How We Began

How

We

Began

© 2014 by Sandra Corton

ISBN: 978-0-9943930-3-6

All rights reserved.

Published by Sandra for Smashwords

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any forms or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by Marianne Nowicki

To my wonderful Wattpad people.

You are the reason I started writing and

The reason that I continue.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Random kisses can change your life

Chapter 2 – People are never where you expect them to be

Chapter 3 - A little understanding goes a long way

Chapter 4 – Persuasion is not the technique to use

Chapter 5 – The opinion of our fellow man

Chapter 6 – What’s in a name?

Chapter 7 - Midnight rendezvous

Chapter 8 – Who knew homework could be this much fun?

Chapter 9 - A river of a tale to tell

Chapter 10 - Mum, Dad and ice cream.

Chapter 11 - Confusion times a zillion

Chapter 12 - Makeovers and stolen kisses

Chapter 13 - Date night

Chapter 14 - The strange morning after

Chapter 15 - Schools back in

Chapter 16 - A truthful dinner

Chapter 17 - Constructive arguments

Chapter 18 - Games afoot

Chapter 19 - Epiphanies for all

Chapter 20 - Unforeseen complications

Chapter 21 - Sadness and solutions

Chapter 22 - Pretending is the strangest thing to do

Chapter 23 - The joy and despair of a photo

Chapter 24 - Lost and found

Chapter 25 - What to do about missing people

Chapter 26 - Home truths

Epilogue

About the author

Chapter 1 – Random kisses can change your life

I’m not doing this you guys. I never once agreed to the dare, Kayla McCrae protested, as her friends from dance class egged her on, grinning all the way.

Geez, the way you’re going, Kayla, you’re never going to be kissed, Hayley Thornton put her hands on her hips, and rolled her eyes.

Just get in there already, Nadia Hunt gave Kayla a little push, but she didn’t budge.

I just don’t want to kiss some stranger. Kayla replied, feeling edgy about the whole ordeal they were thrusting onto her.

Did she really want her first kiss to be with some guy that she didn’t even know? Kayla had always thought that first kisses were special. That had been the main reason that she had been willing to wait. She wanted a memorable first kiss, one that she would never forget.

She twisted a strand of her long black hair around her finger, while pushing her glasses higher onto her nose nervously. She pulled the cap on her head down further to shadow her face, but her friends only seemed more determined. She hated when they got pushy, especially as they were all younger than she was.

No hiding. Hayley insisted, as she ripped the cap off Kayla’s head.

Hey, wait! Kayla reached for her cap, but it disappeared amongst her friends.

Hayley stood in front of her, and pulled her hair from the band that held it, so it fell in long waves down her back. She then began fluffing Kayla’s hair out, which she tried to protest. Another of her friends applied a subtle shade of lip-gloss to her lips, so she couldn't even protest. The primping began in earnest, making Kayla feel trapped in a whirlwind of craziness.

This isn’t going to work. I don’t want to kiss a stranger. Kayla tried arguing again, while struggling against her friend's efforts.

Trust me, he’s no stranger. Hayley let out a little giggle, as she pushed her friend towards the booth, refusing to accept no as an answer.

Who’s up next? That husky male voice that had always set her heart to thumping now set of panic inside Kayla.

Isaac? It’s Isaac? Kayla whispered in a horrified gasp, as her eyes widened.

She couldn’t believe that they had set her up to kiss Isaac, Hayley's brother of all people! She turned panicked eyes to Hayley who simply grinned, and pushed her past all the other waiting girls. Choruses of complaints about pushing in echoed around, until Hayley glared them all down.

Here’s your next girl. Hayley voice was singsong sweetness, but Kayla managed to glare through the tense pounding of her heart.

Thanks, sis. Isaac called out, which only increased the anxiousness clutching at Kayla.

Nothing stopped Hayley, as she thrust her friend into the separate room. Kayla went still, as Isaac sent a blinding smile her way. Unfortunately, there appeared to be no recollection of her at all on his face. His smile faltered, probably due to how panicked she appeared.

Damn, whose stupid idea was it to make a kissing booth, as part of the fundraising for their dance group? Kayla groaned, remembering that it had been her idea. She had dreamily made the suggestion when she had a mental block about Isaac during one of their meetings.

From the time when Hayley had first introduced her to Isaac, she felt instantly smitten. Her crush had only grown in epic proportions over the years, even though he had never seemed to notice her at all.

So, you know you have to pay for this right? Isaac joked, while Kayla’s thoughts careened in desperation through her mind.

