Kissing Booth

While Brad was home searching for Kayla's personal information, Marie was texting her best friend from the booth as time permitted.

"How's the kissing coming along?" Kayla teased.

"Considering how you made just over $1,200 and I've made a little under $300, not so great."

"That's $300 MADD can put to good use," her very supportive friend typed back.

Marie loved her friend's support, but there was this little issue that had everything to do with a man's willingness to shell out a few bucks to kiss a woman. She almost said that if she'd already lost the extra weight things would be much better, but even then Marie knew she was a little above average in terms of looks while her friend was...gorgeous.

"You're right," she wrote back before changing the subject to what she really wanted to talk about.

"I spoke with Brad," Marie wrote before Kayla could text her back.

"The firefighter, right?"

Marie laughed when she read the response because they'd already discussed him at some length, so there was no chance Kayla didn't know exactly who she meant.

"Yes. That Brad," she wrote, putting a 'duh' emoji behind it.

"What did you talk about?"

"You."

"Me???"

"Kayla, please. He came looking for you, and you're all he could talk about!"

Kayla smiled, and even though she felt like she'd just gotten a note from her best friend in 7th grade saying that the boy she liked liked her back, it still made her happy.

Hoping to bring her friend back to reality Kayla wrote, "You did notice how young he is, right?"

It was a minute or so before Marie could reply because a couple of men in their late 40s presented her with two tickets each.

"I might have if he wasn't so adorable!" she texted after explaining the short delay.

"You see! Adorable. That's the word women use for someone who's too young to take seriously."

"No. What I actually meant was, he's SO good looking that I didn't want to notice how young or old he is or isn't. He's freaking handsome, Kayla! And he's totally into you!"

"So this is what a second childhood is like," Kayla said to herself as she read then reread Marie's comments and the feelings of excitement grew.

"He is cute," she wrote back.

"Cute? Yes. Definitely. But he's more than just cute. He's...gorgeous! And while he is younger than you, he has this...vibe."

"Vibe? What kind of...vibe?"

"He's...mature. He's so...together."

Kayla knew exactly what her friend meant. It was hard to put into words, but he did give the impression of being calm and confident without being cocky. She hadn't talked with him enough to know how intelligent he was, but he seemed to be very well spoken. Coupled with the obvious good looks, he was exactly the kind of man she'd be willing to go out with. If...

"Well, please tell him I said hello, okay?" Kayla wrote.

"Can I give him your number?"

"What? NO! No, you cannot give him my number!"

"Okay. I was just hoping you might be willing to...bend a little. On the age thing."

"If it was only 'a little' I'd turn myself into a pretzel. But he can't be much over 25 if he's even that old."

Marie had no grounds to argue with her friend on that front. Brad didn't look like a boy, but he did look young. Most of it, she knew, was due to the blond hair. He looked like he'd be perfectly at home surfing near a beach somewhere, and that thought made her imagine what his body looked like underneath the firefighting uniform.

She'd only seen him once without the big coat firefighters wear, but that had been enough. The colored tee-shirt under the suspenders fit him quite nicely and revealed a body devoid of fat and that was almost certainly 'ripped'. And then there were those blue eyes and dimples that made her feel like swooning, a word she'd otherwise never consider using. But in Brad's case, it was very appropriate.

Marie sighed as she berated herself for eating so much and losing her figure. But the one thing all of these thoughts did was increase her resolve to get back to where she'd once been and maybe even better.

"Food is not my friend," she told herself as she doubled her resolve before returning to texting.

"Help me understand how spending a little time with Brad could be a bad thing?" she wrote after ending her personal musings.

"Marie? The chances of me ever seeing him again are vanishingly small. And I'm not going to go looking for him around town."

"You'd only have to go to the fire stations," her friend typed out before leaving several heart emojis that made Kayla laugh.

"I will admit it was very pleasant kissing him. But not pleasant enough for me to start acting like a lovestruck teenager."

"So you're lovestruck?"

"No! And stop twisting my words!"

Marie laughed even though she felt terrible for her best friend who'd lost her true best friend. And lover. And their unborn child. So while she did her best to take Steven's place as the best friend part, she knew her BFF was still young and needed the same things other women did. And that included a man who could be more than a best friend.

