Take me to Church [Rikki]

[Rikki (DELETED 9657)]

Rikki wasn't the type to embarrass very easily, as she was generally confident in who she was and what she was about. She was shamelessly genuine, and never wasted the time or energy in denying her feelings and actions. Something about that contact with Harrison had felt so comforting, so natural, that she simply hadn't let go. The realization that she had maintained a possibly undesired contact was the sole reason she had released it, a vague fear of rejection leading to the unusual self-consciousness. Or, perhaps it was the fact that it had been years since she had sought out the comfort of another man's hand, other than Dylan's. In any case, that distance had seemed like a good idea, if not for her own sake, than Harrison's, who might have thought her just a little too forward.

She hadn't expected his laughter, or the way he quickly closed what little distance she had managed to put between them in those short seconds. The pink tint to her cheeks quickly flared into a brilliant red the second his hand slipped into her own, once more. The kiss to her knuckle was such a gentlemanly gesture that she couldn't help the small, shy smile that formed across her lips. It was one of those things you really only saw in cheesy romance films; the kind where women tended to just sigh as they melted on the spot. Though, it certainly didn't seem cheesy as Harrison did it. His reassurance was welcome, gently pushing away those lingering doubts. In it's place rose a vague sense of pride at being the one to have broken that streak, that it was her hand to claim his after a period of time.

Talk about putting a schoolgirl's crush to shame.

Mentally berating herself for being so ridiculous, Rikki dutifully followed as they made their way to the desk. An hour seemed like such a short span of time, but it would be more than enough to share her passion with Harrison, and really...that was why they were there. Not so she could keep him there all night. So, she nodded her thanks to the woman at the desk and all her previous embarrassment vanished as she looked at Harrison. With a gentle tug, she pulled him further into the building with some glances about the academic setting of the lower floor, following the signs that directed them to the second floor. "I do not care what it takes, I will have to get myself one of those passes," she said. If she didn't, there was little chance they wouldn't have to physically remove her any night she came.

As soon as the doors opened to the second floor and the large 12" refracting telescope came into view, Rikki made a beeline for the device. Seated nearby was another officially dressed employee who stood as she approached to offer assistance. Only after Rikki pulled her credentials did the gentleman sit back down and allow them to go about their business without his interference. It was safe to assume she knew what she was doing. Only when she reached the set of stairs to the platform of the telescope did her hand slip away from Harrison's so that she could look from the eyepiece. There was no need for any fiddling, as it was already set for a view Saturn, which could be seen in the winter months during most of the night. "If Heaven is subjective, I could only hope mine looked a little like this...like the farthest reaches of the the universe..." she whispered, looking over her shoulder to the man she had come with. Raising a hand, she lifted a single finger to encourage him closer.

"Come look. Come see my Heaven."

[Harrison]

Harrison was beginning to learn that there was nothing more exciting than getting to know someone. Meeting someone, then learning all about their passions and fears, their woes and their and dreams – it was a time-consuming endeavour, but in a good way. Rikki’s skin had flushed a brighter red, heat radiating from her body in such an enticing way – Harrison couldn’t help but be thoroughly delighted. With every move she made, every change of her expression, he watched, avid. When had he discovered this ability to jump entirely out of his own skin in order to observe another? The light in her eyes was addictive, and he wanted to know all about it, and where it came from. He wanted never to have to witness it diminish.

Just as he had predicted, Rikki said she’d stop at nothing to get one of those passes, and Harrison knew that if she required help with said endeavour, he would help her. After tonight, he knew that he would want to see Rikki again. He would take her number, and would give her his. There were apparently rules that men and women should follow when interested in each other, but Harrison didn’t know what they were. And nor did he care whether it made him look like some over-enthusiastic teenage boy. He wouldn’t be waiting some required amount of days before he called Rikki, or texted her. He would not wait for her to make the first move. All this he knew, and they hadn’t even hit the first step up to the observatory proper.