Why did he always have to smell so good that it warped her senses? Not only that, but also whenever she saw him, he always looked better than the last time. She was a stuttering fool around him, which was why she avoided being near him at all costs.

She fiddled with her old cardigan, which was one of her favourite things to wear. She dared to glance at him, and his dark blue eyes captivated her. Now her throat clogged up, and she was unable to move. Just great!

So, shy, huh? Whatever made you come into a kissing booth? Isaac seemed to find her quite amusing, which wasn’t helping her at all.

She blushed bright red, and wished she still had her cap. At least that would have shielded the sheen of sweat that kept building up on her high forehead. She must have resembled a shiny, mortified idiot. Yet, for reasons unknown, she continued to stand there.

Uh… my friends. She finally stammered, feeling decidedly awkward to have her long time crush standing there waiting for her to make a move.

She frowned, knowing that she hadn’t really accepted the dare of kissing whoever was in the kissing booth. She could simply walk out of here, and ignore her friends continued attempts to have her first kiss. Relief filled her, however briefly, that she had a way out of this.

They don’t sound like the nicest friends if they are forcing you in here. Isaac mused.

Kayla was about to tell him that his sister was to blame, but she clammed up. Hayley had been friends with her since the first day she had moved here years ago. They had met at dance class, where her Mum had been signing her up. Kayla knew that her Mum had simply been trying to keep her busy, so she didn’t miss her Dad so much. Nothing ever really filled that gap, not even the dance class she loved.

Well, they didn’t force me exactly, she defended them, while also rolling her eyes.

Then come a bit closer, he gestured at the distance between them with teasing eyes. Kayla didn’t so much hesitate, as back further away.

Ah, no, not just yet. Kayla said, raising her hands in defence.

Just checking here, but you do know what a kissing booth is all about, right? Normally, moving away isn’t part of the deal. His taunting words shattered her.

When she had first suggested the idea of a kissing booth, she had grand ideas about being exactly in the position she was in now. It certainly hadn’t been quite so uncomfortable or embarrassing. Her thoughts had led to him sweeping her into his arms, and kissing her senseless. After that, he would notice her, and see her as more than Hayley's friend.

Standing here opposite him now, she was wishing that it had remained a dream. She had the most dreadful feeling that the only memory he would have of her now was a stuttering, mumbling prude of a girl. This was quickly turning into the biggest disaster of her life.

She decided that it was time to leave, before anything worse happened. She could already imagine how he might laugh at her, when he realised how inexperienced she was. With that scary thought in mind, Kayla turned her back on him.

Isaac didn’t give her a chance to get away. He spun her around, and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. Tendrils of heat spread from where his lips touched hers, all the way through her body. If he had of stopped there, she would have still walked away happy.

Instead, one of his large hands cupped around her cheek, before threading into her hair. He stepped closer, pushing his whole body against the length of hers, making Kayla gasp. Pressing his advantage, Isaac ran his tongue across her lips, and she felt ablaze by the sensation.

He slowly coaxed her with the gently press of his lips, until she found herself kissing him back. He let out a strange grumbling noise that sent a thrill through her. One of his hands dropped to her waist, skimming along her side confidently. The touch of his fingers rubbing against her old cardigan was almost too much to believe.

His lips caressed hers a little harder, and she found herself pressing against him shamelessly. Her whole system craved even more of his kisses. His tongue wickedly, but teasingly licked against her lips again, daring her to do the same. When she responded in kind, he groaned.

He tilted her head slightly to deepen the kiss, and Kayla knew that she could die happy. Kissing Isaac Thornton was the best moment of her life so far. She was glad now that she hadn’t run away.

Her fingers found their way across his slightly roughened cheeks into his wonderfully textured hair. He rewarded her bravery by sweeping her mouth with his tongue, engulfing her with a shocking heat.

She felt her toes curl, as she realised they weren’t just kissing but French kissing. She had only read about it in the many romantic novels that she kept hidden under her bed. At first, it had sounded gross, but experiencing it was a deliciously different experience.

Hot, tight feelings curled around inside her, as she dared to touch her tongue against his. Fiery passion exploded between them, as his kiss took control of her world. His hands took over, traveling languidly over her body, before clasping around her hips to bring her even closer.

A familiar giggle had her pulling away from the warm, wonderful kisses of Isaac Thornton. He sent her a look from blue eyes turned smoky that melted her. When he smiled a lazy, encouraging smile, she only wanted to kiss him again.

