Kean led me inside his house, and Sparky was there to greet us, tail wagging. The place was just as old as Vee’s, but it was completely different inside. It was one of those period homes that had been gutted out and modernised. The kitchen was bright and airy, with sky lights, marble countertops and one of those fancy islands for chopping vegetables and preparing food.
On the wall was a giant flat screen television. I looked around in awe. How sweet would life be if you got to wake up in this house every day?
Kean brought me into the living room, where there was another giant flat screen and a humungous leather corner sofa. I sat down and leaned back. It was like sitting on a cloud, far more comfortable than any bed I’d ever slept in. Sparky jumped up next to me and licked my face. I giggled and wiped off the slobber.
“Do you want to watch something on Netflix?” Kean said, turning on the TV.
“Sure, that sounds good.”
“Here.” He handed me the remote. “Pick something. I’ll go make us some popcorn.”
Well, I could certainly get used to this. I flicked through the options, finally settling on one of those flashy superhero movies where they fake die at the end, then miraculously come back to life. If only real life was so magical. What I wouldn’t give to have my dad come back to me.
Kean returned with soft-drinks and a bowl of popcorn. He settled in next to me, and I took a handful of popcorn.
“I love this one. Good choice,” he said as the opening credits rolled.
We sat and watched the first half of the movie, and I was again struck by how easy he was to be around. Maybe I was too hasty when I’d rejected him. My mind wandered to Aoife encouraging me to have sex so that I knew for sure what I’d be missing out on, and a bold idea entered my head.
Propositioning Noah scared the life out of me, but oddly, propositioning Kean didn’t frighten me at all.
And besides, Sister Dorothy had encouraged me to, well, try things out before I made a final decision. I knew she meant a proper relationship, but I didn’t have time for all that.
Trying not to overthink it, I turned to Kean, placing my hand on his knee. He glanced at my hand, his eyebrows lifting. I met his gaze, and my cheeks heated.
“Do you want to have sex?” I blurted.
His eyes bugged. “Uh, what?”
I repeated my question, my heart starting to race. “Do you want to have sex … with me?”
He stared at me for a long moment, and I saw a strange triumphant flicker behind his eyes, but it was gone so fast I didn’t have time to properly analyse it. “Right now?” he asked.
I swallowed for courage and nodded. “Yes, right now. Your parents will be gone all weekend, won’t they?”
Kean bobbed his head, a small grin shaping his lips. “Yes, they’ll definitely be gone.”
I thought he looked a little too pleased. Typical teenage boy. I placed my hand on his chest, making myself perfectly clear. “I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I just want to have sex with you once. Okay?”
Now he smirked. “We’ll see about that.”
“Kean,” I exclaimed. “I mean it.”
He lost the cocky smirk and shot me a kind smile. “Okay, Estella. Just once.”
I relaxed at his reassurance, and his hands grasped my hips. A tortured sound escaped him as he brought his mouth to mine. I found the press of his lips a little too urgent. It didn’t fill me with uncontrollable lust, in fact, it was slightly unpleasant.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
On instinct, my mind wandered to Noah, and without intending it I suddenly imagined kissing him instead. Kean’s palm lightly brushed my breast over the top of my uniform, and a zing of awareness swept through me. Noah’s eyes flashed in my head again, and my heart yearned for him to magically replace Kean in this moment.
My phone started ringing in my school bag and I quickly broke the kiss. The loud vibration filled the room, and I was glad for the interruption. Kissing Kean hadn’t been the pleasurable experience I’d hoped for. In fact, it only highlighted how much I wanted Noah.
“Hello?” I answered, bringing the phone to my ear.
“Where are you?” Noah asked, a hint of impatience lacing his deep voice. A tremble shuddered through me. I hadn’t seen him all week, not since he dropped me off at Aoife’s, so even hearing him speak over the phone was intense. Not to mention I was worked up from imagining kissing him instead of Kean.
“Why do you want to know?” I asked back.
“It’s Friday,” he answered simply. “We have a driving lesson.” I’d completely forgotten about our weekly driving lessons. I shot Kean a regretful glance.