What A Kiss Is

Chapter Nine

Nine

David and I walk together while the botanist from the university talks about plants. David makes eyes at Brit almost all day, and Kent spends as much time walking with Amber as possible.

Once David and Brit start up the trail side-by-side, Kent’s job of being close to Amber gets a lot easier. As much as I want to be the guy next to her, I’m so not into fighting over a girl. Not happening.

- - -

The campfire is roaring and the light is dimming, but no one’s showing any signs of being ready to leave. The professor ditched us a while ago. David’s the center of attention, like usual. Well, David and his bottle of scotch. I crack open a soda and start to move toward the fire. After my last binge, I’m in no hurry to go back. Kent rests his arm over Amber’s shoulders, and I stop. I pretend to stare at the ocean, but I’m using all my powers of peripheral vision to see what’s going on between them.

“Having fun?” Brit asks, standing in front of me. Her smile spreads wide across her face.

“Uh…yeah.” I nod. Crap. It’s really hard to see out of the side of my eye when I’m distracted. I take a step to the side, so I can look over her shoulder at Amber.

“We do these a lot, you know, come out to the ocean.” She wobbles her head back and forth like it’s the most boring thing in the world.

“It was better than I thought.”

Kent tightens his arm once, trying to be all relaxed about it. But how does Amber feel about him? It’s impossible to tell, and that’s making me crazy.

Brit’s head cocks to the side, giving me a better view. “Yeah, you’re totally right, I mean…”

“Whoa!” A voice yells. Someone’s done a stupid soda bomb out of Mentos on the far side of the fire. The group scatters. Whatever. All juvenile crap that I’m not in the mood for.

Kent now has Amber in some sort of protective hug. He squeezes her close and kisses the top of her head, making me want to break his face. Guess she decided he was okay. And that makes it hard for me to breathe. How many times will I have to remind myself that even if we did like each other, we’re not a good idea?

“You okay?” Brit asks.

“Distracted.” I shake my head. We’re far enough from the fire and the Mentos bomb, that we’re not really part of the action. I lean against a large driftwood tree.

“Right.” She nods again and bites her lower lip. “So, David’s a friend of yours.”

“Uh, yeah.” That should be obvious.

“Do you think he’d uh…”

“Brit?” I take a quick drink. “David’s not up for anything more than right now, and fun. If that’s what you want. Tell him, and you’ll get it.” Is that what she’s asking?

Her smile spreads. “Do you think he’d be into me?”

“We went on a nature walk where he wore three hundred dollar shoes, which are probably ruined, and was next to you for most of the trip.”

“Right.” She starts to turn. “Thanks, Antony. You’re nice.”

“Yeah, well, tell your friend.” What the hell’s wrong with me? Tell your friend? Am I in elementary school?

Brit giggles and jogs off toward the fire. She wastes no time in wrapping her arms around David’s waist. And he wastes no time in hugging her back.