Page 75 of Blindly Yours

“To be honest,” I take a deep breath, “I don’t know.”

Her face starts to fall, but I continue. “But I do know that the thought of saying goodbye to you after last weekend seemed impossible. There’s something here.” I motion to the space between us. “I know you feel it too. And I think we owe it to ourselves to figure out what that is.” I pause. “Iwant to, at least.”

The shyest smile plays across her lips as she watches me. “So, we’re just blindly giving this a try, then? Even though it might implode?”

I shrug. “I’m here for the implosion if you are.”

She laughs and turns to walk again. “Wow, that might be the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

I fall back into step alongside her. “I do pride myself in being quite the romantic.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” she chortles.

“Oh, just you wait.” I nudge her shoulder. “I’ll make sure you get the chance to witness my skills in romance before we implode.”

“I can’t wait to observe. Maybe provide some valuable feedback.”

“Feedback is my main objective. I expect to receive letter grades on my performance,” I instruct.

“Done.” She looks up at me with a grin. “I’ll make a spreadsheet and everything. I’m quite proficient in Excel.”

“Well, Excel proficiency is my favorite quality in a woman, so we’re off to a good start.”

The gravel path turns to sidewalk and we round a corner to the front of her building. The doorman is standing just outside waiting for returning residents, but just before he turns to us, I take Rose’s hand and pull her back around the corner and out of his view.

When she looks up at me, she’s grinning. She knows what I’m doing, and that’s all the confirmation I need. I lift my other hand to her cheek and lean down to touch my lips to hers.

I still can’t believe how soft she is. I want to run my fingers across every inch of her buttery-smooth skin. She grasps my hand tighter and rises to her toes to kiss me deeper, and I grin against her mouth as I link my fingers with hers. This kiss is different from our first. It’s less urgent but more deliberate. I didn’t catch her by surprise this time. She’s here for this one just as much as I am.

When I pull away, she looks at me with half-glazed eyes and sinks back off her toes. Her cheeks are rosy from the cold as she licks her lips and grins. “I’d give that a B+.”

Incredulously, I gape at her, yet I can’t help but laugh. “Well, then I guess I have some work to do.”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and smirks. “You received perfect marks on the first one, so you’re averaging well.”

“Why do I feel like I’m suddenly back in high school?” I say. “Are there any extra credit opportunities?”

“Oh, plenty.” She winks.

I squeeze her hand, pull her into my side, and point us back toward the front of the building.

She leans into my arm as we walk toward the doors. “Thanks for tonight.”

I stop us just out of earshot from the doorman and look down at her. “Thank you for giving this a chance.”

She nods with a small smile.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” I ask.

She nods again. “Ok.”

“Night, Rose.” I lean in and kiss her cheek just before she turns with a blush toward the door.

FIFTEEN

Rose

The moment the elevator doors slide open and I step into the lobby of AWP, Junie shoots up from her desk and rushes toward me.

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