The Way He Smiles

The warmth was sweltering. Dipping itself into every crevice and causing beads of sweat to slide down my neck and back. I shook the collar of my t-shirt, trying to get air-flow underneath the thin cotton. Beside me, Lily fanned herself with her empty paper plate.

“It’s so hot,” Lily said, her cheeks flushed.

“Yes, you are,” Tyler grinned at her.

Lily rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. “Nice one.”

“I ooze charm,” Tyler ran his fingers through his short blonde hair and tried to appear haughty. However, with his boy-next-door looks and the light freckles dotting his nose, he failed.

“You ooze something all right,” I said, smiling as I tightened my high ponytail.

“You be quiet,” Tyler said jokingly, reaching across Lily to gently shove my shoulder.

The motion carried me farther than I anticipated, causing me to accidently bump into the boy sitting beside me.

“Sorry,” I said, my blue eyes mirrored back at me in the reflection of his sunglasses. He was wearing a navy blue baseball cap, the brim casting a shadow across his high cheekbones.

“It’s okay,” The boy shrugged and turned his attention back to the baseball game currently in motion.

I waited until he was absorbed in the game. “Tyler!” I hissed at my sister’s boyfriend, slightly mortified at my shoulder-bump with the cute guy beside me.

Tyler cackled and Lily had to cover her mouth to hide her giggles.

“Sorry, Riley,” Tyler said, his expression the opposite of his sentiments. “Next time I’ll push you harder.”

“Hardy har har,” I mumbled, fighting down a smile myself.

“He is kinda cute,” Lily said, her blue irises flitting to the baseball-cap boy.

“And now he probably thinks I’m a weirdo,” I said to my sister. She didn’t argue.

All my life, I’ve been told I look like Lily. Same build: long legs, lack of obvious curves, nimble fingers. Same blonde hair to my shoulders. And the same blue, blue eyes perched above a narrow nose. We’ve been mistaken for twins plenty of times, despite the fact that, at twenty, she’s two years older than I.

“Hey, Riley,” Tyler said when the game was at a pause, the tired players watering down on their benches.

I glanced to him, anticipating some one-liner he had most likely been perfecting through the first half of the game.

“Don’t fall for him,” Tyler said with a bright grin. I barely had time to comprehend his words before I was shoved again, colliding with baseball hat boy.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to my good-looking neighbor. My eyes met his dark sunglasses, all emotion hidden behind their lenses. “My sister’s boyfriend keeps pushing me.” I pointed to Tyler, who was very obviously not looking in our direction and whistling off-key to himself.

The boy smiled, revealing very white, straight teeth. They were all perfect except one canine, which was twisted slightly; that flaw only seemed to add to the smile’s charm. “It’s okay. I--”

But the remainder of his words were drowned out by a sudden chorus of shouting. I shifted my gaze around. It felt as if every pair of eyes was on me and baseball cap boy. When my stare went to the large monitor hovering over the baseball field I saw why: Baseball cap boy and I were on the kiss cam.

My palms were immediately flooded with sweat and, for a second, I felt lightheaded.

I couldn’t do this! I couldn’t have my first kiss in front of all these people! What if I mess up? I haven’t a clue what to do.

The crowd’s voices grew louder, a single mantra repeating over and over, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Can one die from fear?

Baseball cap boy turned his body towards me, that quirky smile lifting his mouth. My breath caught when he put a hand on my neck, cupping the side of my face. All I could see was my own fearful reflection in his dark glasses as he slowly leaned closer to me.

His lips were soft and sure, lasting only a few seconds on my own. Dazed, I was barely aware of the crowd’s roar at our affection. Hardly able to understand baseball cap boy standing, sending one last grin over his shoulder to me as he walked off the bleachers. And then he left, leaving my lips tingly and salty from the aftermath of his kiss.

*

“Well that was eventful,” Tyler said happily, clasping his hands together and giving a small skip as we walked to his car after the game.

“No kidding,” Lily shot a quick glance to me out of the corner of her eye. She appeared about to say something, but Tyler grabbed her hand, thankfully distracting her train of thought.

I sighed and drug my feet. The air was stifling –hanging heavy above my head in dark clouds of despair. My entire body felt hot and sticky, my ponytail limp and wayward pieces of hair fastening themselves to the nape of my neck. I just wanted to go home and have a nice cool shower.

“So, kid,” Tyler said, blasting his air conditioning as he pulled out of the parking lot. He thought it was hilarious to call me kid, even if he was only two years older than me. “That was some kiss.”

I felt a blush starting at my neck and ducked my head, unable to meet Tyler’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Did you get his number?” Tyler continued, oblivious.

“Um.”

“Tyler!” Lily whacked his shoulder with the back of her hand.

“What?” Tyler asked, glancing at her in the passenger’s seat. “It was only a question!”

“Can’t you see she doesn’t want to talk about it?” Lily hissed, shooting me a sympathetic look and then glaring at her boyfriend.

“Why wouldn’t she want to talk about it?” Tyler said, completely befuddled.

