“Expensive, right…” I muttered to myself. “Well, there’s a really great chocolate shop on Armitage Ave that has both yummyandpricey hot chocolate options. We could go there right now. I mean, only if you want to.”
Her smirk turned kinda sinister, which scared me a little, but also enticed me at the same time.
Remi can look after the shop in my absence.
I chuckled as I shook my head at her. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”
15. Like Neon Sky
“Ican’t believe you broke your coffee mug when you saw me walk into your shop,” I told Rina. “Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. I’mhonored.”
She rolled her eyes at me, and then touched her forefinger to her thumb, stretched her other fingers up, and then moved her wrist slightly forward to say:Asshole.
This was the most decent out of the three ways the word could be signed. The other two were…slightly on the vulgar side, to put it mildly, but that didn’t mean Rina hadn’t already used them on me on our walk over to the chocolate shop. It was for “demonstration purposes”, she’d written in her notebook when I’d stared at her with horror on my face.
What a beautiful liar.
We’d decided to leave our cars back atVila do Açaíand walk toKatherine Anne Confections– you know, the shop with theexpensivehot chocolate. It was only a few blocks fromdoAçaíanyway, and the weather was bearable enough that I’d suggested we not go by car.
And also because I wanted Rina with me for as long as I could have her. Selfish intentions and all.
She didn’t mind the walk, actually. If anything, she seemed excited about it. She’d perk up every time we came across a storeor building with Christmas lights and decorations already hung up, and I found that super fucking cute.
It was mid-November, but I guess fellow Chicagoans wanted to get into the holiday spirit early this year. Can’t say I blamed them.
Rina loves Christmas; it’s her favorite time of the year. She wrote an entire paragraph –whilewalking– about how much she adored fairy lights, hollies, hot chocolate with marshmallows, the idea of Santa Claus and Elves, and Christmas carols.
Especiallythe Christmas carols.
I’d refrained from asking her about mistletoes, because let’s face it, that shit’s just flat-out corny, and she’d probably stomp me in the dick if I even mentioned it to her indirectly.
So I didn’t. Simple.
Rina stopped in front ofKatherineAnne’s, and then looked up at me with a wide grin on her flushed face.
She was wearing a crimson, white-faux-fur collared pea coat with pink embroidered roses on it, and her white beanie had a Havana bunny painted on its center.
When she’d stepped out from behind the counter back at her shop, I’d expected to see her in another one of her quirky skirts, but nope, she was wearing dark, skintight jeans and Joan of Arctic boots, both of which made her appear sexier than she already is.
I blew out a puff of air, and watched as Rina wiped snow off her face with a gloved hand.
I think it was the way she looked in that moment – so uncontrived and at peace – or maybe it was just an instinct, but I decided toshowher how gorgeous I thought she was, instead of using words I knew would hardly do her justice. And, because I didn’t need a damn quartet playing in the background, or even doves flying over our heads to do what I wanted to, I quicklystepped closer to her, placed both my hands on either side of her waist, and pulled her to me before leaning in and pressing my lips to hers.
It was sublime; it was hypnotic. Kissing Rina for the very first time was like finding home under a neon sky.
She was made of roses, and made of silence. She felt like bliss, and a little bit of snow.
I was so lost in her, that I ended up finding a piece of myself that was new, thrilling.
Addictive.
She smiled against my lips before opening them for me, and as soon as I got my first real taste of her mouth, I forgot where I was, orwhyI was. It was only us, our warm, stumbling breaths, the gently falling snow, and the insistent sounds of our lips as they came together again and again.
I brushed my tongue over the roof of her mouth, and she sucked in a breath. She pushed herself against me, so I tightened my hold on her. She bit my lower lip, and I groaned. Back and forth we went, and even earned a few whistles and suggestions about getting a room from the unintentional audience we’d earned. Not that I paid much attention to any of that.
Rina slowly, reluctantly, broke the kiss, and then fanned herself. I chuckled, and pressed two short, sound kisses on her lips before letting go of her waist. She started walking backwards, and then gave me a thorough once-over before pushing open the shop’s door and disappearing inside.
I chuckled again as I followed her, and all but moaned when I entered the shop. The potent smell of chocolate, paired with the lingering taste of Rina’s mouth – they were making me dizzy with exhilaration.
