Out of the Dark Read Online Free Page A

he pulls his lips away, pressing his forehead against mine, I struggle to catch my breath and feel the deep flush that must be evident on my skin. I wanted to kiss him but fear I went too far too soon. I allowed my emotions to take hold of me without thinking my actions through, which is something I don’t often do.
    “I’m sorry.”
    Still cradling my face, he tilts his head to the side. The setting sun glints off of his dark hair, and his eyes own me.
    He smiles. “Are you? An apology is not necessary. I’m a little surprised, but not unhappy that you kissed me. I’ve been fighting the impulse since I first saw you.” His lips brush against the tip of my nose. “I’m glad you decided to stay. I guarantee you won’t regret it.” He touches his lips to mine again.
    I want more, but I don’t push him. “Stefan, can I ask for something?”
    “Of course.”
    “Can I use your phone? I really need to call my parents and let them know I landed safely.”
    He nods as though he should have thought of it himself. “Of course! Come with me.”
    Stefan guides me to his study and gestures toward the phone on the desk before letting me know he’ll be waiting just outside.
    I gnaw the edge of my nail, terrified to tell my parents where I am, as I listen to the first ring then a second. I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed in me, going against everything they taught me and trusting someone I just met.
    Initially, they’re concerned, but I do my best to abate their worry.
    My father is happy I landed safely but hesitant regarding my decision to accompany Stefan.
    My mother is not. “You know, I met your father when I was on vacation,” she says.
    “Really? I didn’t know that.”
    “It’s true. I was fifteen, and my family went to a lake house for the month of August. Your father was a lifeguard on the beach.”
    The story is adorable, and I’m shocked that I never heard it before. My parents are like one entity. It’s hard to believe they were ever separate people, that there was ever a time they didn’t know and love each other.
    I think of her sitting in her armchair at this moment, withered from her battle with cancer. Nothing like the vibrant beauty she was at fifteen.
    “We wrote letters for two years. When he graduated he came to find me, and here we are,” she says in a dreamy voice.
    “Mom, that is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
    “Well, maybe one day you’ll have a story of your own. How old is Stefan, anyway?” She’s whispering like she does when we’re conspiring to do something we don’t want my father to know about.
    “Well, he’s . . . older.”
    “How much older?”
    “I don’t know, but he looks like he’s . . . forty, or so.” I wince as I wait for her reaction.
    She gasps. “That’s almost twice your age!”
    “I realize that, Mom. I just . . . I just feel something. I’m here, and I feel something.”
    She’s quiet for a long time and so am I, but in that silence, Stefan’s sweet face is all I see.
    “Just be careful, honey. I trust your judgment,” she says.
    “I will be. I love you.” I set the phone in its cradle and a momentary flush of panic rushes through me.
    They didn’t try to stop me .
    I don’t know if I’m making the right choice, but I realize that my parents just treated me like the adult I am. I’m the only person who can make this decision, and they are letting me.  
    Take risks, be brave, live.
    I find Stefan waiting outside the study, as promised, and follow him through his home as we continue to get to know each other.
    He shows me things he says he feels are worthy of my attention—his library, a private home theater, the view from the atrium.  
    I learn more about him with each minute—his love of French films, Kafka, and surrealist art. His unruly youth and the trouble he often got into, before he became more responsible and focused when he inherited his family’s business at the age of twenty-five, after his father