Lily’s voice became hushed and her head bent closer to Tyler’s, explaining to him the workings of the female mind.

I stared out the car window, watching the city of Pasadena pass by in flashes of color. Lily knew why I didn’t want to talk about the kiss. Why it wasn’t the weak-kneed, romantic event Tyler assumed it had been.

I unconsciously licked my lips, the memory of his taste lingering like a ghost.

Was the kiss that bad? Is that why he just left?

*

“Riley,” Lily’s voice carried down the hall and to my bedroom easily.

“Yeah?” I appeared in the doorway of the living room, still towel-drying my hair from my morning shower.

“Look at this!” She pointed to the television, where the latest teen heartthrob, Jaxon Eagles, was singing his heart out at a live concert. Or, rather, attempting to sing. What actually escaped his mouth was reminiscent of a howling, tortured cat.

I perched on the arm of the couch, staring delightedly at the screen. “What is he doing?”

“Singing, I think,” Lily said, amused.

Jaxon Eagles was the best thing since sliced bread. At least, that’s what ninety percent of the female population thought. He sang a mixture of pop and alternative rock, wooing women across the country with his rhyming, soulful lyrics and stealing hearts with his good looks.

“What happened to his voice?” I laughed. Girls in the audience attempted to appear entranced, but many of them were hiding disdain over their idol’s terrible warble.

“I have no idea,” Lily giggled. I slid over the arm of the couch and onto the worn, grey couch cushion beside her.

“Maybe he’s sick?” I suggested.

“Or trying to ruin his career,” Lily deadpanned.

I began to sing along to the catchy tune, dancing in my seat.

I’d cheat destiny,

If it meant I could hold you in my arms.

I’d escape infinity,

And, baby, that’d only be the start.

Oh, oh, oh,

Oh,oh--

“Riley,” Lily said, her voice sounding funny. “When did you learn to sing like that?” She slowly turned to me, her bright blue eyes wide.

“Um, MTV?” I said, extremely confused. I wasn’t a good singer. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had the sort of voice one would use when attempting to annoy someone. Or when trying to raise a monster from the grave.

“You sound amazing,” Lily said slowly, disbelief etched in every word and wonder filling her face. She suddenly leaned closer to me, our foreheads only inches apart. “Why can you sing like that?”

“I don’t know, Lil,” I said, uncomfortable with her close proximity. I shoved her away, scooting further from her on the couch. On the television, the camera zeroed in on Jaxon Eagles, his face filling the screen. His blue eyes flashed, he flipped his dark hair just the right amount, and his mouth curved into a smile. A smile that revealed a slightly crooked canine tooth.

I gasped, my towel dropping from my fingers and a hand flying to my mouth. Entranced, I bent closer to the TV. Jaxon Eagles’ pearly whites were sparkling at the crowd as he continued to attempt to sing. “Lily,” I said, my lips feeling numb. “The boy I kissed at the game was Jaxon Eagles.”

“What?” Lily said, making a noise as if she were being strangled. “The Jaxon Eagles? How do you know?”

I swallowed, the motion feeling ten times more difficult than usual. “That smile…”

“Oh, my gosh,” Lily grabbed my hands, her grip tight. My skin underneath her fingers whitened. “You kissed Jaxon Eagles!” She ended with a fan-girl like screech, making me wince.

“Yeah,” I breathed. After the little walk-out session with the kiss, I had tried not to dwell on it. Tried not to think of how fast my heart was beating. Or how soft his hands were on my neck. Instead, I shoved it to the back of my mind and went on with life. Just Riley Thomas, virgin lip girl no-more. Yet, weeks later, here it was to haunt me.

“Maybe,” Lily said, biting her lip in concentration. “When you kissed, his singing voice was transferred to you.”

“What?” I said, tugging my hands back and clutching them to my chest. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Maybe not,” Lily said, her blue eyes unfocused at she stared into space. They suddenly snapped to me, startlingly alert. “But we need to find out.”

*

“Lily, this is quite possibly your worst idea yet.”

“Nonsense!” Lily declared, unfolding herself from the rolling cart and fixing her clothes as she stood. “This idea is brilliant.”

“I’m with Riley,” Tyler said, emerging from the garment rack, his sandy hair rumpled from the thick wall of clothes.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully to my sister’s boyfriend, shooting Lily a pointed look. “This is crazy. And Jaxon is going to think we’re crazy when he comes into his dressing room and finds us.”

“Find you, you mean,” Lily corrected, now walking around the sizable room. She examined a bowl of candy before popping a few in her mouth, their colorful outer coating crunching in her teeth. “This is your moment.”

“Uh huh,” I crossed my arms, stepping away from the large guitar case I managed to scrunch myself inside. Hopefully someone finds the actual guitar in the box I wedged it in. “And he’s going to be so happy to see me.”

Lily ignored my sarcasm. “Jaxon always spends some time alone in his dressing room before a big show. It’s the perfect opportunity to kiss him and explain everything.”

