I laugh, remembering how he’s listed right now. “To what?”

“Boyfriend,” he says with confidence. “We can change it right now if you want. I don’t intend on backing off.”

I sit starring at Rhett, slightly in shock. Okay, a whole lot in shock. This entire day has been unreal. When I woke up this morning, I was just Kinsley. Now, I’m sitting in Rhett’s truck, and he just asked me on a date. I’m pretty sure he asked me to be his girlfriend, too.

“Rhett, I don’t know what to say.”

He shifts in his seat, picking up on my uneasiness. “I’m not trying to scare you, Kinsley, but I can’t tell if you’re taking me seriously or not. This isn’t a joke to me.”

I hear what he’s asking of me—what he wants, but I’ve never had a boyfriend before. Rhett could end up breaking my heart. On the flip side, he could be worth the risk. There’s only one way to find out. Considering I never do anything halfway, now’s as good a time as any to go for it. For once, I decide to live in the moment, to take his word for face value—I hand him my phone without second guessing it. I want this. I want Rhett.

“Yeah? Seriously?” he asks, as he takes my phone. “You keep surprising me tonight.”

“I believe you. It’s really fast, and I had no idea my day would turn out like this, but if you want me.”

“You’ll be my girl?”

I nod my head. “Yes, I’ll be your girl.” There’s no use drawing it out. Before long, we’ll both be going our separate ways. I want to make the most of the time we have left. Whether we last a week or a couple months, at least we can say we tried. We’ll always have our memories.

“Hold that thought.” He types frantically at my phone, screwing up a few times before he gets it right. Once his contact information is the way he wants it, he hands my phone back to me.

I glance at the screen. “Your boyfriend.” Has replaced “Not just a Friend”.

“Clever,” I tell him, as my stomach does summersaults. Those are two words I never thought I’d see. He brings our joined hands to his mouth, and gives the back of my hand a kiss.

Holy shit, Rhett Taylor is my boyfriend.

“This is my favorite day of school.”

I smile. “It’s the first day of school, Rhett. It rarely sucks.”

“I got a flat tire last year. I also broke up with Mandi that morning.”

“Coincidence?”

“Pfft. Not a chance. She flattened it at lunch time.”

We laugh for a few more minutes, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. “It’s getting late. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” I may not have anyone keeping tabs on me when I come and go, but surely Rhett’s parents won’t like him staying out late with a girl. I reach down to grab my bag off the floor of the car, and Rhett shifts, suddenly looking nervous that I have to go.

“You said you had Becca picking you up in the morning, but can I come get you? I’ll call her if you want me to.”

“You can pick me up, but I’ll tell her. She’ll kill me if I don’t tell her you showed up at the diner. Then, she’s going to freak out when I tell her the rest. You don’t care if she knows, do you?”

He shakes his head. “We’re not a secret. Everyone will know tomorrow.”

I hadn’t even considered the reactions I’ll get at school. “They’re going to think you lost your mind.” It almost makes me want to reconsider—almost being the key word. I couldn’t take it back if I tried.

“If anyone gives you a hard time, you send them to me, okay? It’s me and you now.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, where do I stand with Becca? Is she still pissed about the dirt?”

“Yes, she is,” I tell him, as I laugh at the thought of her licking dirt off the ground. She’s such a germaphobe and now I know how it all started. “She also talks really highly of you. You left quite the impression on her.”

He stares through the windshield with a smile on his face. “I’ll be sure to thank her in the morning. I was such a little punk back then. I’m surprised she didn’t kick me in the balls—I deserved it.”

“Don’t tempt her. She would still cash in if she could.”

He cringes. “Good to know.”

We sit in comfortable silence for a few more seconds before I call it a night for a second time. “See you in the morning.” With my bag in hand, I reach for the door handle.

“Kinsley, wait.” Rhett leans over, and before I realize what’s happening, his lips are pressed against mine.

I’m having my first kiss, in a truck, with Rhett Taylor. His lips melt into mine, and he pulls away before kissing me a second time. It’s an innocent kiss, that doesn’t last more than a few seconds, but as wonderful as it was, I’m sure I did it all wrong. I might even smell like an onion.

I do the only logical thing I can think of, I slip out of his arms, open my door the rest of the way, and stumble out of his truck. I’m already halfway up the wooden staircase to my apartment by the time Rhett’s out of the truck, calling after me.

I have to be the biggest fool on the planet for running, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Not until I’m safely inside the apartment. I hit the light switch and yelp when I find Carson sitting in the living room, in the dark. “What are you doing? You scared me.”

“I was waiting for you to get home before I went to bed.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to wait up. I’m always home late on work nights.” I hurry by him, in desperate need of a shower, and a chill pill.

“What did you do,” I whisper to myself, over and over.

“I’m wondering the same thing.”

I spin around with my shirt in my hands, startled. “Jesus, Carson. Stop doing that.” I’m not used to him being here. There was a two week period after Wyatt left for school where I was all alone. I’m not used to having company after so many nights by myself.

Carson’s eyes travel the length of me, and when he does nothing, other than take me in, I realize I’m standing in front of him in my bra and work pants. Once my mind catches up with my hormones, I reach for the door, shutting it in his face.

Within the span of ten minutes, I had my first kiss with my first boyfriend before running like a bat out of hell away from him. Shortly after, a guy saw me in my bra for the first time—who wasn’t my boyfriend. This day needs to be over before it gets any crazier.

I let the warm water cascade over my tired body, praying at any point I’ll stop feeling like the biggest fool on the planet. But the water runs cold before that happens, so I get out, and dry off. After pulling on a pair of boxers and a tank top, I slide under my covers. I reach for the plug to charge my phone, and see I have a waiting text—from Rhett.

Rhett: Why did you run?

How do I explain to him that I’ve never kissed a guy before, and that I’m pretty sure I was terrible at it? Before I start typing an answer to his first question, a second follows. There’s no time to read it, when Carson knocks on my door. “Come in.”

The knob turns, and he stands in the doorway doing his best to look me in the eye instead of at my chest. “I’m sorry about before. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

I wave my hand in the air, dismissively, like it was no big deal. Right now, compared to my Rhett drama, it’s not so bad. “I have to be more careful. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Carson walks closer, stopping next to my bed.

“Can I sit for a second?”

I scoot over, giving him a little space on the edge of my bed. “What is it?”

He exhales, running his hand over his face. “I saw you with that kid in the truck.”

“What did you see, exactly?”

“I saw him with his tongue down your throat.”

I sit up, pulling my blankets up to cover my chest. “You were spying on me?”

He shakes his head. “I was waiting for you to get home. I saw the head lights pull in, and when they didn’t turn off right away, I got up and looked. I saw him kiss you.”

“You were spying.”