Excerpt
Nick picked up my brown leather coat. “May I,” he said. He gently raised the coat into place, slipped his hand along the back of my neck, and lifted my hair so it hung over the coat instead of uncomfortably down inside of it. “You were fabulous tonight, and you haven’t even begun to reach your potential.”
I chuckled as his breath and lips tickled my neck. “Nick, not here. We’re in church.” I turned and promptly ended his kisses.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. You just have this aura about you that gets me going. I can’t help myself. When you smile, laugh, or get excited, you scintillate.”
“I scintillate!” I burst out laughing. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You see. You’re doing it now.” He stared at me. It felt like he was looking into me, examining my soul. “Your face is radiant. I wish you could see it.”
“We should get going before I literally grow wings and become your personal angel,” I said sarcastically. I picked up my bouquet of flowers and deeply inhaled their floral scent. “Having you for a boyfriend would either help a girl’s self-concept or make her really self-conscious.” I playfully touched the bouquet to his chest.
“Huh,” Nick looked at me incredulously. “Did you just refer to me as your ‘boyfriend’ and not as your ‘really good, special, guy friend’?” he asked as we entered the crowded hallway and headed towards the exit.
“Pfft, don’t let it go to your head.”
“Wow, I’m moving up in the world,” he said. “I guess that necklace is working its magic already.”
I slipped my hand under my leather coat to search for the ornate chain and butterfly. It was still there, resting against my sweater. “Thanks again for the necklace. It’s beautiful.” I looked at him as we stepped into the cold night. Stars twinkled, and his warm hand took mine.
“I’m honored that you’d wear it.” We stopped under the portico, oblivious to those around us.
“Please wear it at all times,” he urged. “The lady who designed and forged this necklace is very… how can I put it? Religious.” I raised an eyebrow and gave him a crooked smile. “Bear with me,” he said as he ran his fingers through the loose ends of my hair. “She put an enchantment on it. That necklace will help protect whoever is wearing it.”
“I’m religious, not superstitious.”
“That doesn’t matter. Your beliefs are inconsequential. The miraculous in this world is not dependent on us. Humans, we, are too weak to control such power. Besides, sometimes faith gives people great comfort. In ancient Greece, they believed that butterflies were the souls of their loved ones. So you can see why the butterfly is important to Greeks.”
“Since it is from you, I will never take it off.” I rose up on my tiptoes, placed my hands on his face, and pulled his lips to mine. We kissed a simple kiss in the lights under the portico.
