Lenny placed three hot mugs of chai tea on a wooden tray.

She added a little sugar and some cashew milk to each mug and stirred. Carefully, she held the tray in her hands and walked down the short hallway to her room. She could hear Juls and Kris whispering, but she could not make anything out.

Len loved it when Kris came over. Juls eyes lit up and the girls never ran out of conversation.

If Jude had been home, it would not have mattered anyway. Whenever Kris came over, he made no attempt to hang out with them. He watched a show on Netflix or went down into his bedroom.

Lenny always thought that was odd since when Juls and Jude were younger they always both played with Krista and had a lot of fun together. Lenny had always wished she was older so she could join in on their adventures.

Ever since she became a teenager, though, she had felt more included in Juls' and Kris' conversations. Though she usually remained quiet, Len secretly loved just listening to her female idols talk and talk and talk about their lives, school, goals, complaints and, of course, guys.

Kris and Juls had just stuffed their faces again with some popcorn as Lenny walked into her room.

"I need to change," Juls said, swallowng, "Krista, need to borrow anything?"

"Yeah," she looked down at her skinny jeans and purple bandeau top. "Just a baggy shirt will do."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Juliette stepped out of the room to get some pajamas.

"Thank you so much, Lenny," Krista said after Len handed her a mug of tea.

"You're welcome," Len smiled.

"So, how much do you like him? Really."

Lenny's cheeks flushed as she carefully set the tray down on the blanket on the floor beneath her.

"I...more than like him."

Krista sighed, put one hand to her heart and held the other one out for Len to hold, "That is so great! Your first love, Lenny!"

Krista squeezed Len's hand in hers. Juliette came back into the room and tossed an over-sized band tee at her friend.

Krista let go of Lenny's hand and held up the shirt in front of her, "Depeche Mode. Diggin' the eighties now, huh, Juls?"

"Totally!" Juliette beamed, messing around. "But it also used to be Uncle Andy's. He was going to give it away. I nabbed it before he could."

"Ah, so this belongs to Candy," Krista gave her horrified friend a wicked smirk.

"Please, Krista. Don't."

"What? It's okay. She can handle it," she said, her eyes on Lenny for a moment before continuing with, "I've known your family my whole life. I am not going to sit here and act like your uncle isn't one of the most good-looking men I've ever seen!"

"Krista," Juls started.

"No. It's not like me to lie. Simple as that," Kris said as she turned around, slid her bandeau top over her head and put the band tee on. "I may have to keep this."

"Krista!" It was Juliette's turn for her cheeks to turn scarlet.

Lenny took her mug of chai tea and blew into it. There was a faint smile in her eyes. She enjoyed seeing Juliette annoyed with someone other than herself.

"You remember he was in a band, right?" Len asked Krista.

"Yes, I do remember that! Moon Children, right?"

"Yeah."

"Lenny! Don't encourage her!"

Krista burst into laughter then, swooping her bandeau top up over her head in circles. Lenny put her mug down and covered her mouth because she could not stop the laughter bubbling out of her as well.

Juliette looked at the two of them. "You are both horrible!"

"Fine," Krista offered, bringing her arm back down and dipping an apple slice into some peanut butter, "You want me to change the subject, let's take about Garrett."

Juliette shot Krista a death glare.

"Garrett's that guy in your class, right?" Krista squinted at Juls and ate her apple slice as Juliette's shoulders finally eased and relaxed.

Juls had already put on a baggy shirt of her own and then put on some pajama shorts.

"Yeah, he's in my class, " she said flatly.

"So... he saw you at the library and sat across from you--"

"Juliette," Lenny interjected, her mouth already working on a bite of cookie, "you like someone in one of your classes? Cool."

Krista blinked and sipped on her tea. Juliette sat down on the floor beside them.

"Yes... I do."

"Wow! He is an English major, too?"

"Um," Juliette thought for a moment, "Yeah."

"Tell her how old he his, Juls," Krista smiled and dug into the popcorn again.

Juliette stiffened up again, but she said, quietly, "Twenty-six."

Krista's eyes widened as she placed her hand on her friend's forearm.

