Categories > Original > Romance > Kiss Me
I see Hayden pull up to Anderson’s room on his green motocross bike. He looks sexy in his faded Levi’s, steel toed boots, gray long sleeve, and black motocross helmet. I smile.
Gracefully, he parks and swings his long leg over the seat. He walks up to me, and I look up at him in an attempt to see his icy blue eyes. But he’s still got his helmet on. Slowly, he removes it and shakes his shaggy hair into his eyes. I brush it away. He looks at me. “Hi.” He says. I grin and bite my lip.
“Hi.” I whisper and kiss him lightly. While doing so I run my index finger along the outside of his gage. He giggles.
“You’re so tempting.” He runs his nose along mine.
“I know.” I smile. He just shakes his head and we walk hand-in-hand through the back door of Anderson’s class. It’s still lunch, so the shop is relatively empty with the exception of Austin and his girlfriend, Ben, Richard, and Kale.
I take a seat at one of the tables. Hayden sits beside me. Austin comes up with his girlfriend and sits across us. We just chat until the bell rings. I head to the lab to type up an essay while Hayden stays in the shop to work on his stick welding.
We’re seated at a window booth at the Stardust Diner. We take a few beats to read over the menu and decide what we want. Pancakes sound delicious. With a shake. Our waiter takes our orders and leaves with our menus. “So,” Hayden starts. He takes a sip of his Coke and looks at me from across the table. “Austin and I wanna go to Lake Mead after competition. He’s taking Lauren. So, I was wondering if you’d maybe wanna tag along.”
“When do you guys plan to leave?” I thank the waiter as he brings me my chocolate shake.
“Friday after Austin gets off work. Which is around four.” He looks at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Those blue eyes that I could get lost in, and never want to be found.
“Well, then I’d probably need a new bikini.” I smile. Hayden grins. His septum sticking out of his nose. The parentheses around his mouth so adorable. I sip from my shake. I offer Hayden some, but he takes a spoon and takes a bite instead. He laughs and we joke around till our food comes.
I eat all my pancakes, and so does Hayden. I don’t know where he stores all this food. He’s a twig. But he’s a cute twig. He’s my twig. And his muscle tone isn’t that visible. But it’s there.
Hayden drives me home and walks me to the door. “So, how do you like the bike?” He asks. He just put in a new paint job and some other crap I don’t know anything about.
“It’s great. I had fun hugging you.” I smile. “Are we taking the bike to the lake?” I ask.
“Hell yeah! Why do you think I spent so much time on it?” He smiles. “I knew you’d like it.” I blush. He takes my hand in his. “I know I’m not good enough for you,” I’m about to interject when he speaks again. “But I just wanted to tell you something.” I stay quiet because I know it’s important to him. He never gets so nervous to the point where he’s staring at the ground instead of my face.
“Yeah?” I push him to go on after a slight pause. I’m curious now.
“Sky….” He pauses to rub the back of his neck and then look up at me. His eyes piercing mine. I see something I’ve never seen before. It looks almost helpless. “I-I…” He takes a deep breath. “I love you.”
I’m stunned. I never would have seen this coming. I mean, I know he’s not the most affectionate or emotionally aware person in the world, but this is huge! He’s finally showing me his vulnerable side. Right here on my front porch. I open my mouth to say something, but can’t find any words. What do I say? I mean, yes, I love him. I’ve loved him ever since I saw him in the shop. But I never said anything for fear that he’d leave. But now he’s here doing what I couldn’t do before.
“Hayden,” I whisper. He’s staring down at the ground. His hand gripping mine. “I love you too.” I tear up. He looks up and I see him happy. “I’ve loved you ever since I saw you. But I was afraid of telling you and you not being ready. Then you end up leaving.” I frown.
“Well, you’re right. If you would’ve said it a month ago I’d have flipped shit. But while I was working on the bike for you, I was thinking…I had never done something so big for any other girl. I got to thinking, why you? Why was I putting in so much effort to make you happy? Then it hit me.” He paused to think. “I saw Austin and Lauren sitting on the couch playing little hand games and smiling like it was the best day of their lives! And I thought, I want to be like that. With you. And only you.”
