Please Don't Go (The Midnight Strike, #1)

by E. Salvador

My walk-out song, “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi blasts through the speaker. It was the last song Adrian listened to.

certain six-foot-five guy with a golden smile changed my mind.

Everything comes to an abrupt halt. My thoughts, my legs, the ugly whirl of emotions just stops. An explosion of yellow. A variety of yellow flowers with the exception of a few whites scattered here and there litter my kitchen and living room.

My voice dwindles as I finally spot the envelope. The front says, Happy Valentine’s Day. Carefully I take out the card, and my breath catches in my throat. The front of the card has one smiling piece of toast and it says, I Knead You To Know… And the inside of the card has two pieces of toast, holding hands. One has what looks like strawberry jelly and the other I think has grape jelly and it reads, You’re the best toast mate ever! On the bottom, he wrote, I’m happy you’re here, Jos!

His lips stretch as his gaze darts to mine, but then his brows knit together as if he’s registered what I said. “I didn’t do this because I expect something from you. I did this because I wanted to. It’s Valentine’s Day and well, what can I say, I love a good holiday.” “Did you accidentally get everyone dozens of flowers too?” “Just my toast mate.”

“I don’t think you’re socially awkward.” “You met me at my worst, so I don’t think you have a clear judgment of who I am.” She folds her arms against her chest as if she were self-conscious. “But I’m done sharing; it’s your turn.”

You don’t keep up with it, do you?” She shakes her head. “That or anything else, but I did watch something kind of cool today. It involved a bat and a baseball player who’s about six five.” My lips stretch of their own accord. There’s nothing fake about this. “You watched me play?” “I did.” She rocks on her heels. “You’re kind of good.”

“Yes, it’s crazy and traumatizing. There’s also this bridge scene and—I’m going to shut up. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Matter of fact, tonight, don’t make any plans, and if you have them, cancel them.” She lifts a brow in astonishment. “Got any other demands?” “None as of now, but I’ll keep you updated if anything comes to mind,”

“So, you, me, the couch. It’s a date.” I hear the hitch in her breath and catch the way her chest rapidly expands for a second before it falls. “We live together. It doesn’t need to be a date.” “It’s Valentine’s Day. Humor me, Jos,” I playfully supply.

“You’ve been dreaming of me?” I inhale deeply when I feel his fingers loosen on my waist and brush over the curve of my hip. He exhales a heavy breath as he nods. “Every night.”

“Did you watch me play?” he asks, voice hopeful and keen, like my answer will determine something for him. I just don’t know what. “There was nothing else to watch, so yeah, I watched the game.” He chuckles, his warm breath fanning my neck, making me shiver. “But did you watch me?” “Do you mean, were my eyes solely on number six the entire two and a half hours? The player everyone calls Sparky? Did I happen to see the multiple double plays, the home run, and hear the commentators get hard-ons from watching him play?”

“That number six is something else, huh?” “Yeah, I guess. A little cocky if you ask me.” “But hot right?” A laugh tickles my throat. “I guess…” “You guess?” He looks appalled. “I mean if you take into account the other guys on the team…he falls somewhere under…”

I lean forward, my lips to his ear. “I couldn’t focus on anyone else when my attention was only on number six.” “Lucky guy,” he pridefully states, pulling back so he can look at me. I should let go. I need to let go. But my brain won’t connect with whatever it is that sends the signals to get the rest of my body to work. I stay rooted in my spot, my arms still around his neck, fingers twined through his thick, soft locks. “So what are you doing here?” I ask. “Celebrating with you, of course.”

“You realize we’re standing on the staircase. Pretty positive this doesn’t count as celebrating.” “It is as long as you’re spending it with the person you want to be with.” He stares at me so endearingly, it makes my skin itch again. “How we celebrate doesn’t matter, as long as I get to be with you.” My heart manically races. “How do you want to celebrate it then?” “Can I hold you?” His question throws me off. “I think you’re already doing that.” “No, I mean, can we watch a movie or something and you let me hold you?” he firmly asks, but the question doesn’t sound demanding. It sounds like a plea.

“I…I get weird and I move and you’ll get annoyed and things will get weird. Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.” “Can I be the judge of that?” His face dims like he already knows that I’m going to say no. I want to say that but maybe being held by him won’t be the worst thing in the world. It doesn’t have to mean anything. “Okay.” “Yeah?” he asks, voice bordering on zealous.

