Behind Amethyst Eyes

Chapter 17- Blissful

Kara's POV

“KARA! Get your ass out here right now. Daniel will be here in thirty minutes, and you are not even close to being ready!” Katie yells at me from my bedroom. I had locked myself in the bathroom about twenty minutes ago, hiding from her. I sit on the edge of the bathtub still in my towel while I try to come up with any excuse to not go on this date.

The past week flew by way too quickly. I brought Zeus back to the apartment, and Katie immediately fell in love with him. He follows me everywhere. The first few days were the worst when I had to go to class. Thankfully, he seems to be trained enough to not leave accidents all over the place, but his little whines tug at my heart strings. He sleeps in my bed every night, keeping me safe and warm. Between Zeus, classes, and training with Daniel, there hasn’t been much time to think about the dreaded date.

“I don’t *cough* think I should *cough* go tonight.” I sputter, unconvincingly. Katie bangs on the door, making it rattle.

“Kara Elizabeth Jacobs, if you don’t get out here right now, you’re going to regret it.” She threatens me in an almost menacing voice. I roll my eyes and sigh.

“What could you possibly do that would be worse than going on this date right now?” I hear something clink against the door handle and then the door swings open. I gasp as I stare at her with wide eyes. She holds up a bobby pin and gives me a wicked grin.

“For starters, if he shows up now, he’ll see you in nothing but a towel. And I won’t stop him from entering.” If it was even possible, I think my eyes just bugged out of my head. I quickly make my way over to the bed to see the outfit she picked out for me. “He told me what he had planned so I could pick out your outfit. Get changed and I’ll fix your hair and makeup.” She says with a finality in her voice and walks out leaving me alone to change.

I put on the gorgeous dress Katie had bought for me. It’s a milky cream color with a halter neckline that ties around my neck. It flows down to just above my knees. Delicate yellow flowers embellish the skirt, adding to the innocence and elegance of the dress. Katie matched the dress with a pair of cream-colored flats. I have to admit, she nailed it.

“Alright Katie! I’m ready!” I yell out to her. She bursts in at full speed, claiming there’s no time to waste. She quickly gets to work on my hair. In less than ten minutes, she’s pinned half of my hair up with the rest falling in loose curls. She adds a little bit of highlight to my cheeks and inner eyelids, applies some mascara, and brushes on some pale pink lip stick before stepping back and looking at her masterpiece.

“You are absolutely stunning!” She squeals at me. Just then the doorbell rings and I freeze in my spot. Katie notices and rolls her eyes before walking out of my room. I close my eyes and breathe. Just breathe. It’s just one date. One day to get through. I can do this. I collect my nerves into a tiny ball and stuff it down. I gather some newfound confidence and head out to face the day.

“I’m serious Daniel. If anything goes wrong. If she comes back in any mood other than completely happy and blissful, I’ll personally see to it that my sole mission in life is to string you up and cut off your c…”

“Woah! Okay Katie, put the claws away. I’ll be fine.” I quickly walk in to pull my best friend away from Daniel. I turn towards her and look down into her icy blue eyes. “I’ll be okay. I’ve got this.” I say low enough for only her ears to hear. I give her a little wink for her to know I really am going to be fine.

“Wow” I hear Daniel say from behind me. I breathe in deeply and let it out slowly, readying myself for what’s to come. Then I turn around. Daniel is leaning against the door frame, his tall stature taking up most of the opening. He’s wearing dark jeans with a white V-neck t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket. His silky black hair is tousled in an unkempt way, but somehow makes him look more put together. His creamy eyes gleam with pure joy as he takes in my appearance.

I walk over to him with a soft smile on my face. He takes a hold of my hand and bends down to place a chaste kiss on the back of my knuckles. The moment his lips contact my skin, electricity erupts, causing a blush to run up my neck to my cheeks.

“You are so beautiful, Kara” he says to me, eliciting the nervous butterflies to flutter around in my stomach once more. He releases my hand and I quickly put it to use by smoothing out the front of my dress.

“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself” I say in a quiet voice, almost sounding breathless.

“Are you ready to go?” He asks. I turn around to grab my wallet which Katie already has in her hands. I catch the end of her threatening Daniel before she tries to play it off like she was simply fixing her hair. I give her a pointed look, silently telling her to knock it off before turning my full attention back to Daniel.

“Ready.” I say and he leads the way to the jeep. He opens my door for me and helps me in. Once we’re settled and Daniel starts driving, he hands me the cord for the aux. My eyes light up and I quickly grab it before he gets the chance to change his mind. Seconds later, I have my country playlist blaring through the speakers.

Early in the drive, I try to figure out where Daniel is taking me, but the two-lane road takes us out of Gladegle. Once we pass the city limit sign, I give up trying to figure it out and instead, enjoy the moment I’m in. Daniel’s eyes are hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, which I notice he pulls off really well, but I can tell he keeps looking over this way. Each time I notice, it makes me blush and tingle inside. I try my best to ignore it by singing along with the music.

Eventually we pull off onto a dirt road on a narrow path through the trees. I give Daniel a quizzical look to which he simply responds with his devilish half smirk. Two songs later, the jeep finally rolls to a stop. Before us is a whimsical looking pond surrounded by several weeping willows whose leaves hung in curtains. The pond was outlined in tall-growing cattails. Its deep blue waters held lily pads with soft pink water lilies. The ground was plentiful with grass and wildflowers of every color. I could hear the birds chirping, singing their joyful melodies to each other. The scene in front of me was serene, peaceful, and magical.

