The front door buzzes just as I'm hanging up the new blouse I bought yesterday. I figured that since I'm starting at GE Solutions tomorrow, I should have a selection of office attire that isn't over three years old or has various minuscule stains.
I sluggishly press the intercom. "Hello?"
"Hello Lilah, it's Hunter." What? Why is he here? I look down at my not-so-Sunday-best outfit. Sweatpants, a raggedy old white t-shirt, and mismatched socks. "Lilah?" Shit.
"Hi, um... what're you doing here?" My voice squeaks.
Who does this? Who comes over without a call? Or a text? Or even an email for God's sake. This isn't the dark ages! Technology exists for a reason: so women can get ready before people come over! No contact for three days and he just shows up?! The nerve. My finger holding the intercom button down starts shaking.
"I'd like to take you to the park for a couple of hours." The park? What am I? A dog? How did he know I would even be home? Oh no... do I give off a hermit vibe? Hi, I'm No-Life-Lilah, pleased to meet you!
"I'm not really dressed for company right now." Perhaps if he called me first...
Hunter's laugh crackles through the speaker. "I could wait out here if you need a few minutes."
A few minutes? I need a few hours! Oh, but he came all the way here to see me. I don't want to send him away. Argh!
Taking a deep breath, I put on my most alluring voice. "I shall be down in ten minutes."
"I'll be here."
Fudge! I sprint to my bedroom and look around, mentally flipping through my wardrobe catalog. I have a better idea of what I own after going through literally every single article of clothing the night we went to the bar. Ok, light-blue skinny jeans, white sweater... leather jacket. Done.
Dashing to my vanity, I pick up the bottle of dry shampoo, spray it all over my hair and brush it out. I grab my BB cream, mascara, and lipstick. After a quick three-minute application I look in the mirror. Oh, boy. I quickly wipe off the streaks of mascara that I accidentally got on my eyelid due to my adrenaline-fueled shaky hand.
It's been eight minutes. Faster Lilah, faster!
Stepping into my white slip-on Vans, I grab my purse and lock the door behind me. I'm out of breath by the time I walk down the stairs. They should really make this an Olympic sport, the ten-minute-dash. I'd definitely get a gold medal.
Hunter is pacing along the sidewalk as I greet him. He's wearing a peacoat and a cream-colored turtleneck, which until this moment I never found attractive on men. Oof.
"You look incredible, Lilah." Hunter's eyes light up as he gives me a once-over. I feel a stupid grin forming on my face. Don't be so obvious! "Let's go." Hunter grabs my hand and a current of electricity runs through my body. Breathe, he's just a guy. He is just a guy. A guy who is now holding my hand.
"So... how did you know I was going to be home?" I ask as he guides me down the street.
"I have my sources," Hunter answers, a semblance of a smile appears on his face. I'm going to kill Kimmy. "How was your weekend, Lilah?"
Oh, you know, I found out you were once engaged, that you beat up Jason, and apparently your family is royalty in the healthcare industry.
"It was fine. I did a little shopping yesterday," I respond trying to avoid sounding too squeaky. "How was yours?"
Hunter tightens his grip around my hand as we turn a busy corner, pulling me closer to him. "I had to fly to Georgia for a meeting on Thursday. I just got back this morning."
"Did you not have cell service in Georgia?" I blurt out. Dread immediately washes over me. Why did I just say that?
"No, I did," Hunter answers tentatively, his eyes flickering with mild astonishment. Maybe this is good, I'll show him I can be bold. Strong!
"Hmm..." I divert my gaze to the entrance of the park. "Interesting."
Hunter doesn't say anything but I feel his eyes watching me. Ok, maybe I just made this awkward. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I'm never reading Cosmo advice on flirting ever again. Subscription canceled! But, he hasn't let go of my hand yet, so maybe I didn't completely offend him.
"I meant to call you, Lilah. But I got wrapped up in board meetings," Hunter finally says as we cross the street into Central Park. "I'm hoping this will make up for it."
We stop in front of a horse-drawn carriage. My eyes widen with glee. Horses!
The carriage is whimsical and white, with dark green velvet interiors. The coachman is wearing a matching velvet overcoat and a silky black top hat. The majestic honey brown horses neigh as we approach.
"This is for us!?" I can't hide the excitement in my voice. Hunter's eyes crinkle with a smile.
