The WEP Thriller Challenge
&
The 11th song for your
Halloween Party Playlist
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
One Foggy Halloween
Halloween was a dark and
dreary night filled with misting rain and fog that moved like ghostly images
around the yellow light of the lampposts. It matched my mood, and I went for a
walk despite the weather or the late hour. The world was quiet because all the
vamps, witches, and goblins, with bellies full of chocolate, were astral
projecting through candy-crush dreams.
As the fog closed in and
the shadows moved surreptitiously around me, I relished the feel of solitude
and silence. I'd just lost a coveted part in the new GT Dragon series. Smarting
from the rejection, I was angry for believing my agent when he used words like star
and soon-to-be rich and famous.
Sure, I'd appeared in
several videos and commercials, even a slasher film, with a scream that won out
over fifteen others. But the truth is I'm just an extra. A girl with good legs,
a pretty smile, and an award-winning scream. The problem was that I had no
desire to be average.
Visibility was low, but
I was too caught up in a blue funk to care. With no destination in mind, I
walked around and around, block after block. I wasn't lost, just wandering,
trying to figure out how to change the future.
"Excuse me,
Miss," a deep voice crashed my pity party. Startled, my hand went to my
heart, and my breath caught in my throat. Foolishly, I'd assumed I had the
world to myself.
The mist seemed to part,
and I spotted an incredibly handsome man under the streetlamp. Deep dark eyes,
long dark wavy hair. Black jeans and a leather jacket. The clichéd bad boy.
"Don't tell me, you
need directions?" I gave him my best "make my day" attitude.
He moved closer. His
eyes were hypnotic, his advance slow and easy, and that smile contagious. "I
thought you were lost. You've passed by here twice."
"Not directionally
lost, just deep in thought," I said as I tried to recall if I had passed
by before.
"I'll buy you a
drink if you share your thoughts."
"Sure, why
not," I agreed, knowing a crowd was safer.
We crossed the street to
the Jumpy Jitters. I knew Jess, the owner. As we walked to the corner
booth, I introduced myself.
"I'm Drake. Nice to
meet you, Clara," he said, then took my hand in his and kissed the back of
my hand. His eyes were mesmerizing, and his touch sent warm tingles through my
body. I swallowed air. My whole body flushed.
He chuckled. "I've
never seen anyone blush so easily."
I slid into my seat and removed
my jacket. "It's too warm in here." Embarrassed and questioning my
reaction, I fanned my face. Sure, the guy was handsome, but I've seen plenty of
attractive, and no, I've never felt that electric spark with anyone else. It
had to be a fluke. Too much static in the air. I changed the subject. "So,
what has you hanging out in the fog in a small town like Carlisle on Halloween
night?"
Before he could answer,
the waitress asked for our order. I ordered a drink I could sip all night, a
Black Russian. Mr. Suave ordered a bottle of Jack and a draft. I grinned.
"Don't tell me, you're nursing a broken heart?"
"No. The bottle is
for my grandmother. She's a spry old lady that likes a nip once in a while. Halloween's
her favorite holiday. You should have seen her with the kiddos. They loved her
costume and that cackle of hers. Scares them every time."
"That's sweet.
You're visiting from where?"
"Chicago. I'm a
pilot."
For two hours, we
conversed like old friends. When Jess turned the lights up and said, "last
call," I felt cheated. Drake was an intriguing man."
Drake offered to walk me
home, but I said "no" too quickly. It seemed the
safest option. "I'll catch a ride with Jess. He lives near me. It was nice
meeting you. I hope we run into one another next time you're in town."
"If it's in my
power, we will," he said with a sly smile. "May I kiss you
goodnight?"
I blushed again, and he
took it as a yes. But damn, that man can kiss. I'd never, ever been kissed so well.
An immediate addiction, I wanted more. My heart pounded, and I could barely
catch my breath.
Drake wished me sweet
dreams, then, too quickly, he was gone. After the last patron left, I asked
Jess for a ride home, but he had to do the floors, and I didn't feel like
waiting.
Walking out in the night
air was a rude awakening. The fog had thickened, but I pulled up my collar and
started a quick pace home.
Half an hour later, I
realized home was blocks away and in the opposite direction. I was standing on
a street where the only visible house still had lit Halloween decorations. The
fog gave the scene a macabre look.
"Did you follow
me?" Drake's voice broke through the fog of my confusion."
"No, honest. I… oh
God, I'm not drunk. I know what street I live on. How did I get here?"
Drake, laughingly, said,
"I told you Grandma was a witch?"
"Yes, but…a…real…witch?"
"Is there any other
kind?"
I still hadn't spotted
him in the fog. "Where are you?"
He put his arms around
me from behind and whispered. "Right here, beautiful."
I turned. One look into
those alluring eyes, and we were locked in a kiss. The passion was
all-consuming, as though we'd been lovers for years. I surrendered completely when
he began whisper-soft kisses behind my ear and down my neck. Adrift in the
passion of his touch and lost in desires I'd never experienced before, I could
have sworn we were floating high above the city.
***
A year later, Drake and I married. He flies
jets, I'm still an extra, and Granny's is our favorite Halloween hideout.
999 Words
Tagline: The power of a kiss
Yolanda Renée © 2022
Has a kiss ever curled your toes?
XXX
Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash
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