His words hit me like a God damned semi. I let a tear fall down my cheek. Hayden wipes it away with his free hand. “Don’t cry.” He says. I shake my head and hug him tightly. I cry into his chest as he holds me and rocks me back and forth.
I finally stop and say, “Hayden, I’m not crying ‘cause I’m sad or mad. I’m crying because I’ve waited for you to say something along those lines. I waited for you to be ready to turn a new leaf in our relationship. And you are more than worth waiting for.” I smile and look into his eyes. He grins. I stand on my tippy toes to kiss him deeply.
When we part he says, “But can you not relate our relationship to leaves? They eventually die.” I giggle.
“But they come back in the spring.” He just shakes his head. He croons down to give me one last kiss before he speeds away on his bike.
I head inside and go straight to my room. I put on some sappy Norah Jones music and sit at my desk doodling flowers and hearts in my sketchbook with a stupid smile across my face.
When I wake up the next day I rise with a smile. I get up in a rush to look as cute as possible. I want Hayden to see how pretty I am. So, I shower and shave my legs. I blow dry my hair and curl it nicely. I put on minimal make-up (foundation, powder, eyeliner, mascara, nude lip gloss) and then go to my closet. I pick out a tight pair of flare jeans and a tight three-quarter inch sleeved baseball tee. I put on some studs for earrings and my white Nike's. After I know I'm done I grab an energy bar for breakfast and rush Sunshine out the door.
“Why do you look like that?” Elio furrows his brows at me.
“Oh, shut up.” I push him.
“I’m not saying because you look ugly. But you’ve never tried this hard before. Not even when you first met Hayden.” He explains.
“Well,” I get in the car. “he told me he loved me yesterday.” I blush and bite my lip.
“Really?” Elio asks. I just nod as we race to school. We get there just in time for the bell. I work hard in my classes, but when lunch rolls around I do my best not to make it obvious that I'm rushing to the shop. I just need to see him, and he hasn't texted me all morning.
When I get into the shop Anderson's talking with Ben, and Austin's cutting sheets. I look around but don't see him. My smile dims and I take out my cell. I type a quick,
Where r u?
But I don’t get an immediate response. He finally texts back while Fabi and I are ordering our subs.
Having a lil bike trouble. I just frown.
I can give u a ride. I reply as we sit down at an empty table. "Who is it?" Fabi asks.
"Hayden." I say. "His ride is having a little trouble."
"Tell him we'll go pick him up." She says as she unwraps her sub. Just then he replies.
No. I'll work on her till I get her runnin again. But thnx, babe ;)
But I wanted to c u today :(
I'll come over today & we can hang out
Fine I sigh and eat half of my sub. I got all pretty for nothing.
My mood just isn't all that high when school's over. I drive home and start on my homework. I'm almost done when I hear a knock at my door. "What?" I ask annoyed, but not taking my eyes off my calculus problems.
I hear the door open and I look up. It's Hayden. "Hey." He creeps in like he's intruding.
"Hey." I turn back to my homework.
"So, you're mad." He stands near the door and shoves his hands in his pockets.
"Nope." I say and keep working.
"Then, why aren't you talking to me?" He asks.
"I'm kinda busy." I look up at him and point at the pile of calculus problems I've already done with my pencil. "Just like you were earlier." I turn back.
"Well, I'm sorry. My bike is my only mode of transportation. I don't have a car." He explains and I sigh. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can't be mad at him just for not seeing me today all pretty.
"Hayden, I'm not mad." I look at him. "It's just that today I got all pretty for you and you didn't even show up to see it." I frown, but giggle a little when I hear how ridiculous I sound. "That sounds so stupid." Hayden chuckles.
"No it doesn't." He shakes his head. "I would have loved to see you all pretty." He smiles. "In fact, I think you're pretty every day." He flashes me a sexy grin.
"You're such a bad liar." I smirk.
"I know." He moves closer to me until he's right in front of me. I'm sitting on my swivel, rolly chair at my desk and he's standing.
