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"You've had a pretty long evening. Let's get you home."
He regaled me with stories of more of his expeditions as we headed in the direction of our homes. We crossed Farestone Park on the way, its pretty little fountain now illuminated by strings of fairy lights.
Small Carolina wrens sang cheerfully, perched on the branches of magnolia trees. On occasion, a raucous blue jay interrupted their chorus with a fewjay jaysof their own.
"You've been all over the world, Reed. Why ... why did you choose to come back here?"
I couldn't tell what caused the switch to turn off at that specific moment, but for a bit there, it felt like Reed turned to stone.
It was a response I'd only seen with people who'd lived through too much hurt and somehow found a way to bury it all.
Something shifted in the aquamarine glow of his eyes, and they transitioned from gentle to fearsome to lonely to withdrawn.
I didn't know what to do to normalize the situation, so I reached out and touched his hand. He almost jumped from the seat as if he'd been jolted back to life.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, hastily withdrawing my palm. "I didn't mean to—"
"No, don't apologize," he replied, shaking his head. "This happens to me all the time. I just kinda space out. I can't tell you how many points I've lost with the ladies because of this."
And just like that, he was back. All sunshine and sweet tea.
"If it helps, you totally didn't lose any points from me." I turned my head to the window as I said this. I didn't want him to see me turn into a homegrown tomato.
Was I really doing this? Was I sitting in an Uber and flirting shamelessly with a man I'djustmet?
Where was Juniper Davis, the newest hybrid cactus in the world, and what had I done with her?
All I knew was that Reed made me feel some kind of way.
He wasn't the only one, though.
In that place of his—with his two other friends—I kinda felt like I could literally be sandwiched between all of them and it'd be amazing.
Wasn't that supposed to make me guilty? Instead, it was liberating.
It reminded me of the time Mrs. Wilson from third grade had told us to always take the high road, and I'd responded the next day by whacking a little boy who kept pulling my skirt up.
So what if I couldn't fall for men the conventional way? And who made those rules? Who came along and told us women we needed to streamlineeverything, including love?
Reed patted my shoulder gently, and this time, it was my turn to almost jump. "We're here."
I got down from the ride, and he followed after me. The Uber driver flashed a knowing smile at us before putzing off in his cab.
"So—back there in the car—did you mean that?"
I'd become painfully aware of how close he was to me. And that I was standing in the heart of a very nosy neighborhood in a very small town.
There were a thousand people out on the porches, each of them waiting for me to do just what I was about to do.
"Which part?" I asked huskily.
"You tease." He chuckled, his tone deeper. A lazy wind played with my hair as he pulled me closer. I could feel his stubble graze against the skin of my cheek.
A fraction of a second later, he closed the tiny space between us with his lips.
Our bodies pressed together in a wave of heat.
We breathed heavily as my lips parted, allowing his seeking tongue to slip inside.