"Okay. Just trying to help," Marie wrote and adding an emoji with a tear coming out of an eye.

"I know and I love you for that. But this was just a chance meeting of two people who couldn't ever possibly fall in love."

Even as Kayla sent that text she found herself asking how she knew that was true. So she answered her very tough question with the easiest, most convenient answer. He's way too young.

"If you say so," Marie responded.

"I do, and now I'll let you get back to kissing and making some 'mad' money," even though the booth had just officially closed.

The play on words made ending the back and forth light and easy as Marie sent back an 'lol' then looked around to see if anyone was heading her way—just in case. Seeing no one, she sighed then started in on beating herself up again even though she was a little relieved not to have to kiss any more frogs for the time being.

Brad was up early the next morning and at the gym by 7am. He was indeed 'ripped' and loved working out. He had a 4/2 split routine meaning he worked out four days in a row and took two off for recovery. He'd tried several other splits and like this one the best. And anytime he couldn't get to the gym, it wasn't a big deal as their were free weights and benches at the fire station that didn't get a whole lot of use anyone else.

He was showered and dressed by ten, and not having eaten since 6am was getting very hungry. He looked at his watch then told himself now seemed like the perfect time to go drop in on Kayla and see if she might be interested in joining him for lunch.

He knew the city inside and out and found her suburban home with no difficulty. As he pulled up to the curb he wondered how she might react to his unannounced visit, but he was now committed and got out of his truck and headed up the sidewalk.

It was already warm but not warm enough to explain his sweaty palms which he dried off on his pants before ringing her doorbell. Brad heard footsteps and wiped his hands again just before the door opened.

"Oh, my goodness! Is smoke coming from my house?" Kayla said, trying to be serious the way he had.

Brad returned the serious look as he replied.

"Well, you are hot enough to start a fire."

Kayla tried her best not to laugh, but she lost the battle when a spurting noise spilled out just prior to a laugh.

"Please come in. Can I get you anything?"

"Um, well. I uh, I was wondering if you might want to join me for lunch."

Kayla let him pass her then shut the door.

"Join you?"

"Yes. I know I dropped by out of the blue, and you may not even be hungry yet, but I was hoping against hope you might want to...join me. If you don't have other plans, of course."

Kayla was aware that she was staring, but she found it impossible not to. As nice as Brad had looked in his firefighting uniform he looked even nicer to her in a white shirt with blue stripes that formed checks and khaki pants. Marie's words came to mind as she stared, unable to reply until Brad spoke again.

"I do apologize for dropping in on you like this. I just really wanted to see you again, Kayla."

"I...that's okay. I...I was just very surprised. That's all," she told him as she recovered from her momentary daydream.

"If this is a bad time or..."

"No. Not at all. I haven't eaten anything yet, and I was just trying to decide what to make. So if you can give me a few minutes to change and get ready, I think I'd enjoy having lunch together."

Kayla couldn't believe she'd just said what she'd said, but it was out there, and in a way, it made her happy, so she let it stand.

"Sure. No hurry," Brad told her with a smile that caused her to forget how she'd just felt.

"I won't be long. You can have a seat or I can get you something to drink or..."

"No. I'm fine," he told her.

She said 'okay' then turned to go upstairs when she stopped and asked him if Marie had given him her address.

"Oh, boy," Brad said as he lowered his head and kind of scratched the side of it. "I uh, I kinda did some snooping."

"All legal," he quickly added as he held his hands up.

"Okay. Just wondering," she told him before heading off.

Brad had no way of knowing what Kayla was feeling, but as she got to her bedroom, she had butterflies like she hadn't experienced since her third date with her late husband—the date after which she'd given herself to him and never looked back.

She knew exactly what she wanted to wear and changed into it before brushing out her hair and putting on some mascara. She picked up the deep-red lip gloss that matched the sleeveless knit top she chose then set it down. But after putting in some silver earrings and adding a thin necklace, she picked the tube back up and used the wand inside to paint her lips.

She dropped the tube in her purse, grabbed the cardigan that went with the top, then went back downstairs and told Brad she was ready.

"Wow," he said admiringly as he stood up.