He leans down and looks me in the eyes. "If you dress up tomorrow I promise I'll go." He smiles. I blush and bite my lip.
"You promise, promise?" I ask.
"I promise, promise." He says as he crosses his heart with his finger.
"Okay," I nod and agree to his deal.
"Okay?" He raises his eyebrows.
"Okay!" I throw my arms around him and kiss him.
"Good. 'Cause I just fixed up the bike." He smiles at me. "I came over here as soon I got done." He lays on my bed. "I thought we'd just hang out for a while."
"Well, let me finish these up and then we can hang out." I turn back to finish my last math problem and then put everything away. "Done." I smile and turn to see Hayden laying on my bed, his eyes inviting me in. He scoots over and I lay down on my side to face him. He props his head up on his elbow and looks me in the eyes.
"So, I was wondering," Hayden begins and grabs my hand to hold it, "if you would accompany me to a family wedding?" He smiles. "A cousin of mine is getting married and I don't wanna go without a date. 'Cause every time I go I am grilled for not having a girlfriend yet like Austin." He enlaces his fingers with mine and plays with my hand. I smile and watch him watch our hands.
"Where and when?" I grin. He looks at me.
"In Seattle, that Sunday after competition. We’ll go from Lake Mead."
"Hmmm....what do I have going on next Sunday?" I try to make him nervous, and it works. I hear him swallow hard, and he stops playing with my hand. I smile. "Of course I'd go with you!" He sighs in relief.
"Good! You had me going there for a sec!" He kisses me.
Competition time!
I pack my bags and get into the shop early. Anderson’s already there finalizing paperwork and scheduling. I grab my tool box and make sure I have everything I need. I double check everything. Then, I hear the back doors open. Hayden, Austin, and Lauren come in laughing. I smile.
“Hey, doll.” Hayden kisses my cheek and I blush.
“Hey, handsome.” I smile.
“Ready to go?” He asks.
“Almost. Just need to make sure I got everything.” I say.
“Yeah, me too.” He leaves me and grabs his welding gear.
Anderson comes to check in on us. “The car should be getting here soon. I’m gonna make sure everything’s locked up and ready to go for the sub.” He says and goes around to check the doors. Hayden and I make sure we got everything we need and go to the back door where we stack our bags. Hayden’s eating sour gummy worms. He offers me some.
“I can’t eat sugar in the morning.” I say. He just shrugs.
“You got new boots?” Hayden asks after I put them near my tool box.
“Yeah. My dad went crazy and took me to Wal-Mart.” I giggle.
“Well, they’re nice.” He smiles. “Steel toe?”
“Yeah. Steel toe and water proof.” I look at them.
“Cool.” He nods. I just go over to him and step on his boots. Steel toe also. I stand on them and kiss him. He just chuckles.
“Now we can be matching.” I smile and look in his eyes. He just smiles and kisses my nose.
We head to the Enterprise after getting picked up in the rental car we got. Which is a new Dodge Grand Caravan. It’s spacious and comfy. Hayden jumps in the front seat and then we’re off. It takes us two hours to get to the hotel, and when we get there our rooms aren’t ready, so we go out to eat. “What do you guys wanna eat?” Anderson asks.
“Ladies first.” Hayden looks back at me from his seat with a smile.
“What is there?” I ask as Anderson drives us to the main drag filled with restaurants, shopping centers, and convenient stores.
“We got McDonalds.”
“No.”
“KFC.”
“No.”
“Subway.”
“Mmm, no.” I scrunch my nose.
“Then what do you want?” Hayden rolls his eyes.
“There’s Taco Bell right over there.” Anderson interjects.
“Sure. I can go for some Taco Bell right now.” I smile.
“Okay then.” Anderson takes us to the Taco Bell right down the strip.
We all get out and take a look at the menu. “Ready to order?” Hayden asks me.
“Yeah,” I smile. He just takes my hand and we go up the counter together.
“Hi.” The cashier greets us. A tall guy dressed in his work uniform.
“Hi. I’ll take one of your beefy crunch burritos with a Pepsi.” Hayden orders. “And she’ll have,” He looks over at me expectantly.
