The Truth of Yesterday

Josh Aterovis is the author of Bleeding Hearts (ISBN: 1930928688) and the upcoming Reap the Whirlwind (Coming in 2003), published by Renaissance Alliance Publishing Inc. (http://www.rapbooks.biz) The Truth of Yesterday is the fourth book in the Killian Kendall series.

Visit "Black Sheep Productions" for more information. Official Site of the Killian Kendall Mystery Series http://www.steliko.com/bleedinghearts

The Truth of Yesterday

Chapter 23

I sat at my desk tapping my pen against my notepad, it went everywhere I went and was full of notes on my cases. I was making a to-do list and I was a stuck on what to do about Jake's case. I had a list finished for Paul. There were only three items but they were important. I flipped back a page and read over that list, hoping for inspiration. Number one, I either had to get back into the apartment to look for an address book or something along those lines, or talk to the detective in charge of the investigation and see if he had found anything like that. It could give me the lead I needed for the next two items on my list, which were, find out who Paul was dating, and get in touch with his estranged family.

I flipped back to Jake's list and stared at the blank page. I found myself completely stumped as to where to go next. My best idea so far was to just show up at the Ball Friday night and hope for the best. Not exactly an aggressive attack, but maybe simple observation would serve me well in this case.

Thinking about the AIDS Ball reminded me of Haven's Halloween dance scheduled for tomorrow night and my promise to Kane to work on our costumes together. I made a mental note to be at the house when Kane got home from school today so I could live up to my promise.

I picked up the phone and dialed Chris' cell phone number. I got her voice mail and left a message asking her to see if she could make an appointment for me to talk to the officer in charge of Paul's murder investigation.

That done, I forced myself to contemplate Jake's empty page once again. Why was this so hard for me? Was it because I was afraid of what I'd find out? Despite the distance that had grown between us, I still cared about him. I'd had strong feelings for him once upon a time, or at least I thought I had. I'd even risked my life to save his. There was some part of me that wanted that experience to be worth something. I didn't want to think that I had only saved him to become some sort of criminal. But of course, that was unbelievably selfish of me. It was Jake's life and it was his to do with as he pleased.

And who said being an escort was all that bad to begin with? After all, Micah had been an escort. So had Paul, and by all accounts, he was a stand-up guy, loved by all, a model friend and lover.

Lover. Micah's lover. Former lover, I reminded myself. I couldn't let that begin to cloud my judgment now. So far, I thought I'd been doing a pretty good job at keeping things on a purely professional level. Besides, that was a long time ago. They had both moved on. Paul had apparently found a new lover and Micah was with me now. And let's face it; Paul wasn't exactly a threat at this point.

I realized how my thoughts on one case kept leading naturally back to the other case. They had so many similarities that they almost seemed intertwined. I kept finding myself wondering if there was more of a connection that just the fact that Jake had a picture of Neal in his bedroom. I suspected Jake of being an escort, and I knew Paul had been one. Paul worked for Neal, who did Jake work for, if anyone? Did he work for Neal too? And if so, that seemed a little far away from the base of operation for the Top to Bottom Agency. Maybe it was a satellite business. Did they have those for escort agencies? Maybe Neal was going franchise. I giggled at the thought. He could have branches all over the country, over one million served.

I finally had something to write on Jake's to-do list. Number one; find out who Jake is working for. The money has to be coming from somewhere; I just had to find out where.

Of course, if I found that out, I still had to find some way to tell Judy. I was not looking forward to breaking that news. "Well, Judy, it seems your little boy is selling his body to buy electronics and clothes." Then again, knowing Judy she'd probably say something like, "Oh, thank God, I was afraid he was doing something awful like selling used cars." She was pretty free-spirited when it came to things like drugs and sex. Some people would probably call her a leftover hippie, but she really wasn't. She was just very open-minded.

Just having one item on Jake's to-do list gave me a feeling of accomplishment, so I flipped the notebook closed and slid it into my pocket. My work was done here for today. I stood up and took a quick look around the office. It had been very quiet around here since Novak disappeared. I had no idea when he would be back, but my curiosity about his mystery case was killing me. I decided to slip into his office and see if he'd left anything on top of his desk. After all, I reasoned, if he left it in plain sight, it can't be confidential, right?

