Somewhere Between Black and White by Rosa Sophia, Shelly Hickman

worry too much!”
    “I know,”
she replied sheepishly, folding her arms across her chest. “My sister says that
all the time.”
    His hand
wandered to the back of her neck, and goose bumps prickled her arms at his
unexpected touch.
    “She’s
right,” he said softly. “Stop worrying so much, and stop worrying about what
other people would think. Everyone’s got their own tolerances, their own style,
and the way I hear kids talk about your class, I think you’re doing just fine.”
    She felt
kind of ridiculous, and hoped he didn’t think she had been fishing for
compliments. “Thanks.”
    “So,” he
continued. “I’m going to kiss you now. Just thought I’d warn you. I don’t want
you to get freaked out like the last time.”
    Sophie’s
eyes widened. “Okay.”
    “You have
pretty blue eyes, you know that?” The brush of his thumb tickled the skin just
below her ear.
    When she
emptied her mind of all else, it was as if they shared a secret, except Sophie
wasn’t sure what the secret was. The moon cast its brilliance, giving Sam’s
crisp white shirt a kind of glow as Sophie mindlessly fooled with his pocket.
Abby whimpered softly and tried to nudge her way in between them as Sam leaned
in. His lips were warm on hers, his kiss more amorous than the first. No
visions this time, no daydreams. Just the simple bliss of being the object of
his affection.

 
    Nine
    “I am so looking forward to relaxing
this weekend,” Evelyn said as she carried her shopping bags. “Even if we are
staying in town.”
    “Christian will be beside himself when
he sees you in that dress,” Sophie raved. 
    Evie lifted her shoulders in girlish
excitement, grinning with anticipation. It had been quite some time since she
and Christian shared a romantic weekend. They would celebrate their anniversary
at the Paris Hotel.
    “I have to hand it to you two.” Sophie sipped
her frappuccino. “Thirteen years is definitely an accomplishment these days.”
They strolled through the mall; they had planned the day so Sophie could help
her shop for the occasion.
    “Tell me all about your new man,” Evie
prompted.
    Sophie’s face brightened. “I like him. A
lot.”
    “Really! So when do I get to meet this
lucky guy?”
    “I don’t know.” Sophie sighed. “New
boyfriends are almost always great in the beginning. I’m kinda waiting to find
out if he’s going to stay that way. God, I hope so. ‘Cause it’s really gonna
suck if it doesn’t work out and I have to see him at work every day.”
    Evie glanced into the entrance of an art
gallery then slowed to a stop when something caught her attention. Sophie must
not have noticed that she’d come to a halt because she ran into Evie, jabbing
herself in the face with her straw.
    Christian was inside, speaking with an
extremely attractive woman with long red hair and porcelain skin. Evie stared,
trying to make sense out of what she was seeing. Maybe it was some sort of
professional exchange relating to Christian’s work, but it certainly didn’t seem
that way. The woman was laughing flirtatiously, and Christian was standing
very, very close to her as they spoke. Evie felt sick. She shifted her eyes
toward Sophie to see if she witnessed it, too. Sophie was gazing into the
gallery, her attention locked on them. Evie peeked back in time to see
Christian put his hand on the woman’s elbow, then lean in and say something in
her ear.
    Evie started walking at a wicked pace,
escaping the scene as quickly as she could.
    “Evie!” Sophie called.
    She ignored her sister and marched in
the direction of the parking garage, when Sophie caught up to her.
    “Evie, go talk to him!”
    “And what exactly am I supposed to say?”
    “Maybe you’re jumping to conclusions.
That may have been something completely innocent.”
    “Sophie, don’t patronize me. Please.” 
She knew Sophie was only defending him for her sake, because she didn’t want to
see her hurt. The only reason Sophie was doing an