Read Online Normal by Francine Pascal - Free Book Online Page A

day-to-day aspects of love. Renting some movies, having some burgers, a daily kiss in the coffee shop . . .
    But that was never Gaia’s life. Everything had always been drama. Everything had always been life or death. Everything had always been jam-packed with confusion and doubt and betrayal. That was why Ed had finally given up—because she could never just be there with him like that. There was always something else or some one else making things a hundred times more complicated.
    But if Ed had believed that Gaia was capable of that kind of normal life, if he had believed back then that she was capable of having moments like that perfectly normal kiss with Jake, then he never would have given up on her in the first place.
    It was the irony. The stupid, pointless irony. That was what was pissing him off. That was what kept images of Gaia Moore running through his head long after he’d gotten over her.
    Kai suddenly plopped down in Ed’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Did you score it?”
    â€œWhat?” Ed asked absentmindedly.
    â€œMy sweet, sweet spare,” Kai boasted joyfully. “Did you see it?”
    â€œOh, yeah. I mean, no. I was just about to—”
    â€œEd, were you watching me at all?” Kai poked her finger into his head.
    â€œWas I . . . ? Of course. ” He smiled. “Of course I was watching you.”
    â€œOkay, what pins did I hit?”
    Oh God, not a test. Come on. “You hit . . . the pins to pick up the spare.”
    â€œUgggh.” Kai clenched her fists and shook them with mock frustration. But Ed could tell it wasn’t exactly mock frustration.
    â€œWhat?” Ed laughed, trying desperately to keep things light.
    â€œYou’re driving me crazy today.”
    â€œWhy?”
    Kai looked deeper into Ed’s eyes as if to say, Are you kidding me?
    â€œWhat?”
    Kai removed her arms from around Ed’s neck and crossed them over her chest. The expression on her face was turning far too serious. It made Ed nervous. “Ed . . . do you want to talk about our little ‘moment’ at Starbucks today?”
    Ed felt his chest begin to tighten. “What moment?”
    Kai blew out a small, uncomfortable sigh. Sheturned away from him for a moment and then turned back. “Okay. Let me rephrase. Do you want to talk about Gaia?” Ed was beginning to feel a little sick. “Because sometimes that helps,” Kai went on. “Sometimes it helps to get someone out of your system if you just talk a little about—”
    â€œNo,” Ed interrupted. “What are you talking about? Out of my system? Don’t be ridiculous. Gaia Moore is so utterly and completely out of my system.”
    â€œWell, you just seem so preoccupied with—”
    â€œGod, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He laughed. “Preoccupied? You don’t get it. Oh, man, you’ve got it completely wrong. You want to know why I was just so preoccupied? You want to know why I missed your spare?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause I was feeling jealous.”
    This didn’t make Kai happier. “I know that,” she said quietly. “I know you were jealous at Starbucks—”
    â€œNo, not jealous of Jake. Jealous of them.” Ed pointed out to the rest of the bowling couples. “I was watching them. They’ve all been kissing this entire time, and I was jealous. Because that should be us. We should be kissing after every strike and every spare and every gutter ball. That’s what we should be doing.”
    The smile suddenly crept back across Kai’s face. “Oh,” she uttered quietly.
    Ed ran his hand up along Kai’s cheek and thencradled her chin, pulling her face closer to his until their lips connected. Gently at first, and then firmer and firmer—probing each other’s lips with force and with