I pushed open his door and slithered inside. I eyed the hump-backed couch warily. I was convinced that one of these days it was going to pounce on me and gobble me up. How a piece of inanimate furniture, however truly hideous it was, was going to accomplish that, I didn't know and didn't care, but I was quite certain it was true.

I approached the desk while keeping an eye on the couch. I knew it was extremely unlikely that Novak had left anything on his desk. It would have been very much out of character for him. He was meticulously neat with his desk, and just as scrupulous about the facts of his case. I wasn't surprised to find the top completely clear except for his computer; he'd even put the phone away in the top drawer.

Well, since I'm here, it wouldn't hurt to look in the drawers, I thought. After all, he wouldn't leave something confidential in a drawer that was unlocked, would he?

It's just amazing what you can convince yourself of. The middle drawer contained the usually assortment of pens, paper clips, rubber bands, and other assorted office paraphernalia. Perhaps Novak's was a little more organized than most desks, but it was all here. The top right-hand drawer held the phone and a ream of paper. To my disappointment, the rest were securely locked.

I know where the key is... I stopped myself at that thought. Even I knew that would be going too far. Whatever he was working on would have to stay a secret until he chose to tell me.

In the meantime, though, I really missed our chats. I could have used one today. I sat down in Novak's chair and propped my feet up on the desk.

"So kid," I said to the empty room, "what are you going to do about this case with Jake? Are you going to tell Judy what you find out?"

I swung my feet down with a sigh and sat up. "What choice do I have? She deserves to know the truth."

I rubbed off the scuffmark my shoes had left on the desk and let myself out of the office, shutting the door behind me.

I was waiting at home when Kane got home from school that afternoon. His face lit up when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Did you forget about the costume party tomorrow night?"

"No, but I figured you would."

"Well, I didn't. Do you have any ideas for costumes? We'd better get working on them if we want them to be any good."

"Well, Micah's going, right?"

"As far as I know, although with all this stuff going on with the paper, I should probably check with him just to be sure."

"Well, if he is, I was thinking that maybe we could go as some famous trio, like the Three Musketeers or...well, I can't think of any others."

"What about the Three Stooges, or the three little pigs, or Huey, Dewey, and Louie?" I suggested. He made a face. "You don't like my ideas?" I asked.

"If you think it's a good idea just say so," he pouted.

"No, I think it's great. I was just kidding around. I'd rather not wear tights though, I did that once before and I didn't care for it."

"Well, so much for the Three Musketeers. I have to admit, I wasn't really looking forward to tights either."

"Well, before we decide, let me call Micah and make sure he's still going."

I went to the phone and dialed Micah's number. He answered on the third ring.

"Yeah? What do you want?" he snapped into the phone.

"Micah?" I asked uncertainly.

"Killian?" His voice softened. "Sorry about that. It's been a bad day."

"What's going on?"

"It's just this story. Things are getting messy, the paper's getting scared, they want me to back off." He growled. "I'll tell you about it later, this isn't a good time. Were you calling for anything in particular or just checking to make sure I was still alive?"

"Well, actually, I was calling about the dance tomorrow night at Haven..."

"Oh, damn! I'd forgotten all about it. Kill, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it. I'm sorry."

"It's ok," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. "What about the AIDS Ball?"

"I think I can still make that. It's just that I have an appointment tomorrow night. I'm really sorry, Killian."

"Really, it's ok."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Kane is going with me. We'll be fine. Work comes first."

He sighed. "No, work shouldn't come first. You should come first; it's just that right now..."

"Work has to come first," I finished. "Micah, I understand. It's just for now, it won't be like this forever, and this story is important to you."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," he said.

"That goes both ways, mister," I shot back.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." I hung up and turned to find Kane leaning against the wall.

"So it's just the two of us then?" he said.

"Looks that way," I shrugged.

"So, instead of famous trios we should be thinking famous duos?"

"Sure," I said cheerily, trying to shake off the heavy feeling that had settled over me as soon as Micah had said he couldn't go. We walked upstairs to the bedroom we share, talking as we went. "What are we going for? Funny? Sexy? Clever?"

"Well, I want it to be creative. No pirates or vampires. I think we should go with sexy, don't you? Let's make Micah wish he had been there when he sees the pictures. And besides, I might actually meet somebody there, assuming there are any straight chicks."

