Sunlight

Chapter Four

Dance Like Nobody Is Watching You // Sunlight Project

Kyra

I don't want to be affected by seeing Pete for the first time in years. But dammit, I am. A whole hell of a lot.

I've moved on. I went away to college and played the field. For the most part. Fine, I 'visited' the field, I didn't play it. No actual playing occurred. But I dated a couple of guys. Shortly. It's not that I'm hung up on Pete and compare him to everyone I date. It's not that the one real kiss we shared was more earth-shattering than the hundreds of kisses I've shared with my college boyfriends. I just haven't met the right guy yet.

And I'm a grown woman now, not a dreamy teenager who practiced kissing with her crush's picture. Allegedly.

Of course, I'm delusional, because yes, I compare every kiss to that kiss. I compare every guy to the one guy. The one who still haunts my dreams. The one who sometimes does more than haunt them.

Get ahold of yourself, Ky.

But there's no time to get ahold of myself because my past just became my present.

I know before I even see him that he's entered the room. The atmosphere changes, morphed by the energy of his presence. Every nerve ending in my body stands at attention, pulling my focus away from my future sister in law over to the stain of my past.

Seeing him for the first time in three years is a jolt. Like being woken from a dead sleep by a loud crash. I'd braced myself for this moment for weeks, but no amount of preparation could have reduced the effect his presence has on me. His dark hair is brushed back into a smooth wave, a stark contrast to the boyish mop he'd had before. His white button up dress shirt conforms to the muscles on his chest and arms like a second skin. I'm hit with a visceral memory of his scent, the combination of cedar and pine. I wonder if he smells the same.

I'm contemplating the possibilities while trying not to remember the feel of his lips on mine, and failing, when he looks up, catching me visually assessing him.

We have a locked eyed stare off for a heated minute. It feels like an hour passes and he still hasn't looked away. I'm determined to stand my ground and hold that stare as long as it takes before he breaks. I'm not going to be the one to break first.

Not this time.

"Kyra, you're sitting with me." Alison calls to me, pulling my gaze her way thereby declaring Pete the winner of our silent standoff.

Dang. He's already one up on me.

"Okay." I walk lamely to the spot Alison indicates at the table, slinking into the seat with my eyes downcast. On second thought... Why am I accepting defeat so easily? I'm better than this. Stronger. I survived Pete Jimenez once before. I can do it again.

I lift my chin and fortify my shoulders, pleased with my backbone. Yet, only seconds later, Pete is standing next to me, my brother holding him by the arm.

"You're sitting here. It's been too long since we hung out. I want to catch up before we're neck deep into wedding activities," Jeff says.

"Wow, you make it sound horrible, honey." Alison looks more amused than irritated. Jeff leans down to kiss her cheek.

"Sorry, baby. That sounded bad. I only meant we'll be really busy and might not have time to talk. We've got to make the most of the time we have, right?"

Alison, looking content, shrugs with a smile. "Of course. To be honest, that's the same reason I grabbed Kyra. I haven't spent much time with her since she graduated and moved back home."