"Yes, get in." I steady myself on Hunter's firm shoulders as I lift myself up. Hunter follows me with one fluid motion.
Once we are both seated the coachman pulls the reins and the horses begin trotting.
"I've always wanted to ride one of these!" I exclaim.
Hunter grabs a checkered blanket from the seat across from us and lays it over our laps.
"I know," Hunter says self-assuredly as his eyes sweep my face.
"You do?" I ask surprised. Wait. I don't think I mentioned this to him before. Did I? My eyebrows furrow. "How do you know?"
Hunter laughs showing his impeccable straight teeth. Maybe he has dentists in the family as well.
"Guess?" he asks. An image of Kimmy's blabbering mouth instantly pops into my head. Of course. My personal Madame.
"Hm... perhaps from your 'source'?" I don't try to mask the sarcasm in my voice.
"Yes. My source was very forthcoming." Hunter grins. Very forthcoming? Kim!
"Really? What other information did she divulge?" Please nothing embarrassing.
"She listed off about a dozen things that I could do so you would grant me forgiveness for my lack of communication." A dozen things? I can't even think of six right now! "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to procure first-class tickets to Paris in such a short amount of time," Hunter teases me and I flush.
Oh, the Paris dream. I guess with all the money he has, Kimmy thought it was worth it to toss it into the mix.
"Well, that's something to remember for next time then." Am I flirting? I think I'm flirting. Go Lilah!
"I'll make sure to add that to the list of potential future dates, next to an African Safari, ice-cream tasting, and...a sensual pottery class?" Hunter asks bemused.
Shit. I can't believe she told him all of that! Especially the pottery class. I mentioned that one time after we watched Ghost. It was just something about Patrick Swayze and his dirty clay ridden hands...
"Patrick Swayze," I blurt out. Nice. Smooth. "From...Ghost?" I add, abashed. I was doing so well a minute ago.
Hunter laughs. "I'm sure you're not the only woman to have that fantasy." Is that considered a fantasy?
"It was the cinematography. Really...sold the scene." I try to save face. "I'm sure men have 'fantasies' pertaining to movies as well."
Hunter wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer, so that my ear is right by his mouth. "I prefer to live out my own fantasies," His voice is low, seductive. A little too seductive for the back of a Central Park carriage.
I let out a shaky sigh and clear my throat. "I hope your fantasy isn't to get arrested for indecent exposure," I whisper.
Hunter's face pulls away from my ear, his eyes blaze with amusement. "Are you sassing me, Miss Sterling?"
"Perhaps..." I reply coyly, my cheeks turning pink. Breathe! Maybe I'll keep Cosmo...
"You're quite a handful when you want to be, aren't you, Lilah?" Hunter muses.
I shake my head as I try to gather my wit. Me? A handful? I've been called a lot of things, but a handful? I've always considered myself to be more of a... pinch. Although I have been spending a lot of time with Kimmy lately. Maybe some of her...flavour has rubbed off on me.
"Lilah?" Hunter waves his hand back and forth in front of my face. "Are you ok?"
I must have zoned out. "Yep, uh...I'm just enjoying the view," I try to recover.
Hunter stares at me and smirks, "As am I."
I turn away before Hunter notices my face is turning the same shade of red as all the leaves on the trees. This guy is smooth. But he's probably had a lot of practice wooing women before, like his ex-fiancé. Ugh. Why did that just pop into my head? I shift uncomfortably and sigh. I open my mouth to ask Hunter questions, but the words don't come out. He'd probably give me some vague one-worded answers anyways. I'll just enjoy the scenery of my surroundings. I relax into Hunter's shoulder and people-watch as we make our way through the park.
We spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence. Hunter's hand found its way to my thigh and has been caressing it for five minutes, not that I've been keeping track.
Six minutes now.
The carriage suddenly stops and I jerk forward, Hunter puts his arm out to stop me from slipping off the seat. The coachman turns around and faces us. "That's it for the ride folks, please be careful stepping off." That's it? I don't want this to be over.
I pout as I hop out of the carriage. My legs feel like jelly, probably from being seated in the same position, but I have a feeling Mr. Cryptic is responsible as well.
Hunter pulls me around the corner to a small coffee kiosk.
"Sit here," he gestures to a wooden bench. "I'll go get us something to drink."
