* * *
By the end of the week, Ronnie was ecstatic about her date with Shawn and furious at Rick for keeping her away from her favorite place to hide. She refused to go to The Reading Corner for fear of running into him. Even if she had someone with her, no one else knew him the way she did. The only one she could even consider asking to go with her was Gavin and she wasn’t sure how that would go over—with him or with Shawn. She needed to get her first date out of the way before she forged a friendship with Gavin that Shawn could accept.
Friday, Andi came home with Ronnie and the girls spent all afternoon getting ready. Andi helped pick out the perfect outfit and then began curling Ronnie’s hair, something she didn’t do very often because of how long it took.
“So, where is he taking you tonight?” Andi asked as she wound another lock of Ronnie’s hair around the barrel of the curling iron. She was about halfway done with Ronnie’s hair.
“The Fortune Fountain,” Ronnie replied, grinning. She couldn’t stop smiling today and giggled as she realized it. Even Gavin’s flirting didn’t hinder her mood.
“Ooh, swanky,” Andi teased. “I’m so happy for you. And if for some unbelievable reason it doesn’t work out, you’ve already got another guy lined up.”
Ronnie’s smile slipped from her face. “He’s not really next in line,” she argued. “I shouldn’t even think about him after what happened with you.”
“Oh please. I pretty much knew what was coming before he said it. He’s got the hots for you, end of story. It’s not like I can blame him. It was just nice to pretend for a minute that a guy like that might be interested in me.”
“There could be a guy like that out there for you.”
Andi rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. Ronnie sighed and fidgeted with the cuff on the sleeve of her robe.
“Okay, self pity party over. Let’s get you ready for your date,” Andi declared and both girls smiled at each other in the vanity mirror. “Even if there is some guy out there for me, you have a guy who’s going to be here in a couple hours.”
The rest of the afternoon passed in a flurry of action as Andi finished with Ronnie’s hair, helped her get dressed without messing anything up, and then applied just the right amount of makeup to make Ronnie glow. Not that she needed much help with that. By the time the doorbell rang to signal Shawn’s arrival, Ronnie felt like she was floating. She was positive nothing could go wrong tonight.
“Veronica, your date is here,” her mom called up the stairs. Ronnie squealed and grinned at Andi, who spritzed her with a lavender vanilla body splash and pushed her towards the door. Andi had chosen a black glitter gown with a scoop neck and asymmetrical hemline. Most of Ronnie’s curls were piled on top of her head with a few falling softly around her face. She wore a black lace shrug that hid her tattoo so she could get out of the house without any questions and heeled sandals that would make her almost as tall as Shawn. Her heart raced as she left her room and walked down the stairs. A huge grin split her face when she saw Shawn at the bottom. He wore a pair of black slacks and a light blue button down shirt that did wonders for his eyes.
“Wow,” he said as she stepped off the last stair.
“I could say the same about you,” she replied as he reached out to take her hand. She entwined her fingers with his, feeling like it was the most natural thing to do. If the night kept up like this, Gavin would have a very long wait for her. A flashbulb blinked and Ronnie realized her mom was taking pictures of them. She hadn’t even seen the camera in her mom’s hands. She shifted so she was next to Shawn and he put an arm around her waist. They both smiled for the camera.
“Okay, that’s enough for now. You guys go and have a great time,” her mom finally said after more than fifteen minutes of picture taking. Ronnie hoped Shawn hadn’t made a reservation they had to get to right away.
“Don’t worry, the reservation is actually for eight,” Shawn told her as they climbed into his black Ford pickup. “I figured your mom would be excited about your first date.”
Ronnie and Shawn buckled in and then held hands during the short drive downtown to the restaurant. The Fortune Fountain was a gourmet Chinese restaurant situated near the lake. Ronnie was impressed Shawn made the reservation at one of her favorite places to eat. When they arrived, Shawn gave his name to the hostess and they were seated right away, much to the annoyance of half a dozen couples waiting to be seated. White linen and a crystal vase with a red rosebud adorned their round table, which sat in a cozy corner with a half-wall surrounding it. Ronnie thanked Shawn as he held her chair for her and pushed it in once she was seated.
