Page 25 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

“It’s hideous…” I gawked. “It totally clashes with my outfit.”

“Just turn around already,” he said, shaking his head. I sighed and did as I was told, letting him lasso the necklace over my head.

His hand grazed the back of my neck. He pulled my hair through the loop, fixing it for me. I wasn’t sure what possessed me, but his standing so close to my body—touching me—made my mouth dry and tacky. An ugly, nervous laugh snorted out of my nose. I tried to play it off.

“It literally says ‘don’t scare me,’ and it’s twinkling,” I read the front of the necklace, feeling somewhat humiliated. “I look so obnoxious.”

“Well, obnoxious looks good on you,” he said calmly.

I turned to face him, trying to hide my smile.

My heart fluttered warmly.

I tried to remember what Romeo told me about my manners and being rude. It felt like a splinter in my chest, a stinging criticism I couldn’t accept.

“Thank you… High Jynx,” I said cordially, reminding myself to be polite. I wiped my hands down my pants, drying them off. Geez, I was so clammy.

“You’re very welcome, Ivy Jade,” he said softly. He remembered my name.

I smiled.

We both did.

Then for a while we stared–longingly. Could we stop now? No. We kept smiling, and even though I felt weird, I didn’t know what to do, except to keep going. I was officially awkward.

I couldn’t help but be hypnotized by his deep blue eyes. Admittedly, his makeup was pretty good, his skill level at least… and he wore almost the exact same outfit from last night, except this time he had on some black pants full of pockets along the sides, and a very tight black shirt. His suspenders were… charming. That’s all I had to say. Very dapper and complimentary.

My mouth became dry again.

I shook my head. Focus: you’re here for the rings.

“I actually lost something here last night. I’m hoping there’s a lost and found around here. Maybe someone found it, or maybe it’s back in the ditch.”

“It? What’d you lose?” he asked, arms crossed.

“Something super important. It’s a little box with… two rings inside it.”

He twisted his lips to the side. “That does sound important. Where were you last night, besides lying in the ditch?”

“I don't know? I had my eyes shut the entire time. And aside from humiliating myself in front of you, I was all over the park." I waited for a minute, thinking. "I was at the fun house of mirrors–which was not fun by the way–then I did stop into a few gift shops. Maybe they found it there?”

“Okay, good, good. Let’s retrace your steps and look for it,” he said, glancing around the park. From his vantage point, I wondered what the park looked like. Maybe he’d be able to see the box from wherever he stood. "How much time do you have?"

I checked my phone. Between driving over here and driving back, it was about an hour. How long would I really be able to stay without drawing any attention to my absence?

“I have about thirty minutes. Maybe forty-five. Tops,” I said.

“That’s not very long,” he groaned.

“That's all I have, okay?” I said, feeling anxious. “Maybe we can just go to the lost and found first?” I asked.

“Nothing in there,” he said quickly—no hesitation.

“How’d you know?” I asked.

“I like to steal valuables,” he said seriously, catching me off guard. Too seriously.

I looked offended. “You’re a criminal?” I whispered. It was jarring to hear.