"Thank you," Kayla replied as she saw the way he was looking at her. "You look very nice yourself, by the way."

Because it was lunch and not dinner, Kayla wore pants. They were black as were her shoes, and while Brad wasn't into women's fashions, he thought she looked incredible. The knit top showed off the figure he knew was there, and while the black pants hid her very nice bum, her tight waist was very nicely accentuated and only added to her beauty.

"Oh, thanks. I manage to dress myself, but I never look like that," he said obviously referring to her.

"Well, I hope not," she teased.

It took him a second, but Brad got it and laughed.

"Is Bailey's okay?" he asked, referring to Bailey's Breakfast & Lunch located on 120th Street.

"Oh, gosh. That's more than okay—it's expensive. We can do fast food if you like."

Brad made a face and shook his head.

"No. No fast food," he said, scowling at the very idea.

Kayla laughed then asked him if he was watching his girlish figure.

"Is it...inappropriate...to say I'd rather watch yours?"

The boyish look, along with the goofy line, made her laugh again.

"I think that might be okay," she told him as he moved closer.

"You really do look amazing, Kayla."

The butterflies fluttered, and rather than thank him, she looked down then said, "We uh, we should probably be going, don't you think?"

"Right. Yeah, let's uh, let's head out."

Grateful for the break in the emotions his unexpected visit had stirred up in her, Kayla let him walk out then locked the door behind them.

"Oh, my. Now that's a truck!" she said as soon as she saw his vehicle.

"Just please don't ask me if I'm compensating for someone, okay?" Brad playfully teased.

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind, but after he said it, she laughed and promised she wouldn't.

Brad drove a black, Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie with a diesel engine and something called a 'Rambox' in the back which was essentially just a fancy storage area.

"May I help you up?" he asked after opening her door.

"Unless you have an escalator...yes," she told him as he held out his hand.

Kayla drove a Toyota Camry and hadn't ridden up this high in many years.

When Brad got in she asked him if he ever got nosebleeds.

"What's that?" he asked, not sure what she meant as he fired it up.

"Sorry. I just haven't seen the road from this height in a very long time."

"Oh, right. No. This vehicle has a fully pressurized cabin," he told her, assuming she'd know it was a joke.

"Seriously?" Kayla asked, believing him or at least wondering if it might be true.

"No. Not at all," Brad said as he tried not to laugh.

"Not funny!" Kayla said, pretending to pout which caused Brad to laugh. "I do like it, though."

"Thanks. It's been fun to drive," he said before putting the big truck in drive.

Kayla ran her hands along the leather seat then took a look around. She wasn't impressed by cars, trucks, or any vehicle for that matter, but this was nicer than any truck she'd ever ridden in. Then again, it had been at least ten years since she'd been in one and that had been her dad's Chevy Silverado, a smaller truck that didn't offer the same view from '30,000 feet'.

"So how long have you been a firefighter?" she asked, now feeling less concerned about Brad's age and comfortable enough to want to get to know him. After all, Marie had asked what harm that could do, and as she rode along with him, Kayla couldn't see how it could do any.

"Since I was 19. I wanted to be a firefighter since I was ten, but almost enlisted in the Army. That didn't last long, and I ended up going to the academy a month after I finished up at a community college."

Kayla realized he didn't mention the number of years and wondered if he knew it would tell her his age.

"Do you like it?" she asked rather than come right out and be direct.

"I love it. I can't imagine ever doing anything else."

"That's wonderful. How does the old saying go? Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life?"

"Right. I believe that's it, and as far as I'm concerned, it's true."

Kayla sat quietly for a few seconds then said, "Kathy seems nice."

The comment caused Brad to look over at Kayla.

"Yeah. She's uh, she's really great."

"She seems to think the same way about you."

"She kind of mentioned that," he replied.

He looked back over at her then said, "After I, you know, spent all my money in one place."

His grin made her laugh before she asked him if the feelings were mutual.

"No. Not at all," he told her as he looked right at her, a look that caused her to turn away.

"I believe she knows I...like someone else."

"Oh?" Kayla asked without turning his way.

"Uh-huh. I recently met someone. At the fair. And I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since."

"Ah, okay. Lucky girl."

