The Stella I Remember

6| That's Why They Call It Falling

Kissing Stella Amherst was something I didn't see coming. Hell...meeting Stella Amherst was something I didn't see coming.

I was so pissed off when Marcus bailed that I was considering leaving the concert myself. Then there she was.

I didn't plan on bringing her out here when I met her. And I didn't plan on kissing her when I drove us here. I just wanted to spend time with her.

But I was kissing Stella—and it was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

It was like all of my senses were in overdrive. Goosebumps rose on my skin when she buried her hand in my hair. My heart started beating faster when she deepened the kiss and teased her tongue against the seam of my lips.

I opened my mouth to her, inviting her in and letting her take the lead.

And fuck did she take the lead.

Never breaking the kiss, she pushed me onto my back and straddled me. My hands slid from her thighs to her waist. For a brief moment I wished I could feel the skin beneath her clothes. But
I meant what I told her and we kept our clothes on.

We stayed by the river for hours; just talking, laughing, and kissing some more. I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so much.

She told me all about her parents and how they tried to make her into their perfect daughter. She said they were good parents; they just had unrealistic expectations for her. They wanted her to be a lawyer and she wanted to open a non-profit animal rescue. She also told me how her parents wanted her to go to Harvard Law School, but she was dead set on not going to school at all.

I told her about my parents and how they always supported my dreams and who I was. I told her about my brother Kyle who passed away when he was born. I told her my plan of attending Tulane in the fall to get my degree in music production.

We talked.

Unfortunately, after the sun went down, I had to take Stella back to her hotel. We had already said goodbye multiple times by the river, but it seemed hard for either one of us to say it now. It also seemed hard for Stella to get out of the car.

"I kinda don't want you to go back to Florida now," I said half-jokingly.

Stella didn't meet my gaze. "I kinda don't want to go back, either."

"Really?"

She smiled at me. "Contrary to what you might think, I don't usually kiss random weirdos I just met."

I flashed her a cocky smile. "So you're saying I'm special then?"

"No, you're a weirdo."

I knew she was joking by the way her cheeks heated and she glanced away shyly.

"Maybe I am a weirdo," I said softly before reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. "But I'm a weirdo who has a thing for tiny angry brunettes."

She nibbled her bottom lip. "I'm not angry right now," she whispered. "I'm happy."

I was happy, too. More so than I had been in a long time. And didn't that just make the fact that she was leaving the state tomorrow make me want to punch something.

Was that normal?

Was this normal?

I wasn't someone who believed in love at first sight. I mean, it just didn't exist. When I first saw Stella, it wasn't love that stuck me. It was amusement. Curiosity. Maybe even a little embarrassment when she yelled at that festival employee.