“Just watch.” Gabe moved closer to me, so he was nearly standing behind me, and I felt his hand on my waist, hot through the sheer fabric.
I scanned the darkening sky with no idea what I should be on the lookout for, and I was about to ask him again when I saw something. A small flash of purple—like a neon lavender—floating a few feet above the water.
It only lasted a second, so I couldn’t even be sure that I saw anything. Then it happened again, several feet away from the first one. Slowly, it began to build up—both in number and frequency—until the sky was dotted with several dozen flashing purple lights.
“What is it?” I asked breathlessly.
“Purple fireflies.” Gabe’s voice was low in my ear, and I could hear his smile. “Caudry is the only place in the whole world that has them.”
I pulled my head back so I could look up at him. “Really?”
“Really,” he said, so I turned my attention back to the glowing fireflies. “Back in the fifties, some scientists came to figure out why they were purple. They never did find out exactly why, but they eventually decided it had something to do with what the fireflies ate here.
“My uncle Beau always said it was the water,” Gabe finished.
He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me to him, and I leaned into him. He felt so strong and warm and wonderful, and his lips brushed against my neck, softly but deliciously, and the heat surged through me like an electric current.
Behind me, the Cure sang about a night like this, and in front of me, the sky was filled with dancing fireflies. The moment felt so perfect and magical, I wished it would never end.
26. freak
The bulbs above the marquee flickered every few seconds, but the names of the movies playing in the tiny theater were still visible: Some Kind of Wonderful, Lethal Weapon, and Evil Dead II.
“Lady’s choice,” Gabe said, motioning up to the marquee.
We’d hung out at the bridge for a little while, talking and watching the fireflies, before heading back to eat supper. Gabe suggested the diner that had the best crawfish in the state, and they really were the best crawfish I’d ever had.
Since there wasn’t much else to do in Caudry, we headed over to the movie theater. It had been ages since I’d seen a movie in theaters. Usually I just watched whatever Luka or Hutch had on the VCR in their motorhome.
“What are you in the mood for?” I asked. “Romance? Action? Campy horror?”
He moved closer to me, looping his long fingers through mine, and although I should’ve been used to it by now, the heat of his skin surprised me. He’d ditched the leather jacket tonight, but he still had to be at least ten degrees warmer than me.
“Since I am on a date with you, I would say that I’m definitely in the mood for romance,” Gabe said with his usual sly grin.
I stared up into his eyes—they were the color of burnt caramel, and so big and bright despite the darkness of the street. They still had a glimmer, a glint of something wicked, but tonight I could see something else lurking behind them, something that looked like hunger.
I’d felt it inside the museum trailer last night, when his kisses had felt ravenous.
“What’s your secret?” I asked suddenly.
His smile instantly fell. “What?”
“Before, we promised to tell each other our secrets, but you already know mine.”
He looked away from me, and though he kept his hand around mine, he stepped back, putting distance between us. “We agreed on the fifth date, but this is only, like, our third date.”
“Fourth,” I corrected him.
“Right.” He smiled but it was weak and didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Next time, then.”
I opened my mouth to argue that there wasn’t a point in waiting another day, and it didn’t exactly seem fair that he’d already found out that I was with the carnival. But before I could get anything out, a horn blasted loudly on the street beside us.
A Mercedes pulled in sharply, parking at a ridiculous angle beside Gabe’s car on the street right in front of us. The windows were rolled up, but I could hear Guns N’ Roses thumping through the car stereo.
“Shit.” Gabe cursed softly under his breath.
The passenger-side door opened, and Troy Gendry hopped out. His blond hair was slicked back, and when he flashed us a toothy smile it made his beady eyes appear even smaller.
“Gabey-baby!” Troy shouted as he walked over, causing Gabe to grimace.
Logan Montgomery got out of the driver’s side more slowly, carrying a can of beer in his hand. His Ray-Ban sunglasses were pushed to the top of his head, and the collar of his polo was popped.
Logan leaned up against the hood of his Mercedes. “What are y’all up to?” he asked, managing to sound entirely bored and indifferent to his own question.
“It looks like these two are on a date.” Troy grinned like a jackal. “But that can’t be right, can it?”