I smile at that. “If that’s what you really want.” “I really do.” A few minutes later after he’s placed a pizza order, he’s sitting on the couch and I’m trying to figure out which is the best way to settle next to him.

A laugh bursts out of him. “Don’t overthink it. Come here.”

I must be dead because guys like him don’t exist.

“You’re safe, Josefine. I promise.” I twist my head to look up at him. “I know.”

He stares at me like I’m his most prized possession—something delicate, something important to him. And I hate that because I’m not special, yet he makes me feel like I am.

I couldn’t decide which yellow flower to get, so I got one of each. Although I didn’t mean to get two dozen of each, but it was the best mistake of my life. Whenever we’re in the kitchen or living room, I’ll catch Josie smiling as she’s looking at them. She’s even taken a few to her room. And she’s been diligently replacing their water, so they still look good for it being two weeks since I gave them to her.

“For me?” I take the white, square envelope and when I flip it around, I realize it’s a CD sleeve and there’s one in it. Danny’s Holy Grail of Happiness, is scribbled on with a green marker, I can only assume is Sharpie. “You burned me a disc?” He grabs both ends of the towel, nodding. “Something told me you’ve never had the privilege of downloading music illegally. I figured I’d bless you with a CD.

“I’m—okay, but just know you’ve been warned. Don’t get mad at me when I get mad at you.” He chuckles again. “I could never get mad at you.”

“You’re going to have to hold the cord just like this.” I show her how to hold the earbuds cord to the portable CD player. “Or the music will sound scratchy.” “Daniel…” She presses her lips together, amused eyes locked on my fingers twisting the cord. “Don’t you dare laugh.” Her chin quivers. “Josie, don’t.” Her nose twitches. “Josefine.” She rubs her nose, but I still hear the snicker she attempts to stifle.

“Your CD player privileges have been revoked.” I try to keep a serious face but she’s laughing and smiling. She sounds so pretty, so free, so her, I bask in the sound of it, forgetting for a moment what we were talking about.

Josie: Please don’t embarrass me out there. I’m not going to waste two and a half hours sitting on the couch to watch you lose

Josie: Go get ‘em, Cap! I can hear the snark, dry sarcasm in her voice and see the heat in her eyes. I shake my head, wiping a palm over my face to cover my grin. “What’s got you smiling so big?” Angel asks, standing next to me once he’s finished getting ready. “Nothing. Nothing at all,” I answer.

“Forget fast, you were being a cocky little shit out there. Smirking and shit.” Angel laughs as he undresses himself. “I don’t ever think I’ve seen you celebrate like that. And why were you pointing at your eyes like that?” I was sending a message to Josie, eyes on me.

“I’m so happy you’re here, Josie.” I caress her cheek. “I’m so happy you’re here, Garcia,”

“What?” I self-consciously drop my gaze. I’m still in his baseball practice T-shirt. I was going to take it off, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. It smells like him and fits me loosely. It’s nice considering clothes don’t usually fit me like this because I’m tall.

“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie blasts from the speakers of the stereo. Daniel bobs his head as he dances his way over to me. I bite the inside of my cheek, forcing the laugh that threatens to escape as he goofily moves and sings. He sounds horrible, his voice cracks every few notes, and he burns himself twice, but that doesn’t deter him from using the spatula as a microphone.

By the time the song ends, small bubbles of laughter slip past my lips and I’m clapping. “Please, I’ll pay you to not do that again.” He gasps. “I thought I sounded pretty good.” “Baby goats sound better.” “That’s hater behavior.” “No, it’s called honesty.” “Hater,” he coughs into his hand. I snort. “You’re so lame.”

“Hell yeah, it is.” He peers over his shoulder at me and shoots me a wink. I roll my eyes, but my face burns again.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, I really don’t. I have nothing but an abundance of respect for you, but Josie is worth it. Consequences be damned.”

“Would you kindly disregard it if this was your daughter?” I know I just crossed a line, but I need him to understand how serious this is for me. Josie isn’t just some girl, she’s my girl. “If someone was calling her names, talking shit about her that wasn’t true?”