I laughed. "I'm sure you won't be the only straight person, and besides, you'd settle for a bi chick, right?"

"Settle? That just might be even better," he said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "How about Batman and Robin?"

I shuddered as I sat on my bed and Kane flopped down across his. "No thanks. I haven't felt the same about Batman since Jake's Halloween dance that first year you moved here."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot. Well, um...what other superhero duos are there?"

"Do you really want to be a superhero? That's still tights, and besides, who would be the hero and who would be the sidekick?"

"I don't mind being the sidekick. I'm younger so it's only fair. And I know I have the body to pull off spandex. Are you a little worried there, big bro?"

"Not exactly worried, it's just that I don't especially like showing off all my goods for free. Ya know?"

"Wimp."

"Exhibitionist."

We laughed.

"Ok, so no superheroes?" Kane asked.

"If you're really set on it, I guess I can live with it."

"Well, there are other choices. We could be characters from Lord of the Rings."

"Are you trying to say I'm short?"

"No comment. But you would look cute in those pointy ears."

I threw a pillow at him, which he easily dodged.

"We could be hippies."

"That's not very creative."

"Hey, you be creative. I'm the one coming up with all the ideas while you just shoot them down. Are you trying to say you don't want to go?"

"No," I said quickly. "I do want to go. Let's see...well, I could go as a mental patient. I wouldn't even have to wear a costume." Kane shot me a dirty look. "No? Ok, how about gangsters? Or X-Men?"

"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Tell me about it."

"Oh, wait! I have it!"

"What?"

"This is so perfect! Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

"What is it?"

"Sherlock Holmes and Watson! How perfect is that? You're a detective and everything!"

I blinked. "That's actually a good idea. At least for me. It won't be that great for you. I mean, what did Watson wear? A gray suit? Not exactly sexy."

"Then I'll go as a super hero."

"I thought you wanted to go as a duo."

"I did, but this is getting to be more work that it's worth."

"Well, what about Rage and Zephyr?"

"Who and who?"

"Rage and Zephyr. They're the gay superheroes on Queer As Folk."

"They have gay superheroes on Queer As Folk?"

"Well, Justin and Michael wrote a comic book and the characters are Rage and Zephyr."

"And they're gay superheroes?"

"Yeah."

"With good costumes?"

"I guess. Here, I'll show you." I booted up the computer and signed onto the internet. I went to the QAF website and clicked on the Rage link. "There, what do you think?"

"I like it," he said slowly. "The costumes are sexy, but would you be Rage?"

"Well, you're a little bigger than me, and you're definitely more built, so you should probably be Rage. I don't mind being Zephyr. I kinda like his costume more anyway. It's a lot less...revealing."

Kane grinned. "Sounds like a deal. Now, how do we make these costumes?"

"I was hoping you'd know."

"You don't know how to sew?"

"Not really."

"Boys?" Adam called from downstairs.

"Dad can sew," Kane said. He jumped up and was out of the room before I could even respond. He returned a few minutes later with Adam in tow.

Kane explained to him what we wanted and after studying the pictures for a minute, he nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. But, Kane, are you sure you want to be a gay superhero?"

"Why not?" Kane said with a careless shrug. "As long as the girls know I'm not gay, who cares?"

"You can get them done by tomorrow night?" I asked in surprise.

"No problem. In fact, I can get them done tonight if you just get me the material."

"Can you make a list of what you need?"

"Sure. I'll also have to measure you guys, but it should be a snap, especially if you guys give me a hand."

"Wow, you mean we'd actually be doing something together as a family?" Kane said dryly.

I saw a hurt look flash across Adam's face, but it was gone quickly. "Not quite a family," he said. "Steve won't be here, but yeah, the rest of us will be. I'll cook dinner while you two go get the material."

He quickly measured us and made a list of everything he thought he'd need, then sent us out while he started dinner. That night we worked together to make the costumes, which I thought turned out really well...until I went to put it on the next night. I was having second thoughts as I stood in front of the full-length mirror in our bedroom.

"I don't know," I said doubtfully.

"Oh come one, Killian," Kane moaned. "We have to leave in less than half an hour. What do you mean you don't know?"

"It's awfully...tight."

"It's supposed to be tight," Adam said.

"I know. It's just tighter than I expected it to be."

"You look great," Kane said.

