“I look as sweet as pie?” I laugh. “Damn. I sound pretty delicious.”

He picks the leaves out of his hair and smiles his goofy smile. “You are, baby. You’ve got the sweetest pussy in all of Detroit.”

I blush and help him up. “What about San Francisco?” I ask him.

“You’re the second sweetest in San Francisco. There’s a woman named Kayla who’s sweeter,” he smiles, clearly joking with me. He kisses my cheek and I playfully slap his arm.

“Damn you, Hunter,” I laugh. “What are you doing outside my house anyway? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Sort of,” he sighs, looking around. The coast is clear for now. In fact, the neighborhood is oddly dead. Still, I walk him around to the side door and we go in quickly.

“I wanted to have a good day with you,” he says. “It’s almost time for you to go home and I’m going to honor that. For now, I want to take you somewhere.”

“Where?” I smile. He’s been so damn sweet lately. When he mentions me going home, that sinking feeling appears in my stomach, as if I’m going to be sick. The thought of leaving him is not something I want to think about now. However, I have to face the facts. I have to go back home.

Maybe, I think to myself, he can come with. Maybe I can sneak him in my trunk. They’ll never think to look on the west coast for him. As for a job, he can find something temporary that works. I could eventually earn double what he could ever make. I could be the breadwinning lawyer. It’s not a pipe dream, right? It’s doable.

“The old drive-in theater,” he says. “You know the one?”

“That place? I haven’t been there since I was a kid,” I say. “It’s not running anymore, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” he smiles. “I thought we could hang out there tonight.”

“That sounds fun. Alright, I’m in,” I tell him. Any excuse to be with Hunter tonight is a good one. I’m feeling very connected to him lately. So connected that I’m starting to doubt I can get on without him. I mean, is it that weird that I’ve fallen for him? My heart pounds at the thought of feeling his warmth every day. I gulp down and say “Come back here at seven? I have to help my dad clean up the scraps in the yard.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he kisses me on the cheek and squeezes my hand. “See you then.”

* * *

The hours pass and the sun shines overhead. Dad throws his arm around my shoulder. “It’s a small job. Won’t take more than a few hours.”

“I don’t mind,” I say. “It’s my last day. I don’t have any plans until tonight.”

He gives me the rake and I start collecting the twigs and any other loose rubbish. “Are you going out with Teresa tonight?” he asks. “That could be fun, but I want you to be careful. Things are weird in this city now. I think Ricky’s made a lot of enemies and, well, you know how these people are. You never know when another one of these goons tries to prove himself by hurting one of Ricky’s relatives.”

“I’ll be fine, Dad,” I smile, trying to put him at ease. He’s always been so worried about my safety here. It’s for good reason, obviously. Being with Hunter makes me more of a target than ever. It doesn’t scare me, though. He could take out a whole gang of people. He’s my man.

Wait, did I really just say that? Did I really just call him “my man?” It’s getting serious, I guess. My need for him is growing. Fuck it. Why am I denying myself that feeling? I have to give in to it. I want to scream it to everyone I see. I want to tell my dad that I’ve found the love of my life and that we’re moving in together. I don’t care how crazy I sound. It’s how I feel, dammit.

“Just be careful is all I’m saying,” he smiles gently.

“It’s good, now that Giovanni is back, right?” I ask him, turning the twigs and leaves into a small pile. He sets his ladder against the roof and climbs up to collect whatever debris has gotten into the drain.

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” he sighs, clearly stressed about it. “But he keeps leaving in the middle of the night. Where the hell is that man going off to? I have half a mind to kick him out of the house.”

“I hope he’ll realize how stupid he’s being. I hope he’ll grow up,” I say. My dad doesn’t respond and I realize I’ve struck a chord.

After a few minutes of working, he turns to me. “Who were you talking to this morning?”

I smile and feel the butterflies flapping away against my stomach. I feel so happy when I think about Hunter that it kind of makes me sick. “No one,” I laugh.

He stops working and smiles back. “A boy?”

“A man,” I say. “No one important.”

“I knew it,” he shakes his head. “I knew you’ve fallen for someone out here. What’s his name?”

Oh God, my dad is behaving like I’m in high school or something. Do I really have to give out every detail of my personal life? I can only imagine his expression if I said his name aloud. Yes, dad, I’m dating a well-known killer and gangster. Oh and I’m fantasizing about running away with him! No, thanks.