“Hayden, I can buy myself lunch.” I say.
“Yeah, but I don’t want you to have to.” He smiles. I roll my eyes.
“Um, just get me a number 3 with a Baja Blast Freeze in replacement of the soda.” I order.
“Is that all?” The guy asks. I just nod. “Okay, 12.93.” Hayden pulls out his wallet and pays cash.
“Go get us a table, yeah?” He asks. I just nod and pick a nice booth table we’ll all three fit at.
We all eat and chat. Some karate kids come in dressed in their uniforms. They eye Hayden’s gauges. I just watch them whisper and point. I smile and look at him. He’s talking with Anderson about something. I look back at the kids. They seem to have forgotten Hayden and are more interested in their tacos now. I just smile and zone back in to what my love and instructor are talking about.
Finally! Our rooms are ready! Hayden rooms with a bunch of guys from Evergreen. A rival high school. But here, we’re all friends. I share a room with two girls from Evergreen. They’re nice. And have already claimed the bed nearest the bathroom while I get my bed near the window. Which doesn’t bother me. Anderson rooms with Evergreen’s advisor. We all unpack and then meet up in Anderson’s room. Which is right next to Hayden’s, and right across from mine.
I cross the hall and knock. Anderson’s in jeans and a shirt. He invites me in and puts the doorstop down. Rule number one: anyone of the opposite sex visiting, the door needs to be open. Seems logical. Don’t want anyone getting pregnant on a school trip.
“So, in about two hours is the opening ceremony. It’s just a spiel about competition and what Skills USA is all about. Then after that is orientation. We have two to go to. You are going to the machining one while Hayden goes to the welding one. Then you both have to attend the job interview one. Then we can come back and chill until dinner.”
“Cool beans.” I take a seat on Anderson’s bed until Hayden comes. He plops down next to me with a smile.
“Hey.” He kisses my cheek.
“Hello.” I smile at him. Just then, Anderson clears his throat.
“Let’s keep it clean for my sake.” He smiles. I just roll my eyes. Then he repeats to Hayden what we need to do. “Now, go get dressed.” I sigh and go back into my room. I put on my black slacks, white button up blouse, black pumps, and black leather jacket. It was raining earlier. And this blouse is see through when wet.
We head to the high school where the opening ceremony and orientations are. Hayden in front, me in back, Anderson driving. We make small talk until we park. We all get out. “We all look like waiters.” I say with a giggle. Hayden just looks down at his attire. He just shrugs and takes my hand. We all walk in and there’s a lot of red coats. “Jeez, Skills USA heaven.” I joke.
“Told you, these are hard core Skills USAers.” Anderson leads us downstairs, where we sit with the Evergreen kids until the ceremony begins. My roommates ask if Hayden and I are together, I just smile and nod.
“Oh my God! You guys are so cute!” Destiny smiles.
“You think so?” I whisper to her.
“Yeah!” We look over at Hayden, who’s sitting across from me, talking to Devon, the guy who took first place in machining at regionals. Devon’s talking about something, but Hayden’s not paying attention. He’s just staring at me. I blush.
“I love you.” He whispers as he extends his hand over the table for me to take. I do. His thumb runs over my knuckles and he kisses them. All the while, my roommates, Destiny and Marlow, watch.
“I love you too.” I smile. Just then everyone announces it’s time for the opening ceremony. We get up, Hayden takes my hand, and we find seats near the back for a quit exit. Anderson sits with us.
The opening ceremony is boring. Like, uber boring. It’s finally over, but we still have orientation. So, we stick around. Sitting in the chairs. Our groups are called and we are forced to go our separate ways. Hayden, reluctantly, let’s go of my hand. I get to see my competition for the first time. Lots of guys. Only three other girls among us. At least I won’t be alone.
My orientation ends and so does Hayden’s because we meet each other at the front of the stage. We just talk while Anderson wanders around talking to some of the staff. He comes back to us when he’s done. “So, we still have to wait for the job interview orientation. Which should be done shortly.” He says. We just take a seat and wait. I text my mom and Elio. Hayden’s listening to music. Soon enough, we’re given the orientation and rules of attire. After this…dinner!