Although Harrison was aware that such telescopes existed, he’d only ever seen them on TV screens. To see one in person, how large it was – no wonder Rikki was inspired. There was another attendant by the telescope and Harrison was glad that Rikki approached him first. Not some ghost, then, stuck in his job in the afterlife. How not-fun would that be, if you died and had no idea you’d died, and kept coming to work, thinking you were actually doing your job? Would that even be possible?

Fascinated, Harrison watched as Rikki took control of the telescope like she’d been looking to the stars since she’d learned to walk. He watched as if it was something he might be able to replicate, were he to come here on his own some night. But there were numerous dials and numbers and he knew that there’d be no way he’d be able to do her job. That pass she so desperately wanted would not be hard to come by, if her talent was anything to judge.

When urged, Harrison stepped up to the plate, his eyes not leaving Rikki until one was pressed to the eyepiece.

”Oh…!” he exclaimed, single hand reaching up to curl his fingers around the eyepiece, as if by doing so he could get closer to what he was looking at. ”Wow. That’s… no words,” he said. The object was distant, that much he could tell. But it was solid. Yes, he’d seen Saturn before but it was only a blazing dot in the sky—something that had been pointed out to him and which he’d not been able to find since. Now, it was… real. He stepped back, almost reluctant.

”I’d show you my heaven but… ah…” he narrowed his eyes, looking skyward, then shook his head. ”I’m not really sure what it looks like…” he said with a laugh. ”I think you’ll get that pass, no bother. I might begin to envy you, to have your heaven so easily at your fingertips…”

[Rikki (DELETED 9657)]

Harrison approached the telescope when she asked and looked through the eyepiece without protest or hesitation, taking the time to actually admire the view beyond that of a passing glance. Even if he wasn't interested in what she had to show him, in the space that she was so passionate about, he acted as though he was and that meant the world to her. To see him put forth that effort to care about the things that she did was such a drastic change of pace that she worried she might trip in the effort to keep up. Rikki was so used to Dylan's self-absorption that this exchange almost seemed too good to be true. A little too perfect, but that didn't prevent her from remaining close at hand. If he were to turn around, she would be a mere arm's reach away; far enough that she wasn't invading his personal space and yet, not quite an appropriate distance apart for new acquaintances.

Perhaps she was reading a little too much into this, but as they spent more time together, it was starting to look less and less like a simple guided tour with the more experienced city resident, and more like...a casual coffee date, without the coffee. She certainly wasn't complaining about it, either, nor was she about to venture and say as much out loud. She liked Harrison, a lot. That seemed like a good way to jinx it, and she was enjoying herself far too much to let that happen.

She smiled at the man as he insinuated the sight had taken his breath away, but what she had shown him was minimal in comparison to some of the sights she had studied in the previous years. That was the wonderful thing about the universe; as far as they knew, it was limitless, with so many more galaxies beyond their reach. Rikki followed Harrison's line of sight toward the sky and the smattering of stars they could make out through the dimness of the city lights. "I wouldn't go quite that far..." she replied, stepping up so that she was once again directly at his side. "As close as my heaven may seem, it will always be beyond my reach." As her gaze dropped and her head turned to study the man beside her, her lips lifted at the corners until she was smiling once more. As she so often was. "I suppose...that just means that we're going to have to find a little bit of heaven on Earth." There was any number of ways that statement couldn't taken, but she didn't elaborate. Rather, she allowed him the opportunity to fill in the blanks as he saw fit.

"So, tell me...you may not know what heaven looks like, but what would your heaven look like, if it was subjective? If it was based on what would make you happiest, where you would find peace." It was a loaded question, and it was asking for Harrison to dig fairly deep and share a more intimate side to himself. She would understand if he were to laugh it off, of course, but there was that hope that he wouldn't. That he would share more of himself with her. Much as he had before, she allowed her hand to slip under his palm, lacing her fingers through his as if they were meant to be there. Without losing that hold, she moved in toward the telescope once more to peer through, her free hand working to adjust it so that she might find a specific star that she could name without pause or a stretch of the Milky Way. It sated her passion just enough, so that when she stepped back, there was only a resolve to come back as soon as possible to get access to the observatory via a pass. That allowed 100% of her focus to fall on her companion.

