Hey Literotica! I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 1
Looking into the foreboding maw of darkness ahead of them, Evelynn squeezed the arm of her date tighter. Feeling firm breasts press against his arm, Marcus took a deep breath as Evelynn's shampoo, smelling of lemons and strawberries, lightly wafted over him. Trying to be a gentleman and not brazenly stare at the bit of cleavage that was on display, Marcus reached an inner compromise as he sneaked a discreet peek. Trying to conceal his grin, Marcus gently tugged Evelynn forward.
"You can't be serious" Evelynn said flatly, suspiciously eyeing the entrance yawning ahead of them. Her palms itched, sweating nervously as she dried them on the sides of her black dress discreetly, smoothing the material over her hips.
"It's a shortcut, Eve" Marcus explained, rolling his eyes.
"More like a shortcut of death" Evelynn muttered as she flicked her long auburn air over one bare, lightly freckled shoulder, trying not to shiver in the cooling night air, wishing she had thought to bring a sweater.
"I've walked this way a hundred times before. We'll be home in no time" continued Marcus, pretending not to hear her, as if saving a few minutes was the most important detail to the young, stunning woman clutching his arm.
"Maybe we should just stay on the road?" Eve wondered out loud, eyeing the lighted road longingly as she mulled the thought over.
"Look, just trust me okay? Everything's going to be fine" Marcus said as he gazed down into Eve's gorgeous green eyes, who looked so perfect to him at that very moment, and he struggled to stifle the suddenly overwhelming urge to kiss her. Evelynn gave Marcus a look, as he wrestled with his impulses that gave him a sliver of hope that she might not be so opposed to the idea. Marcus finally dismissed the urge with an effort. Evelynn looked absolutely amazing in her simple black dress, and as her grip tightened on his arm, Marcus found it difficult for his imagination not to run wild.
Evelynn's thoughts were hidden from Marcus by only the flimsiest of barriers, the most opaque of shower curtains, but Marcus refused to glimpse at them even for a moment on general principle. Though he wanted nothing more than to envelop Evelynn in his arms, feel her body pressing against his, with the taste of her on his lips, he refused to rush the matter. He had learned the value of patience long ago. Nevertheless Marcus, not a religious man by nature, prayed that the proper moment would present itself soon enough. The long look Evelynn and Marcus shared dragged on for a moment too long, and then another. Feeling a strange sense of vertigo begin to sweep over her as she gazed into Marcus's eyes, Evelynn lowered her gaze first.
"Are you sure this is the fastest way back?" Evelynn asked with reluctance, begrudging acceptance in her tone even as she disguised a yawn behind her hand. The buses had stopped running earlier that night than usual due to some labour strike dispute, as they had discovered much too late, and her poor feet were starting to ache and throb in the cute but uncomfortable shoes she had worn. Mostly Evelynn just wanted to get to bed. Mostly.
Glancing over at Marcus, Evelynn's pictured him lying in bed and holding her, shirtless and sleepy, before she could dismiss the thought. Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment and Evelynn was suddenly very glad her thoughts were private. Energetic butterflies followed in the wake of the fantasy and tickled her shamelessly at the possibility and Evelynn snuck a quick glance up at Marcus once more, thinking about how she had come to be standing here with him.
Evelynn had woken that morning, the day of her eighteenth birthday, with a bounce in her step. Dancing in the shower and singing like a fool as she brushed her teeth and went through her morning routine, Evelynn had been so excited that she hadn't even considered the possibility that, one and all, her friends would call and cancel their plans with her. Instead of spending her birthday shopping, gossiping, and generally running around town in joyful, careless celebration of her newfound adulthood with her close friends, Evelynn found herself rooted on the couch in front of her television instead spooning melting ice cream into her mouth and wallowing in self-pity. Slowly surfing through reality TV shows, resenting humanity more than a little, Evelynn almost hadn't bothered to pick up the ringing phone.
Expecting a telemarketer or yet another cancellation, Evelynn had nearly dropped both the phone and the ice cream both when she heard Marcus' voice in her ear.
Marcus, who was walking her home like a proper gentleman, towered over her with his exotic olive skin, movie star good looks, stylishly tousled black hair, and bright blue eyes. Evelynn went to the same school as Marcus, and had even grown up on the same street as him, though he lived much further up the long road than she did in the more expensive part of town. Evelynn could count the number of times they had talked over the years on two hands.
To say that Evelynn had been surprised to hear Marcus wish her a happy birthday out of the blue would be putting it mildly. Evelynn had fairly leapt off the couch in excitement when Marcus casually asked if she was interested in dinner and a movie, maybe? Performing a happy dance with the phone to her ear while struggling to keep her voice sounding calm and normal, Evelynn had graciously accepted Marcus' offer only to realize afterwards that she hadn't even bothered to ask which movie or which restaurant.
Not that it mattered.
Standing six feet tall with long, auburn air that normally curled obnoxiously, Evelynn had spent the evening beating her hair into what she considered a rare sight indeed; a straight, lustrous sheen of submission that hung down her back. Evelynn had spent more time then she cared to admit preening and preparing for her unexpected date. Marcus, on the other hand, had shown up to her door looking like he had just rolled out of bed wearing jeans, a grey t-shirt and his usual leather jacket, contrasting sharply with the cute black dress Evelynn had picked out that had been sitting idly by on the sidelines of her closet for almost a full year with a matching pair of shoes, just waiting for an opportunity to be showcased.
Evelynn had cursed in her head when she saw Marcus, thinking she had overdressed. Unbeknownst to Evelynn, Marcus had also winced simultaneously, worried that he had underdressed. After an awkward moment of mutual mental cursing, Marcus had flashed his perfect smile and told Evelynn that she looked really nice. After that, Evelynn had completely stopped worrying about the matter. Well, not really. But she stopped obsessing anyways. Marcus had hit his head on the doorway after she had invited him in for a moment as she made one final trip to the bedroom and bathroom to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. That had helped to shatter most of the awkward tension between them.
Marcus hadn't seemed to notice her many glances throughout the night, however.
Standing under the street light, Evelynn wavered indecisively. The entire day had certainly taken a strange direction from the one she had originally envisioned. Normally Evelynn would never have considered taking such a shady looking path at this time of night - she was a surprisingly superstitious woman and walking through a dark forest under a full moon struck her as little too cheeky. Marcus was with her, however, and the fear of looking like a scared little girl in front of him churned and twisted at her stomach.
Only through an effort of will did Evelynn keep this entire inner struggle off her face.
For a moment, Evelynn found her attention drawn upwards to the full luminescent moon, hanging massive in the clear night sky. She stood there for what seemed like a short eternity, hypnotized by the celestial body that almost seemed within reach. The moment passed as she became aware of Marcus gently taking her hand in his as she stared into space.
