by Adam Kunz
To distract myself from my thoughts, I stare around at the heavy-duty medical curtain surrounding the bed. I begin to feel paranoid and claustrophobic by being walled in like this.
I hear the door open, followed by the squeak of hospital bed wheels rolling in. It sounds like the bed gets parked right next to mine on the other side of the curtain. I wait for the orderlies to leave. When the door closes, I take my index finger and push the heavy fabric to the side to catch a glimpse of the patient next to me.
The first thing I see is Parker’s face. His eyes are closed and he’s resting peacefully. I smile when he grumbles just before turning his head to face the other direction.
Tossing the blanket back, I move my legs over to dangle off the edge of the bed. Thankfully, I’m wearing thick socks when I touch down on the ground since I know this tile floor is freezing. When I feel balanced after standing up, I grab a fistful of the curtain and pull it out of my way.
I stumble over to Parker’s bed and stand there, staring down at him. Taking his hand, I cup my other one over it. He stirs a little, but still remains asleep.
“Thank you…for everything,” I say, and bend down to kiss his forehead. As I pull away, I see that his eyes are wide open and he’s grinning at me.
“You’re welcome,” he replies, reaching up to pull me in close for a kiss. When we separate, he adds, “I’d say thank you for everything too, but then I’d be thanking you for shooting me.”
I giggle and tap him on the arm. He flinches before yelping in pain. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I forgot you were stabbed there.”
“Damn…now you’re beating me up,” he comments with a chuckle.
“Just shut your handsome face and kiss me again already.”
He leans forward, bringing his lips mere inches from mine. “With pleasure.”
Confusion hits me when I notice he’s stopped kissing me and I’m left doing all the work. My eyes shoot open to see him looking right back at me.
“Something wrong?” I ask, hoping there isn’t.
A half-smile curls his lips as he drapes a stray lock of hair behind my ear and keeps his hand there. His lengthy gaze without a single uttered word begins to make me feel anxious.
“What?” I prompt with a soft smile.
“Something just occurred to me.” The pause he takes only succeeds in making me want to hear what he has to say even more. He sweeps his tongue across his lips with his eyes still fixed on mine. He reaches to grab my hand and interlocks our fingers before resting them over his heart. “I was your first…and if everything goes the way I hope it does, I’ll be your only. I can’t promise our future, Dani, but if you allow me, I’ll do everything in my power to love you like no one else will ever be able to.”
I draw up our laced hands and place a kiss on each one of his fingers before finding my way to his lips. The love I have for him stretches beyond any emotion I’ve ever felt for one single person. After we finally separate, breathing heavily from our enthusiastic display of affection, I’m met again by his trademark grin. His eyes almost seem like they’re asking, “Well, what do you say?”
With all of the hard questions I’ve been faced with recently, this one seems like the easiest one I’ve ever had to answer. “You most certainly have my permission, Mr. Reed,” I whisper, hovering close to his mouth.
“Consider it done,” he replies, cradling my face in his hands for one more kiss.
Five Months Later...
I look into the full-length mirror that hangs on the back of my bedroom door, studying my choice of swimsuit for our spring break trip to Florida. My attention switches to the glaring scar on my right thigh. It rests there as a constant reminder of the night my life changed forever.
“Dani, mail’s here,” I hear my dad call up to me.
Throwing a towel around myself, I rush from the room and down the stairs to meet him in the kitchen. He’s standing there with the biggest smile on his face. In his outstretched hand is a bright white envelope. Snatching it from him, I notice the Blackburn University insignia in the top left corner.
“I can’t read it,” I say, returning it to him.
He pushes it back into my hand. “You have to.”
I smile at him and release a huge sigh before tearing into the envelope. Sliding out the folded piece of paper, I let the envelope fall to the ground. I unfold it and begin to read aloud.
“Dear Danielle Marks, it is my pleasure to welcome you—” Before I can even finish, my father’s arms wrap around me, crunching up the letter between us.
“I knew you’d get in,” he whispers in my ear while squeezing me even harder than before.
