Christina drummed her fingers on the top of her desk, wishing that the teacher would hurry up and end the class so that winter vacation could begin. Despite her resolve that she would not let the thought of Joe and spending more time with him run her life, Christina could barely wait for the bell to ring so that she could hop into her car and go meet the Grey family. She glared at the back of the professor, mad that he would pick today of all days to have a boring lecture. Or maybe the lecture was interesting, and it was just her anxiousness to be out of the classroom that was making this day so long.
"Yes, that's it," she said, ending the conversation between the left and right sides of her brain.
The professor turned around from where he was writing on the board. "Did you have a comment, Miss O'Foran?"
It was then that Christina realized that she had spoken aloud. She winced and her eyes darted toward the board where a detailed drawing of an earthworm was displayed. Quickly, she focused on one section of the earthworm and responded, "I couldn't remember what the crop of the earthworm was called." She smiled and gave a bashful shrug. "All I could remember was 'that thing next to the gizzard,' and that doesn't fit in the space on the lecture notes."
"Oh," said the professor, and he gave a small nod, turning back to the whiteboard. Just as he started speaking again, the bell rang, it's shrill peal reverberating throughout the school. Christina was the first one out of her seat, and she barely heard the assignments for the break before she was out the door, scrambling to find her car keys.
"Finally!" she breathed as she found her keys and unlocked her car. She slid in and jammed the key into the ignition, smiling as she heard the engine purr to life. She pulled out of the parking lot and turned right, following Joe's instructions as she merged onto the freeway. After a few minutes, she found the exit and quickly signaled so that she could get over.
She found the venue easily and pulled into the empty parking lot. She spotted the tour bus and quickly pulled up next to it. At the sound of the car, the door to the bus opened and Joe flew out, bounding through the snow and waving wildly at her. Laughing at his antics, Christina pulled herself together and climbed out of the car. Almost immediately, Joe enveloped her in a huge hug, pulling her close and resting his cheek on her hair.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Hi," she whispered back, snuggling into his chest.
"Would you believe me if I said I've missed you?" Joe asked.
Christina leaned back and looked up at him. "Considering the fact that we talked this morning, at lunch, and when I was on my break, no I don't believe you." Her eyes softened and she smiled. "But seeing your expression at seeing me makes me believe you, yes."
Joe bent his head and Christina tilted hers up, anticipating their first kiss. She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the temperature.
"Christina!" someone called.
Christina jerked away from Joe, only to find Kevin Grey waving wildly from the tour bus. She smiled and waved back. "Hey Kevin!" she called.
Joe groaned. "That's brothers for you," he muttered, giving her a squeeze and moving to grab her suitcase out of the car. "Always interrupting the most important moments."
Christina smiled and tilted her head up to look at Joe. "But the moment will come again, right?"
Joe looked down at her and smiled. "Oh, most definitely," he assured her. "I've worked hard enough for it."
Christina smiled and linked her arm through Joe's empty one. "You certainly have," she said with a nod.
"Come on," Joe told her, speeding up his pace. "Kintra arrived a little early, so she's already here. I can't wait for you to meet her."
Christina bit her lip. "What if she doesn't like me?" she asked worriedly.
Joe smiled and shook his head. "No fear of that. Kintra likes everyone. Otherwise, she wouldn't want anything to do with Nick." He chuckled at his own little joke, but grew serious rather quickly.
"How is Nick?" Christina asked. She thought back to when she had first met Joe's brother and his awful girlfriend. She'd been so relieved to find out that the girl had not been Kintra.
"He's doing better. I have a feeling he's finally made up his mind," Joe confided.
"Really?" Christina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup," Joe nodded. "He asked to speak to Kintra alone at some point during her stay." He squeezed Christina's arm. "I hope he's going to tell her that he's in love with her. It makes me sick to watch that girl try and be polite and sweet." He grinned his signature smirk. "I think Nick's getting sick of it as well."
Christina dropped Joe's arm so that he could open the tour bus door. "We can only hope," she responded as she stepped inside.
Inside the tour bus, Mr. And Mrs. Grey sat talking with a pretty girl with reddish hair. The girl raised her hands and began to move them rapidly, and Christina realized that this was Kintra. The girl's kind, open face had an appealing look to it, and Christina knew at once that she would be a good friend.
