the way Rachel imagined 10th grade would begin, nor did she think it would take ove...