Gracefully, he parks and swings his long leg over the seat. He walks up to me, and I look up at him in an attempt to see his icy blue eyes. But he’s still got his helmet on. Slowly, he removes it and shakes his shaggy hair into his eyes. I brush it away. He looks at me. “Hi.” He says. I grin and bite my lip.
“Hi.” I whisper and kiss him lightly. While doing so I run my index finger along the outside of his gage. He giggles.
“You’re so tempting.” He runs his nose along mine.
“I know.” I smile. He just shakes his head and we walk hand-in-hand through the back door of Anderson’s class. It’s still lunch, so the shop is relatively empty with the exception of Austin and his girlfriend, Ben, Richard, and Kale.
I take a seat at one of the tables. Hayden sits beside me. Austin comes up with his girlfriend and sits across us. We just chat until the bell rings. I head to the lab to type up an essay while Hayden stays in the shop to work on his stick welding.
We’re seated at a window booth at the Stardust Diner. We take a few beats to read over the menu and decide what we want. Pancakes sound delicious. With a shake. Our waiter takes our orders and leaves with our menus. “So,” Hayden starts. He takes a sip of his Coke and looks at me from across the table. “Austin and I wanna go to Lake Mead after competition. He’s taking Lauren. So, I was wondering if you’d maybe wanna tag along.”
“When do you guys plan to leave?” I thank the waiter as he brings me my chocolate shake.
“Friday after Austin gets off work. Which is around four.” He looks at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Those blue eyes that I could get lost in, and never want to be found.
“Well, then I’d probably need a new bikini.” I smile. Hayden grins. His septum sticking out of his nose. The parentheses around his mouth so adorable. I sip from my shake. I offer Hayden some, but he takes a spoon and takes a bite instead. He laughs and we joke around till our food comes.
I eat all my pancakes, and so does Hayden. I don’t know where he stores all this food. He’s a twig. But he’s a cute twig. He’s my twig. And his muscle tone isn’t that visible. But it’s there.
Hayden drives me home and walks me to the door. “So, how do you like the bike?” He asks. He just put in a new paint job and some other crap I don’t know anything about.
“It’s great. I had fun hugging you.” I smile. “Are we taking the bike to the lake?” I ask.
“Hell yeah! Why do you think I spent so much time on it?” He smiles. “I knew you’d like it.” I blush. He takes my hand in his. “I know I’m not good enough for you,” I’m about to interject when he speaks again. “But I just wanted to tell you something.” I stay quiet because I know it’s important to him. He never gets so nervous to the point where he’s staring at the ground instead of my face.
“Yeah?” I push him to go on after a slight pause. I’m curious now.
“Sky….” He pauses to rub the back of his neck and then look up at me. His eyes piercing mine. I see something I’ve never seen before. It looks almost helpless. “I-I…” He takes a deep breath. “I love you.”
I’m stunned. I never would have seen this coming. I mean, I know he’s not the most affectionate or emotionally aware person in the world, but this is huge! He’s finally showing me his vulnerable side. Right here on my front porch. I open my mouth to say something, but can’t find any words. What do I say? I mean, yes, I love him. I’ve loved him ever since I saw him in the shop. But I never said anything for fear that he’d leave. But now he’s here doing what I couldn’t do before.
“Hayden,” I whisper. He’s staring down at the ground. His hand gripping mine. “I love you too.” I tear up. He looks up and I see him happy. “I’ve loved you ever since I saw you. But I was afraid of telling you and you not being ready. Then you end up leaving.” I frown.
“Well, you’re right. If you would’ve said it a month ago I’d have flipped shit. But while I was working on the bike for you, I was thinking…I had never done something so big for any other girl. I got to thinking, why you? Why was I putting in so much effort to make you happy? Then it hit me.” He paused to think. “I saw Austin and Lauren sitting on the couch playing little hand games and smiling like it was the best day of their lives! And I thought, I want to be like that. With you. And only you.”
