Page 38 of Play the Field

“I doubt it’d be big enough…” I started before I felt her warm hand on my wrist.

“Cleo.” When I turned to look behind me, Cat smirked. “No more practice until you write something.”

Before I could refuse her proposal, a bright white flash stunned me. Dozens more followed behind it, the entire sidewalk lit up by the camera flashes. My face scrunched with confusion. “What the fuck?”

“Shit.” Cat groaned as she put a protective arm over me and hustled me toward the car. In one, unified motion, she threw open the door as I slid inside. As she slammed it behind me, I took a deep breath. The noise of the cameras quieted through the windshield.

But I could hear a muffled paparazzi yelling questions. “Cat, are you coming back next season? Who’s the lucky lady? Give us a smile!”

Without answering, Cat slipped into the driver’s seat and tried to catch her breath. “Let’s get out of here.”

As soon as I nodded, Cat whipped the car out of the parking spot and headed down the block. Once we were sure the paparazzi weren’t following us, Cat pulled off to the side and searched for a nearby spot.

“Sorry about that.” She looked up from her phone. “I didn’t want our night to end like that.”

Our eyes met, the glow of the phone screen lighting each of our faces. I shrugged. “Then let’s not let it end like that.”

Cat’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Her gaze fell to my lips before coming back to my eyes. When I nodded, Cat crossed over the center console and placed her strong hand on my neck, pulling me in. She pressed her lips against mine, gently at first. But with each passing second, a fire grew in both of us.

I let my tongue slip into her mouth, tasting the bitter beer with each kiss. My hand found her leg, resting on it as we pressed into each other. After a moment, a honk from beside us pulled us apart.

“Shit.” Cat waved an apology to the car and pulled out of the spot. “Pizza?”

24

CAT

I tookCleo to my favorite pizza place, standing outside while we ate and talked about the reading.

And now as we pulled off the highway and drove through New Winford, we were still discussing.

“I just think it’s amazing how she can make something so gruesome seem so beautiful.” Cleo stared out the window as they waxed poetic about the reading. It brought a smile to my face, to hear how much they enjoyed it.

As we pulled onto Main Street, Cleo groaned. “Oh, park in the back. The cops are dicks about parking violations.”

Nodding, I turned into the tiny lot and parked next to their Corolla. I put the car in park and turned off the engine. “Let me walk you in.”

This time, Cleo beat me to opening their door and stepped out of the car. They jostled the sun dress in the chilly wind, a light shiver running over them.

As we walked around to the front of the building, I sighed. “I just like listening to people read. I feel like I could just sit there and listen all night, ya know?”

With each step, our bodies swayed closer together. Maybe it was just exhaustion, or maybe it was the magnetic pull I felt to them, but I couldn’t seem to walk straight. And from the looks of it, neither could they.

“I do.” Cleo bit their lip as we rounded the corner to the front of their building.

The bookstore’s lights were out, but upstairs a single lamp lit up the windows.

Pointing upstairs, Cleo giggled. “This is me.”

“Very funny.” I nudged their arm.

A silence passed over us as we looked into each other’s eyes. My mind flashed back to the kiss in my car, the way their lips felt so warm and familiar. I could’ve stayed in that moment for the rest of my life.

Cleo sighed. “Thank you. Really. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a date like that.”

“A date?” I tried –unsuccessfully – to stop the blush from rising to my cheeks.

Taking in some of the October air, Cleo shrugged. “I don’t know what else you’d call it.”

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