"Life Changed By One Night"
Chapter 10:
"John?" Jessica couldn't stifle her laughter. "I'm sorry, Charity, to each her own, but John? How can you go out with a guy we all thought to be related to us for almost a year?"
"Jessica!" her mother frowned about her comments.
Not waiting for her cousin to respond, much less paying attention to her mother, Jessica went up the stairs, no longer trying to suppress her laughs.
Grace turned to stare at her dead sister's child. When Charity had uttered John's name in regard to her new boyfriend, Grace was shocked. She supposed she still was. But thinking about it made her realize that it was ok for them to be in a romantic relationship together, since their was no obvious genealogical tie. Truth be told, it reminded her of her relationship with David.
"Charity, I'm sorry. Seems like both my daughters aren't very considerate of your feelings today." She gave her a sincere hug.
"It's ok. I'm going over to the B & B to see John. Is that ok?"
"Sure. Have fun."
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Katie parked the car and checked her watch. It read 6:54 p.m. She still had a few minutes until she had to meet Miguel at their special spot.
Boy was she nervous. Never before had their been so many butterflies inside of her stomach! Checking herself in the rear view mirror, Katie applied some more clear lip gloss before exiting the vehicle and taking the short walk over to the park that had the small lake in the center.
Hiking up to the special spot, Katie spotted a sight that took her breath away.
There was Miguel, but that wasn't the first thing she noticed. Her eyes captured the decorated scene around her, rose petals of every possible color on the grass, outlined in an immense square shape to prove that whatever was inside of the square belonged to them. Balloons tied to the trees of Katie's favorite colors. And lastly, a lengthy blanket beside the lake with a picnic basket full of food.
It was, with no necessary additional explanations, perfect.
She walked over to him. He looked up from placing the food out of the basket and onto the blanket.
"Hey, Kay," he said nonchalantly, as if her presence here was no big deal. Even though in his heart, he knew it was.
"Not the least bit surprised, are we, Miguel?" Katie asked, grinning.
He shook his head. "I knew you'd come." His eyes met hers passionately, locking. He smiled.
"You did all this for me?" Katie asked him.
"Nope. It was like this when I came," He joked. His gaze crept from her eyes to her lips and back again, seducing her with his looks of desire.
Katie laughed at his joke, but felt herself forming a cold sweat. Those eyes, the way they were looking into her soul, so hauntingly seductive. But she was scared. Scared of losing him, and never again having the same Miguel she had gotten used to.
The sun was beginning to set, its rays shining through their hair, with whatever amount of sunshine their was left for the day.
Sitting down on the blanket, Katie sighed. The lake was sending off a strong vibe, and like a magnet, it was pulling towards her. It made her feel uninhibited tonight. But she wasn't sure if it was going to propel her to act on those emotions.
Miguel plopped down next to her. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
"A little bit," Katie nodded.
He reached for the picnic basket. "How about some fried chicken? Or fruits? I brought soda."
She could tell he was a bit nervous by the way he kept stammering. Just like her. So she asked him, "Miguel, what are we doing?"
He coughed. "What do you mean?"
"Just what I said. What are we doing?"
He could see the indecision in her eyes. For the first time ever, he was witnessing a vulnerable Katie Bennett. She wanted to be here, but was so afraid of what could happen between them.
Putting the basket away, Miguel turned to completely face her. "Kay, this is a date. Formally or not, I asked you out, and by showing up you agreed. Let's not talk about this. I know it's different for you, hey it's different for me, too. But I want this and I think you do, too."
"I do," she wheedled. "It's just that I'm scared, Miguel." She leaned over and brought her back to his front, so he was holding her while sitting down.
"Scared of what, Kay?" he prodded gently.
"Everything's changing!" she exclaimed. "Mom and Dad are on the brink of divorce, we're going to graduate high school in a month and, and ... I just can't stand this change that is happening between us. If ever there was a stationary thing it was you and me. But now even that is changing, and it makes me happy yet I worry constantly that we are never going to be the same. Miguel what if we break up and -"
"Hey, let's make up first before thinking about that!" he responded. Noticing the tears marking up her cheeks and eyes, he couldn't help but want to wipe them off through tender kisses. But would Katie let him? He didn't know, but he was sure of one thing, even though Katie was the first one to already profess love, she wouldn't be the one to make the first move.
So he would. He leaned sideways, until his face was in close proximity with hers. His eyes danced in passion, while hers swam in surrender. Inching closer, Miguel brought his lips to Katie's and the first step to their beginning phase of love was completed.
The kiss seemed to travel through time. It was the kind of kiss both knew they wouldn't forget. So smooth and lax, it was as if they were each searching each other's soul, trying to tap into knowledge that neither had let loose to the other.
The kiss became more intense, causing Katie to lean down vertically on the blanket, with Miguel following in tune. He passionately ran his fingers through her hair, loving the feel of it all.
Katie's thoughts kept nagging at her in a contradictory manner. This was wrong, she shouldn't risk her friendship with Miguel! But it felt so right! Her heart fluttered like never before and for the first time ever, Katie Bennett felt alive. Like she had a true purpose in life for once.
But the innocent kiss seemed to be fade into oblivion, replaced by a harder, more profound smooch. He was getting just a bit too intimate with her, going into waters she wasn't ready to let her toe into.
When she felt his hand slid up to her thigh, she knew things had gone too far.
"Miguel, stop!" She jerked away from him, sitting up on the blanket.
"What is it?" he asked, surprised by her outburst. He couldn't read her emotions tonight, they seemed to fluctuate like the weather.
"All the years I've seen you with Charity you've never pushed her this far sexually. Stop pushing me. What is it? Do you think I'm easy?" Her eyes were practically begging him in her vulnerable state to say no to her last question, despite her harsh tone of voice.
He sighed, his lips curving into a frown. He wanted to answer her question, tell her of course not, but he had a question that he wanted the answer to right away. Weighing more heavily on his mind, he answered her question with one of his own. "Is this once again about Charity?"
"Maybe," She huffed, crossing her arms together. She turned her attention to the water.
"Tell me the truth. Yes or no," he ordered, grabbing her chin to make her look him in the eye.
"Yes!" she stated haughtily. "So what?"
"So what?" Miguel's voice began to rise. "So what?! I just spent two hours decorating this place for our date. Tried to make it perfect, just the way you'd like it. We just had the most wonderful kiss, the kiss to top all kisses, and all you can do is talk about her?!"
Katie remained quiet. Part of her knew he was right, but she wasn't exactly quick to admit to it. It wasn't in her nature.
Miguel exhaled a breath of air, trying to calm down. He didn't want their night to be ruined. Especially since it had just started.
"I've never brought anyone here," he admitted to her, shrugging. "It was always off limits as a date location because it was our special spot."
Katie took in his words. It touched her heart. Miguel seemed to be as sentimental as her, at least in regard to the lake by the park. She could clearly see the loyalty and care in his eyes. He did want her. She smiled, and slowly so did he.
"How about we eat?" Miguel asked, changing the subject. The tension between them eased up a bit. "I'm pretty hungry."