Kiss List (Book I of the List Series)

Chapter 4 - A Conflict of Interest

Chapter 4 – A Conflict of Interest

My legs were shaky as I walked back into the hallway. If Payton hadn’t instantly seized me in a hug I think I might have fallen over.

“I saw it!” she cried. “I saw him kiss you. OMG! You got your first kiss!”

“Creeper,” I said but couldn’t help but laugh. “You were watching us through the window?”

“Of course,” Payton replied. “How else would you have gotten a picture? You were too busy melting in his arms to remember to ask for one.”

“You got a picture? Let me see!” I said. In truth, I had completely forgotten about the game and taking a photo of the kiss. Now that I knew one had been taken, however, I was dying to see how I looked.

Payton handed over her phone hesitantly. “Don’t bother deleting it,” she warned. “I’ve already sent copies to Alyssa and Olivia.”

“I’m not going to delete it,” I said as I snatched the phone. I wanted to frame the photo so I could remember the moment forever. The picture looked a little dark and it wasn’t a great angle but I could see the back of my head and part of Sam’s face. When had I wrapped my arms around his neck like that?

“So, one down, nine to go!” Payton said.

The rest of the girls were ecstatic when I met with them at Olivia’s house that evening. “Okay, okay,” Olivia finally said after we had giggled ourselves hoarse. “Who’s next?”

“Hmm...” Payton said. “Sam worked pretty well to get our girl here warmed up. Now that she’s got her groove on who’s the next logical choice? Someone her age who’s not that intimidating, I would think.”

“David Reagan would be perfect,” Alyssa said. “He’s really nice and easy going when he’s not wrestling.”

“Not to mention a total babe,” Payton said. “He’s cute.”

I felt the butterflies return but I couldn’t argue with the girls. Of all the remaining boys on the list, David was the least threatening. We knew each other well enough to say hi in the hallway and I did think he was nice. Payton was also right that he was not hard on the eyes. David had soft blond hair, gentle blue eyes, and a boyish and innocent-looking face. There was nothing boyish about the rest of his body, however. I had seen photos of him in his wrestling singlet in the newspaper and he was lean and seemed to have been chiseled from stone.

“So what’s the strategy going to be with him?” I asked.

“David is a shy guy,” Alyssa said, “so you’re going to need to show an obvious interest in him before he’ll ask you out. He’s not going to take that risk unless he is sure that you are up for it. You can’t move too quickly with him either or you’ll scare him off.”

“You’re making him sound like a baby deer in the wild or something,” Payton objected.

“Yes!” Alyssa said. “That’s a great way to think of him. Trust me, I know his type. I’m one of them.”

“Okay,” I said. Going slow sounded good. Getting to the first kiss with Sam had been like a whirlwind. I’m glad it happened quickly but I would be far more comfortable with moving slower from now on. “How do you suggest I show interest in him?”

“Bump into him in the hallway and ask him how his training is going,” Alyssa suggested. “I think he’s running cross-country right now to get in shape for wrestling. When he starts talking about it, ask when his next meet is and mention that you’d like to come see him run. He’ll love that you are taking an interest and, when he sees you at the meet and knows you came just to see him, he will make sure to come over and talk to you for a while. He’s a nice guy so he will respond to niceness from you.”