“Come on, dad,” I sigh. “He’s just some guy. A summer fling. It’s nothing serious. I’ve got school to think about.”

“You know, you could always transfer and take classes out here,” he says. “Think how great that would be. We could be a family again.”

“We’re a family now though,” I laugh. “You act as if me going off to college is my death sentence.”

“No, it’s not like that,” he sighs. “It’s just that I miss my daughter. I miss how it used to be is all. I’ll get over it.”

“Dad…” I choke up. It’s hard to hear these kinds of things from the person who gave me everything. He raised me and now he’s slowly ending up alone. It’s no wonder he won’t kick Giovanni out of the house. If he did, the place would be empty and desolate.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” he laughs. “I’m glad you’re getting an education. Maybe someday I’ll move out to the other coast. It seems nice.”

“You still haven’t visited,” I tell him. “It’s nicer than you think. If you come down, we could go to the harbor, see the old ruins on the beach, and go shopping in the Mission District. I really want you to come sometime, Dad.”

“That would be nice.” His eyes light up, happy to look forward to something. “It would be like old times.”

“But better.” I smile, hoping the thought can comfort him for a while. I’m not sure my dad has ever left Detroit. It’s crazy to think about. How could you not? But deep down he’s a stubborn man who sticks to what he knows. I don’t blame him. It’s just how he was raised.

We spend the next hour cleaning up the yard and putting the scraps in big black trash bags. I miss the weather out here, even if the summers are much hotter than the bay. I especially miss coming out here in the fall, when the leaves on the trees are full of color and ready to fall. I used to love jumping in the piles as a little girl. That was a different time, back when things were a little more innocent.

When it comes near the time to go out, I get ready as quick as I can. In my suitcase is a white dress, something I always save for special occasions. It hugs my form tight and it’s a bit of a squeeze to get in, but when I do, I feel sexy as hell. Just a little eyeliner and lipstick, and I’m practically ready to go. My long brown hair doesn’t take too much, as the curls are all natural. I smile into the mirror and jut out my hips. “Hey there, fella.” I wink, feeling goofy. I’m mainly just excited to go out with Hunter. From the sound of it, we’re going to have a perfect night.

Around seven, I hear a short knock on my window. I run to the sliding glass and open it up. “I’m so excited!” I whisper.

“You look incredible.” He smiles and helps me out of the window. “I’m going to miss sneaking you out all of the time.”

“It’s like we’re in high school,” I laugh. The truth is, I don’t want to think about him not sneaking me out all of the time. I don’t want this to end. Not yet, at least. He makes me feel real. He makes me feel, oddly enough, free.

“In high school, I was too busy robbing convenience stores and hanging in back alleys,” he chuckles. “But I get your point.”

Outside, there’s a cab waiting and he leads me inside like a gentleman. The cab already knows where to go. I guess he already arranged this. Considering what he has to his name, this is above and beyond. It takes about fifteen minutes to get there, but the whole way, he’s got his hands up my dress.

When the cab stops, Hunter leans over the front seat. “Hey, thanks for the ride, but I’m going to need you to get lost for a few hours. Sound good?” He has a hundred-dollar bill in his hand, but the cab driver looks skeptical.

“No can do, pal,” he shakes his head. “I ain’t going to let you sit in this cab without me here. I could lose my job.”

“Listen,” Hunter sighs, “you are going to let me sit in this cab without you because I’m going to pay you a pretty penny to do it. Got it?”

“I don’t know—” the driver starts, but when Hunter pulls out five of those bills, he quits talking fast. “Fine, but I’m taking the damn keys.”

“Fine by me,” Hunter laughs. “Don’t worry. We’ll be good. We won’t mess up your car.”

The guy steps out of the car and looks confused by us. “You know this place is defunct, right?”

“Buddy, we know,” I say.

“Pfft.” The cabbie walks away, shaking his head as if we’re crazy. Maybe we are crazy, but it’s nice being in a secluded place with him.

“So,” Hunter leans over and kisses my neck. His lips purse around the skin and pull back gently. Goosebumps shoot across my body. “You ready to watch a movie or what?”

“I wish,” I laugh. “I used to love coming here when I was a kid.”

“I went a couple times. Mostly to sling drugs, but you know, I’ve got some fond memories myself,” he smiles. “I, uh, set something up for us. One second.”

