The John Hughes Club

Chapter Twenty One

"Here it is," Allowing me in through the door, Chas is letting me be the first to go inside of his workshop. "Since grandpa died, I've been giving the place a bit of a tidy up, as he never did." Amused, he's now softly laughing from behind me, closing the door.

Taking in my surroundings, they casually wander back to where Chas is standing. "If your gramp was anything like mine, he would keep literally everything forever." I too, am now lightly laughing.

"You're not wrong there. I've been finding things in here from the 1950s!" Bringing himself by my side, Chas adopts a proud and pleased demeanour. "But grandpa loved this place. Although I'm tidying it up, I'll not get rid of his things. Getting rid of them, would be like getting rid of him. No, I can't do it. When I'm here, it's like he is as well. He always said it would one day be mine, and now that it is, I want to keep as much of grandpa in it as I can."

Again, I start looking around. Even though it's an old unit, it's a well-used and well-loved old unit. With its concrete walls, concrete ground and steel roof; it's full of woodworking tools and tool stations, a work bench with drawers and storage, trestles, carpentry machinery and power tools. I even spot a kettle on the top of a small kitchen unit in the corner of the workshop, which then brings my gaze upon a put-me-up bed. "Did your grandpa sleep in here?" I ask, my gaze of curiosity now fully back on Chas.

Gently nodding, his head turns to where the bed is. "Sometimes he would, if he got carried away with what he was working on." With his stare not moving from where the bed is, I can tell that Chas is thinking. Pursing his lips slightly, his shoulders lower with what he's about to tell me. "Now, it comes in handy when my dad does my head in." His words have rolled so casually off his tongue, yet there's nothing casual about his expression at all.

He hardly ever talks about his dad, but I know that their relationship bothers him. "Want to talk about it?" Resting my hand on his back, I'm stroking it with comforting affection.

With a smile, Chas cocks his head. "There's nothing to talk about at the moment. For now, dad is behaving himself. He seems happy. He's staying off my case...things are much better between us."

"I'm glad about that, I really am." Is my reply, sensing that Chas never seems to lower his defences when it comes to his father. Even though he's telling me that they're getting on much better these days, I think Chas still chooses to guard himself against the man he calls his dad. Knowing that we've both had a tough time recently, I decide not to push him on the subject. I didn't come here to talk about the things that hurt us, I'm here because I want to talk about more of the things that don't. "What's that door over there?" Pointing, I'm now wondering what's behind it.

"Well, Mindy Diaz...let me show you." With strides of humour, Chas beckons for me to follow him. In moments, he's opening said door. "Ta-daaaaaaaaah!"

Smiling, my curiosity is met with a toilet and a tiny sink. "How very twentieth century." I joke, glancing sideways at him.

"This place has everything I need," he happily declares, closing the toilet door before bringing himself in front of me. "Including, you." With a gentleness that I've never felt from a hand before, his fingers are now slowly caressing my cheek. "I'm glad you're here." Those featherlight fingers begin caressing more of my cheek, causing my head to blissfully fall against his palm. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" Chas asks with a desirous hush, his lips curved with tenderness.

Although my thoughts are shrieking YES YES YES, PLEEEEEEEEEASE KISS ME, I keep a lid on those excitable thoughts, instead, I allow a secretive smile to soften my lips as I'm staring up at him with an hopeful glimmer in my eyes. "Yes, you can." Whisperingly leaves my mouth, my heart skipping many beats with its anticipation.

Moving his hand from my cheek, it's soon curled around the back of my neck. As we're both bringing our faces closer, it's in a nervy but utterly sweet way. As our lips lightly connect, the nerves begin fading from our mouths. Once softly connected, our lips relax in being together, relishing the tenderness of our kiss. Oh what a kiss it is! It's gentle. It's slow. Wonderfully warm. So warm and tender, it's causing fireworks in my soul. Our first kiss is everything that I fantasised it would be. While Chas is moving his mouth over mine, devouring its softness, I feel like I'm in a wonderful waking dream. This is no ordinary kiss. This is a cosmic kiss—a kiss that's showing me stars and galaxies beneath my closed eyelids. Bringing me fully into the protective circle of his arms, our mouths are wanting more from one another, more from us. Now, Chas is kissing me like he's scared to death that it might not be happening if he doesn't deepen it, if he doesn't hold me even tighter. He might only be fifteen, but this boy sure can kiss. Perfectly kiss. My lips were made for his and his were made for mine. Together, they're creating a kiss like no other. That's it, our mouths will never want any other mouths. This kiss has truly set the bar. This kiss, is all we'll ever want. All we'll ever need. Feeling weightless in his teenage arms, I'm pressing myself against more of him, eagerly becoming greedy for those pleasurable lips of his. With a giddy sense of bliss, my heart is tripping over every happy beat that it's making. This is so perfect. So completely and utterly perfect.

"Chas?!" An unfamiliar voice causes our lips to alarmingly part, our bodies to startlingly separate. In surprised seconds, Chas is putting frustrated distance between us, waiting for the workshop door to open. "Thought I'd pick you up, save you walking back in the rain." Strolling inside, is a man. "Oh, I see you've got company," he says, eyeing me with some cautious intrigue.

Pulling his shoulders back and standing taller, Chas and his lips that were perfectly just on mine, nervously smile. "Mindy, this is my dad. Dad, this is Mindy."

"Nice to meet you." Smiling in the direction of his dad, I'm standing where I am, the memory of his son's amazing kiss still lingering everywhere on my mouth.

"Nice to meet you too, Mindy." Returning a smile my way, his dad then stuffs both his hands in his workwear pockets, perusing us both with some curiosity in his pale green eyes. "So, what are you kids up to?"

Becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the presence of his father, Chas sheepishly shrugs. "Not much. Just showing Mindy around." His eyes then flick to mine, a dark apology veiling his brown orbs.

Picking up on the growing suspicions of his dad, I think it's time for some quick teen thinking. "Chas is going to be helping me with a project at school. I hate DT. I'm useless with the equipment. I once nearly took out a teacher's finger at my old school with a wood vice, so Chas has kindly offered to give me some helpful pointers." Looking at him with a light chuckle, I then look at his dad, wearing what can only be described as a saintly smile.

With the suspicion lifting from his features, his father's now laughing a little. "Well, Chas is certainly good with wood, so your teacher's fingers should be safe." Looking away from me, his attention is soon back on his son. "How about that lift, then? It's pelting it down out there...we can drop Mindy off as well."

A gaze from Chas soon finds me again. "You happy with that?"

Nodding, my shoulders happily rise. "Yup! I'm happy with that." To be honest, every part of me is happy. I've just experienced the best kiss of my life and his dad has zero idea of all the snogging that's just taken place. Yup, couldn't be happier.