Evangeline Lawrence has a secret. A big secret. One involving her birthday, the player, August Griffin, who's (almost) like a brother to her, and a kiss the night before he ran away. No one else knows about it, aside from August, of course, and Evan...
We hop off the subway and walk up a flight of stairs into the night. The air here smells of cigarette smoke, night air, and food. The food smells are tangy, spicy, and warm at the same time and they make this place seem magical. The light from lamp posts reflects onto the cracked pavement and building with fire escapes loom above, their windows filled with light.
I breath in everything. This old building, that tree, until I feel whole. I know this place. I am this place. This is were I fit in. I discover my self as I walk down the blocks, holding hands with August.
We pass little shops advertising fresh fruits and vegetables and I can see myself buying food and chatting with the store owners. We pass barber shops and little restaurants all closed and locked up for the night. I want to go inside all of them. I want to stay here. I want to be able to tell people that this is where I'm from.
I cuddle closer to August as we walk. We are silent until we get up to W 159th. August gently turns me down the street and we start walking.
As we do he says, "So, what do you think?"
He tries to keep his voice steady and even but I can tell how much this means to him.
"I love it." I respond.
"You do?" His voice sounds more relaxed now.
"Of course I do. Whats not to love? This place is so perfect, I feel like I was made to be here." My voice goes quiet at the last part. I didn't mean to say that, it just slipped out.
August stops walking and turns me to look at him. I stare at the ground, embarrassed. I feel his hand reach out and touch my chin, causing me to look up.
"Ann," he says, "I... I'm so fuçking glad you like this place. I don't know what I would do if you didn't."
The look in his eyes is so intense that I'm getting nervous. Why is he looking at me like that? Are we that far along yet? Am I looking at him like that, too?
He leans in, his eyes boring into mine. My eyelids flutter closed as he presses his lip to my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, and the corner of my mouth. Finally, when I am just about to scream at him to just kiss me already, he fits his mouth to mine gently. I sigh as waves of fire pass through my body from my head to my toes until everything is burning. My head becomes empty of all thoughts except his name. August.
We kiss for a few minutes on the darkened, empty streets underneath the lamp posts. By the time we pull away for air, we're both gasping for breath. There is a buzz in my head and I feel dizzy, but a good dizzy. I feel like I just won the most important race of my life. I feel like I won Jackpot. I feel like screaming out in happiness and then diving back in for more because I simply can't get enough of him. My August Griffin.
August kisses my hair as he tries to catch his breath.
"I think," he says. "that we should keep walking before someone calls the cops."
"You really don't trust your neighbors, do you." I giggle.
He makes a face. "Well... I'll have you know that we are in a city and city people-"
"You are a city person!" I laugh.
He grumbles incoherently and captures my hand in his larger one. We walk the rest of the way down to his place making fun of each other, laughing, holding hand, and smiling.
When we get there, August walks up the front steps to the door and turns to face me.
"So, it is pretty small. Very small, actually. I only have one bed and its going to be yours for the night." he says.
My heart-rate picks up and I blush but say, "Where are you going to sleep?"
"The ground." He answers. "There's a rug." He opens the door and leads me up a flight of dimly-lit stairs. He stops at the second landing and opens the door on the right.
"Welcome home." he says into my ear.
He then flicks on a light reveling a small living room with a microscopic kitchen in one corner and a short hallway leading to what is probably a small bedroom and bathroom. I look around the crowed space.
Bookshelves cover one of the walls in the living room and two chairs sit, angled together, facing the windows that look out onto a darkened street. A lamp sits between them and a table with photographs sits in front of the chairs. Posters and pictures cover another wall. This wall has a small radiator attached to it. There is also a fan plugged in near the kitchen. The kitchen is small with two hot plates and a few cupboards. I turn back to him with a huge smile on my face.
"I love it."
He smirks. "I knew you would."
"No you didn't!"
He lifts an eyebrow.
"Ok, so you did know, but still!"
He just shakes his head.
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