Suddenly, he darts out of the car, climbs up some structure, and I can see him messing around with something. After a little while, a solid light turns on and a movie displays onto the dirty, old screen. It’s Casablanca, one of my favorites.

He runs back in the car, out of breath, and throws his arm around my shoulder. “I hope you like this one. It’s the only thing I could find.”

“You found this? How?” I ask. “It’s like my favorite movie.”

He shrugs and grabs my cheek, pulling me close to him. He kisses my lips and smiles. “I do a lot of digging. I’ve got a lot of time to spare,” he says. “So I came here and found that the equipment was here. It just needed some dusting off and voila, it works.”

“This is amazing.” I clasp my hands around his neck and pull him even close to me. “But I hope you’re okay with watching the movie out of your peripheral. Because I kind of wanted to savor the moment with you.”

“Savor the moment? Boy do I like the sound of that,” he laughs and licks his lips, gently pressing his face forward against my body. He bites on my dress and pulls the front down, over my tits. “I’ve been thinking about the other night a lot.”

“You have?” I moan, feeling his lips tickle around my nipples. My hairs stand up on my skin and I’m already on the verge of sweet ecstasy.

“I have.” He smiles, pulling my dress off. “I’ve been thinking about your supple tits.”

“Yeah?”

“And that gorgeous, plump ass of yours,” he groans, biting the side of it, and kissing.

“Mm…” I moan.

“And those beautiful, pink lips I love so much,” he smiles and circles his tongue around them.

“Fuck,” I bite my lip and close my eyes.

His tongue folds onto my pussy and he immediately begins sucking. I arch my back and throw my legs around his shoulders. “Well, I missed this mouth of yours,” I tell him between sharp breaths.

I reach my hand down and feel his hard cock press against his pants. I unzip it and it falls out. “I’m not wearing any underwear. I came prepared,” he says, inserting three solid fingers inside of me. He curls them up and makes a ‘come hither’ type of motion that drives me wild.

After a few minutes of pulling his hair and jamming his face into my clit, I’m panting and desperate. “I need to ride you. I’m going to fucking cum already.”

“That’s what I like to hear, baby,” he says. He leans back against the cab window and I sit on his firm cock, feeling the car rock back and forth. “You love this thickness, don’t you?”

“I do,” I tell him, dragging my clit across his pelvis.

“You can’t live without it, can you?” he asks me.

“Never,” I say. “I need it so fucking bad. It’s the only thing I get off to.”

I gyrate my hips and he moans loudly. “Then fucking cum. Now.”

I grab his hand and force it around my neck, smiling. “Then get rough with me,” I tell him. This makes him smile big and I can feel his cock grow inside of me. He pumps upward, hard now, and gives me all he has.

“Cum,” he squeezes harder and I feel myself start to tingle. The lack of air nearly puts me over the edge, and as soon as he whispers the words, “I love you, Bianca. I would never do anything to hurt you,” I start to cum.

It’s so out of the blue, so random, and yet it’s exactly what I want to hear in the moment. My stomach flutters, my pussy clenches, and I scream as loud as I can. The pleasure rushes forth, from the bottom of my body, right to the top.

I fall backward against the window and he props my legs over my stomach. He mounts and begins pumping away, making sure to never break eye contact. My God, this is the hottest thing imaginable to me. Him, above me like this, displaying all his power. I can only imagine what he’s done with those hands of his. Even though part of me doesn’t want to know, the other half is so turned on by his wickedness that I nearly pass out from all the pleasure.

My hands drag across the window as he fucks me like a machine might drill into metal. “No one’s ever fucked me like you do,” I tell him. “No one.”

“That’s because you’ve never been with a man before,” he grunts. “I’ll make sure to leave you with a lasting impression tonight.”

The way he’s fucking me, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow. I press my palms against the roof of the cab and my mouth hangs wide open with shock. “Yes, Hunter,” I moan. “Give it to me, baby.”

He flips me over into the doggy position and runs his hands all over the back of my body. “I want to feel you forever,” he says. “If I’m going to die, I want to die fucking you.”

“Yes!” I scream, “Use this pussy, bad boy.” Bad boy? Okay, so be it. I’ve entered into that territory. Now, I’m definitely going to get it.

