A Mistaken Kiss

Chapter 10

I could hear the television playing downstairs. It wasn’t too loud to wake Mason up again, but loud enough for my hears to pick up. I was currently sitting on my bed, not sure what to do now.

It’d only been an hour since the mistaken kiss with Caden. I didn’t know how to
respond to it.

Should I go downstairs and pretend it never happened?

Should I try to talk to him about it?

Should I just ignore him?

It was all so confusing. He was only two years older than me so it wasn’t super bad, but
he was my idiotic babysitter. I didn’t know if that made it wrong. If he had been a teacher it
would be but Caden was still a minor as far as I knew.

Even if he was 18, it still wasn’t super bad.

What if he didn’t want to talk about it? What if he did? What if he ignored me? What if he
tried to kiss me again? What if he made fun of me?

Questions buzzed through my mind as I listened to the late night talk shows.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

I jumped with a gasp at the sound of my cell phone going off. I scrambled around, trying
to find it soon enough for the ringing to stop.

“Hello?” I whispered into the phone

“Joanna?” I heard my mom say on the other end. I could hear people talking in the
background. “How are you sweetie?”

“I’m… ok. What’s wrong mom?” I asked, worried.

She giggled “N-nothing’s wrong! Mommy’s just going to sssstay at a friend’s house
tonight”

“Mom, are you drunk?” I asked, annoyed. I knew she was.

“No! Of course not! I’m just a little... tipsy” She giggled “Tell Caden he c-can go home
whenever. I’ll be back tomorrow”

“Mom I really don’t think you sh—”

“Goodnight Joanna. I love you! Give Mason a kiss for me” She laughed “Danny stop!”

“Who’s Danny?”

“Just a friend” She laughed. I knew he wasn’t ‘just a friend’ more or less her fuck partner
of the evening. “Goodnight sweetie”

“Mom wa—” I sighed into a dead line. This wasn’t unusual for her to find someone to
spend the evening with. She had been getting better about it, but once Mom was drunk, she
was drunk. She would come home some days not remembering a thing that happened.

I set my phone down on my bed.

I guess that gave me my option of what to do.

I sighed, standing up on shakey legs. Quietly, I made my way out of my room and down
the hall, careful not to make too much noise so that Mason stayed asleep. As I walked down
the stairs, I made sure to skip over the squeaky ones.

I really couldn’t afford him to lose any more sleep. He was a cranky little devil if he was
tired. As I approached the living room, I could see the TV’s lights illuminating the room.
Caden stared at it, a blank expression on his face.

I stood in the doorway to the living room silently, waiting for him to notice. He didn’t
seem to be paying attention to the television, staring off somewhere above it. I cleared my
throat awkwardly.

Caden’s head turned quickly to me. I stood there, feeling the tension already.

“What’s up, Pumpkin?” He asked quietly.

“I got a call from my mom” I said just as loud.

He stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

“She said you can go home whenever. She’ll be back late and doesn’t want you to wait
up for her” I noticed I said that in a rather monotone voice.

Caden glanced down at the watch on his wrist, looking back up at me “If you don’t mind,
I’ll just stay here until she gets back”

“She insisted you left before curfew”

“I’m practically eighteen, Pumpkin. Curfew doesn’t apply to me”

“She said she won’t be home until tomorrow”

“Then why would she want you and Mason here alone?”

“She doesn’t want your parents to worry”

“They won’t care”

I groaned, crossing my arms “Stop being stubborn and leave already”

He smirked, obviously glad he was getting under my skin “I already told you I’m staying
until she gets here”

“You’re not getting paid overtime”

“I’m alright with that”

I glared at him. He mimicked me, crossing his arms, a pout on his face. My glare
hardened, my teeth gritted.

“You’re a dick”

“Watch your language”

“I’m sorry. You’re a major faggot dickhead”

He snorted “ ‘faggot dickhead’?”

“You know what? Just shut up” I turned around, quietly walking back towards the stairs
when he called me back.

“Pumpkin, wait.” He said in a barely audible voice.

I froze, turning around slowly. I glanced back at him, waiting for him to speak first.

He patted the spot next to him on the couch. I glanced from him to the area he was
indicating, back to his face. Cautiously, I walked over, standing in front of him.

He rolled his eyes, grabbing my waist and forcing me to sit next to him on the couch.

I moved as far from him as I could get, a feeling of awkwardness washing over me.

He left the TV on, turning it down to where it was barely heard. Out of the corner of my
eye, I watched his hand linger on the remote between us before moving back onto his lap.

He shifted his body to face me.

I turned my head slightly. “What do you want?”

“So uh…”

“Yeah…”

I knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. He wanted to discuss what the hell
happened an hour before.

“How… how are you doing?” I asked, trying to break the tension and hopefully get off
topic.

“Why’d you kiss me?” He asked bluntly.

Way to break the ice, I thought.

“You provoked me” I mumbled.

“I did no such thing”

“Really? You weren’t holding me prisoner or kissing my neck or anything?” I snapped.

He rolled his eyes. “Come on. You’re not honestly saying that’s how I provoked you into
kissing me, are you Pumpkin?”

“Yes. Yes I am” I crossed my arms.

He chuckled “Then clearly you haven’t been provoked before”

“I have too!” I argued.

“Then you know that what I was doing was simply harmless”

“Bullshit. If it was harmless why’d it lead to a kiss?”

