Page 26 of Flights and Sights

“Well, he’s a hot friend.”

My face heated and I looked at my tacos intently. “Is he? I haven’t really noticed,” I murmured before taking a huge bite of my taco.

Charlie snorted this time and rolled his eyes. “Sure you haven’t.” When I didn’t answer right away, he leaned in. “Have you spent any time together that doesn’t involve our family?”

I swallowed and sighed. “He took me out to see the farm where he gets his honey, and then we had brunch. That’s all.” My cheeks burned with heat from the memory of his lips against mine.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Lies.” Charlie waited for me to keep talking.

I tried very, very hard to keep my mouth shut, but eventually I crumbled. “Okay, fine. He kissed me, okay?”

“Called it. Did you, I don’t know, kiss him back?”

“I… did. And then I said thank you.”

Charlie cackled. “You said what?”

“I know. I panicked.”

“Clearly.”

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked miserably.

Charlie shrugged casually. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. We just met. We barely know each other.”

“Do you like him?”

“I mean, yeah. But like I said, we barely know each other.”

“Then get to know him,” Charlie said, sounding exasperated, before his expression turned to a smirk. “And while you’re getting to know him, get to know him, too.”

I rolled my eyes. “We’re not going there.”

Charlie shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“I did invite him to the Family Field Day, though.”

“Fuck yeah, you did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He smirked again. “You’ll get to see each other’s competitive sides, and get all sweaty doing stupid family games, and then you’ll need to, I don’t know, shower it off or something.”

“We’re hardly going to get too sweaty playing dizzy bat and running three-legged races.”

He shrugged casually and finished a taco. “You never know.” A beat passed. “There’s a new category of games this year, too.”

“Oh?” Dread threatened me.

“Water games. Balloons, races, relays. The whole nine yards.”

I put my hands in my face and exhaled slowly, letting it sink in. “Delightful.”