Daniel had already gotten out and opened my door for me. He held out his hand and I took it with a smile on my face. We walked together, hand in hand, until we reached a blanket spread out next to the bank of the pond. On the blanket were small pillows and a picnic basket. Excitement runs through at the picture-perfect setup.

“How’d you find this place?” I ask, elation dripping in my voice.

“It’s one of West Virginia’s hidden gems. My father and I were camping a mile or so away and I wandered off and stumbled on this place. I like to come here to clear my head sometimes or just to be alone.” Daniel explains. I take a seat, careful to not expose myself as I do so, with my legs straight, crossed at my ankles. Daniel takes a seat beside me and begins to empty the contents of the picnic basket.

He pulls out an assortment of fruit: strawberries, grapes, blueberries, watermelon, pineapple, and my favorite, clementines. Next are a few selections of cheeses with some crackers. He pulls out a container of what looks like spinach artichoke dip with pita bread. My mouth begins to water when he lays down the pinwheels. Finally, he pulls out two champagne glasses and a bottle of bubbly pink Moscato.

I make swift work of the fruit, enjoying the different flavors dancing around on my tongue. Then I slowly make my way up the food chain, savoring each bite. Daniel pours us the bubblies and we make easy conversation.

After I’ve sampled all the delicious food, I lay back on the pillows and close my eyes, soaking in this blissful moment. From the corner of my eye, I see Daniel reach back into the picnic basket.

“I don’t think I could eat another bite.” I say to him. He chuckles softly.

“I do have one more surprise, but you shouldn’t eat this one.” He pulls out a small rectangular object. It’s wrapped in paper that’s held together by two ribbons tied in a bow on the top. Confused, I sit back up to face him.

“Do people normally give gifts on the first date? I didn’t get you anything.” I say with pinched eyebrows. Katie didn’t say anything about a present.

“Not usually, but this is a little different.” He says as he hands it to me. It’s lightweight but thick. I tear into the paper to find a book. It only takes me a second to recognize the cover.

“This is my journal!” I say excitedly. Then horror strikes my face as I realize he has had my secrets in his possession for over two months. I keep my head down and let my hair fall over my shoulder, blocking him from my line of sight. “Di-did you…” I trail off, not really wanting to hear the answer.

“I didn’t read it; you have my word on that. I found it at the end of my shift the day we met.” He assures, but I can’t help but feel a little bubble of panic rise inside me. I quickly open it, not sure what I’m looking for. I immediately turn to my last entry, the one where I described Daniel in almost perfect detail. I reread the last few paragraphs and it takes me back to when I wrote it. I think about how different my life is now and how I worried about the smallest things that don’t compare to what’s going on in my life.

I look up at Daniel, who is silently watching me, letting me take whatever time I need. I don’t find any deceit in his eyes or anything to tell me he read my journal.

“Thank you.” I say genuinely. I put my journal aside and move so I’m kneeling in front of him. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a hug. He pulls me in tighter with his hands placed on the small of my back. His mouth-watering scent embraces me and I breathe it in. I pull back to look into his creamy eyes. So much longing and want is held there, and something more but I can’t quite figure out what it is. My eyes drift to his lips. I bite my own, trying to quell my raging emotions.

Daniel brings his thumb over my lips, pulling it from between my teeth. My breath hitches in my chest and I go back to staring into his eyes. He brings his hand around to the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair. I close my eyes, silently giving him permission. Then his lips crash down on mine.

The jolt I normally feel when we touch is magnified by a hundred. My entire body erupts in tingles. His soft lips move expertly over mine. I let out a soft moan at the feeling. Daniel tugs at my hair and I gasp in surprise. He uses this opportunity to dive his tongue into my mouth. He explores every aspect and then our tongues dance together.

My fingernails dig into the back of his head, weaving through his hair, trying to pull him closer. My body temperature skyrockets as the heat of our passionate kissing intensifies.

Daniel breaks kiss, allowing both of us to get some much-needed air, only to continue his onslaught across my jawline and down my neck. He slowly lowers me onto my back and continues to kiss me, nipping the skin on my neck. He continues this pattern: nipping, soothing it over with his tongue, then lightly sucking, while I attempt to control my breathing. He reaches my collarbone and runs a strong of kisses along it.

“Daniel,” I half moan, half warn. He answers with his own moan at the sound of his name but carries on working on the other side of my neck. He makes his way back up to my lips, planting slower, deeper kisses on me. We stay this way, our legs wrapped together while he lays over me, keeping his weight off of me by propping himself on one arm while the other cups my face and tangles my hair.

Eventually we break apart, neither one of us say anything. He lays on his back and pulls me into his side, my head resting right over his heart. We stay like this for a while. I listen to his heartbeat, letting it soothe my erratic breathing.

I must have drifted off because Daniel is gently shaking me.

“Come on, Kara. Let me get you home.” He says in a low voice. We make quick work of packing up the blanket and pillows and head to the jeep. The ride back went much faster and he held my hand the entire time.

We pull into the parking lot in front of my apartment and sit there, neither one of us wanting it to end.

“I hope this means we can go with the second date?” He asks sheepishly. I blush and smile at him.

“I think so.” I say. We walk together, holding hands, to my door. “I really did have a great time.” I assure him.

“Well then, this is where I should say goodnight.” He says. He leans in for one last deep kiss, pouring so many emotions into it. He pulls away, leaving me breathless once again. “Sweet dreams, my love.” He turns around, gets in the jeep, and drives away.

I stand in front of the door for a moment longer. I touch my lips, trying to capture the feel of his on mine for even a second more. Then I walk into my apartment with the biggest smile on my face, completely happy and blissful.