“It’s midnight,” said Auntie Esther. “We keep late hours for the college students, but once it’s morning, that’s too late.”
“Whoa.” Norris took out his cell phone and checked it, like he couldn’t believe either Auntie Esther or the clock on the wall. “Time really flew. I’ll drive you back to the coffeeshop so you can get your car.”
But when they got to the parking lot, they sat in the parked car, continuing their conversation.
“I really hope cloning technology gets good enough to bring back extinct animals within my lifetime,” Annabeth said. “Wouldn't it be amazing to have herds of mammoths roaming the plains?"
"And pterodactyls flying through the sky."
"And, of course, the Dunkleosteus ruling the waves,” said Annabeth wistfully. "It's so sad to think that we might never get to see what any of them really looked like. Reconstructions have so much guesswork involved."
Norris gave a funny little cough. "Well...” He coughed again.
Annabeth glanced at her purse to see if she had any cough drops, and caught sight of her phone. It was 3:00 AM! They’d been sitting in the parking lot for hours.
“I have to go,” she said. “I have work tomorrow.”
Norris was also visibly surprised. “Me too. We should go.”
Neither of them moved.
They looked into each other’s eyes, then leaned in and kissed. It was like fireworks, and like diving into crystal-clear water, and like the kisses she’d imagined before she’d ever kissed anyone and had only read about it in books.
When they finally broke apart, she took another look at her phone. It was now 3:29.
“Okay, I really am leaving now.” She flung open the car door before she could have second thoughts, letting in a blast of cold winter air.
“Wait!” He flung out a hand. “Can I ask you out again?”
“Of course.”
“We have some friends in common. The Defenders, from the bodyguard agency.”
“You know them too?” She was surprised this hadn’t come up before.
“Er, yes.” Norris went before she could ask him how he’d met them. “They’re having a winter holiday party. Can I take you to it?”
“Ugh!” Annabeth recoiled. Then she recovered herself. “Sorry. Nothing against the Defenders, but you know how I feel about winter holiday music? I feel the same way about winter holiday parties, but more so. Ten times more! Sorry to be a grinch. I’d love to go out with you again... to anything but that.”
