AllFreeNovel
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Like I told him, he’s a risk I’m willing to take.
I grab my phone from the dresser, finally almost ready. I text him:Hi, I’m ready when you are.
A return text pops up:Is it bad that I’ve been here for twenty minutes?
I can’t stop the giddiness from swelling inside and let the butterflies fly freely as I slip on a pair of white Converse sneakers. I know myself too well, and unlike Amanda, I’m not great in heels.
I text him:Not bad at all. I’ll be right out.
Looping my purse over my body, I realize it’s midnight. I don’t stay up this late unless I’m studying. I definitely don’t go out this late to start partying.Who am I?
I laugh as I hurry out of the apartment and through the house's entry. Leaning against his sleek car, he waves, his lopsided grin endearing.
My heart just about beats right out of my chest when I realize what he’s doing.
“Me?” I mouth.
“Yeah, you.”
Standing so assuredly in front of me with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and pushed-up sleeves of a gray Henley, he gives me a good look at his biceps. Every dip and peak of his muscles pushes against the fabric. He finally pushes off the car, starts up the path to greet me, and says, “That movie doesn’t age well.”
“The romance of it clouds my mind, and I saw it when I was seven, so I probably didn’t understand it, either.” We stop in front of each other, and he takes my hands in his, holding them between us. “He cheats on his longtime girlfriend.” I didn’t understand that at seven, either.
“It was justified. His girlfriend wasn’t his soul mate.”
My cheeks flame but with the broken streetlamp and the burnt-out bulb behind me, I’m pretty sure he can’t tell. I smile.I mean, how can I not when he’s speaking about destiny?Lifting on my toes, I close my eyes and kiss him under the stars.
When our lips part, and my heels hit the pavement again, I will my knees not to go weak from the presence of this man. I ask, “What’s the plan?”
“You kiss me like that again, and we’ll stay in for the night.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
He shrugs. “Good or bad, life is what we make it.”
We walk to the car, and I ask, “Did you watch the movie for me?”
Opening the door, he says, “Yes. I’m taking a crash course in the study of main characters.” After I get in the car, he shuts the door, but when he slides into the driver’s seat, he adds. “I want to perform my role to the fullest.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret.”
He leans over the console. I run the tips of my fingers over the day’s scruff shadowing his cheek, and whisper, “To me, you’re already an Academy Award winner for making me feel so special.”
“You are special. I’ve never met anyone like you, Lark.” He puts a finger on my lips. “And because I know you were about to ask, that’s a good thing.”
His lips replace the finger, and we kiss until the windshield starts to fog up.
I’ve never had the luxury of being someone special. Believe me, I’m not the girl to think poorly of myself. I was raised to know my worth, and I know I’m attractive, but I’ve also never been the girl who outshines all the others.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere as long as it’s with you.”
God, he makes it so tempting to stay home and invite him in, which is so unlike me. Amanda calls me sweet and innocent, but I can be wild and spontaneous. And tonight, Harbor is making me second-guess my inhibitions. The jaw that ticks when he’s in thought, the brown eyes that anchor trust in the centers like a haven, and that muscular build of his have me feeling the opposite of sweet or innocent.
And I haven’t even had a drink yet.
What about him has me ready to trade my V card for more experience?
