Page 35 of Perfect Chaos

“Does it have to be a date for me to spend the day doing fun things with you?”

“Well, no. I guess not.”

“Relax, Chaos. Don’t overthink it. I just wanted to have a fun day with you.”

“I’m just not used to dates.” He voice comes out tight, like the idea of a date makes her nervous.

“I know. Hopefully I can change that. With everything going on, I didn’t know if you were up for it.”

“It’s nice. Thank you.” The words come out almost as a stutter a mix of excitement and nervousness. Her nerves don’t last long though. Her next sentence full of her sass that i love so much. “So where are we going next? Let me guess, it's a surprise.”

“You would guess right.” I chuckle.

She rolls her eyes before sticking her tongue out at me as she climbs back into the car. Always a brat, any chance she can get but I will remember her antics for later. The next place I take her is only twenty minutes away from the taco truck.

She is pestering me the entire drive to the lake. Poking at my ribs or booping me on the nose, trying to get answers from me about where we are going. I am glad she is distracted from whatever has been bothering her lately, even though a part of me wishes she would finally open up to me. Her poking and prodding stops the moment I pull over next to the lake.

“I didn’t bring swim clothes?”

“No one said anything about swimming.”

“Then why are we at a lake?”

I laugh at her antics. “Come on and you will see.”

She huffs out a sigh but climbs out of the car with me. I take her hand in mine, leading her to a hidden path to the left. Her facial expression when we round the corner to the daisy garden is everything I hoped it would be. The excitement takes over her entire body. It starts with a sparkle in her eyes, travels to the ear-to-ear grin, all the way down to the tips of her toes, and she bounces up and down. My chest feels lighter seeing her like this. She releases my hand, skipping towards the opening to the garden. The best part is that this is home to a ton of butterflies, which she happens to be obsessed with. I can’t help but be in awe of her. I could spend the rest of my life trying to make her this happy. Time flies quickly as I sit and watch her run through the garden chasing butterflies and picking flowers. I glance at the time on my phone. It’s already 6:37 pm. If I want to make it to the woods on time, we need to head that way now. “Ready to head to the last spot?”

“Do we have to go?” She whines.

I rise to my feet holding my hand out for her to take.“Unfortunately, we do, or we are going to be late to the last stop.”

She intertwines her fingers with mine and we walk back to where we parked. “Still not going to tell me before we get there?”

“Nope, but I promise it’s something you will enjoy.”

“Oh, really? I like the sound of that.” The smirk taking over her face is devilish.

My anxiety sets in as we climb back into the car. This is the first time I have ever been anxious for this. This could change everything. It’s killing me not to have control over the situation. I have no idea if Gavin will show or not. Whatever he decides determines what happens moving forward. Even if I don’t agree with his choice, I will respect it. My fingers drum against the steering wheel as I drive towards Clarke Street. My stomach is in my throat; I’m just hoping Maizyn doesn’t notice. The entire drive is silent; Maizyn seems lost in thought, looking out the window most of the way there. She seems to snap out of it as soon as I pull over and turn off the car.

Her head swivels in both directions, taking in the surroundings. “What are we doing here?”

“What reason do I have to bring you to the woods, Chaos? We are going to play your favorite game of hide and seek.” Glancing at the time again, I see that it’s already 7:15. Fuck. I don’t think Gavin is coming. I climb out of the car and she follows after me. “You remember how the game works, right?”

“Same rules as usual? Five-minute head start, you get to do whatever you want to me if you find me.”

“Exactly.”

“No mask this time?” Her brows scrunch together in question.

“Oh, Darling Chaos. Never doubt that I came prepared. I will always chase you in a mask. I just think it will add more excitement to it if you don’t see me put the mask on this time.” I lean against the car with my arms crossed, watching as she squirms. “You ready?”

She licks across her bottom lip before nodding her head.

My fingers wrap around her throat pulling her to me and devouring her in a kiss. I pull back just far enough to growl against her lips. “Then, run.”

It takes a moment for my command to process in her head before she turns around and sprints through the tree line. I wait out the five minutes before grabbing my mask from the car, slipping it over my head. I wait another three minutes just to see if Gavin will show, but I can’t wait forever for him. Letting out a sigh, I finally make my way into the tree line. Instead of following the same path she took, I bank to the right. My goal is to circle her and have her come right to me.

Gavin