He had yet to let her go, which she wasn’t complaining about in her dreamy daze. In fact, he looked as though he wanted to kiss her some more too. That was such a shock to her that she bit down on her lip, and glanced quickly away.

Hayley was standing in the doorway beaming at her, even though Kayla had just been kissing her brother. Hayley gave Nadia a high five, before wiggling eyebrows at Kayla. With that simple gesture, Kayla snapped back to reality.

So, ready to line up for some more? Isaac asked with a wink, in a deeper tone that thrilled across her like a dare.

Um…. I, um, I have to go, Kayla stammered, feeling her face turn red again.

No, stay, I’ll pay for our next kiss, Isaac insisted, as his fingers tightened against her cardigan.

Wait, you want to kiss me again? Kayla blurted out the words, hating how desperate she sounded. Her face flared even brighter red, and she pushed her glasses higher onto her nose.

That was one hell of a kiss. He teased, as he looked her up and down provocatively.

In a flash, all her insecurities returned. She was missing the comfort of her hat that normally never left her head. She was back to feeling awkward, far more than dreamy. She stepped away from him quickly, making Isaac frown at her sudden departure.

I didn’t mean that in a bad way. That was a great kiss. Isaac said quickly, as he reached for her again.

Ah, no… I just, yeah, I have to go. She repeated her earlier words, as she moved further away from him. She ran as quickly as she could from the booth, before she said anything else stupid.

What the hell? She heard Isaac say, but she kept going.

She wanted badly to go back for her hat, but she decided that facing Isaac again would be worse. Breathing heavily, she skidded past families, and tunnelled her way through the crowd. She finally found a more silent part of the fete area, and breathed a sigh of relief.

She dropped to the ground, while touching her still tingling lips. What was that? Is that what any normal kiss was like? If so, she really should have started kissing boys a lot sooner. That was fantastic!

With her dreamy expression restored, she went over in her mind every second that her lips had been touching his. Her body shivered at just the thought of the way he had touched her. They had fit together perfectly, even though he towered over her, and she had loved every second of it.

Her phone started ringing, making reality surface all too soon. She pulled it from her jeans, only to see Hayley’s number. She wanted to ignore the ringing, pretend that it wasn’t happening, but she knew how persistent her friend could be.

She wasn’t sure what she was even going to say to her, it had to be weird for her friend that she had kissed her brother. Still, she pressed the answer key and waited. When a squeal came down the line, Kayla wasn’t at all surprised.

So, how was your first kiss? That looked damn hot from where I was standing, Hayley gushed over the phone, and Kayla almost laughed at her friend’s enthusiasm.

It was, um, okay, I guess, Kayla answered awkwardly.

Oh, come on, Kay! That was more than just okay. Where are you? We are going to discuss this is full. Hayley’s determination only made Kayla want to groan, so she took the most distracting angle that she could think of.

Do you seriously want to discuss what it was like for me to kiss your brother? Kayla asked in disbelief.

Yes, actually, Hayley replied smoothly. Now, get your booty back here.

Kayla ignored her friend, and hung up the phone. Her euphoria wore off, as she realised her predicament. She often caught lifts with Hayley and Isaac, if her car was playing up. Most weekends, she even stayed at Hayley’s place if her Mum had a late shift. How could she face Isaac now?

It wasn’t as if he had ever paid her attention anyway. To him, she was simply Hayley’s friend from dance class. Honestly, he had never even spoken to her before today, so maybe he wasn’t aware of her at all. On that depressing note, she headed out of the fête area, and went to where she had parked her car.

She drove home with her feelings flying in all directions. The reminder of his lips that had been soft but demanding became the mortification that she would feel when she saw him again. Seeing her mum’s minivan parked in their driveway perked her up. Her mum would know what to do.

Mum, I’m home. Kayla called out, as she threw her keys on the hall table.

Silence greeted her, as she looked around their lounge room. She knew that her mum would probably be sleeping with her headphones on, so she left her alone. She walked over to the photos that sat on the bookcase, and used them to distract her.

A picture of her father's smiling face made her heart clench. She missed him incredibly, when he was away. She knew that she could send him an email, but she was well aware that he was the last person that she wanted to mention kissing a boy too. He would probably want to hunt Isaac down, rather than trying to discuss it rationally.

She plopped down on the couch, as she considered that kiss. Surely, he wouldn’t suddenly notice her from one simple kiss. It had always been a dream of hers that he would, but she knew Isaac. He had never fitted, nor did he seem to want a one-girl relationship scenario. He just worked like that, and Kayla knew that she couldn’t change him, even though she dreamed about it often.