"What?" Juliette asked, annoyed.

"How old is he again?"

"I said, he's twenty-six."

"Oh," Krista retracted her hand, "I thought you had said 'twenty-sex'. Heh, I'm hearing things."

"Ugh, Krista!" Juliette threw a pillow from atop Lenny's bed at Krista's face but missed.

Both Krista and Lenny burst into sheer and shameless laughter.

"Enough about Garrett," Juls did not want to talk about him anymore, especially not around Lenny. "Let's talk about Lenny's date instead!"

Krista was instantly intrigued, "Mmm, yeah. Do tell!"

Juliette and Krista both sipped on their tea and nibbled on their snacks as Lenny spoke.

"Well, it was really nice," she set down her mug and shifted her seating position a bit to get more comfortable. "We went to Cup & Spoon first, had some iced coffees, and then we went to the movies."

"Diego Luna," Krista nodded.

"Yeah," Lenny smiled. She hesitated before saying the next part, "Erik kissed me."

"What?!" Juliette and Krista gasped in unison and leaned in closer to Len with expectant eyes and their hands on their hearts.

Lenny was speechless. She looked at Juliette and then at Krista.

"Well," Krista prodded, "Don't leave your ladies hanging. How was it?"

Lenny bit her bottom lip and looked down into her mug.

How was it?

That was a simple enough question and she should have had a simple enough answer, but she did not.

Her frazzled and somewhat tired mind went back to the kiss and the moments leading up to it.

Erik and Lenny were waiting outside the theater together. Other patrons were exiting the building and Erik placed his hand on her lower back and guided her away from the flow of people as they exited the theater.

Lenny had this horrible habit of not knowing when to move or when to walk surrounded by so many people.

"Are you okay?" Erik asked. "Did you like the movie?"

"Yeah," Lenny said. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on her lower back even though he had since removed it. "It was good."

"What's the matter?"

Lenny looked up at him. Erik's head was lit from behind, haloed in blue and pink neon lights from the movie theater's old fashioned marquee. He had worn a light green t-shirt that night, no flannel, light wash jeans and his pair of old white Converse.

The neon lights reflected into his sky-colored eyes from the glass door behind her. It was as if his eyes had magical powers. They flickered and glowed beneath the marquee and Lenny felt her heart sink further down with every blink of the lights in his eyes. His face was also washed in a pale purple-blue light and there she stood, utterly entranced by this boy. This dream of a boy before her.

Neither his father nor her sister were there yet. They were both running late. Len's breathing got heavier and her eyes did not leave Erik's for a second.

"Lenny," Erik leaned in as if he knew exactly what she was feeling.

He placed his open hand on her face and then slid it down to place his fingers on the nape of her neck. He took his other hand and set it lightly on the side of her waist.

Lenny looked down at the lessening space between them, until there was only just a sliver left.

She then looked up into his eyes again. She saw blue, she saw the lights flicker, on and off, on and off, she saw everything she ever wanted in those eyes.

Erik brought his other hand up to her face and held her face in both of his hands. He brushed her long bangs to the side and said, softly, "Your hair is getting longer. It looks very pretty like this."

Lenny licked her lips and waited. Erik searched her eyes one more time before closing his and lowering his face down to hers. His lips gently pressed onto hers. Len closed her eyes then, too.

She could still see the neon lights playing above them behind her closed eyelids. The sharp glow of the lights remained and they seared into her vision just as her first kiss was seared into her memory, forever.

Erik moved his hands down to her waist and held her so that their bodies were touching. Whatever Erik did with his lips, Lenny reciprocated with a delightfully knowing ease. It was as if something inside finally clicked on.

Soon their kisses quickened and deepened and Lenny could feel Erik's hand in her hair and the other on her back, underneath her simple black tee.

When they took a small break, to breathe, Lenny finally brought a hand up and into Erik's hair.

His messy blonde locks were incredibly soft and she rested her face on his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart, her lips pink and blissfully swollen from kissing.

He stepped back to rouse Lenny from his chest and he kissed her again, just as deep and feverishly as before.