He wraps his fingers around my thick ass and squeezes. “God, I love this ass.” He slaps each cheek and I arch my back further for him. I’m fucking dripping wet. I’m soaking and my pussy is quivering for more of him. He pushes himself in deeper until he bottoms out inside of me.

“Fuck,” he sighs to himself. He pushes his body above me, so that his chest is on my back. I suddenly feel the strength of his whole body against me. He begins drilling me like there’s no tomorrow. My lips, dripping with our sex, clutch around his cock as if he’s my life source. Well, he basically is. I can’t imagine being with anyone else, but him. He satisfies me that much.

When I feel him slowing down, I know he’s ready to explode. “Cum in my mouth, baby.” I surprise myself by saying it. Normally, I never did that, but with Hunter it’s different.

I turn around as he strokes his cock, moaning loudly. As he’s about to burst, I place my hand against my clit and rub mechanically, until I feel myself about to cum with him. I open my mouth and stick out my tongue. He spills his seed in hot, thick spurts and I swallow it all for him.

He shivers and falls against the back window of the cab as I lick around his shaft and head. “Fuuuuuck!” he moans, squirming away from me. The pleasure is too much. I’m right there with him, trembling with his cock in my mouth. When I lift myself up, we both smile and he kisses me, not giving one fuck that his cum was in my mouth. He’s a true gentleman, the only real man I’ve been with before.

In the distance, Casablanca is playing, though we’ve missed about half of the movie. The gesture is still the same though and I’m happy he’s gone out of his way so much for me. It’s a bittersweet feeling when I really think about it. Soon I’d be headed back home. Though, there has to be a way to remain in contact. There has to be.

“Here’s looking at you, kid,” he says. I snort and shake my head. He’s kissing me all over like I’m his treasure. We’re both just so god damn happy to be together.

There’s a faint glimmer in his eye that tells me something is up. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I can see it. It’s the way he looks away from me, looking down in swift thought. In a matter of moments, however, he lifts that handsome jaw of his and smiles, and everything is suddenly better again.

“You know,” I begin, massaging around his massive back muscles. “You might just be my hero.”

“Your hero?” he laughs. “Oh, hell no. I’m no one’s role model.”

“No, I’m serious,” I say, pressing my thumb and forefinger against a tough knot. He’s carrying a lot of stress in his shoulders. Duh. “You’ve sort of saved me.”

“From that guy who tried taking your shit? Yeah, well, he’s an asshole. Any guy would have set him in his place.”

“No,” I say, “I’m not talking about him. I’m just saying, in general. You’ve made me value being home. You’ve taught me that family is a good thing. You know, you’re under fire and everything, and now you have this new respect for life. It’s really rubbed off on me.”

“You’re welcome,” he winks. “Still, I wouldn’t call me a hero.”

“Maybe I’ll take the semester off,” I tell him. I bite my lip, waiting for him to reply. I said it on a whim, but it’s a definite possibility. “I mean, why not? I have my whole life to finish school. One semester won’t kill me.”

“Bianca,” he groans. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”

“What? Why?” I ask him. “Don’t you want to see me more?”

“You have to go to school, darling. Your whole family is depending on you,” he says. The way he’s looking out the window tells me everything has changed. At first, I thought it was for the better. Now I’m thinking it’s for the worse.

On the screen Humphrey Bogart looks downtrodden. His woman has left him. The one he was willing to give everything to has disappeared. I turn to Hunter and say, “I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want this to disappear.”

“All good things disappear in the end,” he says, whispering into the empty cab. He rolls down the window and lights up a cigarette. “Including me.”

“That’s a cop out,” I try to tell him. “That doesn’t mean anything. They don’t have to disappear if you don’t want it to. You’re letting me leave. That’s a whole different thing.” I open the cab door. I need some air. I need some time to think. I put on my clothes and run my hands through my hair. What the fuck has happened? Does he really not want to see me again after this?

“At least tell me what’s going on,” I say. “Don’t keep me in the dark. I’m much smarter than you think, you know.”

“I know. You’re the smartest girl I’ve ever met,” he ashes his cigarette outside and looks toward me. “But it’s time for all of this to end. It’s time for me to be on my way.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Hunter. What does ‘on my way’ mean?” I ask, nearly losing it. “Are you going to turn yourself in or something?”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” he says with a straight face. I’m in complete disbelief. How the hell does he think that’s a sound idea? He’s ruining everything for no reason.