His words hit me like a God damned semi. I let a tear fall down my cheek. Hayden wipes it away with his free hand. “Don’t cry.” He says. I shake my head and hug him tightly. I cry into his chest as he holds me and rocks me back and forth.
I finally stop and say, “Hayden, I’m not crying ‘cause I’m sad or mad. I’m crying because I’ve waited for you to say something along those lines. I waited for you to be ready to turn a new leaf in our relationship. And you are more than worth waiting for.” I smile and look into his eyes. He grins. I stand on my tippy toes to kiss him deeply.
When we part he says, “But can you not relate our relationship to leaves? They eventually die.” I giggle.
“But they come back in the spring.” He just shakes his head. He croons down to give me one last kiss before he speeds away on his bike.
I head inside and go straight to my room. I put on some sappy Norah Jones music and sit at my desk doodling flowers and hearts in my sketchbook with a stupid smile across my face.
When I wake up the next day I rise with a smile. I get up in a rush to look as cute as possible. I want Hayden to see how pretty I am. So, I shower and shave my legs. I blow dry my hair and curl it nicely. I put on minimal make-up (foundation, powder, eyeliner, mascara, nude lip gloss) and then go to my closet. I pick out a tight pair of flare jeans and a tight three-quarter inch sleeved baseball tee. I put on some studs for earrings and my white Nike's. After I know I'm done I grab an energy bar for breakfast and rush Sunshine out the door.
“Why do you look like that?” Elio furrows his brows at me.
“Oh, shut up.” I push him.
“I’m not saying because you look ugly. But you’ve never tried this hard before. Not even when you first met Hayden.” He explains.
“Well,” I get in the car. “he told me he loved me yesterday.” I blush and bite my lip.
“Really?” Elio asks. I just nod as we race to school. We get there just in time for the bell. I work hard in my classes, but when lunch rolls around I do my best not to make it obvious that I'm rushing to the shop. I just need to see him, and he hasn't texted me all morning.
When I get into the shop Anderson's talking with Ben, and Austin's cutting sheets. I look around but don't see him. My smile dims and I take out my cell. I type a quick,
Where r u?
But I don’t get an immediate response. He finally texts back while Fabi and I are ordering our subs.
Having a lil bike trouble. I just frown.
I can give u a ride. I reply as we sit down at an empty table. "Who is it?" Fabi asks.
"Hayden." I say. "His ride is having a little trouble."
"Tell him we'll go pick him up." She says as she unwraps her sub. Just then he replies.
No. I'll work on her till I get her runnin again. But thnx, babe ;)
But I wanted to c u today :(
I'll come over today & we can hang out
Fine I sigh and eat half of my sub. I got all pretty for nothing.
My mood just isn't all that high when school's over. I drive home and start on my homework. I'm almost done when I hear a knock at my door. "What?" I ask annoyed, but not taking my eyes off my calculus problems.
I hear the door open and I look up. It's Hayden. "Hey." He creeps in like he's intruding.
"Hey." I turn back to my homework.
"So, you're mad." He stands near the door and shoves his hands in his pockets.
"Nope." I say and keep working.
"Then, why aren't you talking to me?" He asks.
"I'm kinda busy." I look up at him and point at the pile of calculus problems I've already done with my pencil. "Just like you were earlier." I turn back.
"Well, I'm sorry. My bike is my only mode of transportation. I don't have a car." He explains and I sigh. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can't be mad at him just for not seeing me today all pretty.
"Hayden, I'm not mad." I look at him. "It's just that today I got all pretty for you and you didn't even show up to see it." I frown, but giggle a little when I hear how ridiculous I sound. "That sounds so stupid." Hayden chuckles.
"No it doesn't." He shakes his head. "I would have loved to see you all pretty." He smiles. "In fact, I think you're pretty every day." He flashes me a sexy grin.
"You're such a bad liar." I smirk.
"I know." He moves closer to me until he's right in front of me. I'm sitting on my swivel, rolly chair at my desk and he's standing.
He leans down and looks me in the eyes. "If you dress up tomorrow I promise I'll go." He smiles. I blush and bite my lip.
