chapter two

JACQUELINE

"You're going to do what?!" Nat and Chlo asked at the same time. They exchanged looks and then turned back to me. I shrugged, forcing a smirk.

No. No, no, no. What have I done? I longed to facepalm but I held myself back. There was no going back now. I couldn't take it back. I wondered if kissing someone out of the blue counted as harassment. The last thing I needed was to get arrested this morning. Despite the anxiety creeping up on me, I faced my friends, folding my arms across my chest.

Natalie observed me closely, and I could see the doubt in her eyes. After a few seconds of holding my gaze, she reached across the table to give Chloe a nudge. "She's bluffing. She couldn't possibly." She faced me. "You're a lot of things, Jackie, but you're definitely not a daredevil. I don't even think Chloe could do that, and then you? No way."

Chloe nodded. "She's right, Jackie. Nat is the only one brave enough to do that. You don't have to prove anything. You know we're just teasing, right?"

"I'm not," Nat chipped in, laughing. After a few seconds she raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. We're just teasing you, Jackie. You know how I am. Don't take it seriously, okay? How about we get refill coffees and talk about something el—"

"No," I said pointedly. There was no way I was standing down now. "I know you're teasing. But we're arguing about me being uptight right? I'm only going to show you that you're wrong. Besides, it's not a big deal. It's just a kiss. A little kiss never hurt anyone," I laughed. As I spoke, my eyes darted toward the door as I prayed the café wouldn't have any other customers until it was time for me to leave.

But I knew the chances of that happening were extremely low. It was nine in the morning. People needed their caffeine. I took a deep breath, trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong kissing a random stranger. Top on my list were possible bad breath and a police intervention. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

I turned back to my friends who were still staring at me curiously. After a while they grinned widely. "Well, if you're sure. This is something I'd love to see," Nat teased. Chloe nodded in agreement. I shrugged again, laughing it off as I directed the subject to something else. But no one was paying attention. I could see them cast glances to the door in between words. A smirk was playing on their lips and I could tell they were still wondering if I would actually keep to my word.

I tried my best not to act nervous. I couldn't even remember the last time I had kissed anyone. I really didn't. As I parted my lips to say something, I heard the soft sound of the café doors swinging open. One glance at my friends told me they'd heard it too. All of a sudden I needed a drink. A wide grin creeped onto Natalie's face as I stood to my feet with fake confidence.

It was now or never.

Tucking a strand of my dark red hair behind my ear, I looked toward the door to see who had walked in. I turned just in time to see the tall form of a man take off his sunglasses and look around the café, another bulky man right by his side. If I wasn't so intent on doing this perfectly, I might have tripped on air. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the man who towered above me. He was…breathtaking.

So breathtaking that I suddenly had the urge to run away and not do this. But I had already started walking toward him and I wouldn't stop now. I saw him place his icy blue gaze on me as I walked up in front of him. I could already feel my knees going weak. He looked like he was about to say something, but before he could react, I stood on my tiptoes, placing both hands around his neck and pulling him downwards by the lapels of his coat.

As soon as we were inches close, I trapped his bottom lip between mine in a slow kiss. I could feel his body stiffen in surprise, but he gave no other reaction. I hadn't anticipated the softness of his lips. It threw me off guard so quickly that I could not control the soft moan that sounded from the back of my throat. The scent of his cologne and the taste of honey on his lips drove me crazy. Without thinking, I deepened the kiss, raking my fingers through his hair.

As soon as I realized it had gone on for too long, I quickly broke the kiss. I was near breathless as I pulled away, noting the confusion on the stranger's face. For a second, I feared he would call the cops or something. And then I noticed something else. The shop had gone silent. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly feeling awkward and inappropriate, I looked toward my table only to see Nat and Chlo staring at me in absolute shock, their jaws dropped. I couldn't tell what their expressions were conveying. Their eyes kept moving from me to the stranger. My cheeks burned in embarrassment and I could feel my hands beginning to shake. I should have known this was a stupid idea. For a moment I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

Feeling stupid, I quickly pushed past the bulky man and hurriedly made my way out of the café. I nearly staggered back in shock when I saw a horde of people outside the cafe, cameras flashing brightly. Not caring what was going on, I pushed past them and quickly hailed a taxi.

I pushed myself down into the car seat of the cab, my palm slapped over my face as I groaned loudly. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I didn't even tell my friends I was leaving. Still boiling with embarrassment, I shot Natalie a quick text, telling her I'd be at work.

But where I really wanted to be right now was six feet in the ground.