He felt the air above the steering wheel linger as if undisrupted by their breath. He calmly followed her pointer finger around the corner and into a clearing, while the soft scent of something sweet on her permeated him from some ethereal plane. She was giggly. He liked seeing her like this, her smile, her laugh - her playfulness. The car lurched to a halt, and with it a feeling in his chest swelled with something like excitement that arrived in his mouth like nervousness.

She sat facing...