Insane

•Chapter 5: Goodnight Kisses•

His hands grip the wheel and the cool air from the vents brush my hair back. He drives slow yet steady, allowing enough time to catch a glimpse of the scenery passing by. A jogger, a mother and her baby taking a stroll around the block, an elderly couple hand in hand. I can't help but smile after viewing such happy people walk by. There was silence but it was the kind that doesn't bother.

Henry reaches a red light and puts the car to a halt. Two kids cross with their bikes, waving to us as they proceed along their way. They finally reach the sidewalk on the other end and my eyes return to the one in which they come from. Standing there, a young woman. I squint at the sight of her appearance. Her clothes adopt an older, Victorian era. She wore on her a long sleeve maroon shirt which accompanied the navy blue skirt that was partially covered by an off-white apron. Her hair was held in a bun and her face had captivating features. Although only being able to see her side profile, she had a defined jaw with carved cheekbones. Her skin, fair as snow and hair engulfed in a jet black color. Her face mirrored that of a lady, but I have yet to know the secret behind her clothing.

The light changes and the car gets slowly closer to the woman. As each car passes by, I'm finally close enough to see her full complexion. I take my opportunity to see this oddity on the street. My eyes trail her fair skin, moving onto the tip of her beautifully carved nose... then the color scheme changed. Her fair skin remained no more, replaced by blackened skin which blotches of red. The black stain on her skin began on her mouth and ran through her cheek to her temple. Surrounding areas of skin held red, aching burns. I try and take in as much as I can. My face has turned into complete confusion. The three seconds passing her stretched into a minute as the image of her remained in my mind.

I blink hard and try to find myself in the dark confinement of my closed eyes. I look down at my lap and blink a few more times.

"Did-did you see her?!" I blurt out, my voice tight. My eyes begin to shift to the side view mirror trying to find her again. "Who," Henry's eyebrows furrow, When?"
"That lady!" I say turning around in my seat to look back at an object long gone.
"No love," his gruff voice glides with his British accent, "I'm sorry, I didn't"
"Gosh..." I breathe out. My chest lifts up and down multiple times before it returns to normal. "She was petrifying... she had third degree burn on only one side of her face!" I proceed, with my eyes widening.
"What?! Oh come on! There's no way..." He cracks a smile and checks his mirrors.
I suddenly realize how I must sound... a lady with burns on her face. I must sound delusional. This is my first date... I simply cannot mess this up.
I quickly breathe in and let out a chuckle.
"You're right, I have no idea how I saw that."
"No worries, happens to me all the time."
I turn to him, "Come again?"
"Yeah, like sometimes I see things that aren't there."
"I didn't expect that..."
"Well thats why we're going to dinner right," He quickly glances at me, "to get to know each other?"
"Oh yeah," I snicker, "of course."
~
He reaches the parking lot of the restaurant. Henry takes the keys out and exits the car. I look around, making sure I didn't leave anything outside of my purse. The car door startles me as Henry holds it open.
"Oh! Wow, thank you!" I let out a light laugh and reach for his extended hand to exit the warm car.
I keep up with his pace and we arrive to the door. He takes the handle and pulls it open. A burst of air hits me, causing me to shrug my shoulders and bend my knees. I giggle and turn to him, his face already had a kind smile and he places his hand on my lower back. This gesture alone sets my body temperature and melts the cold wind away. The heat rushes to my cheeks as once before and I quickly fan my face to rid myself of them.
He finally makes his way through the door and stands to the left of me. That one gesture has me shattered and struggling to regain my composure. We patiently wait for the couple in front of us to be seated. The host exchanges words with Henry and we are quickly assigned a table.
"Only the best for our Bremners!" The hostess gushed as she left the menus on the table.
"Bremner..." I repeated, over and over.