“Holy shit, that’s the neighbors.”
I panted. “So not your mom?”
She shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”
She looked at me and the two of us threw our heads back in laughter. She closed the front door, then locked it to make sure we had enough time to piece ourselves together. Just in case the next time was her mother. I held my arms out for her and she fell into them, her body trembling from the adrenaline rush.
“I just knew it was them.”
I chuckled. “Me too, sweetness. Me, too.”
“So, want to actually watch that movie now?”
I kissed the top of her head. “Whatever you want to do.”
We settled onto the couch and flipped through her television channels. There weren’t many. At least, not as many as my father had on his package. And
while it seemed like a simple thing, it illuminated a stark contrast between our worlds. Eventually, we settled on some sci-fi thriller. Rae clung to me as aliens did some things on screen I was only half-paying attention to. Because my mind kept ripping me back to the accident. Back to that embankment, to the moment my head slipped under water.
And the tug against my jacket as Rae pulled me out.
“Shit!”
“Fucking hell, warn a girl next time.”
“Oh, come on. You’re smarter than that. Be smarter than that.”
“She’s got heels on. She’s not smarter than that.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with heels?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But the dumb girls in movies like these always wear heels. It’s the stereotype.”
“Odd.”
“Right? You should change that in your writings. You know, make a new trend for women in pop culture, or something like that.”
“Wow. I completely forgot I’d told you about my writing.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t take offense this time.”
She smiled up at me, and I felt my heart warm. It always felt warm with her. Whenever I was in her presence. I rubbed my hand up and down her arm, dancing my eyes between hers. She really was a beauty. A little button nose with wild hair framing her face. Deep pools of amber brown that gladly dragged me along their current. That was a river I’d happily drown myself in. The river of freckles that smattered themselves across her nose and her cheeks. The river of creaminess that dripped against her skin, accenting the dark features she possessed.
Rae snickered. “What are you staring at?”
The girl I love. “The most beautiful girl in the world.”
The front door ripping open pulled us from our universe, and Rae immediately hopped back. I shot myself over to the other end of the couch, trying to look as natural as possible. With my legs spread and my hands settled against my thighs, I hooked my eyes to the television. I heard Rae panting softly, and the second her mother’s eyes darted between the two of us, I knew we were caught.
“Oh. I’m, uh… you must be Clint.”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She walked toward me. “Pleasure to meet you. How are you feeling?”
I shook her hand. “I’m feeling much better, thank you.”
“I didn’t know you were coming over, I’m sorry.”