Glass Reality | Book One

Chapter V

I never moved so fast out of a store in my life. After finding Caleb, I forced him to walk to the register. Our outfits were in hand, mine oddly clean of body fluids. We come to the register where I slam our outfits on the counter. I decided to keep my football outfit, and Caleb decided to be a pirate, grabbing a random outfit as I rushed us out. I don't think I would be able to show my face to him ever again if he happened to stumble into the puddle. Needless to say, I made sure to stay away from the scary section--where I was at when my mind decided to be my mind.

Caleb and I now are standing beside my front door, our breath licking the air in wispy streams. It got way colder out. We were only at the Halloween store for about a half an hour, but then we decided to grab dinner at the best steakhouse ever. He paid like a gentleman, and I ate like a caveman. Free steak? Count me in.

Caleb teased me about my eating the steak, saying exactly, "I've always wanted to meet a girl who could eat." I paused with some red steak in my mouth before chewing again, making him laugh.

I didn't know if Caleb saw us actually having a future. We were mid-way through senior year in high school. Relationships were not as important to me as college, so if we were actually going to date, it wouldn't be for long. In fact, I don't even know if he wants to date me after today. I chased him around like a madwoman with a camera flashing every ten seconds. Nonetheless, it was hilarious and he even laughed at the photos over dinner.

"Tonight was fun," he says. His hands go in a pattern to his pockets, to swing at his sides, to folding his fingers together. He's anxious.

"Yeah," I smile up at him. I beg my aunt has some sanity and isn't listening to us from behind the red door. "Especially when you dressed up as a girl. In fact, I think you looked just like Britney Spears." I smile. His eyebrows lower in an offended manner. He lets out a loud, dramatic gasp.

"How dare you?" I just laugh some more before looking up at him. "You have a really cute laugh," he points out. Despite myself, my heartbeat spikes. I just laugh some more to stop myself from saying something stupid. Apparently, it must drive him crazy, because Caleb starts to grab my shoulders. He holds me still, and my laugh slowly dies in my throat. "Can I kiss you?"

I always thought that the nerves always talked about before the first kiss was a lie, but now, as I stand in the frigid air of a rather cloudy fall night, I realize they weren't. It's true. The moment he says that my entire chest explodes in a rainbow of emotions. I wonder what to do in this situation.

One: I could say no and run away.

But I think it's clear I don't want that.

Two: I could say yes and wait for him to touch my lips.

Or there is the third one.

Three: Kiss him without saying a word.

The third one seems like the best choice, so I quickly grasp his chin and pull his face down to mine. Caleb lets out a noise of surprise before his lips mold with mine. It feels awkward. His lips wash over mine, our spit mixing in the middle. Okay, maybe movies did exaggerate a little but with the wrong part. First kisses are supposed to be perfect in every way, but this kiss makes me cringe. Especially as our teeth rub reluctantly along each other. Caleb doesn't seem to notice though, because his arms find their way around my waist and grip me close.

I'm more than ready for my front door to be ripped open and my Aunt Janice to appear. "Oh!" She fakely exclaims as if she wasn't watching, her hands coming up to cup her narrow cheekbones. I disconnect my lips from Celebs and look at my aunt with a shocked expression. I'm not all that shocked. The moment I saw the curtains move from the living room window, I knew she was listening. "I'm sorry!" She says, now leaning her body on the door. "I'll just go now..." she awkwardly trails off. She starts to shut the door again, but my mind screams for me to get away from Caleb. I need to get away from the awkward cloud now hanging over me.