I stared at my reflection. At 18, I still looked pretty much the same as I did two years ago, short and slender. The red Zephyr costume was form fitting to say the least, and I wasn't feeling nearly as brave now as I had when Adam was fitting me for it the night before. I turned to look at Kane in his dark blue rage costume, complete with jagged tear across the chest.

"That's easy for you to say, you look fantastic."

"You both look great," Adam said, sounding very fatherly, "and after all the work I put into those costumes, you're damn well going to wear them." He softened his proclamation with a warm smile. "You'll be the two most handsome boys there."

"I feel like I'm on display," I argued weakly, one last time, as I glanced down at my crotch.

"Oh stop," Adam said, handing me my mask. "You'll be having so much fun you won't even think about it."

"I hope so. I just wish Micah was going."

Kane squeezed by me to take one last look at himself now that he had his mask on. "Can we go now?" he asked, never taking his eyes off his image.

"We'll be early," I argued.

"Why don't you go by and see Steve before you go," Adam suggested. "I know it's out of the way, but he would love to see you in your costumes."

"It's not that much out of the way," I said. "And it will allow us to be fashionably late."

"I guess that's ok," Kane said. "At least that way we can make an entrance."

"My thoughts exactly," I said sarcastically. "Are we going to have to pry you away from the mirror?"

"What? I'm not that bad."

"You haven't stopped starting at yourself since you put that costume on."

"So? I look good. And so do you, so don't start. Let's go." He tossed over his shoulder as he started down the stairs.

I gave Adam a long-suffering look and grabbed my wallet. It didn't take long to realize that there was nowhere to stick it in this costume.

"Just leave it in the car," Adam said. "I know you wanted Micah to go, but try to have fun without him. Just not too much fun. Don't forget you're taken."

"As much as I've seen him this week, I might as well be single."

"This is a critical moment in his career. It won't last forever. Things will be back to normal before you know it."

"I can't wait."

"Come on!" Kane called from downstairs.

"You'd better go before the boy wonder wets himself," Adam said with a grin.

I laughed and headed out the door.

"Oh, and Killian?"

I paused.

"Keep an eye on Kane."

Steve got a kick out of our costumes, as did the middle-aged gay couple who had checked in that day. They practically drooled over the two of us before we got out the door. It took longer than we had planned since both Steve and the couple insisted on taking pictures. I'm sure I was as red as my costume and I didn't even want to think about what those guys would be doing with our pictures.

The party was in full swing when we arrived. It was being held in the same building Haven met in, but in a larger room. We found the room by following the thumping sound of the dance music. Everett and the plump blonde girl from the first meeting were sitting at the door selling tickets. Everett was dressed up like someone from Star Wars; although I wasn't sure who, the light saber gave it away. The girl, whose name I couldn't remember, was dressed all in black with huge black wings. She looked like an overgrown crow, but I was pretty sure that wasn't what she was going for.

"Hey, Killian. Wow, you guys look great." Everett said. "You remember, Tanya, right?"

"Of course," I lied. I handed him the money for our tickets and Tanya stamped our hands while Everett eyed Kane.

"Is this your boyfriend?" he asked finally, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Kane choked and I bit back a giggle. "No, this is my little brother, Kane."

"Oh, hi Kane. I'm Everett. Are you gay?"

"Nope, 100% straight, but I'm gay friendly," Kane said with a grin.

"Damn. I knew it would be too much to hope there'd be two guys that hot in the same family who were both gay."

"Actually, I'm the only person in my family who isn't gay, but that's another story. Right now, I just need to know if there are any hot girls here who aren't just into other girls."

Everett laughed a huge booming laugh. "I like this kid. I don't know who's here to be honest with you. I just got here and took over for Tony. I thought he was going to have a heart attack before I got here, he wanted to dance so bad."

"He was dancing out here," Tanya said. "There are several girls here who are straight and quite a few who are bi."

"Thanks," Kane said, flashing her his most dazzling smile.

"It's wasted on her, buddy," Everett said. "She's one of those who's only into girls."

Tanya elbowed him in the side and he laughed again.

"Well, we'll be going in then," I said.

