Page 63 of Killer Blonde

“I think I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I realized it was you in that blue cocktail dress.”

“You mean the moment right before I passed out when you shot my boyfriend in the head?” she asked with a hint of laughter in her tone.

“Well, yeah. But can we just forget about all that other stuff? Kind of kills the whole…”

“Romantic thing?”

“Yeah, that,” I replied.

She laughed softly and smiled wider.

“Though in my mind,” I started and let the pause hang for a beat, “you passed out because you saw my amazing face.”

“You know,” she replied with a nod as she pulled back a little, “you might just be right on that one. It is a very shocking face.”

“Wait, is that a good thing? It doesn’t sound like a good thing the way you just said it.”

And she was laughing again. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing that sound.

“Oh, Silas,” she sang and then rested her head back on my shoulder.

I wanted more kissing but I wasn’t about to press my luck. I was also a little worried that it wouldn’t be as special as the first one had been.

What if that had all been a fluke?

No, there was no way it was. There was something between us and I hoped I didn’t fuck it up.

The movie rolled on and then the credits played. We were still holding hands under the blanket. Something about that simple act made me feel like a teenager on his first date, nervous and excited.

“I think I’m going to bed now,” she told me as she got to her feet.

“I’ll, um, walk you up?” Clearly, that whole date thing was sticking in my head. Yeah, I could work with this. Walk her to her room, make sure to keep my feet on the right side of the threshold, kiss her good night, and then walk away. By away, I meant down the hall. But hey, it was the best I could do given the circumstances.

“Okay,” she said, drawing out the word like she wasn’t quite sure what to do with my statement.

I took her hand as we walked up the stairs.

At her door, I pulled her in for a long hug, loving the way she felt in my arms.

“I had a good night,” I whispered right before I brushed my lips against hers.

A quick kiss and I was sadly pulling away.

“Goodnight, Silas,” she said and then walked into her room. “This is weird, I have to brush my teeth, so I actually need to go that way.” She pointed down the hall in the direction of the bathroom. The movement was a little shy and I found it kind of cute.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking,” I told her and chuckled as I shook my head. Why was I being so ridiculous right now? Perhaps all these feelings were making me stupid.

I let her head to the bathroom and I went to my room.

My mind was in a strange place as I went to my dresser and pulled out a new phone.

My body felt both light and heavy as I lowered myself down to the edge of the bed.

After a long moment, I knew just who to call.

“Hello?” she answered with a voice full of confusion.

“Hey, Mom,” I said softly.