Begin Again (Again #1)(23)

“Do you really mean it?” I blurted out.

Kaden shrugged and grinned. “You know how to talk without stopping; I think that’s a good prerequisite. Most teachers love to hear themselves talk.”

I made a face at him and promptly stumbled on a root. Kaden grabbed my arm and supported me. Once my footing was sure, he let me go.

“Besides, then you’ll have the honor of playing the lead actress in lots of wet dreams.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Kaden!” I cried.

“With your legs, it wouldn’t be long before the drooling, pre-pubescent fuckers crowd into the front row.”

“Sounds like you know this from personal experience.” I couldn’t hold back my own grin any longer.

“Oh, I was harmless in high school.”

He frowned.

“But not anymore,” I ventured.

Kaden noticed my questioning glance. “No, not anymore,” he said, with a sly grin. “Harmlessness is overrated. It’s no fun.”

I shook my head. “Then it’s true, what they say about you.”

“What do they say about me?” he asked, suddenly turning to his right. The sound of water noise was even louder now, and he had to raise his voice.

I remembered the stories about Kaden that had made the rounds on campus, and decided not to answer his question in too much detail.

“They say you’re a heartbreaker,” I said, panting as I tried to pull myself up by a rock.

“Women always know what they’re getting into with me. But in the end, men are always the bad guy,” he said.

I rolled my eyes at him. “So I shouldn’t be surprised if you fall flat on your face. Fooling around without any commitments—it can’t last.” I yelled as I slipped and lost my hold on the rock.

A firm grip around my upper arm prevented me from falling. Kaden pulled me up to him, then released my arm again and looked at me, concerned.

I sighed. “You shouldn’t look at it that way. Girls start to like you, and they think about you. It’s normal. When I like someone I do the same.”

Kaden tilted his head. “So that’s why you put me to bed last night.”

“I put you to bed,” I answered, “because you couldn’t have slept under a pile of jackets in the hall. And you were keeping me up with all that noise.” I wanted to avoid Kaden’s intense gaze, but he didn’t give me a choice. Instead, he came so close to me that his forehead almost touched mine. And whispered, “You brought me to bed because you like me.”

“No.” I blurted. My voice was supposed to sound cool and unemotional. Thanks to Mom, I could usually manage that at the drop of a hat. Why not now?

“So what if you do like me? It’s your nature to be caring, you said it yourself. And I would bet you’re most annoyed by the things that are beyond changing.”

I swallowed hard. “What does that mean? There’s no hope for you? That you’re a broken soul?”

Not speaking, he let his eyes wander across my face. For an instant they paused at my lips before returning to look in my eyes. “Believe me, Bubbles. You don’t want to know,” he finally said.

Kaden had no idea how well I understood him at this moment. I really did. Every word he said could apply to my life. It was almost like he was talking about me, not about himself.

“You’re not broken, Kaden. Maybe just a little bent. That’s not irreparable,” I murmured. By now the sound of rushing water was so loud that I wasn’t sure he’d even heard me. We stood for a few moments just looking at each other, until Kaden shook his head and turned.

He took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair. Then he took one step to the side so I could see ahead.

My mouth hung open.

Now I saw what that noise was. Kaden had brought me to a huge waterfall.

“Oh my God.” I whispered.

Water rushed through a gap in the stony face of the mountain, flowing down between a tangle of trees and bushes. Rays of sunlight ricocheted off the powerful jet of water as it tumbled down the cliff wall to a lake below.

“Come on,” Kaden said, gesturing with his chin toward the lake.

I didn’t want to turn my gaze from the scene, but my guide was already on his way down. I followed him along a narrow path, which led past moss-covered stones to the waterfall.

Somehow we arrived at the shore of the lake. I had to hunch my shoulders and block the mist with my hand in order to see the waterfall from here.

A movement to my right made me stop short.

One second later I was staring at Kaden’s naked back.

“W-w-what are you doing?” I stammered, as he flung off his boots and started fumbling at his belt. I couldn’t tear my eyes off the finely drawn feather on the left side of his waist.

“What does it look like I’m doing, Bubbles?” he answered, his eyes fixed on the water. He turned around and winked at me before taking a running leap into the water.

I held my breath until he resurfaced, shaking his wet hair from his forehead and letting out a whoop.

“You’re crazy! Isn’t it freezing?” I called, using my hands as a megaphone.

“Try for yourself,” he called back.

I could barely understand him. The rushing waterfall was loud as thunder.

You had to hand it to Kaden: He didn’t care what anyone thought about him. What society expected didn’t matter. If he wanted to jump half-naked into a lake on a fall day, then he did so without hesitation. In that sense I admired him. He emanated vitality and freedom. Kaden unchained himself from everything. He was true to himself. I wanted to be like that.