I sit down and hug myself to preserve heat. The autumn breeze has picked up, and without the thick blanket on my lap, I'm visibly shivering.
Hunter takes off his jacket and throws it across my shoulders before strolling to the coffee stand. His coat is heavy and smells of fresh linens and sandalwood. I inhale deeply. My tense muscles begin to ease up from the warmth of his wool coat.
Hunter returns quickly with two to-go cups in his hand and passes me one as he sits down beside me.
"Thank you." I lean towards the cup and smell the contents of the beverage. "What did you get us?"
"Oh, your favorite." Hunter takes a sip of his drink. "A dark chocolate raspberry mocha," he teases. Oh my God. He does remember me from the coffee shop!
I punch his shoulder playfully. "You asshole! You made it seem like you didn't remember me!"
"Aggressive," Hunter comments as he rubs his shoulder dramatically. "How could I forget? Your ordeal made me late for a very important meeting," he adds jokingly.
I roll my eyes. "It couldn't have been that important if you had time to stop for a coffee," I mutter as I take a sip of my drink. Black coffee. Yep, definitely remembers.
Hunter cocks his head to one side. "Well, I'm glad I stopped," he adds in a sweet tone.
I think I like sweet Hunter more than...trying to get me into bed Hunter. I bet by now most women would be picking up their clothes off his bedroom floor and calling for an Uber. I shudder at the thought. I wonder how often his lines work on women.
"What?" Hunter asks, reacting to my questioning stare. "What're you thinking?"
I bite my lip unsure of how to ask my question without sounding rude. Screw it! "Are you always so...brazen on first dates?" Hunter throws his head back and laughs, so childlike and free. I give him a quizzical look. "What's so funny?"
"I must say, Lilah, this is the first time I've been called out on it," Hunter admits, recovering from his fit.
That makes sense I suppose. I'm sure his sultry voice always gets him his way. Why would anyone stop the parade and question the grand marshal? "You're very difficult to read, you know that, right?" Hunter adds.
I laugh and almost choke on my coffee. "I'm difficult to read?" I ask astounded. "Compared to you I'm like a children's picture book." Me? Difficult to read? Maybe he's color blind.
"No, that's not true." Hunter shakes his head. "I get a feeling you don't always say what you're thinking."
I shrug. "If everyone always said what they were thinking the world would be in chaos."
"I think I could use a little bit of chaos in my life." Hunter slides closer to me on the bench. "Provided it comes from you." His expression darkens as he reaches up and cups my chin with his hand. His thumb grazes my bottom lip. The smell of his cologne is intoxicating. My blood sears through my veins and my breathing becomes shallow.
"I'll bear that in mind," I whisper. Hunter leans in, his lips softly brush along mine, parting them. As if a flag is dropped, Hunter's kiss deepens. His tongue finds mine, flicking and teasing, before falling into a slow rhythmic dance. Oh my God. Heat rises from my stomach and into my chest as I pull away and gasp for air.
"Breathe, Lilah," Hunter whispers across my lips, his own breathing ragged. I take a deep breath and Hunter's eyes blaze with intrigue. "Are you ok?" He asks gently.
"Just out of practice," I murmur.
Clearly the wiring between my mouth and brain has short-circuited. Why would I confess that? I try to shift my gaze to the ground, but Hunter catches my chin with his index finger and lifts my head up.
"If this is you out of practice," Hunter strokes my cheek. "I can't wait for what's next." I blush, lost for words. Hunter stands up and offers me his hand, I take it. "Let's get you home, you have a big day tomorrow," Hunter adds with an edge in his voice.
I almost completely forgot about work.
The sun sets behind us as we walk slowly back to my apartment. My mind is foggy, twirling in a stupefied splendor. I touch my swollen lip. Did that really just happen?
"Lilah," Hunter's voice finds its way into my thoughts. "We're here."
I look up and we're standing in front of the bodega. "Oh." I remove Hunter's coat from my shoulders and pass it back to him. "Thank you," I add.
"Have a goodnight, Lilah." Hunter reaches for my cold hand and kisses it with his sweet warm lips. "I'll call you tomorrow."
"Goodnight," I whisper and then float up to my apartment, hoping my muscle memory remembers where to go. I drop my keys and purse on the floor and fall on my couch. I close my eyes and replay our kiss in my mind, over and over again.