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Chapter Fourteen

FALLON

I woke up a little after eight to a text from Mackenzie. A smile landed on my face when I opened it:

Mackenzie: Good morning, Sunshine. Ready to get your ass kicked today? I’m already hungry!

Mackenzie: For food!! Not your ass. Although, if that’s what you’re into…

Me: Omg! Nothing is happening to my ass today, other than rolling on the floor laughing when you cry because I beat you!

Mackenzie: Haha! I’ll see you at 12, yeah? Don’t miss me too much.

Me: Don’t worry, I won’t. See you soon, Wildcat.

I grinned and headed to the kitchen. I wasn’t terribly hungry yet, so I settled for a simple protein smoothie. I wanted to save my appetite for the free dinner I was going to win.

After finishing my smoothie, I got ready. I opted for a more casual look—a green babydoll shirt, the most form-fitting skinny jeans I owned, and a pair of black Converse. I wanted to look nice, but not so nice that she’d think I was trying to impress her, because I wasn’t.

When I opened my door, Mackenzie was already in the hall, leaning against her door like a cool kid.

“You didn’t think to eat before we left?” I asked, glancing at the iced coffee and pastry bag in her hands.

“Oh, I did eat. I had eggs and pancakes, and it was delicious.” She grinned. “This isn’t for me.”

She handed me the cup and bag with a smile. “Banana bread and an iced coffee—extra hazelnut, extra shot of espresso.”

I stared at her in awe. What the… “You got me breakfast? And how did you know how I like my coffee?”

She laughed. “You got me coffee, so now we’re even. Also, Rylee told me you go there a lot. I asked her what you usually get, and she said this was your favorite. She also said sometimes you get banana bread, and I thought you might be hungry. I had her warm it up for you.”

I was stunned—truly stunned. This wasn’t the same woman I met weeks ago. I was half-tempted to pinch myself, just to make sure it wasn’t a dream and I wasn’t asleep.

My response was almost a whisper. “You asked her what I like?” I was unsure as to why I couldn’t speak at a normal decibel.

“Well, yeah. I wanted to get you something you would actually want.” If she kept pulling stunts like that, I was going to keep making bad decisions.

“Well.” I cleared my throat. “Thank you, and you…” I trailed my eyes from her head to her toes. “You clean up nice.” That was a bold-faced lie. She cleaned up really nice.

She chose a natural makeup look with a subtle smokey eye that made her blue eyes even more captivating—something I didn’t think was possible. Her brown hair was tied into a sleek high ponytail, with a few strands framing her face. It was, in my opinion, the sexiest hairstyle known to exist. Gold hoop earrings and a simple gold choker matched the hoop septum piercing she was rocking instead of her usual tribal one. Her green criss-cross crop top showed off her cleavage just right, and she had on black faux leather high-rise skinny pants with white Converse.

“Thank you. You look amazing, Fallon.” I blinked. Twice. What?!

“Thank you.” I furrowed my brows. “Are you sick or something?”

She laughed. “No, I’m just being nice.”

“I know, that’s what’s scaring me!” I took a step back for emphasis.

“You’re the one who told me to be nice or fuck off. So here I am, being nice. Just take the damn compliment, please.” She grinned.

I gave her a skeptical glare, but didn’t press it any further. “Thank you. Shall we?”

“After you.” She motioned down the hall and kicked off the wall. I smiled and we headed to the elevator in silence.

Once we got in the elevator, she turned to me. “You look really good.”

I raised my eyebrows and grinned. “You already said that.”

“Well, it’s true. You look good, not that you don’t always look good, I mean?—”

“Thank you.” I laughed, resting a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at it, then met my eyes. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand away. “You look really good, too. But I already said that, didn’t I?” What was wrong with me? I’d been on plenty of dates before, and never acted this weird. Was this a date?

“So, what arcade are we going to?” I asked as we stepped off the elevator and headed outside.

“ Five Starcade . I figured we could walk?” she replied.

“I’ve heard that place is good.”

We started walking down the street toward the arcade, passing the bookstore. My heart started racing as I glanced inside. When I didn’t see Drea, I let out a breath of relief. The last thing I needed was for her to put her nose where it didn’t belong.

We didn’t talk much on our walk. It was still weird after the night before, and neither one of us had brought it up since.

“Why did you choose an arcade?” I finally asked.

“I don’t know, I thought it would be fun. Better than dinner and a movie, don’t you think?”

I narrowed my brows. “I thought this wasn’t a date?”

She smirked. “It’s whatever you want it to be.”

