Rational Behavior Ch. 02

Mara stopped where she stood, sighing heavily. Henry wasn't much for public displays of affection. He considered it to be too much of an exhibition. It wasn't like Mara wanted to eat his face in the middle of a crowd or anything like that, but anything beyond holding his hand was too much.

What happens between us isn't anyone else's business, he'd said one afternoon when she'd pressed the issue too much. It just made him uncomfortable.

She'd felt so guilty about pressuring him about PDA when he was so affectionate and passionate in private. But it was that same passion that had her yearning to touch him at every possible moment. He had some superhuman ability to control his affections in front of other people. Except for when he looked at her. No matter how restrained his body was his eyes gave him away. She'd look up and catch him staring at her. Sometimes he'd be smiling, but other times, like now, there was no smile. From fifteen feet away, his hands tickled her naked waist, his lips kissed her hair. That look gave her the courage to take another step closer. And another, until she was straddling his lap with her arms slung over his stiff shoulders.

"You have about two minutes to torture me before he comes in here," Henry ceded.

Mara captured his lips with a sweet kiss. She tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging gently. Henry groaned, fingers dancing under her dress, along the backs of her thighs. They dug into the skin.

Mara wiggled in his lap. "I thought I'm supposed to be torturing you."

"Every goddamn second," he responded, just as breathless.

"I love you," Mara whispered. She hadn't said it since the day they'd been caught a week ago.

"Oh my god," a voice behind them gasped. And then there was a squeal. "I can't believe this!"

Henry jerked Mara off of his lap. She was stunned for a moment. Gracelessly righting herself, she gathered her wits and identified the speaker.

"Harry!" Even though Harriet wore flats, Mara still stood a head shorter than her in wedges. Mara wrapped her arms around her friend's waist. The two hugged like they'd been apart ten years. Harriet had taken up homeschooling in their junior year. Aside from graduation, this was the second time they'd all hung out together in the last thirteen months. The two finally released each other and Henry hugged her lithe frame.

"Hey, Chubs," he used his affectionate nickname for her.

"I would call you string cheese, but you're not looking very stringy these days," she responded warmly, squeezing his bicep. She turned back to Mara. "Am I interrupting? Should I go mingle with the folks?"

"No!" Mara insisted. "I mean, yes. Let's mingle." She linked arms with Harriet and they walked out into the yard, gabbing away.

Henry stood dumbfounded for a moment before grabbing the burgers from the counter and joining everyone outside. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting to eat.

Aunt Penny asked, "So how did this happen?"

Henry looked to Mara, but she offered no reply. Henry spoke up.

"It just happened."

"From the way you two look at each other, we can tell that something is happening." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Terrence grumbled irritated and uncomfortable with this conversation. Mara was too preoccupied with feeling rejected to register embarrassment on top of it. Plus, it was only teasing. She'd seen her other cousins subjected to the same treatment. Henry, on the other hand, looked as uncomfortable with the subject turn as her father did. Mara made no attempt to ease the tension. When Henry went to touch her hand, she subtly shifted away.

He raised an eyebrow, lips pressing into a hard line.

"You actually threw me out of your lap," Mara whispered in answer to his silent question.

"I was a bit caught off guard."

"You could have just said so."

"Not by what you said, by Hannah walking in on us. I've been trying to get your attention all night, but you keep avoiding me."

Mara went back to picking at her coleslaw. Henry rolled his eyes.

Nothing about being with this girl is easy.

His left hand swept across her back, sliding up to cup her neck. He leaned toward her, letting his lips hover close to her ear. The feel of his lips this close to her, while they were in public no less, piqued her interest. The feel of his breath raised goose bumps all over her body.

"I love you too."

Henry kissed her gently, lips parting slightly. People started whooping and someone cat called. But despite turning four shades of red, Henry's lips didn't leave hers.