I did drink it.

Instead of feeling like I was drinking a mixed drink with spit, I felt like one of Jim Jones' followers drinking the koolaid. It seemed funny at first to think that, but as the night progressed and we talked over dinner, I realized I had not only metaphorically drunken the koolaid.

I liked how easily it was to be around her. She just fit with me like a missing puzzle piece. Easy to talk to, easy to be with, beautiful, disarming. She was everything I had dreamed of in a woman and more, but it still felt like this was a teasing game to her. 

"You're quiet," she says as she dares to steal a glance at me.

She's driving. I didn't know she liked it so much, but she had made a comment about liking fast cars, and I knew letting her drive mine would impress. It did, and I couldn't resist giving her the keys when she looked so excited.

Excited and like a child, like the façade had melted away and she was being her true self with me. It was new and comforting that I could be myself with her, too. I found that through a lot of my life, I was pretending to be someone I wasn't. With Aurora, I felt I could be anyone. I could be so much more.

"I'm just thinking," I replied, putting my hand over hers, which rested on the console. 

I caught her lips turning upwards just slightly, but enough for me to feel a deep satisfaction. I had made her smile. 

"Wanna see me go 90mph?" she joked.

I nodded and looked at her for a moment, watching her hand grip the steering wheel a little tighter. The familiar roar of the engine came alive and before I could tell her to be careful, we were flying down a straight, wooded road with no other cars in sight. 

Her giggles were heard over the noise, keeping me in the moment. I was always the one who was a little reckless, but she could keep up with me. In this moment, I tried to focus on the familiarity of danger and adrenaline, but another sensation came over me instead.

Uncertainty. 

It was clear to me that she was special, no doubt about it. I had seen her dance, I had seen her on the top of her game, but now I was watching her lose control. She was free in a way I was not. I felt like it was contagious. She did things without thinking, everything was solely based on passion and spontaneity. The girl was free because she lost control so often.

The starry night and glossy moon kept us company, and just as she was picking up speed, she slammed on the breaks. The car slid and I was sure the tires left marks, but Aurora's laughing kept me entertained. It was a ride.

She stared at me as the car completely stopped and turned it off, waiting for me to say something. I was winded, to say the least, and couldn't find the right words to describe how I really felt about everything that had happened tonight.

"Having fun yet?" she teased.

I cupped her face with my hands and pressed my lips onto hers forcefully. I heard her sigh into the kiss as my lips tangled with hers, like a slow dance following a song that wouldn't finish. Her mouth, warm with the taste of maraschino cherries, made my head spin. This night seemed like something out of a movie, and though I was elated to be here, I feared i'd never see her again.

She was the one to pull away. The tension was noticeable immediately. 

"Wanna go back to my place?" I asked, still savoring the taste.

She shrugs, smiling innocently. "No. I think I wanna go home, get high, and fall asleep."