Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,4

up and shook it as I stumbled over my own feet, trying to keep myself steady. He lurched forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, catching me before I tumbled to the ground and died from humiliation.

“Careful, sweetheart. I think you may have reached your limit.” He laughed deeply causing his hard chest to vibrate under my hand. “Let me help you.” He took my bottle and tossed it into a nearby trash can before taking my cigarette and flicking it into the street, orange embers scattering off against the asphalt. “That’s a nasty habit. Isn’t life dangerous enough? You want me to walk with you?”

“I don’t even know you.” I pushed against his chest as he scoffed in amusement, his lips twisting up into a devilish grin that settled two deep dimples into his cheeks.

“So get to know me.” He smiled playfully as I raked my teeth over my lower lip, wanting to leave my self-loathing behind, even if only for a night.

“It’s still a free country, I guess.” I gestured with my head as I began to walk, the mystery guy by my side. “What’s your name?”

“Elijah Malakai. Yours?”

“Eva Morgan.”

“Eva? That means life doesn’t it?”

“Um… yeah. How did you know that?”

“I’m more than just a pretty face,” he quipped, shaking his head before running his fingers through his short messy hair. “Where’s your place?” he asked as he glanced at the old buildings. The last thing I wanted to do was to sit in my apartment alone and who knew if I’d ever see this guy again.

“Actually, I don’t feel like going in yet. You mind hanging out with me a little longer?”

His eyes had traveled down my body before the corner of his mouth twitched. “Come on. I know where we can go.”

Turning down Cherry Street, we crossed over onto the old railroad tracks, toward the creek. The smell of honeysuckle was thick in the air as he led me to an open patch of grass next to the water, surrounded by oak trees.

“What are we doing here? It’s not safe in the woods,” I asked, not sure which blurry image of him to focus on. I laid back on the grass, staring up at the stars through the branches. He sat down beside me and put his head on the ground next to mine.

“What are you worried about? You think the undead are just lingering in the trees, eating baby bunnies or something? They’re out there, with the people, their food. This is where I come to get away from all of that.”

“It’s… nice. Very peaceful.” I glanced around nervously but I knew being next to a hunter was the safest place I could be, even if they did tend to be quick tempered.

“I haven’t been to the creek for years.”

“You can come out here anytime. Just don’t tell anyone about our spot.” He glanced over at me and winked sending the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.

“It’ll be our secret.” I was grinning so big my cheeks hurt. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d let my guard down. It felt good to be an ordinary girl again.

I rolled over to my side, propping myself up on my elbow so I could look at him.

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-two, but I feel sixty,” he joked.

“Well, I’m only nineteen. I’m second guessing being out here alone with an old man. What if we got attacked? I can’t carry you on my back if you break a hip.”

“Oh, I think I can protect you from the stray cows and corn mazes you may get lost in around here.” He laughed, but it was forced. We both knew that the times of small town living and leaving your door unlocked had passed us by. “So tell me, Eva,” he said my name as if it were a curse, “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

I frowned in the darkness, not liking to think of what could have been. “I don’t know,” I shrugged, blowing off his question.

“Oh, come on. You must have dreamed of being something when you were a little girl. A veterinarian… a princess perhaps?”

I laughed because I was never that type of girl. “I wanted to be a figure skater.”

He chuckled but I didn’t take offense. I knew it wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

“I wanted to be a doctor,” his laughter faded as he cleared his throat, the past apparently as painful for him.

“Nobel job… saving lives.”

“Would have been,”