Lux: Information you’re willing to share?
Me: Meet me on your doorstep.
Lux: I thought I wasn’t supposed to open the door for strangers anymore.
I shake my head at her comment appreciating the feistiness of her personality. I put my phone in my back pocket and slide my balaclava over my face. Strutting up to her front door, I bend to leave the weapon on herWelcomemat.
Me: It’s on your doorstep.
I quietly step behind the large bushes that give me a clear view and watch as she cautiously opens her front door. My eyes immediately dart to her pajama shorts riding high and showing off her toned legs.
“River?” Lux whispers into the night as she glances down to find the gift I left for her. I’ve heard my name said by different people throughout my life, but hearing it fall from her lips is a sound I never knew I needed.
I probably shouldn’t follow through with the thought that crosses my mind, but I do anyway. Because when it comes to Lux, I’m pushing my typical boundaries.
With a deep inhale, I step out of the shadows and say, “It’s a lip gloss Taser. Be careful.”
When her eyes meet mine. A surprised look sweeps across her face, so I pause my steps and maintain distance for a moment. But then, a quick rise and fall of her chest shows me she’s relieved, although the stiffness in her posture means she’s still cautious.
“Alip glossTaser?” she repeats with her brows furrowed, crouching down to pick it up.
I take a few steps in her direction, but she doesn’t back away or startle at my proximity. The unexpected display of trust has me wanting to test how close I’m able to get, but I decide not to push her.
“Aim the cap at your target, then pop it off, and it will shoot in the direction you’re pointing it.”
Lux curiously twists the clear cylinder in her hands. “Thank you?”
“Keep it with you,” I instruct, then point at the bottom. “Make sure the safety is on, in case it gets triggered by an accident.”
“Can I use it on you?” she asks playfully.
A chuckle rumbles through me. “Not if you value your life.”
A subtle smirk pulls at the corner of her lips, sending my mind into a tailspin. Being in her presence brings a lightness to my chest which is a foreign yet pleasant feeling.
She’s silent for a moment, the chirping of crickets filling the night air. “So…” she starts, sliding the lip gloss into a pocket, “masked and dressed in all black, you lurk in the shadows, and not to mention own gadgets like this?”
“Yeah?” I ask, not sure where she’s going with this.
“Are you some sort of Batman?”
I can’t help but let out a small laugh. “Batman? Didn’t I already tell you my name?”
“You could be lying.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” I reply, closing more of the distance between us. Even if I shouldn’t.
She doesn’t withdraw. We’re both silent for a beat as her eyes bore into mine, trying to read me. It’s the only part of my face she can see, and for a fleeting moment I get the desire to take it off, but it dissipates just as fast. I know better than to trust.
“You remind me of a raven,” I blurt. A thought I’ve been thinking for some time.
“The bird?”
“They’re inquisitive and read other birds well,” I say.
She smiles and plays it off, but since I’ve seen the Poe quote on her desk, I know she’s aware of exactly what I’m referring to.
“I’m familiar. And thank you for the compliment.”