She scoffed at herself. He had never noticed her before in any of the classes they had shared over the years. She knew that he had no idea who she was, let alone her name. In class, he was too busy paying attention to the pretty girls to look her way. She didn’t even exist, as a blip on his radar.

It hurt to think of things that way, but it was the truth. Everyone at school knew her simply as the girl that constantly wore a hat. Nobody truly knew her, except for her friends from dance class, which consisted mostly of Hayley. Some of the other girls thought she was too weird, and they avoided her too.

She realised that Isaac would probably guess that she was Hayley’s age, a year younger. She let out a sigh of relief and regret. She wished that he would notice her after their kiss, but she knew the likelihood was slim. That kiss was worthy of the dreams that she had about him over the years.

Thinking of it, she knew she had been one small kiss in amongst a whole day of him kissing girls. Surely, he would never remember her, and she could face her school day without worry. With that thought in mind, she headed to the kitchen to make some lunch for when her mum woke up.

It was all her friend's fault to be forcing Isaac on her anyway. They knew how uncomfortable that would make her feel. They were to blame for the awkwardness that she had to endure. Secretly, it had given her some hope, and a great first kiss, which made it hard to be angry with her friends.

As she threw some sandwiches together, she smiled. She had finally had her first kiss. Sure, it wasn’t to someone that had feelings for her, but it would always remain special in her heart forever. The same way that Isaac himself had always been.

Chapter 2 – People are never where you expect them to be

You need to tell me who that girl was, Isaac demanded, but his sister just let out a snort of disbelieving laughter.

Which one? You sure kissed a lot today. That’s okay, because you sure got our dance class a whole lot of moolah, Hayley grinned and rubbed her hands together.

The dorky one with the stupid, massive cardigan and huge glasses. Isaac replied, as he steered the car into their driveway.

Hayley felt her mouth pop open in shock at his description. Could he possibly mean Kayla? No, surely, he meant someone else. Then she recalled the look on her brother’s face when Kayla ran off. He had appeared extremely disappointed, and just a bit miffed. Hayley had put it down to her friend’s inexperience with kissing, but maybe she had it all wrong.

A smile lit her face in reminder of shy Kayla taking on her brother, the rather notorious girl magnet. They were all shocked, when Kayla actually went through with kissing him, instead of bolting in the opposite direction. Hayley had been trying to get her dance teammate to come out of her shell for years. She felt proud to have instigated the move now.

Awesome description there, it must have been love at first sight, Hayley said dryly, trying to hide her evident excitement. Surprise filled her when Isaac sighed, and looked a little dreamy, as he turned off the engine.

Not quite, but it was one hell of a kiss, he told her, and Hayley froze in her seat.

Doubts assailed her; there was no way he could be talking about Kayla now. She didn’t really seem like the ‘hell of a kiss’ type of girl. She was too nice and sweet to have made her brother moon over a single kiss.

So, out of all those twittering morons today, how many did you ever want to kiss again? Hayley tentatively dipped her toes into her brother’s love life, which she had never done before.

The only one worth remembering was her. So, what’s her name? Isaac asked, as they got out of the car. He didn’t like the mischievous look in his sister’s eyes, as she scrambled from her seat.

That’s for me to know, and you to figure out. Hayley said sweetly.

She rushed to the front door, and wrenched it open, before racing for her room. She heard Isaac cursing from behind her, but she didn’t dare let him catch her. Once she locked herself in her room with Isaac hammering on the door, she let out a flurry of giggles.

He finally gave up, but not before threatening some bodily harm. She just laughed when she thought about her brother’s predicament. It was about time he went searching for someone that gave his life meaning. Even Hayley knew how well known he was to most of the girls at school. They swooned over him excessively, and it was sickening to watch.

She had heard all the rumours about how many girls her brother dated. How he broke hearts as quickly as he got a new girl. Hayley had even had to endure the tears of a few of his ex-girlfriends, when they turned up sobbing outside her front door.

She knew Isaac’s failing, and the reason why he would never be happy. He only ever looked at the outside package. He knew the names of every popular or pretty girl, she was sure that he had all their phone numbers to prove it too.

Yet, he didn’t know Kayla. He probably never even noticed her at school. Hayley knew he had never seen her when she stayed with them. Kayla had always been here, and yet Isaac remained oblivious. It made Hayley mad to think that he was now trying to find out who Kayla was, especially when she had been there all that time.

