Kissing Is the Easy Part

Part 4 ◎ Chapter 40 The Whisper Dishes

Sean

To my surprise Flora's Mercedes showed up promptly outside my window at 10am on Saturday morning. She was never on time. I threw on a navy coat as I ran downstairs, rushing out to meet her. I didn't want Linda to intercept her.

"Hey," Flora greeted me with a wide smile. She was standing outside her car waiting, and as I walked out the door she ran up to hug me before I could even take a good look at her. I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly. For a while we just stood in the driveway silently holding on to each other, and it reminded me of walls toppling.

"I could barely sleep last night. I was so looking forward to this," she gushed, her cheeks a shade of light rosy red from the cold. "I've been sitting at the Pavement for the past 40 minutes drumming the table."

"What? You could call me, you know. That never stopped you before."

"I don't want to irritate you today because I'm so happy." Flora was a ray of sunshine this morning. She lowered her head slightly and permitted me a clear view of the beret she had on. I'd have recognized that peculiar shade of cobalt blue anywhere. "It looks good, doesn't it?"

I nodded. This was the first time I actually got to see her wear it, because right after I gave her that gift we broke up. I took in her long coffee-colored hair that fell over her shoulders, her leather coat with fur at the edge and the lace-up boots on her feet with olive stockings.

"You look really great," I said. For a moment I could only stare at her. It felt so unreal. She was standing in front of me and it was not to talk business.

"I take my role as fashion inspiration of Riverside High very seriously," she said and grinned. "And I blogged about it already. You look nice too. Good enough to go out with me without embarrassing me."

"Thanks." I was just wearing chinos with Converse and I was sure I couldn't possibly inspire anybody.

"Shall I go in to say hi to your parents and Linda?" Flora asked.

"Please don't." I nudged her lightly to push her back to her car, and she giggled. Every minute was too precious to waste on my family.

"Come on, hop in. I have a full day planned."

I lowered myself into the passenger seat beside her. "Where are we going?"

"You have no patience." She tsked. "Somewhere we have never been before, but I don't know why. It's such an obvious choice."

I had sat in her car a few times during the past weeks, but this time it felt different because we were on an official date. I felt jittery and thrilled. She was the same person wearing the same jasmine perfume but it felt more intimate, like she was more mine. Like I was allowed to fantasize about her again.

We hadn't said anything concrete about getting back together, but as soon as I saw her I knew that was the direction I was heading for. I didn't know if taking me out meant she was considering taking me back, but I'd accept anything I could get. I was willing to eat up anything she tossed under the table as if I was her pet dog.

Being with her was too good to pass on, and I even missed the way she drove and how my body shot forward at every red light.

"Tada," Flora sang.

I watched in amazement as she pulled into the parking lot of the Science Museum. "Wow. I have actually never been to one outside of field trips."

"Really?" Her eyes widened. "I thought this would be where people like you hang out."

It was obvious this was planned in my honor and I was grateful for the thought. When we got out the car she linked her arm through mine and dragged me toward the ticket booth. It felt great. She was soft and scentsy and so pretty, like a jasmine flower with cobalt blue petals.