Page 6

W hat's taking Conrad so long?

It's been five minutes and he still hasn't followed me into the guest bedroom. And now I'm pacing the floor, waiting for him to walk through the door—which I conveniently left open.

Wait. What if he changed his mind? I mean, I have no idea what's going on downstairs. For all I know, he already left the party.

Oh, please no. That would be the most humiliating thing to happen to me. I don't think I'll ever—

"Guys, seriously. This isn't funny."

Is that Denton? What is he doing here?

I move toward the door just as Denton stumbles inside. Conrad and Jason are right behind him.

I blink at them. "Uh, what's going on?"

Conrad shoots me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Maisie. Change of plans."

"Have fun," Jason chuckles. Then before anyone can react, he's closing the door, leaving me alone with Denton.

I gape at it, then at Denton who's rubbing his arm.

"I think Jase bruised my arm, the jerk," he mumbles.

"Forget that. What are you even doing here?" I snap, crossing my arms over my chest. "Conrad was supposed to be the one in here with me, not you."

"Yeah. Well, he and Jase practically dragged me all the way up here."

"Why?" I frown at him, then stare at the door when I hear something. "Is it just me or did the music get louder?"

Denton scowls. "It's not just you. I think it's safe to say that we're the only ones playing the game."

"So your 7 Minutes in Heaven idea is an epic fail. Of course, it is. You know what? You can play it alone. I'm out of here." I reach for the doorknob, but it won't budge. "What the heck?" I try again, but it's not working. I turn to Denton. "Why can't I open the door?"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing." I step aside and let him see for himself.

"Well, crap. They locked us in."

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me we're stuck in here? Oh, no, no. I'm calling Iris." I fish my phone out of my pocket and quickly dial my best friend's number. But it just rings until her voicemail picks up.

Ugh.

"Think she can hear your call over the loud music?"

"I'll just shoot her a text."

Hey, Denton and I are locked in the guest bedroom. Can you get us out?

Iris responds not even a minute later. You want to kiss someone at this party, right? There's your chance. See you in seven minutes. Have fun! xx

"No," I gasp.

"Let me guess, she's not coming."

I whirl around to face Denton who's now sitting on the bed. "This is all your fault, you know. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your meddling."

He hangs his head. "I'm sorry, okay? I really thought it would work."

Wow. Did he really just apologize? That was the last thing I expected him to do.

I release a defeated sigh and plop down on the bed next to him. "Forget it. It was a waste of time anyway. So I'll be a seventeen-year-old girl who's never been kissed. Who cares? I'm not the only one on that boat. I should never have made it into a big deal in the first place. Maybe I'll find my luck when I turn eighteen."

"Why are you giving up so soon? We've just barely started. I really think we can do this," Denton says earnestly, scooting a little closer to me.

I stare at him in wonder. "You really want to help me, huh?"

"I really do."

As our gazes remain locked, I can't help but notice how good he looks under the warm light of the bedroom. And how alone we truly are.

“Maybe you should just kiss him.”

Ugh. Why did Iris plant that seed in my head? Now, I can't stop thinking about it.

"His name should be on your kiss list. Heck, he should be on top, not Conrad.”

No, I shouldn't even consider doing it. Because I have a feeling that it would make things complicated. Or, at the very least, awkward.

Denton is kind of starting to grow on me. Kissing him will surely change our dynamic.

But what if it doesn't? What if it turns out to be good? You'll never know until you find out…

This is really Iris's fault. I wouldn't be thinking about Denton this way if it wasn't for her stupid suggestion.

Then again, maybe I should just stop thinking too much and just go for it.

"You know what? Just let me think of another—"

I press my lips against his, effectively interrupting him before he can even finish the sentence. But the kiss doesn't last for more than a couple seconds.

Denton's eyes are as wide as saucers when I pull back, shock stealing his features.

Oh, my God! I can't believe I did it.

I cover my mouth with a shaking hand, my heart thrumming wildly in my chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't thinking straight."

He swallows hard, his eyes suddenly intense. "No. I think you know exactly what you were doing," he whispers. Then his lips are on mine once again.

Now, my eyes are the ones rounded in shock.

Denton is kissing me softly, unhurriedly, as if assuring me that I can pull away any time I want. But instead of doing just that, I stay put and shut my eyes, relishing the feel of his lips on mine.

Then slowly, tentatively, I begin to mimic the movement of his lips. Just as softly. Just as unhurriedly.

My heart is beating so hard in my chest, I can hear it loudly in my ears. My eyes remain closed even when Denton stops.

"That's exactly what a first kiss should be, Perry," he murmurs softly.

Swallowing hard, I finally open my eyes, expecting to see him smirking.

But there's only seriousness on his face…and something else.

But before I can dwell on it, the door springs open, startling both of us apart. So much so that Denton ends up falling off the bed.

Mind still clouded by what just happened, I can only gape at him.

"Dude, what are you doing on the floor?" Jason snickers from the doorway.

Iris, who's standing next to him, gives me a sheepish look. "Sorry it took longer than seven minutes."

I shake my head to clear the haze. "Yeah, uh, I think we should go." I rise to my feet and head for the door, grabbing Iris's arm on the way out, not even bothering to say my goodbyes to the two boys.

"Thanks for coming!" Jason calls after us as we head downstairs.

"It's been fun," Iris calls back with a giggle. "See you at school!"

I don't want to look over my shoulder, but I can't help but wonder if Denton has followed us out. Or is he still sprawled out on the floor?

Ugh. Why do I care? It was just a kiss.

My first kiss.

And as much as I hate to admit it, it was everything I thought it would be. Even though my foot didn't pop.