“Well, I mean, I?—”

She stopped walking and turned to me. “Will you relax? It’s not a date, okay? No funny business.” She raised her hands in surrender. “Unless you want it to be. Or it can just be two friends who want to bone each other but won’t.” I shot her a look. “Friends who are going to play some games and eat food in the same building. Sound good?”

I smiled and gave her a playful nudge. “Thank you for inviting me, Mackenzie. You know, after…”

“Thank you for saying yes, you know, after saying no.” She gave a soft smile and I felt my heart sink.

“Mackenzie—”

She shook her head. “It’s fine, seriously. Come on, let’s go.”

It wasn’t fine, but I didn’t say anything more as we started walking again.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before she reached for my hand. I hesitated for a second, but then I gently laced my fingers with hers.

A bolt of electricity shot through me the second our hands touched. I wanted to pull away—but at the same time, I didn’t. I wanted the feeling of her skin on mine. Friends hold hands all the time, right? Like when they go to the bathroom together in a crowded club?

I was so deep in thought, I hadn’t realized we arrived at the arcade until Mackenzie spoke. “Well, here we are,” she said as she opened the door for me.

“Right. Thank you.” I walked in, and she followed close behind. I made a point to walk extra slow, hoping she’d be checking me out.

“I can’t believe I kicked your ass! You started out on top. How did that happen?”

We spent hours playing arcade games and laughing like little kids. We played two rounds of laser tag, which was a mistake for Mackenzie. She was so cute trying to keep up with those kids—she really tried.

“Well, I always start out on top,” she said with a devilish grin. “But, you’re just a lot better than me, I guess.”

“I guess. Do you need a nap? You look a little winded.” I grinned when she scowled at me.

She nudged me. “Hey, those eight-year-olds were definitely undercover military personnel—I don’t care what you say. The blonde one ‘accidentally’ tripped me, and I swear I still have a bruise,” she added, rubbing her hip.

“A bruised ego, maybe!” I snorted. “Well, if you’re not late for bingo, I believe you owe me dinner? I did win after all.”

She smiled. “You sure did. How about Reid’s ? It’s right down the street.”

My grin grew wider. “That sounds perfect.”

We walked down the street in a comfortable silence. Our fingers didn’t connect again, and I hated to admit I missed the contact.

When we got to Reid’s , she opened the door for me. I narrowed my eyes but thanked her anyway. I was pretty sure we were on a date. Did I want it to be a date?

The hostess led us to our table, and I slid into one side of the booth while Mackenzie took the other. The hostess set a basket of rolls on the table before leaving to get our waitress. Once she was gone, I started scanning the menu.

Every so often, I looked up and saw Mackenzie staring at me. She would smirk and go back to her menu.

After the third time, I dropped my menu and glared at her. “Can I help you?”

“What?” She set her menu down and folded her hands on the table, looking like the picture of innocence.

“You keep staring at me. Is there something on my face?”

She laughed. “No, there’s nothing on your face.”

I furrowed my brows. “Then what’s your deal, Wildcat? Why do you keep staring at me?”

She opened her mouth to say something but didn’t get the chance before the waitress walked up.

“Good evening, ladies! I’m Brooke, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“I’ll have a vodka and Red Bull, please,” she answered, never glancing at the waitress.

“I’ll have the same. Thank you,” I responded.

“Am I not allowed to look at you?” she asked once the waitress had left.

“Mackenzie, seriously,” I demanded.

She sighed. “I just really like looking at you, is that a crime? You have to know how beautiful you are.”

I smiled and tried to hide my blush. “No, it’s not a crime. You’re just creeping me out a bit. And thank you, Mackenzie. You look really good, too.”

I’d already said that, so why was I saying it again? Why was I so nervous? This wasn’t a date. I didn’t even like her.

She smiled. “Thank you.”

When the waitress brought our drinks we thanked her, never taking our eyes off each other.

“So, tell me something, Mackenzie,” I said once our waitress left again.

“Anything,” she replied.

“Why did you let me win?”

She looked at me and almost choked on her drink. “What?”

“You heard me. Why did you let me win at air hockey, and skeeball?”

She laughed. “Whatever do you mean? Are you accusing me of being a cheater?” She gasped dramatically.

“I sure am! You didn’t even move your puck, and you looked away the whole time we were playing skeeball! If you’re going to cheat, at least be good at it!”

“I am sure I don’t know what you are referring to.” She winked.

“Yeah, sure. Well, I want a rematch!”

“Okay, deal.” She laughed.

“So, about last night.” I had to change the topic of conversation. We needed to talk about it.

