Love is a Death Trap (First in the Series)

~ 10 ~

Dear Mom,

Thank god for Danielle. I told her what happened and she was ecstatic. She told me she would take care of everything; that is, calling Lilac, making sure William would meet me at the pier tonight, and approving my outfit. I wasn't completely sold on it, but she said it was perfect. It's not often I try to look desirable.

Red lipstick. Thick black eyeliner and dark brown eyeshadow. Low cut, strapless, tight red dress. Strappy black heels. It made me feel uncomfortable.

There was one thing that really bothered me. I was afraid that I'd chicken out at the last minute and that I'd end up panicking. I took a deep breath and peered out of my door to see the hallway. No one was there. I silently slipped downstairs, and breathed a sigh of relief when no one was down there.

"I know it when someone's trying to look sexy." I jumped at Bim's voice coming from the couch.

"God, you scared me," I scorned her. She giggled. Then she eyed me with a sly smile.

"Did you finally admit that you are incapable of being inhuman?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. I scowled. Then I sighed.

"Yeah..." I said reluctantly. She grinned and squealed while jumping up and down at the same time. Then she started clapping. I couldn't help but laugh. Once she'd calmed down, she asked.

"Who's the lucky guy?" she questioned me. I frowned.

"His name is William," I muttered. She sighed dreamily. Then she seemed to get serious all of the sudden.

"Well? Why are you standing here? Go!" she exclaimed, literally pushing me towards the door. I laughed.

"Alright! Stop! Let me grab my keys!" I exclaimed. She stopped and I rushed over to grab my car keys. "See you later!" I called and shut the door behind me. I took a steading breath and got in the car.

*****

I parked the car in the gravelly parking lot. I was really starting to get tired of the dress. I got out of the car and locked it, walking towards the pier. I hoped that Danielle didn't tell him who was meeting him here. I was about thirty feet away when I spotted him. His dirty-blonde hair was ruffled and messy. He was wearing a plaid collared shirt and loose jeans. My breath caught a little. He never dressed like this. I swallowed the rising panic and continued to approach him. It felt weird and backwards. Usually, he's the one approaching me.

I was only about ten feet from him when he spotted me. His eyes seemed to bulge out of his head and his mouth parted. A blush flushed my cheeks, and I smiled shyly. The wind blew my hair into my face and I nervously brushed it back. When I got to him, I gave us a good three feet of space.

"I uh... hi Anne-Marcie," he said, blinking a couple of times. I smiled nervously.

"Hello William," I said quietly. We both went silent and simply watched the other.

"I... I need to tell you something," I said, looking off to the side at the water. "I know I told you that I couldn't love anyone... but that wasn't exactly true. I always knew that I was capable of love... I was just afraid of it. Well, I've recently decided that I'm tired of being a coward. I'm... going to try love again." The words were so much harder to say than I thought they would be.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, uncomprehending. I smiled shyly again.

"Because... I think I should start with you," I whispered. "You seem like a pretty good person to ease me back into love again." I looked back at him. He was just about grinning his head off.

"Does that mean I'm allowed to kiss you?" he asked quietly. I nodded.

"Let's try gentle," I whispered back. He closed the distance between us. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lowered his head onto my shoulder. I felt my breathing speed up a bit, but he placed a hand on the back of my head and whispered in my ear.

"Tell me if you need me to stop," he whispered, his breath tickling my neck. I nodded a little. He raised his head again so that he was looking me in the eye. He smiled mischievously and kissed me. His lips were just barely brushing against mine, but it still got me shivering. I didn't tell him to stop though. Beneath all of the fear and nerves, there was a part of me that enjoyed it. I took a shaky breath through my nose and kissed him back. He made a little noise that was something between longing and happiness and encouragement. I smiled against his lips and wrapped my arms around his neck. If I focused on the enjoyment I was finding, I could ignore the fear that was screaming inside of my head. I pressed my body against his, and he kissed me with more confidence. After a few seconds, I parted my lips from his, and leaned back so I could look at him.

"Thank you," I whispered, resting my forehead against his. He smiled.

"Anytime."

Love has returned,

Anne-Marcie May