His Curvy Beauty by Lana Love
Chapter 7
Mandy
What was that?” My voice warbles as I try to catch my breath, my heart thumping like it’s going to burst out of my chest.
Trevor’s smile is slow and gorgeous across his mouth. “That, Mandy, was a kiss in the tradition of Christmas and mistletoe.”
“That was not just a friendly Christmas kiss,” I protest. I don’t know what’s going on. I liked the kiss. No, I loved the kiss. But how is he attracted to me? We’re not in high school anymore and I’m definitely not the kind of woman he dates – I’ve seen all the pictures online of his girlfriends. There’s this weird push-pull going on between us and it’s confusing as hell.
But kissing him… It filled my heart and soul with happiness. It was a kiss with more than passion – it held promise. I was expecting fun, not something that…not a kiss that felt more meaningful than any kiss I’ve ever had.
“No, it wasn’t.” Trevor leans toward me again, brushing my hair from my face. “You’re the one that got away, Mandy.”
I’m glad the car isn’t in motion, because I’m pretty certain I’d swerve into oncoming traffic about now. All I can do is stare at him. The look in Trevor’s eyes is earnest, not like he’s teasing me. Is this really happening? Is something with Trevor even remotely possible? But of course not, it’s not like he lives here, and my life will be once it’s February and I can finally leave my job and move home.
Trevor pulls back, as much as his muscle-bound body can in my small car. “Can you say something? Am I out of line?”
“No,” I say, once I can actually speak again. “It’s just…you know. I’d thought we’d have a bit of fun,” I say, inwardly wincing at the white lie, but scared to admit that I’ve been hoping for more, “and that we’d go back to our normal lives in a few days. You’ve just made it serious.”
“Mandy, I am serious.” Trevor reaches out and puts his hand on mine.
I flinch, not believing what he’s saying. I’m famously bad at choosing men to date, so it’s hard to believe it would be any different with Trevor. Trevor Collins! We strung each other along in high school and I can’t believe that he’s not doing the same thing now. Sure, everything feels different, but I can’t believe that it is different.
“I… I don’t know.” Trevor looks serious, but… Can I really believe him? “I need to get these groceries home and in the refrigerator. I’ll drop you off on the way home.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Trevor nod and slump back in his seat.
I grip the steering wheel tightly, wishing I could go back to the touch football game and take back tackling Trevor. All of this started because of that and I didn’t even mean to do it.
“When will I ever learn?”I hate the whine in my voice, but I can’t help it.
“I don’t know…” Grace says, leaning back in her chair, her hands wrapped around a grande hot chocolate.
“I mean, he looked serious. That kiss was definitely serious. But… come on. After all this time? The guy who got away is actually interested in me? A pro football player is interested in me? That doesn’t happen to girls like me!”
My voice goes shrill and I slap my hand over my mouth when I see people at the next table looking over at us. It’s not like I need my problems need to be broadcast.
“You’re not going to like this, but I’m still going to say it, Mandy. You need to talk to Trevor,” Grace says, seriously. “You two have been circling each other since high school. I don’t know how you think you could just hook up with him for a night, maybe two, and have that be it.”
“But…”
“Mandy, look at me. There are no buts about it. There are too many emotions and too much history between you two.”
I slump in my seat, briefly cursing the Christmas music. All I Want For Christmas Is You comes on and all I want for Christmas is to hide from the world or at least live in a universe where I didn’t feel bad for being single. I want Trevor so bad, but I know it would never work. If we didn’t figure things out in high school, how can I expect that we could work things out now?
“I don’t know…”
“Mandy, I know and I know you do, too. I know it’s scary, but you have to face it. You’ll never know, otherwise.”
“But what if everything goes south, like with every other guy I’ve liked or dated? Why should I believe Trevor is any different?”
“Relationships are mysterious. The thing is, you don’t and can’t know. You just have to take the chance and put your heart out there.”
“I know, I know. It’s just my heart is bruised, you know? I don’t have faith in myself.” I look away from Grace, unable to meet her eyes. There are tears pricking at my eyes and I know that if I see sympathy from Grace, it will push me over the edge.
“Oh, sweetie. You’re an amazing woman. You’re smart and talented and beautiful. Any man that doesn’t recognize that is an abject fool.”
I smile at Grace and wipe tears from the corners of my eyes. “You’re making me cry.”
“I’m ready to cry if you’re going to give up. Don’t give up.”
“I’ll try.” I take a deep breath, trying to calm my emotions. If there’s one thing the holidays are good for, it’s an abundance of emotions.
“One last thing. Despite how Trevor was in high school, he is not an abject fool.”