Page 29 of The Amazing Date

I nod. A movie reel of the day flashes through my mind. I whisper, “This isn’t such a bad way to end it either.” I close my notebook and lay it on the end table next to my drawing pencil. I could stay up all night drawing, but I know we should be resting. That image of her is locked in my memory forever. I know I’ll get back to it soon enough. “Good night, Rylee.”

I flick the light off, the tiny room darkening, but the thread-challenged curtains not thick enough to block the streetlights. Rylee’s shadow continues to face me, a light glow of her eyes still open, staring at me. She may believe she’s in total darkness, but I can make out most of her features.

“Good night, Roberto,” she whispers and then puckers her lips in the shadow and blows me a kiss. Her lips mouth words that I can still make out: I’ve missed you.

I force myself not to react, hoping she remains secure in her belief that the darkness hides her action. I twist and pull up the covers, turning to face the wall, concerned the light may give away my reaction regardless of my efforts. I bore a hole into a dirty spot on the wall. Just when I thought I would be up all night with the image of us on the dance floor playing on repeat in my head, Rylee’s words echo across my puny brain. Three words steeped in history, filled with danger. I force my eyes shut, but the words ricochet through me, my heart joining the journey.

I’m flying ten thousand feet in the air, free-falling. It’s exhilarating, it’s electric, it’s dangerous. The moment compares to only one other in life, Rylee the common denominator.

Last time, I let her push me out of the safety of the plan, happy to fly untethered and enjoy our time together. It led to happy days and then my future torn into tatters.

She is an irresistible temptation lying two feet away. We are drunk on the euphoria of surviving an incredible day. Floating on the joy of dancing as if no one is watching. Lost in the game two people who are attracted to one another shouldn’t be playing. Her blown kiss to me and the unspoken words in a shared hotel room are a clear invitation.

My breathing remains heavy as I focus on the wall in front of me.

We’ve played this game before. Her coming into my world for a few days, turning it upside down, moments of joy and pleasure not nearly enough for the true price of admission. We’ve been here before, and I know how it ends.

I force my eyes shut, knowing sleep will not be coming. We are repeating a pattern that only ends poorly for me.

I can’t allow this to happen.

Not again.

* * *

Rylee pops up even before the first alarm goes off. I pull the covers over my head and attempt to ignore her movements. She slips into the bathroom, and I take a deep exhale. I’ve barely slept. It’s a little over four hours since I turned off the light, yet it took me another hour before I fell asleep.

I close my eyes and swear it must be two seconds before I feel a pull on my ankle. “Hey, sleepyhead. We have to get moving.”

“Five more minutes,” I grumble without moving.

The tug causes me to whip the covers back. Rylee is at the end of the bed. She’s wearing the tight running shorts, which cling to her body as if they are painted on. I’m sure they are illegal in at least three states and the District of Columbia. She’s yet to put on her T-shirt, so I’m blessed with the sight of the Rylee skin show. An irresistible treat that will make any man drool. Shit.

She turns, and my eyes lock in on her cute bottom. I grab two pillows, one to cover my morning wood and the other to slam against my eyes. “Four more minutes,” I plead.

She tugs my ankle once again. “We have to get down to the bank for our start time.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s 6:33.”

Most people would just say six thirty or six thirtyish, but she reminds me she is not most people. I pull the cover back over my head. “My god. Our start time is seven thirteen. We are like five minutes away. Wake me in fifteen minutes.”

This time she grabs both my ankles and pulls me half off my bed. “You need to get ready. There’s a ton of tasks on the list for this morning. And we should get to the start early to see how big a lead the other teams have on us.”

I climb back onto the bed like an elementary school kid after sleeping late all summer and having to prepare for the first day of school. “It is what it is. Knowing won’t change that. I say we preserve our energy, get there right at our start time, and figure out the rest along the way.”

She changes tactics. I hear the pull of the curtain and the flicker of the end table lamps, and the room brightens. “Wow, that is the opposite of what I said.” The weight of a small object being placed on the bed next to my covered head doesn’t cause me to move.

The ear-piercing blast of heavy metal music right next to my ear does—I jump, falling off the bed to the floor. The bedside alarm clock radio crashes to the floor, the radio station changing and the room filling with static.

“Really?” I hop to my feet as she bends to turn off the radio and return it to the stand.

“I see you’re up.”

Before I can respond, she strides toward the dresser and begins stuffing her toiletries into her backpack.

The race doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes, yet Rylee is already shifting into race mode. It’s going to be a long day. “You do know I’m a grown man who knows how to get to places on time. Why don’t you just worry about yourself, and I’ll meet you at the start? We don’t have to rise at the same time, go through the same routine in order to get to the same place. There are many paths to a goal.” I huff and make my way to the bathroom.

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