"Wait, let me get a picture," Tanya said, grabbing a camera and hopping up in a flurry of feathers. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"They're Rage and Zephyr from QAF," someone said from behind me. I spun around to find Noah giving me an admiring look. My mouth dropped open when I saw the costume he was wearing, or maybe I should say not wearing. All he had on was a leopard print loincloth, and a white shell necklace with a matching anklet on one ankle.

"You like my costume?" he asked.

"Tarzan?" I somehow managed to say in a normal voice.

"Yup."

"Picture," Tanya reminded me. I posed with Kane while she snapped a couple photos. By the time she was done, Noah had paid and been stamped and he followed us into the room, which was surprisingly full.

They had gotten a DJ and the music was pumped up. The lights were low and a disco ball threw tiny spotlights all over the room.

"Hey guys," Val said as she bounced up in a cheerleader uniform. I had to laugh when I saw the letters FU across her chest. "Nice costumes," she enthused. Then she noticed Kane. "And who is this?"

"This is..." I started but Kane quickly interrupted.

"I'm Kane, Killian's brother. And you are?"

"I'm Valora, you can call me Val."

"Hello, Val."

"Kane is straight," I said rather unnecessarily.

"Well, I hate to disappoint anyone, but I'm not," Val said with a laugh, "but I can introduce you to some girls who are."

"That would be great," Kane jumped on her offer like a starving dog on a bone. He turned to me with a pleading look. "Is that ok?"

"Sure, go have fun. Just be careful, and you'd better not drink anything or Adam will kill me."

"There's no alcohol here," Val said. "At least officially. Come on, Kane. I'll introduce you to everyone."

The two of them went off into the crowd, leaving me alone with Noah.

"You really look great," he said after a moment.

"You look pretty good yourself," I said. I was trying hard not to stare at his body. It was a lot more defined than I had expected, complete with pecs and a lightly defined six-pack.

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"He couldn't come tonight. He was too busy with work."

"That sucks. I have to meet this guy. I'm beginning to wonder if he really exists."

I glanced over to see if he was serious or joking, but it was impossible to read his expression.

"Oh, he's real," I said lightly. An awkward silence fell between us. I spotted the drink table. "I'm going to go get a drink, you want anything?"

"Um, yeah, thanks," he said as if I had interrupted his thoughts. "A Dr. Pepper if they have it."

I crossed over to the table and grabbed two cans of Dr. Pepper out of the ice. I popped them both open, poured them into clear plastic glasses, and carried them back to Noah.

"Thanks," he said as he took one of the glasses from my hand. A chill went up my spine as his finger brushed mine. "It was nice of you to bring your little brother. I hope he doesn't get hit on too bad.

"You think he will?" I asked.

"Probably. He's a cutie, and the guys will be all over a fresh piece of meat like that."

"Kane can take care of himself."

"How about you?"

"What about me?"

"Can you take care of yourself?"

"I like to think so," I said nervously, I wasn't sure what he was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, you have to know you look really hot in that costume. Every guy here is staring at you."

"They might be staring at you, you know," I said in an attempt to shift the attention off of me. "After all, you're the one who's half-naked."

"It was you they were watching as you walked across the floor."

I looked around and noticed several guys looking over in our direction. It was impossible to tell who they were looking at, although a couple waved when they saw me look their way. I hoped the dim lighting would hide the blush I felt creeping up my cheeks.

"It was nice of you to notice that I'm half-naked, though," he said with a grin. "I was beginning to think I was invisible."

"Oh, I noticed, I'm just trying to behave."

"Behaving is never any fun," he said, shifting a little closer to me. I could feel the body heat from his bare skin.

"I need another drink," I said in a slightly breathless voice.

"You haven't drunk that one yet," he pointed out. I looked down at the almost full cup in my hand.

"Oh," I said brilliantly.

"Come on, let's dance," he said, taking the drink from my hand and setting his and mine on the floor against the wall. He then grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto the dance floor. Now that he'd pointed it out, I noticed more than a few sets of eyes follow us as we made our way to where a group of people had started dancing. The song playing was a sexy remake of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby." I was very uncomfortable dancing with Noah, he was practically nude and my attraction for him was stronger than ever, but it wasn't too long before the music took over and I loosened up. Before I knew it I had almost forgotten who I was even dancing with, I just moved into my own little zone.

"You dance really well," Noah said into my ear, startling me out of the slightly hypnotized state into which I had slipped.