With a soft hum, she retreated down several of the steps so that her arm was outstretched as her fingers refused to disconnect from Harrison's. "We should probably go before while I have the thought, or they may have to drag me out by my hair...and that certainly won't get me a pass," she said in means of explanation for why she was trying to leave, the smile that never faltered a clear indication that she was, by no means, put off by the idea of going. For now. She would be back. If she was lucky, she might even be back with Harrison, but only time would tell. "It's getting late, as well. Are you sure there was nothing I took you away from? I would hate to be the reason your night was unproductive." Her night certainly had been.

[Harrison]

Rikki’s suggestion could be interpreted in so many different ways—innocent or otherwise. The words dripped from her tongue like an invitation; the world that Harrison had come from, his childhood, his teenage years—every fibre of that part of his being imagined that slice of heaven as something crude and yet blissful. Tangled sheets and gentle firelight, hair splayed over rumpled pillows. Exhaustion. And yet there was something so pure and virtuous in the light that surrounded Rikki that such a suggestion seemed impossible. Sure that was not what she had meant? And if it was, he imagined it would be accompanied by a scarlet blush.

But, he had to remind himself—they had only just met. He did not know Rikki beyond what he had learned so far. Which was a lot, in such a short time, but she could very well be the kind of girl whose idea of heaven on earth was aligned with that teenage fantasy. It didn’t matter, regardless. It was a clue, a tantalizing hint at one possible future, and one that would not come to fruition in the space of a single night—even if the touch of her fingers twining with his was not usual behaviour for two people who’d only just met.

There was something there, something singular—a spark that could not be ignored, and one that Harrison could not deny he had initiated outside when he’d banished any notion Rikki might have had that he wished there to be distance between them. He did not resist her touch, nor the tug she gave as she pulled them toward the door that would lead them toward the exit. It meant they were closer to the end of the night, but that didn’t have to be a bad thing.

”I suppose you could say my job is more… freelance in nature. You’re not keeping me from anything, I promise,” he said. Whatever plans he ever made in regards to what he was going to do with his nights, they were normally completely flexible. And so caught up was he in this new… thing that he had with Rikki that he completely forgot what it was that he did with his nights, along with the ability (or curse) that he had which allowed him to do said job. They were on their way out the door toward the stairs, and they met someone coming up—a woman in her late 30s, dark haired, wan. Harrison nearly collided with her.

”Oh, excuse me,” he said, sliding to the side, and gesturing into the conservatory to allow the woman to pass. It was only when she looked at him, stricken—like a ghost seeing a ghost—that he realised his error. Her clothing was vintage; a burgundy dress with sleeves past the elbows, shoulders lightly puffed, the pencil skirt just past her knees. She wore a string of pearls around her neck, pearls that she now clutched. The mistake had been made. She now knew he could see her, and she looked like a woman starved for company.

His tongue darted over parted lips, glancing furtively in Rikki’s direction. Maybe she hadn’t noticed! He tried, guiltily, to ignore the spirit who now furtively tried to clutch at his arm to keep him back.

”My ah… heaven? Did you ever see that movie with Robin Williams in it, where his heaven ended up being an oil painting? Kind of? That seemed pretty fun…” he said, distractedly. He was almost certain that was not what his heaven would look like, if it was the place that made him happiest. But that was a question he would have to think on—because he wasn’t sure he’d found it yet, the place that made him happiest.

