Free Winning Me Over by Amber Garza

to touch her everywhere. I want to kiss her, to feel her lips on mine, her tongue in my mouth. It makes me feel like a pervert. I shouldn’t want this. Not now. Not when she’s so upset.
    But when she peers up at me, her colorful hair falling into her face, I see the same longing reflected in her eyes. She parts her lips slightly, bright lipstick smeared across them. Black mascara rakes down her pale cheeks and her eyes are red. Yet she still looks so pretty to me. I graze her cheek with the back of my hand, honing in on how her soft skin feels on my knuckles. Tuning out every thought and every sound around us, I trail my fingers over her moist cheeks, down her chin and over her lips. I want to be in this moment, to savor every second. This has never happened to me before, and I don’t ever want to forget it. When this ends, I want to be able to close my eyes and imagine this day over and over again. I memorize every ridge, bump and nuance of Paige’s skin, the way it feels on the pads of my fingers. Her eyelids flutter and I take a mental photograph of her face in this very instant, tucking it away for later.
    Her lips purse. I swallow thickly. My hand is curved around her throat, and our lips our so close that if I move forward an inch they will touch. I want nothing more. With my heart hammering in my ears, I tilt my face downward. She angles hers upward ever so slightly. In fact, it’s so subtle I hardly notice it. But I do, and I take it as an invitation.
    Rap. Rap. Rap.
    I ignore the sound, assuming it’s my heart knocking around in my chest. But then Paige’s head yanks in the direction of it, and I realize it’s not in my body. It’s the front door. I exhale, slumping against the couch as Paige stands up to answer it. It’s probably for the best. Kissing her will only end in heartache for both of us.
    From where I sit on the couch, I can’t see Paige when she enters the foyer, but I hear the door as it swings open. A girl’s voice speaks.
    “Hey, Paige. How are you?”
    “I’m okay,” Paige responds, and then I hear footsteps and the click of the door as it closes.
    “Are your parents home?” the other girl asks.
    “No ,” Paige responds. “They’re at the doctor’s.”
    When Paige re-enters the family room, she is with a dark haired girl. The girl’s eyebrows shoot up at the sight of me, and she gives Paige a questioning look. I jump up and walk toward her, extending my hand.
    “Hi. I’m Colt.”
    There is recognition in the girl’s eyes, and it gives me satisfaction. Paige must’ve told her about me. She shakes my hand. “I’m Hadley.”
    I pull my hand back and shove it into my pocket. “Paige has told me about you.”
    “Really?” Hadley raises an eyebrow in a challenging look that reminds me of Paige. They look nothing alike. Hadley’s pretty but in a very plain way. Her hair is sleek and long, hanging naturally down her back, and she wears jean shorts, a pink v-neck shirt and silver sandals. Nothing very exciting about her outfit, nothing to make her stand out. In fact, she’s not even wearing any jewelry, unlike Paige who could stock a jewelry store with all that she’s got on. “What have you heard about me?”
    “I told him what a pain in the ass you are.” Paige elbows her friend in the side, and Hadley giggles.
    “I’m glad to see your sense of humor is intact.” Even though Hadley is joking with her, I can see seriousness in her expression. Paige reaches for her friend, and Hadley grabs her hand, holding tight. There is an unspoken bond between these two, and it makes me feel lost and empty. Will I ever have that? For the first time in my life, I want it.
    Hadley turns her light brown eyes on me. “So, Colt, what are you doing here?”
    “I just came to check on Paige.”
    She smiles. “That’s nice.”
    “Yeah.” I shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “But I should probably get going.” Quickly, I skirt around them and head to the