Anew

8

Scarlet’s date with Gabriel was going well. Partly because dinner had been delicious and the movie they’d seen had been funny.

But mostly because Gabriel, in some indescribable way, put Scarlet at ease with his presence. And his voice.

He asked her questions and listened to her answers. He nodded when she spoke about the things she loved, as if he understood just how she felt. He made jokes and pulled laughter from her.

And he looked at her—really looked at her. Like she was something he cherished.

Scarlet had never felt so valuable.

She wasn’t nervous, or anxious, or insecure around him. She wasn’t giddy or gushing at his every word.

She was simply…normal.

And she savored every minute if it.

When she was around Gabriel, Scarlet forgot about her mysterious past and the questions that consumed her.

He was like magic, and she needed magic.

After the movie, they walked together down Main Street to watch the finale of the Kissing Festival—which was pretty much just a parade followed by fireworks.

“So, tell me about your family,” Gabriel said as he paid for two ice cream cones from the KissPop lady.

Scarlet took a bite of ice cream while she thought about her answer. She had two choices. She could lie and act like her family life was completely normal:

I have two wonderful parents who bathe me in love. We sit at the piano every night and sing songs together before making cookies from scratch. And I have a dog named Mr. Poodles.

Or she could tell the truth:

If I have a family, they ditched me in the woods a few years ago.

The lie was always safer. But because Gabriel made her feel so comfortable, Scarlet went with the truth.

“I don’t really have a family, but I have an awesome guardian.”

It seemed appropriate, confiding in Gabriel.

Logically, it made no sense to open up to a guy who was practically a stranger. But her instincts told her she could trust him.

And instincts were all she had.

“You have a guardian? That’s cool. Tell me about her.” Gabriel took a bite of his ice cream.

Why did Gabriel assume it was a woman?

Did he know about Laura?

An alarm went off again in Scarlet’s head.

She tilted her head to the side, looked at Gabriel’s gorgeous face, then pressed snooze.

“Her name is Laura and she’s really pretty and really young. She works for some huge international company doing some kind of procurement. She’s a terrible cook and she’s more like a sister to me than a mom.”

Gabriel smiled. “She sounds perfect.”

“She is.” Scarlet nodded and waited for Gabriel to ask the inevitable question. The notorious, Why do you have a guardian and not parents?

Scarlet was prepared to answer truthfully.

Because her instincts told her to.

But Gabriel didn’t ask.

Odd.

Was he trying to be polite? Was he afraid of her answer?

Scarlet didn’t know but, either way, she was relieved. Talking about being abandoned in the woods was kind of a downer. And she didn’t want to screw up their perfectly nice date.

She looked up at him. “Tell me about your family.”

“There’s not much to tell….” He took another bite. “My family’s originally from England. And my parents died when I was young so I’ve been pretty much on my own for a while.”

Scarlet frowned in sympathy. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”

Scarlet’s heart hurt for him. In a way, it was probably better not ever knowing your family than knowing them well and losing them. “So, you’ve just been, like, alone?”

“Uh…I lived with other family members for a while.” Gabriel cleared his throat. “Anyway, tell me about school. Do you like Avalon High?”

“It’s all right,” Scarlet said. “It’s school, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. School’s a bummer.”

“Are you going to go to Avalon High this year?” Scarlet asked.

Gabriel smiled broadly, and his eyes lit up. “Yes,” he said. As if the thought hadn’t occurred to him until just that moment. “Yes, I am.”

Scarlet nodded and smiled. “Maybe we’ll have some classes together.”

Gabriel looked at Scarlet with a crooked smile. “I certainly hope so.”

As they finished their ice cream, a boom sounded in the distance.

They stopped walking and looked up to see fireworks. The high school band heading up the parade broke into a vaguely patriotic song as bright sparkles exploded in the sky.

They stood and watched without speaking until the song ended and the fireworks finale began.

Boom-boom-boom!

The sky lit up with brilliant colors and lights. People everywhere started kissing and hugging and cheering and laughing. From somewhere above confetti began falling around them, floating into Scarlet’s hair and landing on her eyelashes.

Her eyes still on the sky, she felt Gabriel’s hand slowly reach for hers. She slipped her small hand into his and smiled to herself.

What was it about Gabriel that made her feel so…complete?

Shifting her eyes, Scarlet saw a set of five stars hanging directly above them.

Suddenly, she no longer hated all the trees in Georgia.

Her eyes fell to Gabriel’s and for a moment she held her breath.

Ohmygoodness, he’s going to kiss me.

Scarlet didn’t know if she was nervous or excited or afraid.

Gabriel, the stranger who made her feel safe and normal, the stranger with the familiar voice, was going to kiss her.

And all of a sudden, Scarlet had no hesitations.

She wanted Gabriel to kiss her.

She wanted it more than anything.

He turned to face her with his cute dimples and Scarlet looked up at him, excitement bubbling inside her as she smiled.

He leaned down and slowly pressed his lips to hers.

Soft and full, they laid against her mouth, sending warmth and butterflies into her stomach as she kissed him back.

Everything about him…they way he smelled, the way he tasted…the way he placed his big hands on her hips and his fingers against her back….everything was wonderful.

Somewhere far away music was playing and confetti continued to fall, a piece landing gently on Scarlet’s nose.

She kept her hands on his strong shoulders and leaned up on her tiptoes to meet his mouth more fully. She wanted more.

Even with her eyes closed, Scarlet could see fireworks.

And they were magical.

The Kissing Festival: Best. Idea. Ever.