Hayley had seen them swap greetings politely, but that would be about it. He was blind to someone that was truly beautiful, inside and out. Sure, she had a bit of a hat obsession that Hayley didn’t really understand, but everyone had quirks.

She let out a sigh at how superficial Isaac could be. Then again, maybe this whole situation would help him to see a different light. Kayla could actually be good for her brother. She grinned to herself, as a plan came together in her mind. She wouldn't let Isaac discover who Kayla was too quickly. It was about time her brother learnt some patience.

At breakfast the next morning, Isaac looked beyond agitated and sleep deprived. No amount of threats, begging, or bribing had gotten him any closer to the name of the girl that he had kissed.

Hayley wasn’t even giving him any hints; she just sat there smiling smugly at him. It was starting to drive him crazy that the only thing on his mind was that girl, and the kiss between them.

He had never been one to chase girls; he found that he never really had to. Girls just came to him. He knew he sounded like a pompous jackass, but it was the truth. Girls had always wanted to hang around him, and there was no way that he was going to refuse them.

Yesterday had changed things for him, without him even realising. He wanted a specific girl to pay attention to him, and he wouldn’t be happy until she did. All he wanted was her name, and he couldn’t even get that!

You gotta give me something, Hayles, Isaac pleaded, as his sister poured herself some cereal.

What, so some other girl spends her night crying over you? Yeah, I don’t think so, Hayley snapped her fingers at her brother who grimaced.

It won’t be like that this time. Isaac promised, but his sister just snorted.

I’ll give you one hint; she doesn’t fit into your normal thoughts of girls. She won’t flash her boobs at you, or wear the tightest skirt. Hayley said around a mouthful of food, and Isaac huffed in annoyance.

You think I don’t know that? She was wearing the most hideous clothes that I’ve ever seen. Isaac grouched, making his sister laugh.

Tell me exactly what she looked like. Hayley demanded pointedly.

She had the longest black hair that I think I’ve ever seen. She wouldn’t really look at me for long, but those eyes of hers were the palest green. He smiled in thought at the memory, while Hayley let out a breath.

She had been right he did mean Kayla! She quickly controlled the need to let out a triumphant scream; she couldn’t give things away that easily. Instead, she grinned into her cereal. Life was about to get very interesting indeed.

So do you know her? Are you going to tell me her name? Isaac asked eagerly.

I dunno, she doesn’t really sound that familiar to me. Hayley answered vaguely, finding it hard to suppress a knowing look.

Damn, I was hoping you knew her. Isaac muttered.

Yeah, obviously, you’ve been harassing me about it since yesterday. Hayley rolled her eyes at her brother.

Why is your brother harassing you? Their mother Dana walked into the room with her power suit on, ready for another day at her desk.

It doesn’t matter, Mum. Isaac hastily threw in, before Hayley could say a word.

It’s about his true love, Mum. Hayley whispered loudly, making her mother smile.

Get your bag, Hayles, and let's go. Isaac said on a groan.

The ride to school fell into a surprising silence. Hayley had assumed that Isaac would try to bug her even more about Kayla, but he kept quiet. His jaw ticked, and he appeared to be deep in thought, so she left him alone.

Don’t forget to pick me up from dance class. Hayley reminded her brother, as she left the car at school.

It's normally Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Hayles, I haven’t forgotten. Isaac told her in a grumbling tone, as he glanced around the car park.

Good to know, by the way, good luck with your search. Hayley left with a laugh.

Isaac strode across to where his friends were. Girls left and right were offering him smiles and waves, which he returned rather half-heartedly. None of them was the girl he was searching to find.

He greeted his friend Jay with a fist pump, before looking around the rest of the senior area. He frowned to himself, wondering if this girl was even a senior. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her face before, and he would surely have recalled that long, luscious black hair.

He snapped himself from his daydream when it occurred to him that she was probably still a junior, like Hayley. He hadn’t believed his sister at breakfast, her cheeky smirk had given her away. She knew exactly whom he was searching for, but due to some obscure reason, she was keeping it to herself.

It made sense for her to be a junior, especially when he considered that it probably was one of Hayley’s friends. That could make things rather awkward for them. Still, he refused to consider it, at least until he figured out who she was.

He strained his mind to try to recall any of her friends, but had no luck. All her friends had become a blur to him after a while. They were the ones he picked up from dance class three times a week, because the other person that could drive was unable to. It put a dent in his social life some days, but he loved his sister, even when she was being a painful little snot.

"Looking for