Kiss Me

Chapter Seven

Malorie awoke on Monday morning feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was still greiving from the loss of her sister, of course, but it was amazing how much better she felt after finally talking about it. The burden of putting up a strong front was finally lessened.

As she got ready for her first day of classes, her thoughts drifted to Josh. No surprise there. He hadn't been far from her mind since they met.

She wondered if she was approaching this whole thing the wrong way. Her past relationships had always been initiated by the guy. That clearly wasn't going to happen with Josh, though. She had been afraid to make the first move before now. She had been too unsure of his feelings; not knowing much about how strong the soul mate connection was for humans.

After last night she was almost certain he wanted her in the same way she wanted him. There was no denying the mutual attraction when his strong arms were wrapped around her body. She could feel his rapid heartbeat when she rested her cheek against his chest.

A smile tugged at her mouth at the memory. Malorie decided it was time to tell him how she felt. She would do it tonight. Then she would talk to Isaac and figure out how to handle the whole werewolf/soul mate thing.

She felt confident about her plan. Yeah, the situation was complicated when you factored in the supernatural element, but she had a god feeling that everything would work itself out. With that thought she pushed Josh to the back of her mind and tried to focus on her classes.

Her first class went painfully slow. Having a math class first thing Monday morning probably wasn't the best idea ever. It was 11:00 when she finally escaped the stifling confines of the classroom. She blinked in the bright sunlight as she strolled across campus. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

Malorie slipped on her oversized pink sunglasses and the world came back into focus. She saw Josh and Isaac walking together across the street and immediately headed in their direction.

"Josh!"

His head whipped in her direction and when his eyes settled on her a breathtaking smile broke out across his face. His blue eyes were shining in the sunlight.

"Hey, how's the first day going?" he asked as she reached them. She had stopped about five feet away, despite her desire to move closer to him. Malorie saw Isaac roll his eyes at her as if he read her mind. Ignoring him, she smiled back at Josh.

"Great," she said. It was the truth. Seeing him had completely turned her boring day around.

"Well, as interesting as it is to watch you two smile at each other, I think I'll take off." Isaac said with another obvious eye roll. He nodded at Josh. "You coming out with us later?"

Josh nodded. As Isaac walked off, Josh and Malorie headed up the street together. She assumed he was going to class.

"You guys are going out tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of a first day tradition. Some of the guys head to the bar over on Washington Street to celebrate."

"Drinking on a Monday night, huh?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "it's not really my thing. But you know how Isaac likes to party. I'll tag along to shut him up."

Malorie was disappointed. She had really hoped to see him tonight. Now she would have to wait until tomorrow to tell him how she felt. She didn't want to just spring it on him here on the street right before class.

"Just be careful. Call me if you need a ride," she said seriously. Josh knew that Alyssa's accident was caused by a drunk driver. He nodded understandingly.