[Rikki (DELETED 9657)]

Freelance. The was a fancy way of saying that he took jobs when they came his way, but it wasn't a guaranteed thing. It was a common term for those that did private contracting, like roofing and the like. Considering that admission, Rikki realized that she actually didn't have any knowledge of what it was that he did. She had assumed, possibly incorrectly, that it involved the church in some form or another. Churches didn't seem the kind of places to operate on freelance work, though, and so she was left wondering just what it was that occupied his time. She ran through the night thus far, searching for any particular topic that he had slipped a clue in, something to give her an idea to what it was that he might just like to do. Even something as simple as a hobby. When she came up empty-handed, her nose wrinkled and she turned to face him with every intention of remedying that lack of insight. She wanted to know more than just a scratch on the surface.

Instead of getting an answer to her question, she was granted the sight what was, seemingly, an out of place moment in which Harrison offered up his apologies and side-stepped. As thought another were coming up the stairs and attempting pass them by, and he had been blocking their path. Her eyes widened fractionally, barely enough to have noticed the reaction, before she quickly schooled her expression back into one of neutrality. Rikki had no idea what had just happened, nor was she sure that she wanted to know. The thoughts didn't immediately shift to concerns that the man was potentially...well, insane, but maybe he had simply tripped. That could have been more than plausible.

Rikki wasn't entirely sure that she believed her own story for the mishaps, but it was better than thinking something more drastic.

And as it was, Harrison was quick on his feet; he jumped right into explaining his heaven, and what he thought it might look like. An oil painting? She hadn't seen the movie he referenced, so she shook her head at the question, but was quiet all the while. Only when he was finished, and not very convincingly, she offered him a understanding smile. "You have no idea, do you?" Her accent was heavy, as it usually was when she found herself on an emotional high, and the night had proven to be as much. It was a fair question, and it was entirely possible that someone wouldn't know where they were happiest, especially if they had never felt that all encompassing peace and serenity before. Where everything just...seemed right. "Where you would be happiest, I mean. One's passions in life don't always equate to an observable place, so I assume that could make my question hard to answer." She hummed as she skipped down a few more steps, taking her only slightly ahead of the man, whose hand she didn't release in the process. "When your passion requires quite a bit of blind faith...I suppose you would need to be a little more imaginative."

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she paused and turned to her companion, her head dipping to the side so that a cascade of her curls fell from her shoulder and several strands threatened to obscure her face from view, though she made no moves to push them away. "Just now...you are alright, aren't you?" No question as to whether he was mad, no clear intent to make him uncomfortable. Just genuine concern.

[Harrison]

What would that make him, if Harrison answered in the affirmative? He didn’t know where he was happiest. For a minister who was supposed to spread good will and preach happiness to others, did that make him some kind of failure or fraud? Surely not. It just meant that he was searching for his happiness, too. And that wasn’t a bad thing. They were all on the same path, and sometimes people needed a leader. He could try to be such a man. Try, being the optimum word.

Harrison shrugged.

”I suppose I could say I believed there were clouds and golden gates and angels to await one’s arrival, but … I think that’s just a manmade construct and no one’s actually seen it. I’m not worried,” he said. Blind faith he had in spades, and he didn’t think that he needed to decide where made him happiest for his heaven to be found, when he finally kicked the bucket. There were some doubts, of course, that he’d be accepted now that he was already ‘dead’. But, again, blind faith kept him upright.

They’d reached the bottom of the stairs at this point and Harrison was pretending as if he hadn’t heard Rikki’s question. His eyes slid from her to the attendant behind the desk, who was giving them both such a beady evil eye – it was closing time, and they were in the way. They were keeping the keepers from closing and locking the doors. Rikki had been in the lead and still had hold of Harrison’s hand; Harrison’s grip tightened as he grinned, sheepishly, and nodded to the attendant as he whisked Rikki out of the building and back out onto the University grounds.