“My invitation still stands.” She winked. “I can be a really good teacher.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m serious, Mackenzie. I wanted to apologize, I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

Her smile faded. “You want to apologize? Why? You wanted to, and you did. What’s wrong with that? I’m not complaining about it. I personally really enjoyed our evening.”

I rolled my eyes. “What’s wrong, is that it was a mistake, and if it wouldn’t have stopped…” I trailed off, thinking about exactly where it would’ve led.

She frowned. “Why do you keep saying that?”

I sighed. “Because we’re neighbors, Mackenzie. Because it would be weird, because?—”

“Because you don’t want to.”

Groaning, I rubbed my hands over my face. “I do, and that’s the problem!”

“You’re right. Wanting someone is a problem.” Her sarcastic tone was doing little to soothe my nerves.

“I’m serious! Once we take that step, who knows how it will end? I like how things are now, and I don’t anything to change,” I replied.

“Who said I liked you to begin with?” She smirked. Her expression grew serious when she noticed I wasn’t laughing. “Fine. I’m just sitting here with a friendly neighbor who looks sexy as hell all the damn time. It’s actually quite irritating, to be honest. But I have to admit, I do enjoy your company, and I’m glad you agreed to have spend the afternoon with me.”

I rolled my eyes. “You are something else, you know that? You know I’m right.”

She let out a breath of resignation. “Yeah, I know. So here’s… to friends?” She raised her glass.

I smiled and connected my glass with hers. “Yeah, Wildcat. Friends.”

We spent the next few hours talking and drinking. We talked about everything, and nothing, and it was nice.

When the bill came, I handed it to her, and she rolled her eyes. She paid, and we started walking home, stopping between our doors when we got there.

“Thank you for spending the day with me. Who knew I’d have a good time with you?” She smirked.

“Mackenzie?” I started. “This is a date, isn’t it?”

Her expression turned serious. It was kind of scary, to be honest. “Do you think it’s a date?”

I sighed. “Honestly, yeah, I do. You’ve opened my door, complimented my outfit several times, and you cheated to let me win, knowing you would have to pay for dinner.”

“I’m just really bad at arcade games, and I complimented you, not the outfit—although the outfit looks good too,” she said with a smile. “Also, I just wanted to hang out with a friend.”

I laughed. “Well, date or not, thank you, Mackenzie. I had a lot of fun today. I guess maybe I do deserve your nice after all?” I shrugged.

Her lips fell into a frown. “Shit, Fallon?—”

I shook my head. “No, Mackenzie, it’s fine, really. I’m just giving you a hard time.”

She grabbed my hand when I started to turn around. “No, it’s not. Look, I know I kind of already have, but I’ve been wanting to really apologize for that?—”

“No need. It’s forgotten,” I cut in, still holding her hand.

“Let me say this, please,” she started. I stood there, quietly waiting. “That was messed up of me. I could blame it on my day or the cramped elevator, but there’s no excuse. It was a terrible thing to say. I was right about one thing, though—you don’t deserve just an ounce. You deserve so much more. I’m really sorry, Fallon.”

She let go of my hand, and I immediately missed the warmth of her touch.

“We all have bad days, Mackenzie, it happens. But thank you.” I paused, unsure if I should continue with my next thought, but I decided to be vulnerable and let her in, if only a little. “And you were right, I might have thought about kissing you afterward.”

She beamed widely at me. “I knew it! You do like me, Sunshine.” She winked.

“You’re alright.” I smiled.

“Goodnight, Fallon,” she said as she turned toward her door.

The second she turned around, I didn’t think about my next move, I just acted.

I grabbed her wrist, and stopped her.

She turned around, brows furrowed. “Fallon, don’t?—”

I didn’t let her finish as I pulled her close. “Don’t what, Mackenzie? Do this?” I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers gently. Just once.

“Yes. Don’t do… that,” she said in a hushed breath.

“Tell me to stop then, Wildcat. Tell me to turn around, and go inside. Tell me you don’t want to kiss me.”

“Not a chance in hell. I’ve never been known to be a liar, and I don’t intend to start now.” She smiled.

She closed her eyes and kissed me, sliding her tongue across my lips. I parted them, letting her in as our tongues tangled and danced together, our hands exploring each other. My hands cradled her face, and hers rested on my lower back and hips.

The longer we kissed, the more I was losing all of my resolve when it came to her, but I couldn’t seem to find the will to stop.

I suppose I didn’t have to, because she was the one to break the kiss. “Fallon…”

“Goodnight, Kenzie.” I smiled softly, my heart fluttering a little, before she turned and headed inside, the door clicking shut behind her.