Page 55 of Fall I Want
I lean in. “Your boyfriend.”
A minute later, the door swings open and out walks Autumn wearing tight jeans and an orange sweater that shows a peek of her tummy. Her dark wavy hair is down and her brown eyes pull me in.
“Wow, you’re...gorgeous,” I say, watching her tongue dart out and lick her red lips.
She leans against the door frame. “Thanks. Are you sure I’m dressed okay? You look like you’re going on a date.”
“Wait, this isn’t a date?” I’m wearing a dress shirt and suit pants, nothing out of the ordinary.
“Uh, I—”
“I’mjoking.” I find it cute that I make her nervous. “Shall we go?”
I hold out my hand and she takes it without hesitation. Once we’re on the sidewalk, we fall in line with the crowd that is funneling in toward the middle of the town. If I close my eyes, it’s almost easy to pretend I’m in New York with the chatter drifting on the breeze.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, glancing over at me.
“My life,” I say.
Just as she’s about to say something, a man walks up. He mutters something to her and she stills beside me.
“Actually, no, I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate that very much,” Autumn says, moving closer to me.
Leaning forward, I meet his gaze. It’s like he didn’t see me. “Yeah, and I don’t share.”
“Sorry, man. Didn’t mean any disrespect,” he says, sizing me up after his beady eyes slide over her. I move her to my opposite side, putting myself between them.
“None taken,” I tell him coldly and wrap my arm around Autumn, protecting her.
“Thank you,” she whispers as we walk away.
I lean in and speak loud enough for her to hear. “I don’t want anyone ever looking at you like that again.”
“I don’t either.” She holds my waist, hooking her finger in my belt loop. She’s warm against me and her hair smells like sweet red apples. Autumn might be the end of me.
A part of me wonders if I should stop this before we get in too deep, but while we’re still strangers, I don’t know if I can walk awayfrom her now. There are too many invisible links keeping me cuffed to her.
Autumn guides me over to a vacant bench as we wait for the festivities to begin. She sits first and I join her, resting my arm on the back of the seat. She scoots in close, and to anyone watching, they’d assume we were together.
I’m allowing her to call the shots, to make the moves. She’s in control.
“When you kissed me earlier, why did you say it wasn’t supposed to feel like that?”
Has she been thinking about it as much as I have?
The mayor walks onto the stage and grabs the microphone before clearing her throat. “Welcome, people and friends of Cozy Hollow! Are you ready for one of the best pumpkin patches in the world?”
The crowd goes wild.
“At the stroke of midnight, it will officially be autumn!” the mayor continues.
“Tell me,” Autumn whispers, returning her attention to me. “Please.”
I turn my focus on her and everything around us disappears. “Only if you tell me why you looked at me that way last night.”
She cocks her head. “Ah, it’s like that?”
“A secret for a secret.”
