The Senior Trip

Chapter 35

Harper

His arms are around me, holding me as the music plays but I can think of nothing else besides the way it feels to have his mouth so close to mine. Finally, our lips meet. My heart leaps, pounding against my ribs as Asher's palm at my back presses me tighter to his chest. It's all consuming. The oxygen is gone for a moment and my head is dizzy with excitement and bliss.

We've stopped moving. My hands slip up his neck, holding him as our mouths explore. His body is melted to mine, every inch touching as if we are one. I feel his strong fingers on my cheeks as he anchors us together. Maybe the band is still playing. Maybe other couples are still dancing. Maybe, just maybe there are more important things to think about, but for the life of me I can't find the space in my head to think of anything but the way his touch makes my body feel light and my feet untethered to the ground beneath us.

He pulls away, just long enough to look into my eyes. So many questions float in the space between us and yet before I can answer a single one, the air is gone and we're connected again, his tongue finding mine—his lips soft but leading. I don't ever want this to stop.

When the clapping finally makes its way into our consciousness, my hands are fisted in his shirt, holding me to him as if I'd float away if I let go. His fingertips are buried in my hair, his palms cupped around my jaw as if my face is both delicate and fleeting. I can't move. His eyes search mine as my lungs burn and my thoughts spin and spin. What's happening?

At once, the band picks up a faster tune and the dance floor becomes its own entity, flowing and moving with chaos.

"Come on," Asher says. His hand finds mine. I feel the gentle tug where it starts in my fingers move all the way up my arm and pull at my heart. How much more time will I have with him?

Smiles greet us in all directions and I know we're frauds for not being married, but what just happened was real. And I'm sure with enough time and quiet, I can process exactly what it was. I shake my head as Asher leads me back to our table. He pulls out my chair and our eyes stay locked as I take my seat. It's all so mechanical. He pulls out his chair. Lifts his beer. Takes a breath. But then—he grins.