He’d been given maybe half a minute to try to figure out how to explain himself – or whether to even try. What Rikki had exhibited was concern, nothing more. He could just say yes, he was perfectly fine. But what then? He’d slip up, she’d forever be questioning whether he was, in fact, okay. Better to rip off the band-aid, he thought. That single thought – better not to drag things out only for them to cause issues later.

”Okay,” he said, stopping there beneath a streetlight.

”So. I’m sure you know there’s something different about Harper Rock, right? And it’s not even… it’s not even just Harper Rock. It’s just stronger here,” he said with a frown. How had he only just recognised that? Yes, he’d seen ghosts and spirits before but in Harper Rock, there were more of them. They were stronger – so strong that he thought they were real, whereas in Scotland they’d actually looked… spectral. He shook his head.

”I can tell you what just happened and you’re probably going to think I’m coocoo…” he said. His grip on Rikki’s hand had loosened, ready for her to break contact should she wish to. A glance sideways assured Harrison of their location – there was the quad, and benches where they could sit. He gestured to the bench, now. Did she want to sit with him for a second, while he explained?

[Rikki (DELETED 9657)]

The lack of an answer to her question was deafening. There had been only silence when she’d asked, no reason for Harrison not to have heard her, unless he simply hadn’t been paying attention. While she didn’t know him particularly well, that just didn’t seem like something he would do. That left only the conclusion that he was purposely avoiding it, choosing not to answer in either direction. It was entirely possible that it was simply something the man didn’t feel comfortable sharing, out of shame or fear. Either way, she didn’t press the issue, because that simply wasn’t her place. Rikki knew that if he wanted to tell her, then he would, and pressuring him would only serve to make whatever reason he had seem more logical. Maybe, in time, he would comfortable enough to open up to her, but they had only just met. How could she expect him to spill all of his secrets for her? Assuming there was even one to tell.

As they passed the employee at the desk on their way out, Rikki lifted her hand in a little wave, unphased by the look of pure evil they were receiving at preventing them from locking the doors on time. They would just have to get used to that once she got that pass in hand, because she would likely never leave before close, and the sooner they became familiar with her face, the better off everyone would be. There were brochures on the counter that she considered grabbing, but Harrison had suddenly picked up his pace, and with her hand still in his, she could only do her best to keep up. Worry krept up on her, afraid that she might have crossed some unknown line, and he was simply eager to get away. It might have been an irrational conclusion to jump to, but she had been subject to catastrophic thinking quite a bit, lately. The University grounds were all but deserted at this time of night, and it left them eerily quiet, and that did little to calm her anxiety. Frankly, she had no idea where she was, and if he left now…

They had walked in silence for only a minute or so, but it felt like longer, when Harrison came to a sudden halt underneath a street light. Very nearly crashing into him from trailing just a step behind him, Rikki turned to face him, half expecting this to the point he bid her goodnight and was off. Except that wasn’t at all where the conversation went. His question left her staring, but her thoughts were racing a mile a minute. Something different? It had only been three days, what was it that she was supposed to notice? Except...it wasn’t so much people, places, or things that she had noticed about Harper Rock when she had arrived, rather than a feeling. As soon as her feet had touched down on the sidewalk, it was like an energy was sucked out of her by such an oppressive atmosphere. The sense of...wrongness that existed on the streets, like everything she saw was a sort of...facade for something darker, deeper.

She had merely chalked it up to her own emotional distress, at the time, but now that he said something...maybe that wasn’t entirely the case.

Harrison’s grip significantly loosened as he offered to tell her the truth, his insecurity in regards to the knowledge evident. ‘Insecurity’ may not have even been the right word, but it was obvious he was uncertain of her reaction, and that somehow soothed away some of the anxiety that had gripped at her. ”Well…” she began, glancing around the quad in indecision. ”It is getting pretty late, and I should probably be heading back.” The words left her mouth and she realized how they must sound. Like a denial. A refusal to hear him out, possibly thinking he was crazy. Choosing to prevent that line of thought, she stepped around so that she stood facing him directly, ”That being said, I would like to know what happened. So, if you wouldn’t mind telling me on the way to a bus stop or transit station...then I’d like to hear you out.”