Mrs. Grey was the first person to see the two teens walk in. She jumped up and raced to Christina, hugging her tightly. "Hi Christina," she chirped. "I'm so happy to see you again!" She hugged Christina again and turned to Kintra, who was watching the exchange curiously. "Kinny, this is Christina. Christina, this is Kintra Philips. I'm sure Joe's told you about her."
Christina nodded and smiled at the girl, who smiled back. "Nice to meet you," Christina said politely. "Honestly, Joe's told me so much about you that I feel like I've grown up with you!"
Kintra smiled and opened her mouth as though laughing, but no sound came out. She raised her hands and fluttered them delicately. Mrs. Grey placed a hand on Christina's shoulder and said, "She said that she feels the same way about you. She says that Joe hasn't stopped telling her about you since she got here."
Christina blushed and so did Joe. "Kinny," he whined. "You're not supposed to tell her all of my secrets!"
Kintra flipped her hair over her shoulder and started signing again. Nick chuckled when she finished, and Christina turned to him for an explanation. "She said that it's her job to tell you everything about Joe so that you have a chance to get away before you get in too deep."
Christina chuckled. "Thank you," she said to Kintra. "Any blackmail information would be awesome." The other girl smiled, and Christina felt comfortable.
That night, the Grey parents took Frankie and Kevin out to see a movie, leaving Joe in charge of everyone else, despite Kintra's teasing query of whether that was a good idea or not. "Brat," Joe said, tugging on Kintra's ponytail.
Kintra simply responded by smiling and signing, "That's what little sisters are for."
Kintra stepped outside, and Nick soon followed, thinking that he could sneak past Joe and Christina, who were curled up on the couch. Joe, however, was not fooled. "There he goes!" he whispered in Christina's ear excitedly. "He's gonna talk to her!"
Christina smiled, squeezing his arm to show that she was paying attention. "Maybe he'll actually tell her that he's been in love with her all this time!" she whispered back. Suddenly, she sat up, looking confused.
Joe sat up as well. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously.
Christina turned to look at him. "Your excitement's really infectious," she said with a grin.
He smiled and pulled her back down, snuggling her into the crook of his arm. "And you like it, don't you?" he asked teasingly.
"Yup," Christina responded glancing over at him. "It makes me feel happy too." She smirked at him. "You know…" she trailed off.
"What?"
"We never got another moment," she said, smiling shyly at him.
Joe turned to face her more fully and drew her closer. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked. "After all, it took me a while to work for you. You had time to find someone else." The smile on his face proved that he was teasing.
"True," Christina said, moving closer on her own. "But no one caught my eye like you."
Joe smiled and moved to close the gap between their lips when suddenly, he stopped. "This isn't just because of who I am, is it?" he asked.
Christina looked up at his face, completely open for the first time, and she saw the hesitancy, and the fear of rejection that plagued him. She lifted one hand and placed it on his cheek. "Yes," she said. "It is because of who you are. I've fallen in love with your smile, your cuteness, and your character." She grinned. "I think I've even fallen in love with your hair." Her eyes widened. "Did I just say that out loud?"
Joe laughed, pulling Christina closer. "Yes, and I love you for it." He closed the gap between them and their lips touched for the first time. Christina responded as he deepened the kiss, and smiled against his lips.
The door opened and Kintra and Nick walked in. Christina tried to pull away, but Joe kept her right where she was, his lips firmly covering hers. She saw Nick nudge Kintra and then he said, "Joe, I'm thinking about taking Kintra to my bunk and do unmentionable things to her." Kintra swatted his arm, and Christina heard him whispering, "Relax. I would never do that to you."
But Joe was too far gone to care. He had tucked his head under Christina's neck and was breathing in and out, his nose pressed against her hair. "Sure," he murmured absently in answer to Nick's statement. "Whatever you'd like."
Christina, Nick, and Kintra all burst out laughing, two vocal laughs and one silent one. Nick shook his head when Joe looked up curiously, trying to figure out why everyone was laughing. "Come on, Kinny," Nick said. "I want to show you something on my laptop."
They left the room and Christina snuggled up once more with Joe, still shaking with laughter. "I don't get it," Joe said, looking at her. "What was so funny?"
Christina shook her head. "Nothing," she replied and with a smile, closed the gap between their lips once more.