Chapter 32
STELLA
I was nervous and giddy, going on my first date with my best friend.
Dad was in no way surprised. If anything, he had a good laugh watching me fret and pace his living room.
I had gone all out, changing outfits no less than six times, meticulously applying my makeup and fluffing my hair right up to the second Curtis picked me up in his massive, overpriced truck. The passenger seat swallowed me and my short red dress whole as I shuffled to get comfortable.
Curtis flashed a beaming smile, one masculine hand steering the wheel as the other landed on my thigh, stroking and soothing in rhythmic circles.
“Breathe, Stells. Everything’s going to be alright.”
No. It certainly wasn’t going to be alright. Especially if he kept touching me like that. The subtle imprint of his fingertips already lit a trail of fire up to my centre.
How am I supposed to last the night?
Curtis had said he was taking me on a tour of the past. But that was the only hint he had given to our destination.
My brow furrowed as he pulled up to our old primary school. And I was confused further when he told me to get out.
The place was closed, gates locked tight. I turned to him, sceptical. “These shoes aren’t appropriate for a successful break-and-enter.”
Curtis chuckled, catching my hand in his. “Neither is that dress. Don’t worry, baby, I got you.”
He pulled me down a short alley and opened a side door into the administrative building. I stayed silent as he led me into a lit office, and recognition made me pause.
We were standing in the sick bay we had gone to as seven-year-olds, after I’d karate-chopped his face.
Except Curtis had decked out the small space with flowers, a picnic rug laden with all my favourite foods and champagne on ice. The setting was entirely random and so thoughtful that warmth radiated through me.
“I wanted to start from the beginning. Where we started,” he said. Curtis popped the cork and poured a generous glass of bubbly before pushing the rim to my lips. “I forgive you for making me blind in my right eye.”
I giggled at his ridiculousness, pressing a palm to his chest while I sipped from my drink. “You still have the other one.”
He shrugged. “I only need one to see you.” Then, he winked, sending tingles cascading over my skin.
Someone save me.
We sat on the picnic rug, sharing food and stories of our past, reminiscing over old memories I had forgotten. Soon, time slipped away, and I was ridiculously happy, my tummy cramping with the endless laughter he had coerced out of me.
As we finished off the bottle, Curtis stood, then offered a hand to pull me up alongside him. “Now, let’s go to stop number two.”
“On our tour of the past?”
He nodded before his head dipped to give me a sweet kiss on the lips—the first of many. “Our past.”
We parked outside the old movie theatre that used to be the hangout spot when we were young. It had since closed down and was an empty shell.
Except, Curtis led me through the entrance without a care. There was not a soul in sight, my heels clicking over the deserted tiles when he opened the doors to cinema number five.
My breath hitched, taking in the transformed room. Old chairs had been replaced, and a new screen was spread wide up front.
I followed Curtis down rows of seating before he chose a loveseat directly in the middle. Fresh popcorn, drinks and snacks awaited our arrival. As soon as we sat down, the lights flicked off, and the movie started to play.
Reminiscence took hold as the title flashed on screen. It was a low-budget horror film I had dared him to watch with me at the age of nine. Not one to back down, Curtis agreed. We lied to our parents and said we were going to the park. Instead, we went there and snuck inside, much to my regret.
“Do you remember this?” he asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“Yes,” I barely managed to croak. My emotions were running haywire, touched that he had gone to so much effort.
“This is one of my favourite memories of us,” he said.
I hiccupped, half laughing and trying not to sob. “Why? I was freaking terrified.”
“Exactly. You held onto me so tightly that I never wanted you to let go.”
My eyes snapped to his, and what I found left me stunned. He stared at me with blatant affection, so fucking potent that I was going to burst from the aftereffects.
I swallowed, continuing the story. “Then, you walked me home, holding my hand the whole way, promising you’d always protect me.”
“A promise I’ve never broken.”
“Never,” I whispered, my mind reeling. “That’s… That’s the first time my mum called you Curtie-pie.”
His features transformed into pride as he pressed a hand over his heart. “A title I’ll always cherish.”
I literally had nothing to say, entirely speechless as I just stared at him. A continuous chant grew louder in my head the longer I remained wrapped up in him.
I love you.