At the same time, I’d be doing myself a disservice not to at least try. Pain was a part of life. One year left or not, this seemed to be an opportunity I’d waited for since I was out kicking trees. I’ve always wanted a movie-like romance. Willing girl? Check. Opportunity for a lavish gesture? Check. I had nothing to lose. I’d go for it. But now I just had to figure out how. I couldn’t ignore something that made car crashes and fires come second in my mind.
I smiled. At least I had come to some sort of decision. As I slowly came out of my planning session, I heard “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls playing. “I didn’t know this was in The Big Lebowski,” I said idly to Daichi.
“It’s not,” he said with the world’s largest grin. “I just saw you had your game face on and I wanted to help, considering there was a hundred and twenty-five percent chance you were thinking about Kristen.”
Sure enough, I looked to the TV and it was paused while the song was still playing through his speakers. “Well, how thoughtful of you,” I said. “Get up, we’re going out.” I had some preparations to take care of if I was going to romance this girl.
Twenty
Will
I was a weird mix of giddy and nervous as I led her out of the house that night. Down the porch, I had her stop on the sidewalk.
“Can I open them yet?” she whined playfully.
I took a moment to take a deep breath and admire the setting sun on her features. “Ah, one moment.”
“Is this another blender?” she asked, grinning.
“Oh yes, the special edition that sits in the street.” I grinned back, even though she couldn’t see it. “Okay, you can open your eyes now,” I said, voice slightly wavering.
Her eyes fluttered open, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. The brief moment it took for her to register what she was looking at was the longest of my life.
“Oh, wow,” was all she said. She looked at the ice cream truck, which didn’t serve ice cream tonight. Only love. Oh, that was good. I should use that . . . So I did, repeating it out loud this time.
She burst into laughter and told me that was the dumbest but most wonderful thing she had ever heard.
“Just get in the van,” I said, secretly loving her ribbing.
She walked in through the front and stopped once she could see the back.
“Is this cheesy enough?” I gestured to the flowers hung from the ceiling and the table set in the middle.
“With anyone else, this would be incredibly awkward.” She glanced over her shoulder as she walked to the table.
Mental fist pump. That sentence said a lot. I followed her into the back.
“You have two options. Option number one: van stays here, and we eat what I prepared, serving window closed—we probably wouldn’t want to be looking at the houses across the street, after all. Option two: we sit and get driven to a secret location and eat with the serving window open, watching a beautiful sunset. But we’d have to hurry, I think. I mean, I only got a B in weather and climate, so I don’t know how long we have until it sets.” As an aside I added, “And the Bs in that class were sixty to eighty percent.” I turned my smile in an exaggerated frown.
“You’re something else, Will. You know that?”
“I get that every now and then. So here or there?” I asked.
“I don’t mind either way.”
I knocked on the side of the truck and Daichi appeared a few short seconds later, followed by Chris.
“Chris!” Kristen exclaimed.
“Only for you would I wear this mockery of an outfit,” she said, gesturing to her waitress clothes and glaring at me.
“Hey, it’s to set the mood.” I put my hands up innocently. “Anyway, our guest said she doesn’t care, so we will be fine here. And by here, Daichi, you know where to go.”
He winked at me. “Yes, sir!” He pulled the chauffeur’s hat he bought earlier in the day down over his eyes and turned the keys in the ignition. The truck rumbled to a start.
“Is there anything I can get you to drink, ma’am?” Chris asked Kristen in her best customer service voice.
“Just some water, please,” Kristen replied.
I found myself staring at her and blinked to keep myself from falling into another tattoo shop situation, especially with our friends present. I managed to tear myself away before Kristen turned her attention to me and gave her familiar smirk. I always wished I could tell what she was thinking.
“So, how did you even find this employee?” Kristen pointed to Chris.
“It’s a secret,” I said, crossing my arms while leaning back in my chair.
“Facebook,” Chris shared.
I sighed. “Well, there you go.” I chuckled as I took a sip from the water bottle that had been placed down on the table. The liquid sloshed in the bottle as the truck bumped down the road to the second surprise. “So, Kristen,” I began, holding back a grin. “What would you like to eat tonight? We have pizza and cheeseburgers.”
Kristen whipped around to face Chris. “Is there anything you didn’t tell him?”
“Sorry, girl. It’s for your own good. Now pick. I wanna go sit down.” Chris placed her hands on her hips.
“You know I can’t pick between those,” she said softly.
“Well, then, you’re in luck,” I said. “Because we have both!” I clapped my hands, drawing a small scowl from Chris. “Sorry, I’ve always wanted to do that.”
A few minutes later, Chris had served the pizza-cheeseburger combo meal and taken her seat in the passenger seat up front.
“Nice touch, eh?” I pointed a thumb back to the curtain that separated us from our best friends.
“It is,” she said, looking at her food.
“Oh jeez, don’t tell me you can’t pick which to eat first.”
She ran her hands through her hair and gave me a helpless look.
“My goodness, I thought I was indecisive.” I pushed her pizza plate forward. “One bite here, then one of cheeseburger. Better?”
