Page 56 of Running
And then the space between us…
Closes…
Down…
To nothing.
Our mouths crash together, and I feel a bundle of sensations at once—the softness of his lips, the press of his tongue, the gentle friction of his beard.
Finally, my mind screams at me.
And I can’t help it. I let out a whimper. I need more.
“That sound, fuck.” His voice is hoarse.
Then he fully untethers himself, his warm mouth moving more decisively on mine.
I match the uptick in passion. This isn’t the same as our college encounter, when I was inexperienced even at kissing. Just as he is exploring with his tongue and stamping me with his desire, I’m actively claiming his mouth, nipping at his bottom lip.
“Mmmm,” he murmurs as he feels my movements.
His hands slide under my hair to cup the back of my head, and I brace myself against the chair.
The kiss deepens once again, but somehow becomes gentler. His lips savor mine, his tongue slowly exploring, and even the texture of his beard rubbing against me is a comfort.
It feels like there’s so much we’re sharing with this kiss. It’s weighted with something deeper than desire.
Just then, his phone vibrates, interrupting us. The Uber.
He pauses his movements, but holds me steady, our lips still touching. Everythingelsestill touching.
“I don’t want to go. But I should.” The words come out while his lips are still pressed against mine.
I whimper again slightly at the thought of us stopping. “You…you don’t have to.”
He sighs and finally pulls back slightly. “Grace. Grace, if I go up there…I should go. But this isn’t over.”
I can’t help but ask for confirmation, my eyes peering into his. “It isn’t?”
The ends of his mouth turn up slightly, his voice certain. “No. It’s not.”
He drops his hands, and I take a second to absorb my new reality—he’s not touching me, but I can still feel his imprint on my lips.
His phone beeps again, and he looks at it with frustration before turning back up to face me. “Can we talk after I get through our first game on Sunday? Maybe Monday or Tuesday?”
I nod, coming out of my haze. We’re still in my car, and I need to get into my building and my condo. “Okay. Yes.”
He opens his door and begins to get out. I mirror his motion and stand by the car while I watch him lock it with the key fob.
He gestures towards the garage entrance to the building and we start walking that way. When we’re almost at the door, he hands me the car keys.
But he doesn’t just drop the keys into my hand. Instead, he rests his hand lightly on mine again, the keys in between them, and takes a step closer to me.
“This isn’t done, Grace. I’m going to figure it out.” He shakes his head like he needs to correct himself. “We’regoing to figure it out.”
And with a parting kiss to my forehead, he heads out into the night.
As I make my way to my apartment, I really want us to figure it out too.
