Dawn FM • h.s.

• eighteen •

   I was technically four drinks in if I counted the small glasses of champagne.  Really, though, I was only two in with the vodka-cranberry one and those were the ones that could be dangerous if I drank too many.  Harry and I made our rounds to say goodbye, David asking for his contact information.  Harry was quick to give him his work number, explaining that he had his own office and everything.  David seemed pleased, the two shaking hands before we said goodbye to Donna, Debbie, and their husbands. 

"Say bye to the kids for us," I said to them.

"Of course," Donna nodded.

"Not a problem," Debbie agreed.

We waved goodbye, Harry and I heading out of the house.  I felt his fingers slip between mine, Harry holding onto me.  It was cool out for a summer evening, but I blamed it on the air inside being so warm.  Harry must have noticed that I was chilly, the man stopping and letting go of my hand completely.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"What do you mean?" he questioned then, unbuttoning his jacket before he pulled it off.  "I can tell you're cold."

"You don't have to give me your jacket.  What if you're cold now?"

"Oh yeah, because I'm wearing barely anything up top and freezing.  That makes sense," he nodded, placing the jacket over my shoulders. 

"If you're making fun of me—"

"Never, doll," he assured, my face flushing when he cupped my cheeks with one of his hands easily.  "I'm just saying you have a reason to be cold."

"Okay."

"Promise, yeah?" he tried, pulling his hand away from my face and holding his pinky out to me.

He was a full four years older than me and wanted to pinky promise me.  It was silly, but I found myself playing into it, wrapping my pinky around his.  I watched as he kissed his thumb to stamp it, my eyes focusing elsewhere besides his face as I kissed my thumb as well.  Pulling my hand away from his, Harry and I began to walk together toward his car again.

"Do you want to stay at mine?" he asked.

"I won't have anything to wear," I told him.

"I'm almost certain I could give up a shirt," Harry assured.  "Maybe even two if you're nice."

The words were funny, but I knew it wasn't exactly what I would have wanted to do.  "I don't want to sleep on the sofa when I have work tomorrow."

"I would never let that happen, doll," he told me softly.  "I would sleep on the sofa a million times before you have to."

He was always so quick with his answers.  It wasn't that I hated the idea of sleeping over at his house, I just didn't want him to get the wrong idea.  The touching this evening had been far more than I would have liked, to be honest, but I knew we were hanging out with a lot of people that I knew and not nearly enough that he did.  Not to mention he had seemed nervous the entire time even if he played it off well.  But, if it were any other time, I probably would not have allowed him to do that with me.