Kashi had been hungry before she'd arrived but halfway through the pot pie, she was absolutely stuffed. She'd have to get a takeout container to carry the other half home with her. Lunch had been an awkwardly silent ordeal. She'd have to thank Sierra later for telling Carr to shut up. She liked Carr, but he could definitely be a hothead sometimes.
He'd asked the girls for a ride home, and Kashi surprised herself by offering it to him before Sierra could. She wasn't sure why. Carr probably said thanks only to be polite. He'd obviously forgiven her, but whether or not he still wanted to spend time with her… It was one thing when there were three of them together, but being alone with Carr…
"Can I have the aux?" He asked, swinging himself into the passenger seat of her dad's truck.
"Um, yeah sure, whatever you wanna do." Kashi handed him the chord, tossing her phone into one of the cupholders cluttered with gum wrappers and a few napkins. She'd need to clean the truck before her dad got back in. He was supposed to be discharged tomorrow, so that meant it was today's job. She wondered if her dad would ask her to stay at home longer. She was planning to go back to work at her uncle's in two days. She sighed.
"You doing okay Kash?"
She snapped her head up in surprise. They were already halfway to his house from Belle's. Plus, he called her Kash… "Um, sorry I must've zoned out." The car prattled along the road and Kashi hit the gas as she realized she was barely going the speed limit.
"That's just the third time you've sighed like that. You okay?"
"Just lost in thought I guess." She paused for a moment, "Carr, are you still upset with me?"
"No, of course not Kashi, I—"
"No listen, Carr. I want to apologize because I know that even though we never made any promises, those kisses that night meant more than just some flirty gesture. I know they did, to both of us. And I didn't stop to hear you out so I thought you didn't want anything more from me than that. Then I flipped out and stopped talking to you. Carr, you have to know, at the party with Matthias I— well it was just…" Kashi sighed, gripping the steering wheel. "Carr I used to be the type that partied every night, drank until I threw up and then continued. I could kiss someone and moments later be in the arms of someone else, dancing and… well I've only ever liked someone in a… more than physical way once before. I wasn't sure what to do then…" Kashi turned into the driveway for Carr's apartment and threw the truck into park. "I'm sorry that I flipped out and jumped to conclusions and I'm sorry that I—"
Carr cut her off by pressing a sweet and soft kiss to her lips. "I'm not mad Kashi. In fact," he kissed her lips again, gently, "I'm so happy to hear you say that, because I'd love to pursue this with you Kashi." He pulled back a little and smiled at her.
Kashi's heart tightened at the sight of him, happy and so… relaxed. "So can I ask you to be my boyfriend or would you like to ask?"
"I accept." He said with a chuckle. He brought his lips to hers again, this kiss less gentle than the two before. Kashi heard a click and felt her seatbelt loosen across her torso. Carr's hand moved from the buckle to her back, pressing her against the console in between them.
She kissed him back, looping her arms around his shoulders, moving her mouth against his and matching the rhythm of his movements. Warmth flooded her, and not just from the sunlight coming from the clouds, but from the man holding her against him, and from within herself.
One of Carr's hands pulled the ponytail holder from her hair, and when he ran his hand through the locks of her hair, her stomach leapt, butterflies exploding. She let out a slight squeak of surprise and excitement. And with that noise, Carr took a sharp inhale of breath, and ran his tongue along her lips, a hum coming from him as Kashi responded, opening her mouth to let him inside, to feel him. It sent shivers down her spine. Her hands gripped his back, and in response he kissed her harder, the hand on her back moving to her thigh, squeezing her gently, his other hand still tugging at her hair. Kashi pressed herself against him, as much as she could manage with the console in between them, before she pulled back a moment, to get a breath of air.
"How'd I do?" He asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead, then resting his against hers.
It took her a moment to answer, her chest rising and falling. She noticed Carr's stare snagging on it. She smirked a little, trying to maintain her composure and not beg him to kiss her again. She wouldn't get tired of it, his hands, his lips and his tongue…
"Not bad, ranch hand," she brushed the hair away from her face. Then, she tenderly grabbed one of his hands, placing it on her heart before she placed one of her hands over his heart. And for a moment, they silently sat. Kashi looked over his features, attempting to memorize the shape and color of each. She watched Carr's face, her breath shallow as he moved his hand from her heart, down a few inches, gently touching and moving, as if exploring almost.
His other hand brushed slow circles over her thigh, Kashi's heart jumping as she felt him. She leaned in for another kiss. This was better than the best possible outcome she'd imagined. She'd been afraid he'd moved on already and leave her with regrets, but there were no regrets here. Not here.