Page 116 of Saddles

But it’s time for new memories.

Holding her chair for her, I make sure she’s comfortable before settling into my seat across from her.

Soft candlelight flickers across her features, reminding me of those nights in the cabin when she was illuminated only by the flames.

Beautiful in the darkness and the light.

“What are you looking at? Do I have something on my face?” Her timid smile is covered by her fingers wiping over her mouth.

“No, Frosty. I was just sitting here wondering how in the hell I got so fortunate to have you in my life.” My legs extend under the linen covered table to frame her feet. “Of all the millions of miles out there, you ended up outside of my door. Whatever fate, luck, or karma it was…I’m grateful.”

Pink works up the long lines of her neck to her cheeks. “Even after all of that bullshit with Dad?”

“Especially after that.”

A slim figure in black appears next to our table. “If you’ve had a chance to look at the menu, have you decided what you’d like?” His pen hovers over a tiny notebook awaiting our order.

“Chicken parmesan,” we both say in unison.

“Excellent choice.” He fades back into the dim bustle as April and I grin at each other.

“I’ve been craving it forever.” She spreads her napkin over her knees. Her amber eyes move around the room, then fall back on me. “It feels different in here with you. I’ve always been here with a group of friends or my dad.”

“Is it a bad thing?” I take off my hat and set it on the table so my face isn’t hidden in shadows.

Her head shakes. “It’s more, um, intimate.” Her lower lip rolls between her teeth.

I lean closer, resting my elbows on the table, and let my voice drop. “I happen to like being intimate with you.”

Her giggle makes my cock fill in my jeans.

Our food arrives, interrupting my longing stare.

But the whimpering moans she lets loose with every bite make it nearly impossible to concentrate.

I’m desperate for a change in subject. “So since your dad was a bust, what do you need to do about your cards and things?” My bite is hot enough to sear the taste buds off my tongue.

Better than I remember.

She frowns and lets out a long sigh. “Well, I’ll have to go to the bank and get new cards. Send off for a lost passport. Get a new ID from campus. If I had the copies, it’d make things so much easier for some of that stuff. I have to set up a PO box too, since it’s obvious I can’t use my dad’s address anymore—”

“Use mine. Ours. It’s your place too.” I swallow the scalding sauce almost too fast, it burns on the way down.

April pauses with her fork in the air and fixates on me.

For a full breath, she doesn’t move.

“Ford? Are you asking me to live with you? Like, permanently?” she whispers.

I let out a small chuckle. “I kinda figured you knew that already.”

Her mouth forms a little heart shape and her eyes crinkle at the corners.

Deliberately, she picks up the spoon from beside her plate and holds it up into the air while holding my gaze.

Then she drops it.

“Oops.” With an exaggerated turn, she looks at all of the other empty booths shrouded in darkness.

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