“I can’t believe I got in!” I exclaim with the largest grin on my face.
He pulls back and smiles. “I had no doubts at all. Now, go finish packing. You’ve got a trip to make,” he says after letting me go and motioning to the second floor.
Bounding up the stairs two at a time, I hurry back to my room to get changed out of the swimsuit. The moment I hear the doorbell ring, I grab my bags and keys before moving to the stairs.
Parker stands at the front door wearing a black tank top and a pair of red board shorts. I guess I should’ve stayed in my bathing suit. My father shakes his hand, and Parker glances up at me as I wait at the top of the stairs. He grins and I feel a smile light up my face.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” my dad says as I make my way down the steps, bags in hand. When I pass by him, he gives me a peck on the cheek and moves back into the kitchen.
Parker steps in front of me as I set my bags on the floor. He reaches for my hand, then pulls me into his arms. I can literally feel the love he has for me when he holds me this close.
“I got in,” I say, pulling out the folded acceptance letter from my pocket.
“Was there any doubt?” he asks, bringing his face in closer when he speaks.
“No, not really,” I reply with a smile before he presses his lips to mine in the sweetest of embraces.
“You know, I never get tired of the rush I get from kissing you,” he whispers after we separate.
“Well, I didn’t tell you to stop.”
He laughs and proceeds to put his mouth on mine again, picking up right where we left off.
I hear my dad clear his throat in the vicinity. “Don’t you think you two should be getting on the road?” I turn and nod at him. He reaches his hand out to Parker. “Take care of my girl, okay?”
“Most definitely, sir,” he replies.
My dad gives me one last hug and kiss on the forehead before opening the front door. Parker grabs my bags as we leave the house.
“Oh, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited a few people along. They were really insistent,” I hear Parker chuckle, coming up by my side on the front porch.
I see Rory and Alex sitting there in my new Jeep.
“Come on, you love birds,” Rory calls out. “Hurry your asses up. We’ve got a spring to get breakin’.”
“Yeah, let’s get this bitch on a roll,” Alex yells from the back seat. She and Rory laugh. I smile, realizing this is exactly what I need.
I grab my bags from Parker and toss them at the two goofballs in the back seat.
“Damn, girl! We’re only going for, like, a week. How much stuff do you need?” Rory teases, throwing the bag that landed in his lap behind him.
I laugh off his comment and jump into the driver’s seat. When I turn on the engine, Parker climbs in over the passenger side door. He always has to take the road less traveled, but that’s just another thing on a long list of things I love about him.
Buzz…Buzz…
Everyone in the car tenses as they turn to look at me. The sound of my phone’s vibration is intensified by the cup holder it’s sitting in. I grab it and turn on the screen before reading the message:
Have fun and be safe, okay? Love you!
I smile at Dad’s text, which puts everyone else at ease before they settle back into their seats. Pulling out of the
driveway, I see my dad on the front porch waving to us, and we all wave back. I throw the car in drive and take off down the road. Parker takes my hand, lacing his fingers with mine, and brings them to rest on his thigh. I look over for a brief moment to catch that beautiful grin on his face.
The wind sweeps through my hair and a sense of calm washes over me. I bask in the sun’s rays as they shine down on us, feeling warm as they caress my skin. Then a happy thought crosses my mind. This definitely seems like the start of something new, and I have a feeling my darkest days are now behind me.
The End
About the Author
Adam Kunz is the A part of the mother and son author duo C.A. Kunz. Growing up, he always had a fondness for R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. So, it was a no brainer when he decided to write his own novel that it’d be a thrilling mystery with a dash of horror. When he’s not busy writing, Adam enjoys his job at a theme park in Orlando, Florida as a décor consultant. This job brings him face to face with all sorts of nightmarish creatures, especially when he decorates the haunted houses for the park's annual Halloween event. It’s been said by many that his addiction to Starbucks coffee will most likely be his downfall later in life. If you would like to find out more about this author or One Tiny Secret, please visit the links below:
Author Website- http://www.cakunz.blogspot.com
Facebook Author Page- http://www.facebook.com/authoradamkunz