“You make me feel like a princess,” she commented as she took off her shrug and hung it on the back of her chair.
“It’s how you should be treated,” Shawn replied.
Because they had eaten Chinese food together countless times, Ronnie let Shawn order for her. While waiting for their food and drinks, they talked about school, homework and the latest local gossip. Even though they had seen each other every day since agreeing this would be a real date, they didn’t run out of things to talk about. Shawn even brought up the possibility of Gavin and Andi dating, which Ronnie felt bad about having to shoot down.
“Gavin’s already told Andi he’s not interested in dating her,” Ronnie declared. Shawn frowned.
“Because he would rather be with you,” he guessed. Ronnie shrugged and reached across the table to take his hand.
“If that’s true, he’s going to have a really long wait because you’re not getting rid of me any time soon. I’ve waited too long for this to happen.”
“Oh really; how long is too long?” His eyes lit up as his thumb grazed the back of her hand.
“Two years,” she admitted. They separated as the waitress came and served their food. Ronnie waited for the waitress to leave before continuing.
“You know, I really wanted you to kiss me when you took me home after the dance last year, but I could tell you weren’t into it,” she added. He looked up from his Mu Shu Pork and smiled as their eyes met. The look in his eyes said he wanted to make up for that tonight. A thrill shot through her and Ronnie grinned as she looked down at her plate.
“What can I say; I was blind but now I see,” he said and began eating. She laughed.
“You’re such a dork,” she stated and tried taking another bite of Chicken Fried Rice. Shawn wiggled his eyebrows and she giggled, covering her mouth so she wouldn’t spit rice everywhere.
The rest of dinner passed in the same fashion. They talked and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Once their plates were taken away, Shawn reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, thin, gift wrapped box. Ronnie’s heart pounded as she took the box and ripped off the paper. She opened it and gasped. Inside laid a beautiful white shell necklace. It was the only thing she had hinted at since he said he was going to Florida for two weeks. She looked up at him and blinked away tears as she smiled at him, embarrassed because she knew it was silly to cry over a shell necklace. But he had remembered and that meant a lot to her.
“Here, let me put it on,” he offered, reaching for the box. Ronnie handed it over. She took off the necklace she was wearing and dropped it into her purse as he stood and moved behind her chair. Her heart hammered against her ribs as he clasped the necklace around her neck. This was the first good look he would have at her tattoo. A shiver of anticipation shot down her spine as his finger lightly traced the design. She looked up at him over her shoulder and their eyes met. Desire coursed through her as he leaned down towards her. Her eyes closed and she swore she saw fireworks behind her eyelids when his lips touched hers. She sighed and tilted her head for a better angle, but he pulled away.
“Later,” he promised, his voice husky. She blushed as he sat down across from her again. He signaled for their check and the waitress brought it over. Once he paid their bill, it was time to go. Shawn helped her into her shrug and she wound her arm around his as they left the restauran
t. She didn’t notice anyone around them; she only had eyes for Shawn as they walked outside. The air had cooled considerably and Shawn wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him as they started down the street. Ronnie reached for his watch and was excited to see it was only a quarter after nine; they had more than an hour before she had to be home.
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at where he’d parked his truck when they arrived.
“Does it matter?” he replied. She shook her head. It didn’t matter where they went as long as they were together.
They walked along in amicable silence and ended up in a small park near the middle of town. Giddiness filled her as they sat on the swings and faced each other. She hadn’t been here since she was a young girl. The way Shawn looked at her made her feel anything but childish. A waxing moon shone down on them, bathing everything in its silvery glow. Shawn’s hair looked lighter, making him even more handsome. He grinned as he leaned towards her.
“Hey, Ronnie,” he whispered.
