15. Relic

Chapter fifteen

Relic

W hile Macie still had her head on a swivel as she rode in the passenger seat searching for the demons that tormented her, she was more relaxed than I'd ever seen her in the car before. Instead of defaulting to the radio, we listened to a playlist from her phone, and she sang along to every pop song as if each and every word composed the lyrics to her personal anthem. Pop wasn't even on my top ten preferred list of music, but seeing her happy, I could listen to every crooning guy without batting an eye.

I had dreamed of kissing her since freshman year, and the actual experience was beyond my wildest fantasies. Whether Macie knew it or not, she'd given me a gift—something real to hold onto when everything in my life returned to trash. But I wouldn't worry about the canyons in the upcoming road. For now, while in this car next to her, I had heaven, and I was going to hold on with both hands until the world forced me to let go.

Macie paused her playlist, causing me to glance over at her. "You okay?"

"I'm great." But she shyly fidgeted with her cell.

I took one hand off the wheel and linked our fingers together. "You sure?"

She sucked in a deep breath then rushed out, "What if I want to kiss you again?"

Then I would think that maybe I had hit my head at some point during the day and that I was in a hospital in a coma, having excellent dreams, because that sounded like every fantasy come to life.

"Because," Macie continued in one steady stream of consciousness like she did when nervous, "you already said that you don't make out the same girl twice, but I liked kissing you and I want to do it again. But I don't want a relationship and neither do you, but I really liked kissing you."

Easiest answer of my complicated life. "Then we kiss. Whenever you want."

Macie turned in her seat to stare at me, and when I reached the red light, I met her gaze. Of course, given that we'd stopped, she glanced around to make sure we were safe, then met my eyes again.

"I'm serious about not wanting a relationship."

"And I'm also serious about not wanting one." I had never seen a functional relationship in my life, so what did I know about dating? What I did know was that I liked spending time with Macie. I thought of her all the time, and more importantly, I loved seeing her smile.

"And I don't want to have sex."

I gave a nonchalant shrug. "Okay."

"I'm serious."

The light turned green, and I gently pressed on the gas. "So am I."

She stayed silent, but I could feel her mind working overtime as I assumed she had heard all sorts of fun rumors about me, some of them true, some of them not. Time to set the record straight. "Yes, I go to parties to make out with girls. Yes, I have never kissed the same girl twice. Yes, I don't make friends with them and don't talk to them after. And while I have done a lot of creative things, I have not had intercourse and I don't intend to. Last thing I need is to be a father. I have one million problems, that's not an additional problem I need, and it's a problem I have the choice to avoid."

I could feel the heat coming off Macie's cheeks. Subjects like this embarrassed her, but they didn't faze me. Kissing, making out, sex; all of it were a part of life. Never made sense to me why anyone made the subject taboo.

"Point is," I continued. "I also like kissing you. Neither of us want a relationship. Both of us like hanging out with the other. If kissing happens, that's a bonus in my book."

I pulled into the vacant cul-de-sac and placed her car into Park. The only time Macie had felt comfortable sitting in a parked car was in her driveway. Otherwise, Macie wanted out. So, I took no offense when she sprinted out her door and met me halfway in front of her car. She glanced up at me with a million questions, and I only had one answer. I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her close, leaned down, and kissed her perfect lips. Macie instantly relaxed in my arms, kissing me back, her hands gliding along my shoulders, but I could also feel her hesitancy.

As much as I wanted to hold onto this moment, I didn't kiss her long. It was night, dark, we were by a car, and all those factors had to be the ingredients of her every nightmare, but I needed her to know I was serious.

I pulled back, she glanced around to make sure we were safe, then met my eyes again.

"Does that answer your questions?" I asked.

"Most of them," she answered.

"Then text me the rest, and we'll get it straightened out."

Macie gave me her glorious smile. "I'll do that."

"See you later, Macie Hutchins." I hitched my thumbs into the pockets of my jeans. She gave me a wave, hopped in her car, and I watched as she bravely drove away.