hello delilah

XXXI

Locking the front door behind me, I stepped out onto the porch and exhaled, fumbling with the small tulip I held behind my back as I crossed the street. Rapping my knuckles on the hard wood, my fingers clenched around the stem of the flower as the door swung open, "You look beautiful." I blurted, immediately regretting opening my mouth in the first place. However, it definitely wasn't a lie, Delilah looked stunning with her curly chestnut locks cascading down her back, the jeans she wore hugged her figure perfectly.

She stumbled while tugging on her coat, cheeks tinted a light pink, "Thank you." Smiling softly, Del tugged the front door shut as I thrusted the purple tulip into her hands. She looked surprised as she accepted the flower, running her fingers over the petals, "You're such a dork."

I grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as we began walking alongside the road, "I was thinking about bringing chocolates next time, but if you don't-"

Delilah gasped, "No, no..I mean, if you really want to-" she stuttered, shoving one hand into the pocket of her coat. I chuckled, nudging pebbles along the sidewalk.

"I'm just teasing you." I smiled, twirling a stray strand of her hair around my finger before letting my arm fall. "I'd better buy extra chocolate." I said, biting my bottom lip as a cool breeze pushed past us, whipping Delilah's hair into her eyes.

Impulsively, I reached over to tuck the stray strands behind her ear, slightly lingering as my fingertips grazed her cheek. I quickly apologized, withdrawing my hand as I cleared my throat, "I've hardly seen you with your hair up."

Delilah simply shrugged, "I'll put it up next time." She smiled, glancing down at her shoes as we continued walking.

"Next time?" I questioned, lips turned upward,"Are you implying that there will be a next time? As in, another date?" I asked eagerly, searching her blushing face for an answer.

She laughed lightly, "If this one goes terribly, then probably not." Del derided, nudging me with her shoulder playfully.

I rolled my eyes, stiffening as I felt our hands accidentally brush together, "How reassuring, Del." I laughed half-heartedly, "I like you too much to blow this." I pressed my lips together, grinding my teeth in order to refrain from opening my mouth again.

For a few moments, Del remained completely silent beside me before slipping her small hand in mine, our fingers intertwining. "That's good," she sighed, "because I like you too, Aaron." In that moment, my breath was caught in my throat as I flicked my eyes in the direction of our hands, taking my lip in between my teeth to hide my grin.

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This book is just about wrapped up by the way, and I'll be publishing a full length story soon. I'm pretty excited!