Not Another Summer Love Story

Chapter 16 - A Shiny Toy

I don't know what I expected kissing Logan would feel like. There were moments when we'd come close to it, like that morning on the beach or New Year's Eve. But somehow, none of those would have added up right. Not when everything fell together so perfectly that night on the jetty.

Kissing Logan felt hot. Hot, because my whole body was on some kind of fire, an internal fire that burnt bright and spread throughout my limbs like a flower blossoming in the middle of spring. I don't know if that was because this was the first proper kiss I'd had since I was thirteen or the fact that he'd seemed to be so close to me that he was everywhere.

Not that it was a very long lasting kiss. Twenty long seconds perhaps, that somehow seemed to last both a thousand years and a millisecond at once. We looked at each other. A long look that could have meant various things, but I'll translate it: Wow. Did we seriously kiss? Do we do it again? Do we say goodbye? What the hell do we do now?

If you had told me a month ago that I would have kissed Logan Mathews I would have laughed at you, then maybe asked if you were taking any form of heavy drugs. So I walked home confused. I was a little restless, a little shaken up and a little bit giddy with euphoria.

After the kiss he laughed nervously, which made me laugh nervously. Then the laughter turned a little bit into genuine laughter, perhaps brought on by hysteria. Good hysteria.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked me.

I thought about it, and a part of me definitely wanted him to. But then I was a little worried that in the light hearted mood we'd kiss again, or even worse. I needed a clear head. "I think I'll be okay. I need time to myself."

He nodded in understanding. "Cool. Maybe see you at the beach then."

So we walked back to the base of the jetty and split not much further, parting with a hug. I think we both needed time to ourselves, if this kiss was confusing for me it probably had the same effect on him.

I didn't bother to walk straight home, instead I stopped at Maisie's and knocked on her floral pattern encrusted door. Joy answered and instructed me that Maisie was in her room. I made my way up the stairs like a zombie.

She must have been expecting me because there was snacks on her bed and a romantic comedy playing. Friends with Benefits, I think.

"Val!" She said excitedly, bouncing up to hug me around the neck, almost swinging from me with excitement. "Tell me all about it!"

I sat down on the bed, Zombie Val was struggling to understand her own emotions, let alone project them.

"Want some tea?"

I nodded. Warm liquid might help. She darted down the stairs to make the tea and I laid on her bed, staring up at her intricately decorated ceiling. She had hung prints of artistic designs across the roof, stuck with double sided tape. It made for a calming vision to stare at when I was losing my mind.

Maisie was in the doorway with two mugs in her hands when I blurted, "He kissed me."

Jeez, you would think it was bloody Christmas with the way her face lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

"And?!"

"I kissed back. I think."

"Did you like it?"

"I think so."

I told her everything. And she seemed to approve of everything. I think I was in that euphoric, almost high stage after something huge happened, when you can't quite keep track of time properly anymore. I went home that night and woke late in the morning, still retaining my zombie like composure.