FIRE | H.S.

Chapter 7

It's been three weeks since I made the deal with Harry. Leilani has been ecstatic about me picking her up from school every day. I always arrive early to pick her up and when the bell finally rings, I see her looking for me through the group of mothers gathered under the canopies. When her eyes find me, her face breaks into a bright, big smile.

I would be lying if I said I didn't feel as happy as she does when I pick her up. She's brought light into my life. I know it may sound weird as hell since I've only been taking care of her for a short amount of time, but it's true. Spending time with her has brought out a sense of motherhood in me I didn't think I'd be able to experience. Having the past that I have has made me realize that I'll never be able to experience the joy of being a mom, but taking care of Leilani allows me to get as close to that as possible.

I feel proud when she shows me her report card or the gold stars on her forehead and worksheets, and I feel protective over her as well. It's crazy. The other day as we were walking to my Jeep, a little boy stuck his tongue out at her. It bothered me so much, that I wanted to smack that kid upside the head and tell him to stop being a little shit. I could tell it made Leilani upset and I didn't want to see her like that, so I took her to the ice-cream shop and let her get a cone with two scoops of ice-cream.

Harry calls her about an hour after I pick her up and tells her to behave, do her homework, and that he loves her with all his heart. I swear every time I hear him tell her how much he loves her my heart melts and I want to tell him it's the cutest fucking thing I've heard in my life.

As soon as we get home, Leilani starts working on her homework, while I make the food. I always bring her a light snack when I pick her up in case she's hungry, that way she won't be too hungry while I prepare whatever meal I think of. After we eat, she helps me bake something, the other day we made macarons. Pink and purple because she wanted them to look like Rapunzel's dress.

Lately, Harry has been picking her up at either 10 or 10:30. Sometimes by this time, Leilani has fallen asleep. She tries to stay awake because she wants to give her daddy a big hug when he comes, but most of the time sleep takes over her. I've heard many people say they love watching their children sleep. I always thought that was weird and didn't understand why they would enjoy doing that. However, after witnessing Leilani falling asleep, I understood. Seeing the peaceful expression on her face, brought me a sense of calm. Her even breathing and occasional soft snoring made me forget about whatever problem I'd been thinking of that day. I guess her peaceful sleeping brought me peace of mind.

I told Evan that I would be busy most weekdays and that I would let him know when we could see each other. He understood. He texts me every day and calls at least once a day. Today he asked if he could stop by after Harry picked up Leilani. He said it would be a quick stop, he wouldn't stay long since he had a game in the morning.

Once Harry picks up Leilani, I gather the few dishes with crumbs of snacks we left on the coffee table and bring them to the kitchen to wash them.

Evan arrives about ten minutes later and rings the doorbell. I look through the peephole just to make sure it's him.

I straighten up my blouse and quickly run my fingers through my hair. With a deep breath, I open the door and smile, moving to the side so he can come in. "Hey!" I greet.

"Hey," he smiles and gives me a hug.

I close the door and turn to him. "Um... have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, no," he shakes his head. "I'm actually not staying for long. I wanted to stop by because... y'know, we've been going out for a while now and well I just..." he takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his hair. His face turns bright red and he breaks eye contact a few times. "Oof, my palms are a bit sweaty," he chuckles nervously, wiping his hands on his jeans. "I probably shouldn't be this nervous, but I am."

"What is it?" I ask.

He clears his throat, meeting my gaze. "I wanted to ask you... Ava, would you be my girlfriend?"

I feel like my heart skips a beat. I haven't had a boyfriend in like three years, if not longer. It just hasn't worked out with the previous guys. I'd started to think I just don't know how to pick the right person to date. The relationships never end well, but I think that's just my fault. With my past... what else could I expect?

However, I had told myself I would like to try again at this whole love and relationships thing, and Evan has treated me with such respect and always makes sure I'm happy. I just have a good feeling about him.

"You really want me to be your girlfriend?" I ask. Maybe he hit his head on his way over here.

"I really want you to be my girlfriend," he smiles. "If that's something you want as well, of course."

I nod, smiling brightly. "I want to be your girlfriend."

His smile widens and he wraps his arms around me, taking me by surprise. He holds me tightly and I feel his breath on my neck. I hesitantly wrap my arms around his neck. "Now I get to call you mine," he whispers and a shiver runs down my spine. Though I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

It can't be a bad thing. Right?

"Well, it pains me to say this but I have to go now. I couldn't wait any longer to ask you and I wasn't going to do it through a text or phone call. I wanted it to be in person, even if I had to leave quickly."

"I'm glad you stopped by to ask me," I say, letting go of him.

His hands slide down to my hips, keeping me close to his body. His eyes look deeply into mine. For the first time, I pay attention to the color of his eyes. They're green, but not a bright green, like the forest. More like cacti.

His eyes flicker to my lips and linger there. He starts leaning in and I stop breathing.

Our lips touch.

My heart is racing.

Another shiver runs down my spine.

His fingers squeeze my hips gently and he deepens the kiss a little bit before pulling away.

"Um... well, I really have to go now, unfortunately," he chuckles, his cheeks turning pink. "I'll call you tomorrow?" he scratches the back of his head.

"Do that," I smile.

I walk him the short distance to the door and open it. He stays by the doorway and turns to look at me. "I'll see you later, bae," he says.

"Ugh, bae? Really?" I laugh.

"I tried to sound cool," he chuckles.

"Failed attempt."

"Whatever, you know I'm cool as hell," he smirks. "Anyway, I'll see you later, babe." He pecks my lips then walks towards his car.

I chuckle and close the door, locking it and turning the knob five times to make sure it's secure.

As I make my way up to my bedroom, different thoughts flood my mind.

For one, I guess I have a boyfriend now. Which scares me. My luck with relationships is the worst.

   No, don't think that way. This will be different. He is different. I can feel it.

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