“You realize I’m no model and we don’t live in a penthouse?” My priorities have changed. I don’t want any of those things. I want you. I need you,

“My priorities have changed,” I manage to say. “I don’t want that.” “What do you want then?” Her gaze holds mine and her hand tightens around me. You. “Let’s make a deal.” Her lips quirk. “Okay?” “If we’re not married by the time we’re thirty, we’ll get married. And we’ll have four babies like we talked about.” Josie blinks, taken aback. “You want to marry me? Why?” she asks like the thought seems unfathomable, something she’s not entirely processing. “Because I see a life with you,” I say because I don’t want to lie. I don’t want to pretend like I haven’t thought about it. “Because you make sense. Because you make me happy and I hope I make you happy.”

“You make me happy.” She voices shyly, twisting her ring. “And you have a lot of great qualities I’d be dumb to turn down.” I chuckle softly, acting nonchalant about her response and not the way my brain is jumping with happiness. “I do, don’t I?” “But I don’t. You might want to rethink your deal.” I quickly shake my head. “There’s nothing to think about. Josefine, I like you as you are. You’re smart and a smart-ass.” She glares but smiles a little bigger at that. “You’re resilient. Strong. A fighter. You. You have a lot of great qualities. Don’t ever let anyone believe you don’t because you do.” I pause, really imagining Josie being my wife. Mine forever. Whoa.

A beat later, he looks down at me and his face softens a fraction. “No, I miss you? No, congratulations? I’ve been gone for four days, Josie, and that’s the first thing you say to me?”

“Did you miss me?” I hear the smile in his voice. That shuts every loud thought in my head, focusing on three words. “All the time,” I awkwardly admit. “But I don’t want you to think I’m going to start being clingy. I promise I’m not. You were gone for a while, and it was weird not having you around, so don’t think too much into it. I missed you, but it’s not a big deal, so don’t make it one.” I look away, hating how my entire body burns at my admittance. He hooks a finger underneath my chin and tilts my head back, forcing me to look up at him. “You’re a big deal to me,

“Happy?” “Always with you.” He eliminates the tiny space between our lips and kisses me hard.

She’s not frowning but she has a cute little pout. “You say I’m stubborn, but you should look in the mirror. You’re worse.” I’m smiling again. “For you, I’ll be whatever.”

Screw the space, I take her into my arms. “That’s not going to happen. We’ll take things slow, we don’t have to label this, share beds, or change anything. We’ll take it day by day.” She wraps tentative arms around me. “Okay but…sharing beds wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” I draw back, looking down at her. “I want that as long as you want it.” “I do,” she abashedly admits. I smile at her. “I’m strictly yours like I hope you’re strictly mine.” My heart thrashes, liking the sound of that.

And now, even though there’s no label to what we are, she’s my girl, mine, and I intend to keep it that way forever.

“Here’s the thing, and listen to me closely…” I cup her jaw with both hands, staring at her red, tear-filled eyes. “When I said I like you, I didn’t say that for the hell of it. When I said I like you, I meant I like every version of you. That includes all the moments whether they’re good or bad. That means all your little expressions, all your dry snarky comments, all your smiles, laughs, and everything that comes from you. I like it all, Josefine.

“I’ll give you a moment. Take your time. I have forever.”

smiles on their faces. When I finally look at what he wrote on the ball, I laugh, garnering looks from Pen and her parents, but I don’t look at them. I look up at my boyfriend, who’s already looking at me. Eyes on me

“You know I love a good holiday.” He sets the gift bag on the sectional, drops his duffle on the floor, and stands in front of me. “Holiday? I don’t think there’s a holiday today.” “It’s Josie said I’m Her Boyfriend Day. This is one the biggest holidays of them all. So naturally I had to get my girlfriend these.”

“You’re so…” The rest of my words get caught when I open the bag and find a bunch of picture frames. They’re all different sizes and colors. Some look vintage, while others look retro or rustic. “What’s this?” “I wasn’t sure which style you’d like the best so I got a little bit of everything. I was thinking we could put them around the house, fill them up with pictures of us, but it doesn’t have to be us; it can be anything you want. You’ve let me put my things around and I think it’s time you start doing that too.”

And underneath that it reads, I’m so happy you’re here, Jos.