Rikki paused, briefly, her lips pursing in consideration. What if he didn't want to discuss it where just about anyone could overhear? "Or, perhaps a rain check, if that's better? I would love to see you, again. We could...meet up, or...something..." she continued, trailing off at the end as a pale pink tint rose to her cheeks. To her own ears, that sounded like a middle schooler's first attempts at asking out a boy she liked. That was a good impression, truly.

[Harrison]

Harrison’s features did indeed fall, like a rupture beneath the surface had caused a landslide. He’d suggested that they could sit and, rather than accept the invitation Rikki had instead decided that it was late, and that she would prefer to go home. Why shouldn’t she? Despite the night they’d had and the good conversation they’d shared, hadn’t he just admitted to her that he could be a little coocoo? It was late, as she had said; she was alone with him, and the streets around them were not crowded. Perhaps she’d prefer to move, if only so that there’d be witnesses, should anything happen to her.

Harrison was more than ready to bow out and accept his fate. He’d slipped up, as he was prone to do. The job that he had given himself was not conducive to sane relationships. A second was taken to school his features, to pick up the fallen pieces so that he could smile and nod and say goodnight.

Except that Rikki didn’t say goodnight.

Rather than needing to smile out of politeness, Harrison was instead able to smile out of genuine happiness. Of course it was late! It wasn’t an excuse. Just because Harrison was a vampire who stayed up all night because otherwise he’d never do anything, didn’t mean that Rikki was a night owl who’d stay up until dawn with him. He should have expected that. And anyway, if they’d made it to dawn he’d have been hot-footing it to some underground hidey hole like Cinderella running from the prince at the stroke of midnight. Except his riches wouldn’t turn to rags. Instead, his skin would turn to ash. Not a pretty sight for anyone involved.

”Of course!” he said, a little too hastily. He repeated, again, a little slower this time. ”Of course. I’ll walk you to where you need to be because I’m a gentleman. The story can uh… wait, until we’re sitting down and have some more time on our hands,” he added. He wasn’t about to let Rikki walk home on her own. How many spirits had he talked to of men and women who’d thought they’d be quite alright getting from A to B on their own? Every time Harrison saw someone on their own, heads ducked and hands tucked into their pockets, he wanted to go up and shake them by the shoulders and tell them they were utter fools. He didn’t, of course. That would be taking things a little too far.

Sometimes he followed, just for a little while, just to make sure they made it to their destination.

”When do you want to meet? Where? I’m easy,” Harrison said, already stepping off the curb to lead them out of the University grounds and toward the nearest transit. He was happy to wait until another time to tell Rikki the story. At least, then, he’d see her at least one more time. It was as good an excuse as any.

[Rikki (DELETED 9657)]

It seemed like Harrison’s reply was out of his mouth before the question was even fully formed from her own. Nothing could have dimmed the light that seemed to dance in her eyes at how quickly he agreed, even as he repeated it in an attempt to appear a little less eager. Then, there was the fact that he had also just offered to walk her to the transit, a means to ensure she was safe in the darkness of the city streets. That was a benefit on its own, considering that she had very little idea where the nearest transit was. But it was was his prolonged company, even if it were only for a few minutes, that locked the smile onto her face. That hold on his hand that has gone slack before tightened as she offered a reassuring squeeze once he stepped off the curb, guiding them to...wherever. At that point, Rikki couldn’t have cared less where that was, so long as Harrison kept talking.

There was a nagging voice in the back of her mind, though, reminding her that her feelings were all over the place. That she had only just met this guy, on the street, and that she knew very little about him. That she had been set to marry another man, was still wearing his ring. She refused to think of it as some kind of rebound for her broken heart, though, because she had never been quite so excited just to see someone, again.

