It felt like a live-action fairytale. The thrill of it in his old mustang was pure joy. At least in the beginning.
But the longer she sat in the thing that smelled of gasoline, it wasn't quite as cool as it was. Still, Junie liked that silly grin of his. Mr. Electric Cool with a cigarette hanging on the edge of his lip. Honestly, she didn't see the smoke. It didn't seem to be there, nor was there that nicotine kiss that stung her lips. It was happening, and she was falling in the beat of it.
The first night was exciting. Going down the back alleys, waiting for him to deliver something mysterious. It was to a few places, even at a Taco Bell. She didn't complain when he said they'd go out, but that meant bringing her a Big Slurpy and a fat hot dog drenched in ketchup, which later she thought was blood.
Things were hot then. She didn't feel the cold even in a short skirt and knee-high socks that weren't high enough for this kind of adventure. Even when she shivered, she told herself she could deal with it. Although she was in the car alone a lot. Sometimes, he had to shut the engine. She thought he might even be hiding it, because Connor had to go alone. After all, his nature was that of a loner.
He always said the right things to her, and it made her smile, but as the night shifted to the wee hours of the morning, it felt like he must have learned it from someone else because sometimes, he didn't feel like the Connor she first met.
They slept in the car that night out in the woods. Despite the heat they created between them, he was put out like a light while she looked up to see the full moon tangled in the limbs of winter branches. She lay still while he crested her with a heavy head on her belly.
The wind rattled her before she could slumber. Yes, she stayed awake, wondering who was out there.
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