"The trouble is I'm not sure she thinks she's very lucky."

"Maybe she's shy. Or maybe she hasn't...dated anyone...in a very long time."

"Maybe," Brad said. "But I get the impression she may think I'm not..."

He glanced her way and waited for her to look back before saying, "Sufficiently...ripe. Or would that be 'ripened'?"

Again, that smile of his and those dimples made the butterflies dance.

"Is it possible she's concerned that maybe she's...overly ripened?"

Kayla didn't smile but she wasn't being mean.

"If she is, she shouldn't be. As far as I'm concerned, her level of...ripeness or ripeneness...isn't an issue."

He looked at her then added, "At all."

"Even if she's say...almost...37?"

Without missing a beat Brad said, "Even if."

Kayla tried to smile but couldn't. The need to know hit her, so she asked him directly.

"May I ask how old you are, Brad?"

"I just turned 24," he told her, expecting a wince in return.

Instead, Kayla just sat there in silence staring out the front window. They were only a minute of so from Baileys before Kayla spoke again.

"I know celebrities do this May-December thing, but you have to know that being almost 15 years apart is a very big deal."

"But we're not," Brad told her as he put on his turn signal.

As he made the right turn he smiled at her then informed her it was only 12.

"Okay, maybe 12 and a half," he said as he looked for a place to park.

He found one then turned off the engine but noticed Kayla hadn't moved.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"Why are we doing this, Brad?" she replied, finally looking at him.

"I don't know about you, but I went to the gym this morning and haven't had anything to eat since 6am."

He not only used his serious voice, he raised his eyebrows as though the answer even more serious. Try as she might, Kayla couldn't stop herself from laughing.

When she looked over at him, she noticed his right hand moving her way and froze. He put his hand on hers then said, "Don't say 'no' to this until you at least give it a chance, okay?"

This time his voice was soft and gentle, and the touch of his hand on hers sent chills through her.

"How can you even think there's an 'it'?" she asked just as gently.

"Because you're here. With me," he said in a way that gave her goose bumps.

She took a breath to calm herself then tried to smile.

"Then perhaps we should go inside and eat."

"Don't move," Brad told her as he opened his door, hopped out and jogged around to her side.

He opened her door, raised his hand up for her to grab then said, "Madame?" as he kind of bowed.

As she took his hand, Kayla heard Marie's voice again inside her head asking how it could hurt to spend some time with him. So she stuffed her concerns as far down as she could and let him help her out.

"Thank you, kind sir!" she said as their eyes met from just inches away.

Again, Kayla looked away as quickly as she could as her brain reacted to their proximity. Her mind wasn't reasoning things out, but it did what it did for a couple of reasons.

On the one hand it was avoiding giving Brad any more reasons to think there was an 'it' going on while the other was a kind of self defense mechanism. Intuitively, she realized that there was a very real possibility that if she were to allow herself to look into his eyes from that close, she might see something beyond his age. And that thought raised larger, more important questions that scared her so badly she only wanted to avoid thinking them.

After they ordered, Kayla asked Brad something else about work.

He only smiled at her before saying, "I'm boring. I already know everything about myself. But I know very little about you, so maybe you could tell me something about Kayla McKinley.

"You see, this is the reason I don't date. Well, one of many reasons, actually—I don't like talking about myself, either."

Brad narrowed both eyes then shut one of them as though he was in deep contemplation about something before saying, "Then maybe let me ask some questions, and you can give short answers."

"That's fair," Kayla told him. "Where do we start?"

"What do you for a living? If you work."

"I work," she replied, not meaning to sound indignant, but based on how it came out, she knew it sounded that way and apologized.

"I'm a stylist."

"How long have you been...styling?"

She understood the dual meaning and laughed.

"Well, I've been styling hair since college. As to...styling...I'm not sure I do much of that at all."

Brad laughed then used her line of 'fair enough'.

As they ate, he continued asking basic questions about where she grew up, her family, her job, and finally her late husband.

It was obvious Kayla had been very much in love with him, and it was equally clear that losing him had torn her up inside.

"That's not supposed to happen, you know," she mentioned rather wistfully after sharing her feelings for Steven and the loss of their unborn son.