Free French Kissing (Restless Hearts) by Hunter J. Keane Page A

thing, Jen was never that graphic. For another, I hadn’t even realized that Jake had been part of the story.
    “I can’t do that, Jen. I don’t want to see him. I’m mortified.”
    Just remembering the look on his face when he realized it was me in the picture on the wall made me blush.
    “This isn’t that big of a deal,” she said. “It’s just a few art shots. It’s not like someone released a sex tape of you.”
    Now I knew that she was trying to make me feel better. And it was working.
    “You’ve done way more embarrassing things than this. Like that time you fell of the stage in your third grade Christmas show. Or the time you got drunk and threw up on Mom’s boyfriend.”
    “This isn’t helping,” I said through my laughter. “You’re just making me feel terrible about everything else in my life, too.”
    “Look. You do silly things sometimes. You jump into things before thinking it out. But that doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t mean you should be embarrassed when things don’t work out. It means you’re human. And it’s what makes you so awesome.”
    Jen was the perfect big sister. She always knew how to say exactly the thing I needed to hear. She loved me unconditionally and accepted me even with all of my faults.
    “I love you, sissy,” I said.
    “Yeah, yeah. Go fix your life.” She paused. “I love you, too.”
    Feeling slightly better after talking to Jen, I put away the box of cookies I had almost finished off during our call and hit the shower. With clean hair, scrubbed skin, and fresh clothes, my mood improved enough that I tried calling Jake.
    I got his voicemail.
    Hearing his voice asking me to leave a message so that he could get back to me made me freeze. I ended up hanging up without saying anything.
    I started to think more about my conversation with Jen and realized that she hadn’t been completely wrong in telling me that I might as well just go home. I had come to Paris with the sole purpose of launching my career, and so far that had been the last thing on my mind. That needed to change.
    My pencils and sketchpad had been sitting on the desk, untouched, for weeks. It was time to put an end to the dry spell.
    With a large mug of coffee, I settled at the desk. Guided by the bright sunlight streaming through the window in front of me, I started to draw.
     
     

NOVEMBER
    November 12
    Do you remember that time in high school when I had a huge crush on Steve Neilson? That senior with the perfect smile and “one-in-a-million” arm? I made you got to every baseball game that season. And when prom rolled around, I was certain he was going to ask me. I had been flirting with him every day for six months straight, letting him copy my physics homework every morning.
    Then I found out he was going with Mellie Kingston, but he said they were just friends. So I was sure that meant he still liked me. I ended up going to prom with Jake Allis, but in my heart I was sure I would end the night in Steve’s arms on the dance floor. In my head, it played out just like a Ringwald movie.
    They announce the prom king and queen and Steve takes the stage next to some pretty blond. Just before they start to play the music for the royalty dance, Steve grabs the mic and professes his love for me. We melt into each other’s arms and kiss romantically…
    Yeah. Twenty minutes into prom, I caught him in the corner going at it with Mellie.
    He never talked to me again after that night.
    You’re probably wondering why I’m bringing this up after so many years. It was such a silly thing for me to hold onto. But I hold onto it anyway because I’ve always thought that when I find the one, the person I’m meant to be with, it will feel just like that dream. It might not happen that way, especially since I doubt I’ll ever be attending a prom again, but I believe that it will be like one of those moments in the movie where the leading character realizes they have to do something bold, right