“Hey what?” she whispered back, unable to keep the smile off her lips.
“It’s later.”
Her heart flip-flopped as he leaned forward and kissed her. His arms wrapped around her as the kiss continued, one hand at the small of her back while the other cupped the back of her neck. Ronnie raised her hands to his shoulders, unsure of what to do with them. But as his tongue parted her lips and met hers, she forgot about everything. The entire world faded around her; everything narrowed down to his lips on hers.
Ronnie was breathless when they finally came up for air. She grinned a goofy grin at Shawn and reached up to run her fingertips through the hair at his temples. He captured her hand and kissed her palm, his eyes meeting hers and sending another shot of desire coursing through her. She leaned in for another kiss but he stopped her by looking at his watch. He swore and jumped to his feet when he saw the time.
“As much as I don’t want to go, we have to move fast if we’re going to get you home on time,” he told her as he pulled her to her feet. It was then that Ronnie noticed how dark it had become. She glanced up at the sky and gasped when she saw something black and shimmery floating through the air over Shawn’s head. It was just like what had been around Rick on Tuesday night. Panic sent adrenaline racing through her veins as Shawn pulled her close to his side and started out of the park towards the restaurant. Ronnie watched the shadows around them as they walked through the park. Ronnie was so scared by all the moving shadows swarming around her that she couldn’t even be embarrassed that they were late because they were making out.
“Ronnie, what’s wrong?” Shawn asked. She got the impression it wasn’t the first time he asked.
“The shadows,” she whimpered as she clung to him. She wished she could close her eyes and they would disappear but she knew that wouldn’t happen.
“What shadows; what are you talking about?” he asked as a tentacle of inky darkness reached out for him. Ronnie pulled him aside, her fear momentarily forgotten as she put her body between Shawn and the tentacle, showing the thing he belonged to her. The tentacle paused and then receded back into the night. Some of the panic returned as Ronnie wondered where she had gotten the idea to do that; Rick hadn’t protected her from the shadows earlier in the week.
“Ronnie, what are you doing? What’s going on?” Shawn asked again as Ronnie grabbed his hand and pulled him down the street.
“I’m sorry, Shawn, but I can’t explain it,” she apologized. “I don’t even understand it and you’ll think I’m crazy if I try to tell you.”
He pulled her to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. She silently pleaded for him to let it go as she trembled with fear. The shadows swooped closer. They had to get out of here.
“Please, Shawn; please, let’s just go,” she begged. He kept her gaze a moment longer before nodding and continuing down the street. Ronnie couldn’t believe how far they had wandered and was relieved to see Shawn’s truck when they arrived back at the restaurant.
Shawn opened her door and helped her up into the seat since Ronnie was still trembling with fright and adrenaline. He caught her gaze and held it for another long moment, his brow creased with worry and a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. Ronnie wanted to take that look from his face, but couldn’t think of a good enough explanation that wouldn’t make him think worse of her. What could she say; that she was afraid of the dark? He would think she was ridiculous. He wouldn’t understand about the shadows. She shuddered. Talking about the shadows would lead to another discussion about Rick and what she’d seen the other night. That couldn’t happen.
To distract him as much as herself, Ronnie grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. Her fright dissipated the moment his lips touched hers. He wound his arms around her waist and she twisted in the seat to face him better. Before she could wrap her legs around his waist and lose herself in his kisses, he pulled back.
“I really wish you would tell me what happened just now,” he said, his brow creased again. Ronnie frowned and scrubbed a hand over her face. She shook her head, shooing away images of the shadows coming out of the night.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” she admitted. Shawn sighed but then nodded, accepting her answer. He stepped back, his hands sliding around from her back and down her legs. She caught his hands in both of hers. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.” He took another step back and closed the door. Ronnie righted herself in the seat while Shawn ran around and climbed in behind the wheel. She looked out the window as he took off towards her house. According to the clock on the dash, they had ten minutes to get there. Her mind spun with what happened and what she could say to him the entire time.