Page 58 of My Darling Mayhem

My younger brother made engine noises while he made his car fly through the air. That fuzzy feeling was back in full force, twisting into something that warmed my chest. I hadn’t felt this way since middle school and had the world’s largest crush onthat brown-eyed girl who rode my bus. She never seemed to notice me, not even when I had given her a piece of gum, until one day. One glorious day, she sat next to me, and I thought I might die of happiness.

That’s how this felt, seeing Wren freshly bathed, her hair wet, in her living room, curling up on the couch next to me while the boys played.

Wren suddenly appeared beside me, leaning close so no one could hear her. “What time do you have to get Kane back?”

Shaking away the strange feeling, I let my lips graze her ear as I replied. “I get him for the night. He’ll have to go back tomorrow mid-morning.”

I saw the wheels turning in her head and had already considered it, so I gave her a slight nod.

“Kane, would you like to do a sleepover with Cruz tonight?”

His little head whipped up as Cruz let out a gasp. “Can he?”

“Can I?”

They both asked simultaneously. She nodded graciously.

“If it’s okay with Archer.”

I nodded, then laughed when Kane asked, “Can Archer stay, too?”

Wren’s face flushed pink. “No, he’ll have to go home soon, but you can stay.”

The boys returned to their game of cars until it was time for me to go get Kane’s sleep clothes from the house. When I returned, Wren had transformed the living room into a huge fort with stools, cushions, and blankets.

Once we both said goodnight to the boys and turned on their little string of lights that Wren had hung inside the blankets, Wren walked me to the door and stepped outside while she pulled the door shut.

“So, this was nice.” Her arms crossed over her chest.

I matched her stance, stepping down from her steps. “It was.”

The silence stretched while the stars winked above us, reminding me of what she said about what she wanted someday.To have someone obsessed with you so they say things that feel like midnight against your skin. Like all the stars exist just for you, and they were the one to put them there.

“You headed to bed after this?” Her hair was still wet, and it was cold outside.

“I was actually thinking about how when I put up the fence, I couldn’t help but notice that private, patio door you had that led to your bedroom.”

Her eyes widened as a smile spread across her lips.

“You happened to notice that, did you?”

I stepped on the lower porch step, which aligned our chests.

“Maybe you could invite me in, using that door, of course…and I could braid your hair for you.”

In the darkness, I couldn’t make out every line of her face or how her throat bobbed, but I heard it.

“You want to braid my hair?”

My hands went up to her wet locks. “Meet me at your patio door, and watch a movie with me while I braid your hair.”

I thought she’d fight me, but she pulled back and turned away, giving me one last smile while saying, “I assume you know the way to my door?”

It was like muscle memory, even in the dark, as I made my way along her house and opened her side gate, securing it behind me. Then, in the cover of darkness, I sauntered along the perimeter of her home until I was in her backyard, facing her closed patio door.

Seconds later, the lock was unlatched. Wren's eyes twinkled while she pulled the door open. “Hi.”

I decided to surprise her by placing my hands under her breasts, picking her up while I pushed inside.

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