“That works,” she said, smiling briefly. She picked up the pizza and took a bite.
I hadn’t seen her this reserved since the first day. Demure wasn’t a word I’d use to describe her after the initial meeting, but she was bordering on meek tonight.
Once again, without realizing, I found myself watching her. She was simply addicting to watch. I pinched myself. Stop being weird. Start a conversation.
“So, before this, any good dates recently?”
Kristen
Oh my god, Kristen. Get it together. Yes, this is the best surprise you’ve had in recent memory. And yes, this is the best date you’ve been on, and it’s only been thirty minutes. But get it together. Stop being weird.
“I’m sorry, what?” I looked up at him.
“I asked if you’ve been on any good dates recently,” he said.
“Oh, no,” I answered. “That’s an easy one. How about you?” Way to go, Kristen. That was nine whole words.
Will put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his fist. After a few seconds, he shook his head. “Nope. Nothing worth remembering. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
“I like your smile,” I heard myself say. Better to be weird and forward than shy, I suppose.
He bit his lip, and my knees melted. If I knew compliments induced his lip bites, I’d have started long ago. Just not when I was standing though.
“Thanks,” he said. “I like your . . .” He looked me in the eyes, and I saw him take in the entirety of me visible above the table. “I like your everything, to be honest.”
I looked down, I had forgotten what I was wearing. It was just a simple T-shirt and sweats. My face heated up with the realization that I had worn this, especially with him looking so nice.
“Don’t be embarrassed—it was my fault,” he said, reading my mind. “I did rush you. But I do like your T-shirts. I haven’t seen you in anything else. Do you own anything else?”
“Of course!” I
reached across the table and hit his arm.
“Ouch.” He rubbed his limb in mock disbelief. “You know I was going to put on some music, but now that my arm is out of action, we might have to do without.”
Good guys really did exist, and I was sitting across from one. He wore a goofy but charming smile as he let his arm dangle as if my punch had done something. Will deserved an attempt on my part. It was time to push Cooper and the other past misadventures aside, and see if Will and I could enjoy ourselves. I probably couldn’t turn my brain off completely, but hell, I’d have to try.
“Oh, poor you,” I said. “A big head and an arm made of papier-mâché. You poor soul.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Ouch. You know I didn’t ask to be born with glass bones and paper skin.”
“I didn’t know about the glass bones,” I said, reaching across the table to rub his arm. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, well . . .” He squirmed a bit in his seat. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, unfortunately.”
“What would you like to share, then?” I withdrew my hand, maintaining what I imagined was a wicked grin. I loved knowing I could affect him in the same way he did me.
“I’d rather know about your writing. You actually have a dream.”
“In that case, I’ll have to share,” I said. “But first, eat your pizza.” I noticed he hadn’t touched his food.
He gave me a sheepish shrug. “I can’t eat in front of cute girls.”
Will
She finally coerced me into finishing most of my food when Daichi appeared from under the curtain.
“We’re here!”
“Where?” Kristen asked, looking from me to my friend.
“Come with me; I’ll show you.”
She hopped out of the truck and looked around. By this time it was dark. “Where are we?”
“Just come on,” I said as I hopped out of the truck. I placed my hand on the small of her back and led her down a path.
“Impressive that I have no idea what this surprise is,” she said.
“Only the best for my favorite roommate.”
The path twisted and turned, taking us deeper into an area that was increasingly surrounded by trees. The air was silent, only our footsteps were audible. We rounded a final corner and came upon an opening to what looked like a large forest. An arch towered over the path. Even in the darkness, I could see the bright colors of the flowers integrated into the dark leaves. The blooms looked to be a mixture of light pink and vivid red.
“What’s your favorite color?” I asked.
“I don’t actually have one. It varies.” She looked up at me and smiled.
“Fair enough; I like green.” My hand still on her back, I pulled her into my side as we passed under the arch. Her arm reached around my torso in return. Silence enveloped us once again. My thoughts raced despite the serene environment. My heart beat quicker than it had in many months. I cared about this girl, and tonight our relationship would evolve, one way or the other.
Once past the arch, we were completely in the forest and at the mercy of our eyes adjusting to the darkness. The trees overhead provided even more cover from the moonlight.
“Scared of the dark?” she asked.
“Only when you’re not here,” I answered. “I’d be fine running from monsters as long as you’re running with me. Alone, I’d be terrified.”
She giggled.
“I love when you giggle.”
“Will, you can’t say stuff like that. I’m already over my blushing quota for the day.”
I grew eight feet tall with that comment. I said nothing for a minute. I was mentally rolling in her compliment, wrapping it around myself like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. With my chest shrinking to its normal size, I spoke. “You know I once wrote a story about two elves in a forest? One much like this one, actually.”
I felt her face turn up toward mine in the darkness. “No way.”
“I think I have it on my computer, but I can tell you what I remember. Sound good?”
“Yes, yes,” she said. She was practically hopping underneath my arm. I could feel her excitement, and I was reveling in it. So much for not puffing out my chest in pride.