"Uh, thanks," I mumbled as I realized how intertwined I had become with Noah's body. I tried to pull away unobtrusively, but he pulled my body close again. I gave up. It's just one dance, I told myself.

That one dance turned into two, which turned into three, and before I knew it, it was an hour later and I was still dancing with Noah.

"I need a drink," I told him. "Water, preferably."

"I'll get it," he said. "Wait over there by the door." He pointed in the direction of a metal door on the far wall.

As I made my way towards the door, a few guys asked me to dance and one of them, smelling strongly of alcohol, groped me a little. I pushed him roughly away and finally made it to the door. I was only there a second before Kane was at my side.

"Hey, are you having fun?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually I am. And from the looks of things, so are you?"

"What? I'm just dancing," I said defensively.

Kane cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, put your eyebrow back where it belongs," I snapped. "I'm just dancing. What was I supposed to do, stand against the wall all night?"

"No, but you could dance with a few other guys. You've been with the same one all night. He's hot for you."

"He's just a friend."

"Killian, he's hot for you. I saw the way he was looking at you. He wants you bad."

"Have you met anyone?" I asked, choosing to ignore his observations.

He tried to look stern, but couldn't resist grinning. "Actually, yeah. She's really cool. She's my age and everything. Her name is Lila, she's Val's cousin and she's just as hot as Val."

"And she's straight?"

"Not exactly. She's bi, but she's with me so that's all that matters."

I laughed. "Well, where is she?"

He turned around and scanned the dancers. A tall slender girl with long dark hair standing on the edge of the crowd fluttered her fingers at Kane and he waved her over. She was dressed like an Indian maiden, maybe even Disney's version of Pocahontas. A short buckskin dress revealed long, tan legs. Her shell necklace was the twin to the one Noah was wearing. It seemed to be a popular accessory this evening.

"Lila, this is my brother Killian," Kane introduced us.

"Good looks run in your family," she said flirtatiously.

"The same could be said for your family," I returned the compliment.

She looked a bit confused for a second, but then her face cleared. "You mean, Val? Yeah, she's gorgeous. If she wasn't my cousin..." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and I laughed again.

Kane has his hands full with this one, I thought. Speaking of Kane, he was grinning like the proverbial cat that ate the canary, but I had a feeling he was the one about to get eaten.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Noah approaching with the water I'd asked for. Kane followed my gaze and frowned.

"Be careful," he said under his breath. "Don't forget how much you love Micah." Then he turned back to Lila and offered his arm. "Shall we dance?" he asked gallantly.

"Why thank you, yes," she replied with a little curtsy, and they melted back into the dance floor.

"Your little brother met someone?" Noah asked as he handed me my bottle of water.

"Yeah, she's Val's cousin. He seems to like her, but she looks like a handful."

"If that was Val's cousin she is a handful from what I hear."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. It might not even be the same cousin. Is it hot in here or is it just you?"

I groaned. "That was awful. You can do better than that."

He grinned. "Actually, I'm serious. I'm really hot. I could use some fresh air. Come outside with me?"

A little fresh air would be nice. "Sure."

He pushed open the door and we slipped out into the cool night air. A few other couples had the same idea, several of which were busy making out in the shadows.

"The moon is almost full," Noah said.

I glanced up at the bright yellow orb, hanging low in the sky. "A full moon for Halloween? The goblins and ghouls will love that."

"It's beautiful though, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it is."

He moved a little closer to me and I shifted away as nonchalantly as I could.

"You really look great tonight, Killian."

"So you've mentioned a few times," I said teasingly. "You look great too, although you have to be freezing now."

"It is a little chilly." He shifted closer again and I moved away. He nearly had me against the wall now, another foot and I wouldn't have anywhere to move to. "You could keep me warm," he said when I failed to pick up on his hints.

"Or we could go back inside," I said. I liked Noah, and there was no denying my attraction, but things were quickly getting out of hand.

"I'm not ready to go back inside just yet." He turned to look at me and the moonlight reflected off his face making him almost seem to glow. His eyes locked onto mine and his full, red lips parted. He really has amazing lips, I found myself thinking, I wonder what it would be like to kiss them...

He moved in a little closer and my back hit the wall. He lifted his hand and softly stroked my cheek. "I've wanted to do this since the first time I saw you," he whispered and quickly leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.