Kiss Me at Midnight

Part 6

I couldn't bring myself to tell William about Henry or the opportunity to work at his house. I really liked William a lot. He was so charming, sweet, confident, handsome... but he was also a little fragile. I was one of two living people that could see him, and the other person allegedly wanted nothing to do with him or his mother. If he felt like I broke his heart, who would he have left?

Friday evening was here before I knew it. I'd been texting Henry and William every day, and my feelings for both were growing exponentially. I'd really trapped myself in a corner, and I was growing more confused by the hour.

I stared at myself in the mirror, mildly pleased with myself for once. I was wearing a plum colored lace dress with cap sleeves, that hit me in all the right ways. I had curled my hair (which reminded me why I didn't normally do that- it took me thirty freaking minutes!), and even put on a touch of makeup.

"Are you going out with Henry?" my mother asked, standing in the doorway of my bedroom.

"Yeah." I sat down on my bed and looked at her.

"Be careful." She said, disappearing down the hall to her room. I didn't ask her what she meant.

***********************

Henry picked me up right on time. He looked so handsome- like a European prince on some Mediterranean holiday. He was wearing white linen pants and a soft blue button-up shirt. His hair was combed neatly, and he still had on his thick-framed glasses.

"Wow." He said, taking in the sight of me. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." I blushed. "You look really nice, too."

He held out a hand and escorted me to the car, where he opened the door for me. No one had ever held a door open for me before...

"Where are we going?" I asked, curious. "You never said what we were going to be doing." He shut my door and walked around the car.

"It's a surprise." He grinned, climbing into the driver's seat next to me. He opened the center console and pulled out a small black silk handkerchief. I tilted my head like a confused dog. "Cover your eyes." He ordered gently. "I want to see your reaction when we get there." I buckled myself in and did as he asked, even though my nerves were screaming at me to run far away. The car took off and I swallowed down my fear.

About fifteen minutes later, Henry finally came to a stop. Outside my open window, I could hear the quiet sounds of crickets and the harmony of the wind as it brushed through the trees. My blindfold moved as Henry untied it, and then I could see.

Holy. Shit. This is not happening.

We were parked in the driveway of Ravencrest Manor. Henry got out of the car and grabbed a picnic basket out of the back seat. In my panic, I hadn't moved. My door opened as Henry played the perfect gentleman, holding out his hand.

"I figured, what a better place to have a picnic with you than your favorite place?" he grinned. "My boss got permission from the owner, he said I can come over anytime I want." He helped me out of the car, and I quickly looked into all the windows I could- no sign of William.

"The owner?" I swallowed hard.

"Yeah, some guy. He's almost never here, apparently. I can't even imagine owning some place as beautiful as this and then never living in it." He stared off at the grounds. "C'mon, I picked out a great spot in the garden!"

Henry reached for my hand, but I pretended not to see it, and headed back toward the garden. My heart was thudding in my ears. I was the only one who could see William, but he would definitely be able to see Henry. Oh, GOD. What if he tries to kiss me and William sees? I'm pushing my luck here...