I put the car in park and undo my seatbelt. Turning toward her I say, “I don’t like you working at Ray’s because I don’t think it’s safe. I worry about you. If you want me to say I’m jealous, I can, but that’s not why.”
Sheunbuckles her seat belt and twists her body so she’s facing me. Her pink blouse tightens against her chest, exposing her cleavage that’s peeking through a floral tank top. It's hard to keep my eyes focused on her face and she knows it.
“You mean when I’m dancing with other men or they flirt with me that doesn’t drive you crazy?" she asks with a smirk. "Just before spring break when the whole team came out to Ray’s you about lost your mind when me and the girls did our routine on top of the bar for them."
“You’re right, I did. It wasn’t because they were touching you or looking at you like they wanted you.” I run the back of my pointer finger down her bare arm. “It was because I couldn’t do the same. I couldn’t show you how much I wanted you. Me looking like I wanted to kill them was me trying to stay in control around you.”
“Did this happen every time you looked angry around me?”
“More than likely this was the reason, yes,” I admit. She nods, inhaling a deep breath while staring down at her hands. “Come on,” I say, hopping out of the car. I walk around to her side and open the door. “We need to hurry before it gets dark.”
I hand Sydney the food to carry while I grab my backpack and the blanket I brought from the backseat. With a hand on her back, I usher her down the path to the park entrance.
This park is a mix of walking trails, nature preserve, and botanical gardens. When I was trying to find something for us to do, I stumbled across thisStarlight in SpringFestival.
Going by the look of awe on Sydney’s face as a few fairies hand out maps of the park, I’m on the right track.
“Let’s head out to the lawn and eat first. Then we can look around and explore everything,” I say after taking a quick look at the map.
We walk down one of the pathways passing elves, a few more fairies, and other woodland creatures. Sydney squeals and grabs hold of my arm when we pass a row of small cottages. “I want to go in there,” she says, craning her neck to keep looking at it.
“We will, but first we need to eat.” I nod toward the open area in the middle of the gardens. She drops her hand from my arm but I snatch it back before she gets too far away.
She looks down at our hands laced together. I give her hand a gentle squeeze before focusing on finding us a place that is private but also where Sydney can enjoy the ambiance.
When I spot a row of willow trees, my heart pumps a little faster. I rub a hand over the tattoos on my chest. The trees are larger and more mature than the ones I have back home but they still manage to dredge up all the memories of us together.
“How did you find out about this? I’ve lived here my whole life and have never been here,” Syd says, slowly spinning around, absorbing her surroundings.
Unfolding the blanket, I lift it a few times letting it slowly drift to the ground until I position it the way I want it halfway under the willow treebranches.
I hold open the branches like a curtain allowing her to step inside. “It took some research but once I found it my gut told me this would be a good idea. Is it okay?” Maybe I’ve made the wrong choice.
“You’re kidding, right? This is incredible with everyone dressed up and the decorations. Every little detail is perfect. This is perfect,” she says, settling herself on the blanket.
“I’m basing my choices on the Sydney that I think I know. You said you’ve changed a lot over the last few years.”
“You know me better than I’m willing to admit.” She pulls out the styrofoam containers from the bag and checks to see which one is hers. “Or maybe more than I’m willing to accept.” She passes me my sandwich platter.
“You’ve always been a little stubborn. Among other things.” I eat a large chunk of my sandwich and chew while I enjoy the blush on Syd’s cheeks.
“What about you? How much have you changed since…before?”
“I don’t think I’ve changed much at all.”
She pops a kettle chip in her mouth and lets her eyes wander down my body. “I’d say you’ve changed a little bit.”
Her perusal makes my cheeks warm. It isn’t often she blatantly checks me out when she knows I'm looking. “I think I grew about four inches since high school,” I say, then bite into my sandwich.
Sydney’s eyes dart to my crotch where I have my container of food sitting on my lap. The piece of bread I’m chewing gets lodged in my throat. I cough a few times but it only makes itworse. She passes me an open water bottle and I take a long swallow.
Fuck. After the way she was just looking at me, all I can picture is her…no. I won’t even go there. Not tonight. As much as I want her, she needs to understand I want more from her than that.
“Fucking trouble,” I mumble to myself.
“Are you calling me trouble?” she asks, feigning innocence.
“Yes.”
