Page 77 of Sunflower Persona
Air rushes through the open windows as I drive toward Kori’s dorm. The sun is out, birds are singing, and I’m…giddy?
The fluttery emotion feels foreign in my chest. But things have been good. No—more than good. My car is fixed, I’ve got my woman, and business has picked up at Cutter’s, so bills won’t be a concern again until December.
Minimum payments are still on-time payments.
The relief is like a thousand-pound barbell has been removed from each of my shoulders.
All week, we’ve texted back and forth, but I haven’t had a chance to see her since I drove her home from my apartment. Between her schoolwork and my jobs, it was impossible to find a few hours where we both could slip away. That changes now—I owe my girl a date.
As I pull into the lot outside her dorm, I fire off a text and climb out of my car to meet her. I only make it a couple dozen feet in her direction before a bright-yellow blur flings herself at me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and I instinctively catch her. Those sweet glossy lips of hers find mine with unexpectedzeal, and I’m powerless to do anything more than bend to her will and kiss her back.
“Hi,” she says, breaking the kiss far too soon.
“Hi,” I breathe back, and the bands of my arms tighten around her. I’m not letting her go anytime soon.
“I missed you,” she sighs as she melts into my hold.
The ache those words bring to my chest is hard to ignore.
“I missed you too. I don’t have to go into Cutter’s until ten, so I’m yours for the next few hours.”
I don’t put her down as I walk back to the car. Several students stare at us with disapproval on their faces, but as soon as they meet my hardened glare, their eyes fall away. They can look at me however they want to, but they don’t get to judge my woman like that.
“What did you have in mind?” she asks.
“I wanted to show you one of my favorite places. If that’s okay with you?”
“That sounds perfect.”
My lips find hers again for a quick kiss before I put her feet on the ground. By the time I drop into the driver’s seat, she’s buckled in and practically vibrating with her uncontained excitement. It’s infectious; her joy coaxes a smile to my lips. I’ve never smiled as frequently as I do around her.
I turn up the radio and switch through the stations until I find something that matches the mood. The upbeat pop anthem is new to me, but based on the way she starts to nod along to the beat, I know it’s the right choice. I prefer to ride without music, but I noticed how antsy she got in the silence, so I’ll learn to love the noise.
“I don’t have Bluetooth, but feel free to change to whatever station you want,” I tell her as I pull out of the parking lot.
This time her leg doesn’t shake, but my hand falls to her thigh anyway. I’m not going to waste any opportunity to touch her.She lets out a content sigh and wraps her hand around mine. The small gesture has my chest tightening as my heart twists itself into knots.
Comfort this quickly has to mean something, right? Sure, there are still awkward moments, but in the few weeks I’ve known her, she’s slotted herself into my life so seamlessly it’s like she’s always belonged. I don’t know what to make of it, but I’m not about to squander it either. A man like me doesn’t deserve something as perfect as her. Until the day she realizes that, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure she knows how grateful I am that she’s mine.
A wave of unease washes through me as we approach our destination. The palms of my hands grow damp, so I move them both to the peeling steering wheel. Flakes of loose vinyl cling to my sweaty skin.
Oblivious to my growing nerves, Kori continues to sing along to the music under her breath. Ishouldn’tbe this nervous, but it’s only the second date I’ve been able to take my girl on, and I want her to love it here as much as I do.
This is my favorite place, and she is quickly becoming my favorite person, which makes it far too easy to build up some romanticized fantasy in my head. I don’t want to ruin today because I had some preconceived ideas that were never a possibility.
It’s so stupid—I don’t do fantasies.
I didn’t do girlfriends either, yet here I am completely enamored.
Fisting a handful of loose change from my cup holder, I jump out of the car to get Yellow’s door for her, and I’m gifted a brilliant smile as I open it and offer her my hand.
“Ever the gentleman,” she says with a chuckle and allows me to help her out.
The hairs on my neck tingle as her eyes bore into me while I grab the bag I stowed away in the back seat. Good, let her be curious. She will learn about my surprise for her soon enough.
“Ready?” I ask and entwine my hand with her tiny one.
“Yup. I can’t wait for you to show me all your favorite plants.”
