A Second Glance

18

Raven entered his room, feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed a picture faced down on his dresser. Picking it up, his chest tensed, but a smile graced his face. She was so adorable.

He pressed the picture against his chest and closed his eyes. In the meantime, Lorelei was in the kitchen preparing dinner, while Papa Colt was reading the newspaper.

"You sure you don't need any help, darling?" The old man asked politely, wanting to be helpful, but at the same time, too tired to even get up.

"I can manage, Paps," Lorelei continued to work around the stove and countertop, while she thought about the poem.

She loves my hair... what does that mean?

Her chest began to heave, as she gripped the handle of the knife tightly, "Lory!" Hallie came sprinting into the kitchen with a red lollipop stuck between her lips.

"Don't eat too much all at once," Papa Colt chuckled. He'd bought enough candy for a week, but it didn't seem as though it wouldn't last that long.

"I know," she smiled widely, and stretched her arms into the air. The sugar rush had her leaping all over the place, and she couldn't say that she'd been happier before that day.

"No more after that. Save some room for dinner," Lorelei placed the knife down and wiped her forehead with the back of her palm.

"Dinner smells good," Raven entered the kitchen already changed into his pajamas. He was having a lazy day, especially since he had a few glasses too much of whiskey earlier.

"I'll just be a few more minutes."

* * *
After dinner, everyone resided in their rooms. Lorelei sat on her bed, staring at the darkness in front of her. She'd read the poem almost a hundred times already, and each time she did, the more confused she got.

"Can't sleep?" She heard a soft voice by the door, and almost mistook it as Savannah's. But it was Raven. Even in the darkness of the night, with no lamp on, she could tell that it was him.

"Having trouble," she rubbed the back of her neck with the palm of her hand and yawned.

"Me too," he mumbled, as he walked in, moving towards the window. He pulled the curtain to the side, and looked for the dim street light. Lorelei bit down on her bottom lip nervously. Clasping her hands, she sucked in a breath, as she closed her eyes, "Savannah's going to come with us tomorrow, if that's okay with you."

"Of course," Lorelei responded without a second thought. Strangely enough, she really wanted to see Savannah again, and as soon as possible. What's this feeling inside of my chest?

"You're doing okay?" His voice was sincere, just the way she liked it.

"Yeah, I am," she spoke softly. She knew that wasn't the last that she'd see of her father, but at least for the time being, she didn't need to think about it—she didn't want to think about him. It made her skin crawl, and the muscles in her body stiffen.

"Good," Lorelei couldn't see the smile on Raven's face, or the sparkle in his eyes. And he didn't want her to. As he made his way towards the door, her eyes moving along with his footsteps, he thought about how fond he'd become of her. It wasn't the fondness that he had for Savannah—that type of bond. It was something more—something deeper. As much as he liked to lie to himself, he did have feelings for Lorelei—more than he'd ever want to admit to.

"Goodnight, Raven," her voice sent a rush of warmth up his tummy. He placed his hand over his stomach and sighed, wanting to turn back and catch a glance of those beautiful eyes. But instead, he inhaled a breath, and continued his walk out of her room.