"There's no way that's true!" Mia exclaimed through a chorus of giggles. The sun had set by now, casting dark shadows of night along the city.
They'd wandered from Twyla's into the heart of Central Park, talking for what felt like hours as the night crept by.
Dinner was amazing. Perhaps the most delicious meal she'd ever had!
Harlan nodded. His smile cut through the dark like diamonds. "It so is!" he countered with a laugh.
Mia leaned back on the bench, trying to bite back her smile. "You were arrested for stealing a goat from the zoo when you were 16?" she affirmed. There was no way. He had to be lying.
Harlan threw his head back with a laugh. "It was three goats, Fray. And yes, it's true."
Mia shook her head. "No way."
Harlan laughed again. "Look it up," he suggested.
Mia did just that. She whipped out her phone and opend Google. With partly frozen fingers, she typed in Harlan's name and 'goat theft, New York.'
"Oh shit," she breathed. Sure enough, it was true. A fit of giggles ran down her chest as she read the article.
He really did steal three goats.
"Okay," Mia said with a shake of her head. "Why..." She laughed. "Why would you need three goats?" she asked. A pretty valid question.
Harlan chuckled. "The short answer? I was wasted."
Mia laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled this much. Her cheeks were starting to hurt. "Wow. Okay, so you win. The craziest thing I've done doesn't even come close to that," she confessed with a smile.
Harlan grinned back. "Well what is the craziest thing you've ever done?" he asked.
Mia shook her head. "Right, no way. It's too embarrassing."
Harlan nudged her with a smirk. "I doubt that, Fray."
Mia sat back. She sighed. "Okay," she said finally. "The craziest thing I've ever done?" Mia ran her eyes through the air, skimming down the mental pages of memories and lucid flashbacks.
Bingo.
There it was.
Mia laughed nervously. "When I was 13 I wanted a lip piercing..."
Harlan's eyes widened as he leaned in. She could see his smile already starting to take shape.
"My Dad said no so I did it by myself with a sewing needle," she continued. "It ended up getting so infected that I couldn't talk for five days."
Harlan burst out in laughter, the deep chuckles pouring from his throat like liquid gold.
Mia shook her head with a soft smile.
He really was the most incredible man she'd ever met.
"I gotta say, I think you win, Fray," he admitted with a wink.
Mia giggled. "Definitely not. Goats beat botched piercing any day," she countered.
Harlan's smile lit up the entire park. "Let's call it a draw, then," he offered.
Mia nodded. Her cheeks stung from all the smiles. "Deal."
They made their way from the park benches back up to Twyla's. From there they wandered back to the office building where Harlan and Mia would part.
Her heart had already begun to ache at the thought.
"So, uh." Mia cleared her throat as they halted outside of the building's front lobby. "I go this way," she said, pointing her frozen fingers uptown.
Harlan smiled. "I go this way," he echoed while tossing a finger in the opposite direction.
Mia held his gaze as her heart melted. Despite the bustling New York traffic that raged beside them, the world fell still.
She didn't want to leave. She knew the second she stepped out of Harlan's grasp the world would go cold and pale. Completely leached of the color and life they'd found tonight.
"I had a really great time," she admitted. Huh. That was possibly the first time she'd ever said that on a first date and actually meant it.
Harlan smiled down at her.
Oh God.
With his black overcoat billowing against the frozen wind, the tresses of midnight curls, he looked like he'd wandered right out of a Hollywood movie set.
"Me too, Fray," he agreed. He stepped closer, reducing her stomach into a pit of butterflies.
"Harlan," she breathed to steady herself as his palm slowly encompassed the nape of her neck. His touch was warm. And ember among the freezing air.
She leaned into his touch as her knees grew weak.
Harlan took another step closer. And another. And another. His fingers trailed down her neck, tracing her jaw like a sculptor would with stone.
"Can I kiss you, Fray?" he asked. So close now that his lips brushed against hers.
"Yes," Mia moaned while latching onto the sides of his neck. She pulled him down eagerly. She couldn't wait any longer.
Fireworks lit up the darkness behind her closed lids as their lips met. Harlan's velvety mouth worked over her own, his tounge brushing against hers like silk.
His hands trailed down to her waist. Just his steady grip alone was enough to make her core run slick.
She moaned against his mouth as a collision of ecstasy and wanting exploded between her thighs.
Her fingers ran through his hair, the midnight curls the softest thing she'd ever felt.
Harlan encircled her waist entirely, pulling her closer to him. Not even a tornado could have torn them apart in this very moment.
What felt like too soon, Harlan pulled away.
"Wow," she couldn't help but mumble. Mia stumbled back. Now she knew what getting the world pulled from out under your feet felt like.
Gently, Harlan traced down her cheekbone with a smile. "Yeah," he whispered, the night air fogging up his breath. "Wow."
Their eyes met and for a moment it felt like they'd known each other for more than just a week.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Mia asked.
Harlan nodded. "Of course, Fray," he promised. Harlan kissed her cheek softly before pulling away. She leaned in, never wanting this night to end.
"Bye," she mumbled hoarsely with a smile.
"Bye," he echoed.
Mia watched Harlan depart down the street, disappearing into the mayhem and unrest of the city streets.
Mia turned on her heel, her smile still lingering on her lips.
"Who the fuck was that?"
Mia jumped back as she turned the corner with a yelp.
She reeled back with a curse when she saw the looming figure appear from out of the alley's shadows.
Lake.
Mia shook her head in disbelief. Her smile fell instantly. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded incredulously.
She felt like she'd stepped out of a dream only to fall right into a sink hole of a nightmare.
Lake crossed his arms. His tawny eyes were wide, nostrils flared in anger. A scarlet flush hit his cheeks, crawling down his neck.
"Answer my question, M," he snapped.
Mia shook her head. This so was not happening.
"I don't have to do a damn thing for you," she said. "Why are you even here?"
Lake uncrossed his arms, his flush of rage calming slightly. "I wanted to see you. I called Ruth and she said you weren't home, so I figured you were working late." The muscles in his jaw twitched in fury. "Who was that guy?" he demanded.
Mia laughed. Unbelievable. Lake was absolutely, utterly unbelievable. "He's my date," she said.
Lake stepped back like he'd been slapped. "So you're dating now?" he challenged, eyes flared.
Mia let out a frustrated grunt. "We're broken up, remember? From now on, until the end of litteral time, what I do has absolutely nothing to do with you!" she said angrily.
Lake shook his head. "Mia, don't say things you're going to regret."
"You're insane, Lake," she said before brushing past him.
Lake rushed in front of her to block her path. "Just give me another chance, okay?"
Mia stepped back.
Lake stepped forward. "I miss you, baby," he confessed.
"We're done, okay? Get that through your head," she said firmly.
Lake laughed. "I can't just let you go, M," he argued.
Now it was Mia's turn to laugh. Couldn't let her go? The guy had no problem letting her go when he was inside her sister.
"I never want to see you again," she snapped angrily. It was hard to believe that just minutes ago she was drowning in the best kiss of her life with Harlan.
"You don't mean that, Mia," he said.
Mia slipped past him, quickening her pace. "Stay away from me!" she called over her shoulder, not looking back. "I mean it, Lake."
Mia fast walked home, checking over her shoulder the whole way.
Lake hadn't followed her. Thank God.
But for the first few blocks she'd been able to feel his gaze burning into the back of her head like a branding.
How had she thought she was ever in love with Lake? Now nothing but repulsion rippled through her veins from the thought if him.
As she ascended the steps to Ruth's apartment, Mia tried to forget about Lake. Erasing all of her memories with him.
But even that couldn't dull the pit of sick that had grown in her stomach.