35. Chapter 35

Chapter thirty-five

Fenella

S ilas is kissing me.

I want to add finally , but with a kiss like that, I shouldn't add anything but a fireworks emoji, along with a flame and maybe my head exploding.

And many, many hearts.

He's kissing me on the pier after the star fell from the sky—or maybe it was a meteor. I really don't care, only that it led to this moment. the moment I've been thinking about for a week now.

Silas. Kissing. Me.

I could have done it days ago. I wanted to. I was ready to. But it had to be him to make the first move.

And it was. And, oh my god, the man can kiss.

At first, it was gentle, almost tentative, with lips as soft as they look. And then, after what might have been a practice lap, he really makes his move. Instead of asking, he demands, and then he takes.

I'm along for the ride because I do my share of taking as well .

We stay on the pier until my fingers are numb with cold, so Silas takes my hand in his to warm it as he walks me home.

The lights of The King's Hat have dimmed when we walk by and when I look in, I see Kalle and Edie by the pool table.

Dancing.

The two of them in a bubble of happiness and love, ignoring the rest of the world.

That's what it felt like when Silas kissed me.

I've kissed my fair share of men. The movie star when I was nineteen, embarking on a whirlwind trip around the world with him, only to discover his interest in me was only to further his career. The athletes, the musicians, the Bitcoin golden boy.

The prince of Laandia.

What I felt for Gunnar was most like what I'm feeling for Silas and I have to wonder if there's something in the water of Laandia.

He walks me through the alley to the door of the apartment, the only part of staying at Edie's that I don't like. But with Silas holding my hand, I want to dance through it, hopscotching over the cardboard boxes and bits of paper the wind has thrown around.

"I had fun tonight," I tell him as we pause before the door. "Thanks for taking me."

"I'm always happy to give you another first," he says, holding my gaze in his green eyes. His cheeks are pink from the chill and his lips—

His lips look a little swollen, thanks to me .

And there's a bit of a burn on my cheeks from his beard.

"I really enjoyed that last first one." And I take his coat and pull him closer, standing on my tiptoes to press my lips against his again. "The one that started like this."

He wraps his arms around me, holding me upright when my knees threaten to buckle.

Silas makes my knees weak.

He gives me butterflies.

My pulse is racing, my heart is thumping. Silas gives me all those things that kisses are supposed to do, and he does them all at once.

He makes me smile.

He sees me smile, and it makes him happy.

I'm so happy kissing him.

We stand there for long minutes, wrapped up in each other, until I can't feel my toes. And then it takes us another ten minutes to say goodnight.

"Don't forget to look for your pumpkins tomorrow," Silas says, backing away from me. "They'll be out in front of the stores in the morning."

"I'll go on a scavenger hunt to find them," I promise. "On my way to work."

"Tomorrow."

Tomorrow is the last shift I have scheduled, but I don't want to bring that up now. I don't want to break this bubble. "Tomorrow," I repeat.

I keep my eyes on Silas as he walks away, and only when he's out of sight, do I head up the stairs to where Ernie the cat is waiting for me.

Once I peel my coat off, I pick up the cat and hug him, because I have to do something.

I text a picture of my pumpkins to the group.

Me: I lost a nail in my attempts

Coral: Carving pumpkins? What did they do to you?

What did they do to me? This place—this small town with the decent men who make me happy.

I've kissed royalty. Billionaires, millionaires, and rock stars. I've kissed men who appear on the cover of Men's Health and People's Magazine and have more Instagram followers than even I do.

I've never kissed the boy next door, and I think that's what Silas is. I've never kissed a man who is so devoted to his family that he would let his heart get broken rather than deserting them.

I've never helped repair a broken heart.

I've kissed some men, and it's gone nowhere. I've kissed others, and they asked me to marry them.

I feel quite confident with my kissing skills.

But it's different with Silas .

Butterflies. Fireworks.

Shooting stars.

I text my brother.

Me: What if I stayed?

Ashton: Why would you want to?

Me: It's nice here. Peaceful. Calm.

Ashton: You are not calm. Who is he?

Me: There's no one. It's a sweet place.

Ashton: You are not sweet. Or calm. You are tough. Vivacious, vibrant

Me: Are you running through the V words in your thesaurus?

Ashton: I'm trying to be nice here.

Me: And it never happens so I really don't know how to respond.

I don't tell anyone Silas kissed me. I hug it to myself like I hugged him and spend the rest of the night trying to come up with a plan.