"You promise, promise?" I ask.
"I promise, promise." He says as he crosses his heart with his finger.
"Okay," I nod and agree to his deal.
"Okay?" He raises his eyebrows.
"Okay!" I throw my arms around him and kiss him.
"Good. 'Cause I just fixed up the bike." He smiles at me. "I came over here as soon I got done." He lays on my bed. "I thought we'd just hang out for a while."
"Well, let me finish these up and then we can hang out." I turn back to finish my last math problem and then put everything away. "Done." I smile and turn to see Hayden laying on my bed, his eyes inviting me in. He scoots over and I lay down on my side to face him. He props his head up on his elbow and looks me in the eyes.
"So, I was wondering," Hayden begins and grabs my hand to hold it, "if you would accompany me to a family wedding?" He smiles. "A cousin of mine is getting married and I don't wanna go without a date. 'Cause every time I go I am grilled for not having a girlfriend yet like Austin." He enlaces his fingers with mine and plays with my hand. I smile and watch him watch our hands.
"Where and when?" I grin. He looks at me.
"In Seattle, that Sunday after competition. We’ll go from Lake Mead."
"Hmmm....what do I have going on next Sunday?" I try to make him nervous, and it works. I hear him swallow hard, and he stops playing with my hand. I smile. "Of course I'd go with you!" He sighs in relief.
"Good! You had me going there for a sec!" He kisses me.
Competition time!
I pack my bags and get into the shop early. Anderson’s already there finalizing paperwork and scheduling. I grab my tool box and make sure I have everything I need. I double check everything. Then, I hear the back doors open. Hayden, Austin, and Lauren come in laughing. I smile.
“Hey, doll.” Hayden kisses my cheek and I blush.
“Hey, handsome.” I smile.
“Ready to go?” He asks.
“Almost. Just need to make sure I got everything.” I say.
“Yeah, me too.” He leaves me and grabs his welding gear.
Anderson comes to check in on us. “The car should be getting here soon. I’m gonna make sure everything’s locked up and ready to go for the sub.” He says and goes around to check the doors. Hayden and I make sure we got everything we need and go to the back door where we stack our bags. Hayden’s eating sour gummy worms. He offers me some.
“I can’t eat sugar in the morning.” I say. He just shrugs.
“You got new boots?” Hayden asks after I put them near my tool box.
“Yeah. My dad went crazy and took me to Wal-Mart.” I giggle.
“Well, they’re nice.” He smiles. “Steel toe?”
“Yeah. Steel toe and water proof.” I look at them.
“Cool.” He nods. I just go over to him and step on his boots. Steel toe also. I stand on them and kiss him. He just chuckles.
“Now we can be matching.” I smile and look in his eyes. He just smiles and kisses my nose.
We head to the Enterprise after getting picked up in the rental car we got. Which is a new Dodge Grand Caravan. It’s spacious and comfy. Hayden jumps in the front seat and then we’re off. It takes us two hours to get to the hotel, and when we get there our rooms aren’t ready, so we go out to eat. “What do you guys wanna eat?” Anderson asks.
“Ladies first.” Hayden looks back at me from his seat with a smile.
“What is there?” I ask as Anderson drives us to the main drag filled with restaurants, shopping centers, and convenient stores.
“We got McDonalds.”
“No.”
“KFC.”
“No.”
“Subway.”
“Mmm, no.” I scrunch my nose.
“Then what do you want?” Hayden rolls his eyes.
“There’s Taco Bell right over there.” Anderson interjects.
“Sure. I can go for some Taco Bell right now.” I smile.
“Okay then.” Anderson takes us to the Taco Bell right down the strip.
We all get out and take a look at the menu. “Ready to order?” Hayden asks me.
“Yeah,” I smile. He just takes my hand and we go up the counter together.
“Hi.” The cashier greets us. A tall guy dressed in his work uniform.
“Hi. I’ll take one of your beefy crunch burritos with a Pepsi.” Hayden orders. “And she’ll have,” He looks over at me expectantly.
“Hayden, I can buy myself lunch.” I say.
