Clyde

“This should be the last time you call me, Chad.” I said, placing my foot on the first step of the black and white staircase at my best friend's home. “I don't want to talk to you again. Just leave me alone.”

“What's gotten over you, Shannon?” Chad asked from the other side of the line. “You were never rude to me.”

“I realized that you are a horrible creature who doesn't deserve anyone's love,” I said, hanging up. He was the worst person I had ever dated and ever since we broke up, I kept wondering what I'd seen in him. Sighing, I put my phone in my shorts pocket and ascended the stairs. At the landing, I stopped for a few minutes to catch my breath.

I'd just passed Clyde's room when the door opened and he stepped out.

“Hey,” he said and I stopped walking.

When I turned, my heart lurched at the sight of his beautiful face and heartbeat immediately skyrocketed. Taking a few steps forward with his usual confident demeanor, he wrapped his hands around me, making my body tremble with excitement. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, wondering if he was drunk or had gone blind. Pulling away, he gazed into my eyes and cupped my face, an action which made my cheeks heat up to the temperature of lava. Gently he pressed me against the wall on the left side of the hallway and before I could question what he was up to, his lips were on mine. This was something I'd wanted for a very long time but had seemed like an unfulfillable dream because he was out of my league. I tried to push him off but he wouldn't budge so I decided to respond intuitively, throwing all caution to the wind.

“Shannon,” At the sound of his incredibly deep voice, all my restraining power vanished and I yielded unto him. As my hands travelled up his neck to his disheveled brown curls, he groped my backside pulling me closer to him, our bodies melting into one. I savored his taste with satisfaction as shots of forbidden pleasure rushed through my system.  Before it could get out of hand, I pulled away.

“Clyde?” I stared at him, trying to normalize my breathing. “That wasn't supposed to happen.”

He leaned against the wall, looking at me in silence. I watched him, hoping he'd say something but he didn't. Frustrated, I strutted away and dashed down the stairs.

“What happened?” Janet, the maid who was cleaning the living room paused to ask. I told her it was nothing she needed to worry about as I sped out of the room through the door.

Sitting in my little car, I reflected on what had happened. My sister's worst ex-boyfriend and I had kissed. It had felt right at that moment but thinking about it, I realized I was screwed. The feelings I had for him since I was sixteen had resurfaced were bound to intensify because of the inappropriate kiss that had made me feel so good.

Avoiding Clyde was my best option if I didn't want to land into more trouble. How was I going to manage that if Kim was his sister? Kim was my most clingy and whiny friend. She called me every time to help her with this and that and if she wasn't irresistibly sweet, I'd have stopped being friends with her a million years ago. It was a good thing we didn't go to the same university so I didn't have to deal with her all the time.

I realized it was going to be practically hard for me to avoid the curly haired cute boy whose gorgeous smile had the power to leave me wanting every time I glimpsed at him. I could swear I wasn't disappointed by how those smooth lips of his felt and how my body had responded to his. It was a feeling that was going to remain in my mind for a long time. I sighed. I had a feeling that the kiss I'd wanted for years was going to cause significant harm.

Clyde was a year younger than me and that was another huge problem. If anyone ever got to know about the kiss, they'd think I'd influenced Clyde to it and my whole family would turn against me. Since the day he betrayed my sister Keri, he was banished from our home and conversations. Also, none of us were to interact with him for any reason. Because of him, my sister was stuck in a wheelchair. After breaking her heart the way he did, it was hard for everyone not to hate him. I know I sound like the worst sister ever but I could never hate him. Not that I didn't care about Keri but I was quite happy when their relationship ended. I knew it would be impossible for me to be with him without my whole family turning against me but he'd stolen my heart.

I leaned against the seat, thinking about Clyde. Did he feel the same way as I did about him? He wouldn't kiss me if he didn't, would he? Was it just a joke or fun thing? A dare? I didn't know what to conclude but wished he liked me even though that'd complicate the situation more. What was the point in him being in love with me when we couldn't be together happily?

I started the car and as soon as I was out of their driveway, Kim called. I swiped and put her on loudspeaker.

“Hey,” she began. “I heard you pull in, waited for ages and now you're leaving? Are you okay, Shan? Did Clyde say something to you? What happened?”

My heart skipped a beat. I hoped she'd not seen or heard anything. It was a good thing that she knew nothing of the huge crush I had on Clyde.

“Something just came up,” I said. “My mom just called and said Keri is not doing well. I need to get home.”

“Alright. Hope to see you soon.”

When she hung up, I took a deep breath and started the car.