“In that order,” Tyler added, grinning.

A distinctive voice was suddenly heard outside the closed door, the volume growing increasingly louder with each passing moment. Lily gasped and shoved Tyler back into the garment rack, following him in afterward until both their bodies disappeared from sight.

A knot in my stomach tightened and I worried my heart was going to fly out my mouth and away into the sky. I clamped my teeth together, praying that it would stay put.

Should I just stand here? Or sit down casually? What to do, what to do…

My mind panicked, my eyes flittering around the room, trying to find something to do that would make this bizarre encounter seem halfway normal. I finally settled on perching myself on one of the high tables not fully covered in food, my long legs swinging inches above the carpet.

The knob of the door jiggled, and I got a flash of a broad, black-clad shoulder of the security standing guard outside. Then my vision was filled with a good-looking, slightly familiar, male.

Jaxon Eagles stepped into the room, seeming to not notice me sitting in the corner. He shut the door and leaned his back against the wood, reaching up to his collar to loosen his thin black tie. He was wearing dark jeans and a fancy, button-up white shirt under a black vest that matched his hair. Circles washed out his bright blue eyes, dulling their sparkle and adding years to the nineteen-year-old’s face.

“Hi,” I said, keeping a tight rein on my voice to stop it from shaking.

Jaxon jumped, clutching a hand to his heart and whirling to face me. He opened his mouth, “Secu--”

“No!” I flew to his side, covering his mouth with my hand and tugging him away from the door. “I’m here to help you!”

He mustered me with obvious disbelief, but didn’t pull away, as I knew he easily could. Instead, he allowed me to drag him to a chair and be seated, folding his hands atop his crossed legs and looking up at me with interest. “Well?”

“Um, you kissed me,” I blurted, wishing for a meteor to hit me after the sentence left my mouth. “At the baseball game,” I added hurriedly.

Jaxon’s confused expression cleared and he seemed to watch me with new eyes.

“And now I can sing,” I said, wondering if those sentences made any sense at all to the superstar.

“And now you can sing,” he repeated. Slowly, he stood, his tall frame causing his nose to sit a few inches above mine when we looked eye-to-eye. “And you couldn’t sing before.”

It was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded nonetheless. “I woke the dead.”

He smiled, that crooked canine catching the light. His gaze flickered from my shoes to the top of my head. “Lucky them.”

I was struck by how strange this entire situation was. Here I was, having a normal conversation with famous singer Jaxon Eagles after we shared a kiss weeks ago at a baseball game. And my sister and her boyfriend were blatantly eavesdropping, as was evident by the twin pairs of eyes peering out from between the hung clothing.

“I’m sorry I stole your voice,” I said to the superstar.

His expression grew, if possible, even softer. He gave a barely perceptible shrug. “I like to rent it out on weekends.”

I gave an unladylike snort, causing his grin to widen. “Do you always give your voice away every time you kiss someone?”

“Nope,” he said, his eyes twinkling amusedly. “Just you.”

“Lucky me,” I said, thinking how it turned out to be a bit lucky after all. “Do you think you’ll get it back if we kiss again?”

“We can find out.”

My heart fluttered in my throat again as he leaned closer, cupping my neck just as he did at the baseball game. Except this time the kiss was longer, and I think I might’ve kissed him back.

We drew apart slowly, my eyes flickering open and meeting the singer’s gaze. His hand left my neck, choosing instead to fumble with his tie as he leaned back.

“Do you think it worked?” I asked.

He hummed a few notes, breaking into a smile afterwards. “It definitely worked.” I found myself in a bone-crushing hug, my feet lifted off the ground in his excitement. “Thank you-”

He broke off, obviously realizing that, despite our sudden intimacy, he didn't know my name.

"Riley." I supplied.

"Riley."

I liked the way my name slid off his tongue.

He checked his watch. “I’m really sorry to do this but I have to play a show. Will you still be here when I get back? I’ll send someone to get you backstage passes. It’s a small crowd, anyway.”

Lily had enlisted Tyler to drive us over to Los Angeles, where Jaxon was holding a live acoustic set in a little-known hotel. It was invitation-only, from what I’d heard. Not that we listened to the rules.

“Yes, she’ll be here,” Lily said, emerging from her hiding spot and dragging Tyler with her.

“There are two of you?” Jaxon’s eyebrows met his dark hairline as he stared at me.

I laughed. “That’s Lily, my older sister. And her boyfriend Tyler. He drove us here. Can they have passes too?”

Jaxon shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Anyone else gonna come out of the shadows?”

“Nope,” Lily said cheerfully, helping herself to more candy.

“Right,” Jaxon Eagles turned back to me. “I’ll see you after the show, okay?”

He gave me a brilliant smile that set my heart fluttering into my mouth once more. As he stepped out the door, I knew that that wouldn’t be the last time I would kiss Jaxon Eagles.

-----

Written for a contest held by *katiejohnson__ She made a cover and you had to create a story to go along with it. Hopefully you enjoyed my entry :)