Fragments

15 | The Date

"Good steak." I nod in approval.

"Thanks," she replies.

"So, how was your day?" I inquire.

"Busy." Scarlett shrugs. "Though productive. I spent most of the day running around town setting this up."

"This is amazing, Scarlett, thank you."

"Don't get too excited," she adds. "The best part is yet to come!"

My mind wanders to the possibilities of what's to come next. With Scarlett and this neighbourhood, that could be anything. I'm curious yet excited about the prospects.

Scarlett and I finish dinner and a bottle of red wine. Her cheeks are flushed a vibrant red which compliments her hair.

"Are you ready for desert? I've got chocolate mousse and cake in the fridge."

"If I eat anymore, I might explode." I laugh.

"Everyone has room for chocolate mousse," says Scarlett.

"Not my stomach." I shake my head. "What happens next?"

"Right." Scarlett jumps up.

She grabs my plate and stacks it on hers before collecting the cutlery and wine glasses. Scarlett scrambles into the kitchen and places the dishes into the sink. I expect her to start washing up, but she abandons her posts and trugs towards me.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." I smile.

Scarlett takes my hand and drags me towards the lobby. We ascend the stairs and walk into our spare room. The door is already unlocked but the room is pitch black. Scarlett and I stand in the room for a brief moment.

Her warm hand still clings to mine which makes my stomach knot. Is this the part where she finally kills me?

"Since we missed out on our pillow fort, I thought we could have it now." The light switches on and I'm blinded by the bright yellow glow. It takes a moment before my eyes adjust and I see the room for its entirety.

The single beds are pushed on either side of the room, leaving a considerably large gap between the beds. There's a numerous amount of sheets strung across the bed with blankets and cushions lining the floor.

"This is pretty fucking amazing." I gasp. "How long did it take to make?"

"A couple of hours." She shrugs.

"Can we go inside it?" I ask.

"Yes." Scarlett smiles.

Scarlett steps towards the mountain of blankets and drops to her knees. She crawls under the sheet and lays on one side of the blanket fort. I follow and take up the other side of the space.

I grab one of the cushions and place it behind my back to ease the hard wall behind me. Once I'm comfortable, Scarlett shuffles closer. Her pea green eyes meet mine before hesitantly resting her face against my chest. It doesn't look comfortable, but she sighs with content.

"Your night tops mine by a landslide," I say.

Scarlett pats my stomach, "Your night was pretty awesome too, even though there wasn't a blanket fort."

"What do we do in pillow forts?" I question.

"We could have a pillow fight, tell scary stories or play a game?"

"A game? What kind of game would you play in here?" Since the space is small and this is a shitty motel, I doubt there's a board game hiding under one of the various cushions.