Free Date in the Dark by Jami Wagner

and I stop instantly. It takes everything I have not
to look up into his eyes. I know if I do, I’ll forget my rule
completely.
    “How was your lunch?”
    I don’t move. Not even a shake of my head.
“It was great. Thank you.”
    ”Go out with me,” he whispers. “On a real
date.”
    “I can’t.”
    “Why not? You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and
every time I’m near you I get surrounded by your vanilla scent. It
drives me crazy.”
    His words seep right though me. He smells
good too. And I know the kind of crazy he’s talking about. I
feel it too.
    “Can I give you a ride home tonight?”
    “Yes,” I answer, not thinking twice about it.
Then, I dart out of my office before I do something I might regret
later. Like kiss him.
     
    Parker
     
    I follow Allie out into the lobby where the
Poetry Slam is taking place. I need to finish some work upstairs
but every part of me craves to be around her. I don’t know what it
is, but knowing she’s near me, puts me in a better mood. I was
always a happy guy, but Allie, she brings out something in me I
never knew I had. It’s so new, I don’t even know what it is.
    Allie’s eyes meet mine from where she stands
in front of the crowd and her next words pause on her lips. I watch
as her chest rises before she looks away to continue. I swear I saw
it in her eyes. Desire. Need. Passion.
    I groan and run my hands through my hair as
Allie steps away the first poet takes the stage. He has on baggy
jeans and an oversized football jersey and a Mohawk. Huh, I guess
you really should never judge a book by its cover. I listen for a
moment and after five lines, he’s done. The next poet is a girl
wearing all black. Her voice is monotone and loses my interest
quickly.
    I catch a glimpse of Allie one more time
before I disappear up the steps. Now, she’s something that has my
full attention.
     
     
    ****
     
    ”Hey, are you ready to go?” I say, clapping
my hands as I enter her office. She’s standing the middle of the
room holding two of the children’s books I picked out earlier. A
gasp escapes her lips when I take a step toward her, and she bumps
into the desk. With one hand set flat on each side of her, I look
her in the eye. Her sweet vanilla fills the space between us, and I
fight back the urge to kiss her and steal her breath the moment our
lips touch. To taste her and know exactly what it would feel like
to have those plump lips against mine. I want to capture her
shaking bottom lip with my mouth to calm her. But I don’t. If we
started something, I wouldn’t be able to stop. I swallow hard
before I say anything.
    “Last night, when I dropped you off, I wanted
to kiss you.”
    “I know,” she breaths, and I feel her warm
breath on my lips.
    “And today, I couldn’t wait to be around you,
hear your voice, and see your smile. I know when I took you home
last night you felt it too, Allie, don’t deny it.” I push off the
desk and forced myself to look away when her breathing picks
up.
    “I’ve never denied it,” she says, grabbing
her purse and jacket and following me out of the room. “It’s just
not a good idea.”
    “I know you believe that, but you’re wrong.”
I turn to face. “I’ll find a way to show you I’m different.”
    Her eyes latch onto mine and I swear I see
hope in each one. She wants me to be different and tonight at
dinner, I’m going to prove it to her.
     
    Allie
     
    “Do you think people can fall in love even
when they hardly know each other?” I ask, watching as Kelly comes
through my door. I texted her earlier to tell her that Parker was
giving me a ride, again, and that I needed some girl talk before
dark date two.
    “Is this about your date in the dark guy?”
Kelly asks.
    No it’s about the crazy built-up ball of
sexual tension I somehow managed to create between Parker and me
after just a few days of working together.
    “Yes, it is,” is how I actually answer. Am I
embarrassed to admit my feelings to Kelly? Would she