“Who put you up to this?” I ask him. “Tell me, dammit!”

“Nobody,” he sighs, taking another drag in deep. “I’m doing it because I don’t need to drag you into this anymore than you already are, okay? I’ve endangered you enough. Besides, I can’t keep running forever. I’m getting tired.”

“Tired?” I scream. “Tired? Since when was tired ever a good excuse?”

“I sleep outside, Bianca. I’m a homeless derelict at this point. I have nowhere to go, nowhere to run to. I only have you and that doesn’t mean much when you have a real life to go back to,” he says, face turning helpless. He looks as if he’s about to cry, but he holds his tears back. “I want the best for you. And for that, I’ll lay my life down. You mean too much to me, Bianca. I love you.”

“But I love you too,” I start crying. I can’t help it. I don’t give a shit if that makes me weak. It’s just how I feel. I love him too much now. “Don’t leave me like this.”

“You’re strong, Bianca. You’re going to have a great life,” he says. “It’ll just have to be without me. You have no idea how fucking sorry I am. I’ve been beating myself up over this decision all day. I just…”

“You just what?” I start pacing in the dirt. “You just needed to be an asshole?”

“No,” he carefully chooses his word. “I just needed to have one last good night with you. A night I could cherish. If there is an afterlife, and I’m hoping there is, I’ll remember this night forever.”

“Yeah? Well, I won’t,” I say it without thinking. “I’ll forget you and everything we’ve done. I’ll make sure to have that happy life you wanted for me.”

Me saying this just makes me angrier because I know it’s what he wants. I know he wants to give up. How can I let him though? Hunter is looking at me like he has no more words left inside of him. We both know the truth. We know what’s going to happen in the end. His death. My leaving. But I’m younger than him and I still have some hope left in me.

The cab driver comes back to find us sitting against the outside of his cab. We’re staring idly at the movie screen, which has now shut off. He’s holding an Italian sub and he takes a bite eagerly and stares at us. “What happened to you guys?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I say. “We’re done here. You can take us back now.”

“Sure thing,” he smiles awkwardly and starts his cab.

All of the lights in Detroit are shining bright. Well, all except the one in my heart. I know better than to turn mine on anymore. The cab comes to a halt in front of my house and I get out in a hurry. Hunter does too. Even though I’m angry, I can’t help but feel that I need him near me still.

He grabs my hand as the car takes off. “What you and I had could have been forever. We just got the wrong shuffle of the deck.”

“You saying that is still a cop out,” I say, choking up. My throat starts to swell and I know if I stay too long here, I’ll start bawling like a baby.

“Maybe,” he sighs. “Then again, maybe not. I love you, Bianca. Thank you for gracing me with your presence.”

“I love you, Hunter,” I say, feeling the tears push past my eyes. “I’ll never forget you.”

His warm body wraps around mine and I start crying into his shirt. His scent, the one I’ve been yearning for since I met him fills my senses and I start to remember all that we’ve done together. That first hideout of his, the fun we had on the front lawn, the picnic and wild sex on the roof… All of those times were special to me because of how he made me feel.

But now, those times meant something more. Now that he was on his way out, I knew there wasn’t any chance of getting more of those memories. And that made it all the more tough to say goodbye.

He kisses my lips tenderly and disappears into the night. “I’ll always be near you in some way or another,” he whispers as he walks into the darkness. I’m crying and wiping the snot away from my nose. I don’t care how gross I am right now. I feel like I lost a part of me and I don’t know how to replace that feeling.

I climb into my window and fall onto my bed, grabbing around my pillow. His scent is still on it and I feel the knife twist in deeper. This just never ends, does it? I know someday I’ll move on. As for now, I’m just full of sadness.

There’s nothing I can do and that’s really the worst part about everything. As a girl, you always grow up thinking that love will be easy. I always thought that I’d meet Mr. Right and he’d charm me, take me out to dinner, and then we’d get married and have kids and everything would be perfect. Of course, that’s not how it works.

It takes effort. It takes strength. It takes pushing through your weaknesses until you come out a new person. I was okay with doing that with Hunter. I knew we were perfect for one another, even if I did reject him a few times. But now, it’s like he’s already gone. I’ll never see him again. Just like that, the flame is blown out and I’m left standing in the darkness.