“Yeah, but I don’t want you to have to.” He smiles. I roll my eyes.
“Um, just get me a number 3 with a Baja Blast Freeze in replacement of the soda.” I order.
“Is that all?” The guy asks. I just nod. “Okay, 12.93.” Hayden pulls out his wallet and pays cash.
“Go get us a table, yeah?” He asks. I just nod and pick a nice booth table we’ll all three fit at.
We all eat and chat. Some karate kids come in dressed in their uniforms. They eye Hayden’s gauges. I just watch them whisper and point. I smile and look at him. He’s talking with Anderson about something. I look back at the kids. They seem to have forgotten Hayden and are more interested in their tacos now. I just smile and zone back in to what my love and instructor are talking about.
Finally! Our rooms are ready! Hayden rooms with a bunch of guys from Evergreen. A rival high school. But here, we’re all friends. I share a room with two girls from Evergreen. They’re nice. And have already claimed the bed nearest the bathroom while I get my bed near the window. Which doesn’t bother me. Anderson rooms with Evergreen’s advisor. We all unpack and then meet up in Anderson’s room. Which is right next to Hayden’s, and right across from mine.
I cross the hall and knock. Anderson’s in jeans and a shirt. He invites me in and puts the doorstop down. Rule number one: anyone of the opposite sex visiting, the door needs to be open. Seems logical. Don’t want anyone getting pregnant on a school trip.
“So, in about two hours is the opening ceremony. It’s just a spiel about competition and what Skills USA is all about. Then after that is orientation. We have two to go to. You are going to the machining one while Hayden goes to the welding one. Then you both have to attend the job interview one. Then we can come back and chill until dinner.”
“Cool beans.” I take a seat on Anderson’s bed until Hayden comes. He plops down next to me with a smile.
“Hey.” He kisses my cheek.
“Hello.” I smile at him. Just then, Anderson clears his throat.
“Let’s keep it clean for my sake.” He smiles. I just roll my eyes. Then he repeats to Hayden what we need to do. “Now, go get dressed.” I sigh and go back into my room. I put on my black slacks, white button up blouse, black pumps, and black leather jacket. It was raining earlier. And this blouse is see through when wet.
We head to the high school where the opening ceremony and orientations are. Hayden in front, me in back, Anderson driving. We make small talk until we park. We all get out. “We all look like waiters.” I say with a giggle. Hayden just looks down at his attire. He just shrugs and takes my hand. We all walk in and there’s a lot of red coats. “Jeez, Skills USA heaven.” I joke.
“Told you, these are hard core Skills USAers.” Anderson leads us downstairs, where we sit with the Evergreen kids until the ceremony begins. My roommates ask if Hayden and I are together, I just smile and nod.
“Oh my God! You guys are so cute!” Destiny smiles.
“You think so?” I whisper to her.
“Yeah!” We look over at Hayden, who’s sitting across from me, talking to Devon, the guy who took first place in machining at regionals. Devon’s talking about something, but Hayden’s not paying attention. He’s just staring at me. I blush.
“I love you.” He whispers as he extends his hand over the table for me to take. I do. His thumb runs over my knuckles and he kisses them. All the while, my roommates, Destiny and Marlow, watch.
“I love you too.” I smile. Just then everyone announces it’s time for the opening ceremony. We get up, Hayden takes my hand, and we find seats near the back for a quit exit. Anderson sits with us.
The opening ceremony is boring. Like, uber boring. It’s finally over, but we still have orientation. So, we stick around. Sitting in the chairs. Our groups are called and we are forced to go our separate ways. Hayden, reluctantly, let’s go of my hand. I get to see my competition for the first time. Lots of guys. Only three other girls among us. At least I won’t be alone.
My orientation ends and so does Hayden’s because we meet each other at the front of the stage. We just talk while Anderson wanders around talking to some of the staff. He comes back to us when he’s done. “So, we still have to wait for the job interview orientation. Which should be done shortly.” He says. We just take a seat and wait. I text my mom and Elio. Hayden’s listening to music. Soon enough, we’re given the orientation and rules of attire. After this…dinner!
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