A black BMW rode up then, parking close to the lip-locked Lenny and Erik. A quick sound of the horn rung out and the couple seized their kissing, embarrassed.

Lenny pulled down the hem of her shirt, and Erik put his hair behind his ears and cleared his throat. They both grinned at each other, satisfied and giddy, before Erik placed a sweet and warm kiss on her cheek.

"Bye, Lenore. I will call you tomorrow," was all Erik said before he got in his father's car and they drove away.

Lenny stepped backward and looked up into the neon lights again. They were like beacons above her head, demonstrating for her the possibilities that hung in the air for her.

Lenore Wakelin
Erik Thomsen
In their best roles yet...

She was swooped up and away by what had just happened. Her shaking fingers grazed her sensitive lips and she smiled, playing the emotional reel of her very first kiss in her mind.

She closed her eyes so she could feel it even more.

She could feel his lips on hers. Only single words came to her mind.

Soft. Gentle. Joy.

How could so much happiness come from just one thing, a kiss?

And then the way he kissed her after that.

Firm. Wet. Ecstasy.

As the lights washed over Lenny, something else was washing over her as well.

She knew Erik was going to lead her into a part of her life that she had been waiting for.

She was so grateful for him. His gentle nature and attentiveness. His blue eyes, as radiant as a cloudless sky, and his hair that smelled like the ocean. The crisp way that he talked and his very neat and proper manners. His love of music and his interest in her when she spoke about anything and everything.

Lenny was falling. Falling into feeling again. Deeply and with all of her heart again.

She let out a tiny gasp and tears stung at the edges of her eyes.

This is what it felt like. This is what it felt like to love with all her soul again.

Love within and love without.

She was terrified.

Krista waved her hand in front of Len's glazed-over eyes.

"Hey, Lenny, " she leaned in closer to her, "I asked you how was it, girl? Tell us! We're dying to know."

Lenny blinked out of her reverie and said, "Terrifying. It was terrifying."

Juliette and Krista both had looks of surprise and concern on their faces. They were just about to ask Lenny why when all three of them heard voices shouting on the other side of the bedroom door.

C' mon! Lay off me, man. You're not my father!

No, that's right! And thank God I'm not!

"What is going on out there?" Lenny asked as her face fell and she got up from the floor and walked over to her door to listen.

This was a whole other terror altogether.

<< >>

A/N:

Whoa! I have been procrastinating like nobody's business lately---I am really very very sorry. I am just having so much fun reading stories and thinking about my stories and future stories (I've got a lot planned---I am giddy with it all--and when I am happy I like to stay in that happiness for as long as I can).

I'm (not) sorry to end the chapter this way, but it's how it has to be---next chapter will pick up from here, and it will be from Andy's perspective.

I will tell you that things are about to hit the fan, ladies and gentlemen!!!

Also, I have attached the song, "Endlessly" by Muse. This song was what started it all. This song planted the seed for this story in my mind several years ago. A ghost teen. A teen girl. In a house.

That's all I'll say for now.
Listen and enjoy if you wish.

I love you all!!!

xoxoxo

P.S. Do you love me at all? If you do and you want to SHOW it----nominate my story for "Best Teen Fiction Story" by going to the Fiction Awards profile. It would mean the world to me!

Read "The Fiction Awards 2018" work and start nominating your favorite books and authors while you still can! Nominations are only open until Sunday, May 20, 2018, 11:59pm.

You can nominate books according to genre, but there are also many non-genre awards they are giving away, too.

If you love stories on here as much as I do, please, show your gratitude to those stories and writers you do enjoy. I'm sure I'm not the only one that stays up until (let's see here, oh no, 4:26am in the morning) late and finds the time out of their day to write, all for your enjoyment! What an awesome thing these writers do for us!

Appreciation is what writers crave most.

On the flip side, I appreciate YOU so much for reading!

Please vote and comment----it helps me so much----and, please, tell me what you liked.

Ask me questions----get to know me more!

Alright, I need to go to bed.

Thank you!!
Nominate!!
You're the best!!

<3
Leanne