Caden smirked “I think you just wanted to kiss me”

I snorted “Yeah alright dude. I think you’re a little delirious”

“Admit it. You liked kissing me” He leaned forward, flicking my nose. I scrunched up my
face in response.

“I did not!”

“Now that’s bullshit”

I rolled my eyes “I didn’t”

“You did. Otherwise you would’ve have been so into it”

“I wasn’t into it. I didn’t know how to let you know I wanted you to stop!”

“So that moan I heard was nothing?”

I gasped “I did not moan!”

“Oh you so did” His smirk grew. I glared at him, gritting my teeth. My teeth were going to
be horribly damaged by the time he graduated high school.

“No! I would never—could never moan for you”

He grinned devilishly, leaning in close. I eyed him suspiciously as he moved his lips to
the side of my head. I could feel his breath on my ear as he spoke, “I could make you moan
like you’ve never moaned before, Pumpkin”

He nipped at my ear again, moving back slowly. He left but mere inches between our
faces. I glared at him.

“You only wish you could make a girl moan”

“You wouldn’t believe how I can make you feel” He smirked “Even a virgin like yourself”

“Who says I’m a virgin?” I smirked back, feeling a comeback.

He raised an eyebrow, “Is little Miss Joanna a naughty girl?”

“You wouldn’t believe what I’ve done” I paused for a moment “Or should I say who?”

He chuckled “My, my.”

“What’s wrong? Sad you’ll never get any of this?” I smirked

“I do believe I’ve already got some. And considering you haven’t pushed me away yet…”

I glanced down, noticing how his arms were on either side of my crossed legs. His face
was very close to mine. The whole position was… suggestive to any observer.

“Shut up, dickhead”

He laughed, leaning back “There we go again with the childish insults”

“Do you ever shut up?” I growled, moving my body so that I no longer faced him

He grinned “Never”

I groaned, bringing my knees to my chest, arms around. “You’re so annoying. Why can’t
you just go home?”

“I’m staying until your mom gets home”

“That’ll be, like, ten tomorrow”

“Then I guess I’m here until ten tomorrow”

I groaned, throwing my head back. “You’re sleeping down here”

“I had every intention of doing that”

“You’re not going upstairs. At all”

“It’s my responsibility to check up on Mason every now and then. I have to go upstairs”

“I’ll check on my brother”

“I’m the babysitter. I’ll check on him too”

“Speaking of checking on him, why haven’t you for a while?”

“I did a little before you came downstairs.”

“Bullshit”

“Whatever. I don’t have to prove to you what I did or didn’t do” He mumbled “Speaking of
this, who were you talking to on the phone?”

“My mother”

“You were rather loud.”

I rolled my eyes “I don’t care”

He shrugged, not responding. We watch the TV for a few moments. Caden hadn’t
turned the volume up any more so it was a struggle to understand what they were saying. It
was a rerun of That 70’s Show. I had no idea what was happening. I could just barely hear
the programmed laughter in it.

“Hey Caden…” I trailed off, remembering what I promised Jason.

“Yeah Pumpkin?”

“My boyfriend wants to meet you” I said, emphasizing the word boyfriend.

“Since when have you had a boyfriend?”

“Since before I met you”

“Didn’t seem like it little while ago.” He teased.

“Shut up. Don’t you think I feel bad enough about it as it is?” I snapped. Damn, now I
have to remember Jason and I are a couple.

He shrugged, holding his hands up innocently.

“Anyways, he wants to know if you and a date wanted to meet up with me and him at the
carnival in two weeks”

Every year, our town held a little carnival celebrating the day the town was officially born.
It was a very festive event with all the attractions; rides, games, food and lights. It was a
three-day event and almost everyone went at least one day.

It was a huge money maker for the town.

I knew Jason hadn’t told me to invite him to the carnival, but I figured at least that was
further away than anything else.

Caden thought for a moment before shrugging “Why not? I’ll meet this so called
‘boyfriend’ of yours”

“Why the quotation marks around ‘boyfriend’?” I growled, crossing my arms

“Because I don’t think you actually have a boyfriend. I think you’re bluffing to get me on a
date with you”

“Oh yes, just like I longed for a kiss from you?” I said in a sarcastic voice

“Exactly” He smirked, ignoring the sarcasm. “Just admit it, Pumpkin, you want me”

“You’re right. I want you…” I paused for effect “to leave me alone!”

He rolled his eyes, attention focused back onto the television.

I let out a yawn I was unable to hold back.

“Tired?” He asked

I shot him a look “What do you think?”

“Go to sleep.”

I stood up “Maybe I will!”

“Be my guest”

I shot him a dirty look, storming over to the doorway “There are blankets in the cabinet
under the TV. Don’t leave the TV on when you fall asleep and don’t come upstairs”

He rolled his eyes at my last bit before waving me off. I cursed at him under my breath
before quietly making my way back up the stairs.

I checked on my brother quickly, his sleeping figure still in bed. I walked over, kissing
his forehead.

“I’m so sorry you had to see that, Mase” I whispered quiet enough for him not to wake up
to. He had no response, which was a good thing.

His tiny body had kicked off most of the covers and he was curled into a small ball. I
smiled slightly, gently setting them back on him.

I glanced at him one last time before shutting the door behind him.

I made my way back to my own room, crawling under the covers. I sent Jason a quick
text.

:Carnival in 2 weeks on Saturday? Caden will b there:

After plugging it into the charger, I turned out the lights, laying in bed. It felt weird
knowing that Caden was a floor below me and would be there when I awoke.

Eventually, I fell asleep.