Heartstrings

(7) Kelly

Kelly

"Mitchell, can you give me a minute? I need to freshen up."

The tree is secured on his pickup truck and I'm realizing just now that I'm a mess from cutting the tree. I'd like to think it was what happened. Nothing more. Because it was truly what happened. However it felt like grinding against his... nope. Not going to go there.

We just cut the tree.

"Okay. How long this time?"

I shot daggers at him. "A minute."

"Yeah, well. I'm highly doubtful about that. Don't make me come looking for you."

I hoisted the sling of my purse over my shoulder. "A minute. I'll be at the gift shop over there."

He nods. "Don't spend the entire afternoon in the bathroom, okay?"

"Ha-ha." I rolled my eyes and give him the finger.

I guess it took me longer than I should have because when I got out of the ladies' room Mitchell was inside the gift shop, impatiently waiting. He gave me an exasperated look when he saw me.

"What? I had dirts on my hair."

He shakes his head and held the door open. I stood level with him by the door, meeting his annoyed gaze. The only reason I broke eye contact was because I dropped my gloves on the ground and I had to bend down to get them off the ground.

"Kelly."

"God, we're you this impatient when we dated before?" I put on my gloves, freezing when I hear customers whooping.

I look over my shoulders and saw familiar faces grinning at our direction. "What's going on?"

I straightened up only to see Mitchell looking up a green sprig hanging above our heads. I took in the tiny twigs with a cluster of berries and a red bow.

Shit.

Mistletoe.

"Come on, guys. You know how it goes. Two people standing on the other ends of the mistletoe should make out." One of the cashiers called out.

Some customers whom I recognized as high school friends and acquaintances stared expectantly. It wasn't a secret that we were dating. And that we're no longer together.

"Come on. Kiss," one of them teased.

Tom Sullivan, one I almost didn't recognize with the dad mustache stepped out from an aisle to take a good look at us. "Wow. Kelly and Mitchell." He grins. "For old time's sake?"

There wasn't much of a choice when customers chanted, "kiss. Kiss. Kiss."

I turned to Mitchell who was speechless as I was, except he's calm and collected despite all the pressure. He always is. I never done well under pressure.

"For old time's sake, guys." I hear Tom repeated.

I gulped, stepping closer until he's within... kissing distance.

His eyes were midnight blue when they meet mine. Face stoic and guarded. My gaze dropped to his mouth, then flitted back to his eyes. There were sprinkle of snow on his dark hair and I couldn't help but find it adorable.

God, holidays and exes combined are a potential disaster.

I swallowed a gasp of surprise when Mitchell leaned in, his lips suddenly on mine. My eyes snapped closed. If the costumers were cheering us on, I couldn't hear anymore because all I could hear was my deafening heartbeat.

The feel of his lips is divine. More so when they started brushing against mine. It wasn't an intense kiss, but it was enough to make my toes curl.

Mitchell's hand slid to my cheek. And the contact was deliciously familiar. I allowed myself to think that this was still my sweet and sensitive Mitchell. Not the guarded one I helplessly couldn't read.

I never should've entertained the thought. Because I suddenly found myself surging forward and responding eagerly to his kiss, surprised that it doesn't feel the same like before. That having Mitchell this close is a whole other level of rightness. A whole other level of intensity. And a whole other level of want.

Mitchell eases back and I stared up to his face, still dazed from the kiss he ended far too soon.