“So, there was this elf, and he was an adventurous little guy. He had a massive crush on this cute potions girl. She was about . . . how tall are you? She was that height. Anyway, after coming back from one adventure, he stopped by the shop. Luckily for Mr. Elf, the shop was out of a certain weed that was only found in the depths of a forest.” I gestured my free hand to the treetops.
“And then what happened?” she asked.
“They went to the forest and made it to the center, of course.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, yeah. They ‘did it’ if that’s what you’re asking. It was an erotica, after all,” I said.
“Is that what’s happening here?” she asked in a deadpan manner.
“Uh . . .” I swallowed. “Um, no?”
She laughed and leaned her head on me, while simultaneously pinching my side.
I jumped, and an involuntary yelp slipped out. “Watch it! My brittle bones, remember?” I said. “And, I was just going for a hug at the center of the forest.”
Kristen stopped walking and stood in front of me. “Will, we were just hugging.”
I walked forward and put my hands on her hips, staring directly into her eyes. “You’re a jerk, you know that?” I couldn’t draw my hands from her hips, so we ended up standing there. Looking at one another with shit-eating grins on our faces.
If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn my fingers had electrical pulses running through them. The longer we looked at each other, the more I felt my breath catch in my chest. It became tougher to breathe. My eyes were drawn to her hair, and I thought about how I’d love to run my hands through it, despite that sounding like such a mundane task to do with any other girl. I was forced to take a breath, and I felt the chilly night air fill my lungs. How long had I been holding my breath? It seemed like an eternity but knowing how Kristen stopped time, it was probably no more than a moment.
“Did you know that in that druid’s tale—the one that I wrote—the trees could tell how two individuals that entered the forest felt about each other?”
She cocked her head to the side, inquiring for more information.
“Yep, it’s true. Certain forests are good for seduction like that. This is probably one of them.” My smile widened. “If you’re quiet, you can hear the rustling leaves of the trees and the almost silent chirps of the crickets cheering us on.”
She rolled her eyes but remained quiet. We both listened for the noises of the forest. I surprised her with a quick poke to both sides before taking off at a light jog down the path.
“Hey!” she said, chasing after me.
I jogged forward, glancing over my shoulder occasionally. I stayed barely out of her reach.
“Will, running isn’t something that you’re supposed to do on a date!”
I turned and slowed to a backward walk, allowing her to catch up. “Says who?” I said as my heel snagged on a large root and fell backward. She tumbled to the ground on top of me. My breath caught in my throat once again, and I felt my heart skip several beats.
Was the forest actually rooting for me? She lay astride me, one leg on each side of my torso. Neither of us spoke. The forest was quiet, and we simply stared at each other. I pulled my gaze from the magnetism of her face and saw that my hands were on her thighs. Not wanting to disturb the moment, I didn’t dare move my hands. I felt her quads through her jeans, and it took all I could not to run my fingers over the fabric. I definitely didn’t want to give her a reason to move. It was only then that I realized there was a pressure on my chest, it was her hands. My heartbeat jumped yet another level. Surely she could feel that. My eyes found their way back up to her face. They always did. They widened when she looked me in the eyes, a small smirk playing a
cross her face. I licked my lips, suddenly conscious of her fixed look on them.
“Kristen . . .” Her hands ran over my chest. Goose bumps appeared where her hands had touched. This unplanned detour was certainly making it hard to get to my planned destination. “Let’s go deeper,” I finally managed to say.
“Aw,” she said, running a thumb over my lips before slowly standing. I brought my hand up and touched my lips where she had left her mark. I nearly regretted suggesting to continue. Hopefully, it would be worth it.
I stood and blinked a few times, hoping to clear my head from the near-dream state I had just been in. I grabbed her hand, and we continued silently down the path.
Kristen
My stomach dropped from the sudden fall but once I landed on Will, I couldn’t feel anything but a sensation spread through my body urging me to lean down and interrupt his lip bite. The sensation was nothing like I had ever felt before. It was as if a lightning bolt and a pillar of fire had merged and stabbed me in the heart and then proceeded to leak throughout my body. My limbs tingled; my whole body was warm. My legs straddled him, and my hands rested on his chest. I didn’t realize I had longed to touch his chest again after the brief push at the tattoo shop, but I felt a satisfaction that could mean nothing else.
My hands moved without thought, and all I could do was watch. His hands were on my thighs, and I mentally urged them to move; I wanted to feel him rub his thumb over my skin like he had during the massage. I could feel his heartbeat continue to speed up. He was enjoying it!
I didn’t want the moment to end. Will licked his lips and said my name. My cheeks flushed, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He wanted me.
“Let’s go deeper,” he said. Could there be even more planned? I hoped the darkness covered my attempt to shake the desire holding me down on his body. I closed my eyes and started to stand up, retreating from the web of electricity and fire that he had induced. As I returned to the chilly air of the real world, a disappointment swept over me only to be forgotten when he grabbed my hand to lead me along the path.
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