Rikki hummed at his question, a hand raising to tap at her chin as if she were deeply considering the answer she could provide. Truth was, she desperately wanted to know what it was that had happened back there. She was a stickler for mysteries and puzzles, forever set in the logical, and she wanted to know what he was about. So, why wait longer than necessary? ”Well, it’s not like I have a job to worry about right now. I’m still too new to the city to have any plans to work around. I guess that leaves me pretty open…” she mused with a sidelong glance in his direction. Harrison claimed he was “easy” when it came to making plans, but that wasn’t necessarily the truth when he had been here for a bit longer than she had. Besides, it would have been pretty presumptuous to assume he’d want to see her again sooner, rather than later.

And the thing was, the transit wasn’t all that far from the school. In what seemed like only a few minutes, they were close enough that Harrison wouldn’t have had to take her any further, but she didn’t point as much out to him. If he had made no moves to leave, then she wasn’t about to try and make him. ”I’m sure I could find my way back to the church or observatory, but I make no promises for any other location but my own home away from home. What if...I just gave you my phone number, and we can work out the details when you give me a call?” A hopeful smile and both eyebrows rose, as if she could ask the question in glance, alone. So, maybe he hadn’t asked for her number and maybe he never planned to. And sure, he could still turn it down, but she really hoped he wouldn’t.

Without any kind of warning, she leaned forward until her lips pressed gently against his cheek. It lacked warmth, but succeeded in setting a few sparklers off in her head with small flashes of light in her mind’s eye. How cliche is that? she thought to herself, even as she backed away with a grin. ”I know I said it already, but thank you. For going out of way to bring me to the what will likely be my favorite place in whole city. For giving me something to look forward to.” And she did not elaborate on what that was; the observatory or the chance to see him, again.

[Harrison]

”Alright, and I’ll text you. So you know mine,” he said, already reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. If there were rules about this kind of thing, about interacting with women, Harrison didn’t know them. Even if he knew them, he probably wouldn’t adhere to them. Why should he? There were probably rules about how long one should wait before contacting someone again, so as not to appear too eager or too forward. So as to play hard-to-get, to keep them strung up and waiting. But what was the point in that? If someone was interested, they were interested, and they would remain on a string regardless of how long they had to wait to see the other person again.

But even as he waited for Rikki to put her number into his phone, Harrison was shrugging.

”Or we could just agree to meet tomorrow night at the church, again. And we can go from there,” he said. If she knew how to get to the church, then it was the easiest plan. There was no reason to pussy foot around. Not that Harrison was looking forward to telling Rikki all about his eccentricities. Given he’d often lose friends or be mercilessly teased for being a freak when he was younger when he told people about his ‘gift’, he was reluctant to ever do it again. He liked Rikki, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think he was an insane person who needed to be committed. But it was better to rip of the band-aid, so to speak. Better to get it over and done with. No point wasting time getting to know her, to develop further feelings for her, if she was just going to refuse to ever see him again once she found out. And it wouldn’t be fair on her, either.

”If that’s not too soon? I—“ honesty above all else, Harrison. Stick to your morals… ”—I mean, it’s a good idea, I think, to… maybe I can text you with it, later. Actually. And then you can decide whether you want to meet up again. It’ll be completely up to you,” he said. At this juncture, if Harrison had a beating heart and a working circulatory system, he might have flushed. The gift that he had shouldn’t be one that he should be ashamed of, but in this instance, he was. He didn’t want it to come between him and a possible new friendship with this woman who seemed filled to the brim with light and optimism. There weren’t many people like that in the world, these days—people with infectious happiness.

Or you could tell her right now, he told himself. But suddenly the idea of texting, of not having to do it face to face, was sounding more appealing. Then he wouldn’t have to see the look on her face—or the way she might try to school her features to keep from offending him.

He pushed his fingers through his hair and nodded, smiling, breathing out. Yes, that was the best way to go about it.