“Shit!” She shrieked when she finally realized I was there. I moved into the room, closing the door behind me. Her eyes followed my every movement as I walked around the office, my fingertip running along the top of the desk that swallowed her laptop.

Josh was right; she looked tiny in here.

“I didn’t know you had come in,” I stated as I collapsed into the cream leather club chair situated on the other side of the desk and folded my arms over my chest. The sassy girl who greeted me in the diner only hours earlier had bolted and now a nervous Eden sat opposite me continuing to twist a length of her hair as her eyes darted away from me.

“The diner was too noisy when I went back so I called Josh and he said I could work here.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

She simply shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Tell me,” I probed, wanting to find out why she thought she couldn’t approach me about something as trivial as finding somewhere to work.

“Because you confuse me, you intrigue me, you frighten me, you cloud my judgment, and I just don’t know who I am when I am around you.” Her words were rushed, and her eyes swam with indecision. I hated that she used the word frightened when she spoke of me.

“That could be a good thing,” I muttered under my breath.

“Or it could completely destroy me.”

We fell into an intense silence as we looked at each other, both obviously falling into our own thoughts and indecision about what we were about to begin. The tension in the room could be sliced with a knife; it was palpable; it was real.

I rose from the chair and made my way toward the door knowing that it was necessary for me to leave. I needed an escape before I said things I had locked away for so long. I turned back toward her and gave her one last smile and said words that I knew would rattle her to the core.

“Well we have December to find out, don’t we?”

Ky: I’m picking you up at 8 am.

The Saturday morning sunshine beamed through the drapes covering the hotel window, but I knew it was offering fake warmth. It was December 1^st, the first day of winter, and the temperature had dropped at a staggering rate. Stretching under the warmth of my comforter I read over Ky’s message and sighed. Today it begins. A month with Ky Crawford. I still didn’t understand the whole concept, and I was trying with everything I was to ignore the glint of anticipation that shot through me when I received his message. But the excitement was extinguished the moment a bitch called self-doubt roared to life, destroying everything in her path.

I stumbled out of bed and headed to the tiny bathroom. If I had learned anything about Ky since I arrived, it was that he never joked about plans. If he said he would be here at eight then I should expect him before eight. Turning on the shower as hot as I could, I stood under the stream of water and thought about the next month. I knew the rumblings through my body were the beginnings of messed-up excitement. This was reckless; this was completely different of me. This was me losing control. Usually I would have regretted the decision, I would have hated myself for saying yes, but for once it was kind of refreshing, it was intriguing, it was confusing as hell but it was only for one month.

Wrapping a towel around my clean and moisturized body, I walked into my room and gathered my clothing. Where would we be going? What should I wear? Why did the feeling of a hidden agenda suddenly slap me in the face? Shaking my head to diminish the absurd thoughts, I headed back into the bathroom and dressed for the day: skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and a cream sweater with my favorite red jacket.

After drying my hair, allowing the natural waves to fall over my shoulders, and adding a touch of mascara to my lashes and gloss on my lips, I finished my morning routine with a mist of my favorite Vera Wang perfume and I was ready to go. I headed toward the bed to find my cell and bag while my mind went into overdrive at thoughts of what the day could bring. A sharp knock at the door stopped me.

I rung my hands together to try and cease the shaking before I took a deep breath; with a silent prayer for confidence I pulled the door open and there he stood. Dressed in dark denim jeans, a black hoodie, thick woolen scarf, and a beanie that covered his chocolate brown hair, it was the perfect stubble grazing his jaw that grabbed my attention.

“It’s lonely out here Eden.” Ky’s spoke in a deep voice laced with amusement.

“Sorry, come in.”

I stepped away from the door, opening it wider for Ky to step through. He strode past me, and I didn’t miss the wink he shot me as he unwound the scarf and threw it down on my bed.

“How are you feeling about today?” he asked softly.

How was I feeling? Nervous, anxious, fearful, excited, intrigued—mix them together and that was me. He watched me closely as he waited for my response. How could I respond without letting my true thoughts show? Being under his watchful gaze was something unique; it was like the pulse my body had needed for so many years; it was a yearning that I never imagined; it was a breath in my lungs that I had been waiting for; it was pure and utter confusion.

“You’re wearing the red jacket,” he continued, dismissing his initial question. He took two steps until he was standing in front of me. “The girl in the red jacket.”

“That was you,” I whispered, completely taken aback that it was he that Ashlyn had told me about. “Ashlyn told me someone__”

“Yep that was me so I am very happy to see you wearing it today.” Slowly he wrapped the scarf back around his neck, his eyes never leaving my face. “You ready to go?”

I nodded and grabbed my purse off my bed. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t hesitate with his response. “Someplace I’ve wanted to take you since I met you.”

••••

We sat in silence as we left the island and headed across the river. I had no clue where he was taking me, but I couldn’t ignore my excitement.

The moment the cab pulled up near Central Park, I turned in my seat and looked at him in wonderment. What were we doing here? A smirk played on his lips as he pulled open the door and exited the cab, only to walk around the back and pull open my door. I climbed out eagerly and my eyes roamed around the space, taking in the crowds and reminiscing in one of my favorite places. The moment Ky put his hand on the small of my back to lead me away, I jumped.

“You like photography right?” The sensation of his warm breath just below my ear caused a shudder to cascade down my back.

“Please do not tell me that’s a serious question!” I shrieked and whipped around to face him.

His laughter swirled through me, and I realized it was the first time I had really heard him laugh. It was warm, throaty, and dominant.  I couldn’t help but like it. My eyes fell to his arm that was suspiciously behind his back. His brow rose and a smirk engulfed his lips. Like it was in slow motion, he brought his arm into sight and I gasped at what he revealed. He held my camera bag in his hand and a grin the size of Everest took over his face.

What? How? When?

“How? When? I don’t__” I stuttered in disbelief.

“You shouldn’t ask,” he suggested with a stern tone. “Let’s go for a walk. You lead the way.”

I stood staring at him in complete fascination. He continually surprised me; it was like opening a Christmas present when it came to Ky Crawford. You never knew what you were going to get.

I shot back to reality, and we took off along the winding path that led toward the glistening lake. I might have been gone for the last four years, but it all came flooding back to me. The smell of freshly baked pretzels teasing and tantalizing my body, the chattering and laughter of thousands of people inundating my ears, and the evidence of a New York winter lingering in the air around me were burned in my memories forever. I had spent so much time here while I was in college; the hustle and bustle calmed me and when I made the decision to flee to the other side of the country, this was the place I ran to; the place I needed to say goodbye to.