You watch him walk away, tight jeans accenting the way his hips move. Your lips are burning, radiating with the heat he left there. You stand motionless, at your father's front door, still staring at his figure retreating up the long driveway.

It's a good thing you made sure to say hello to the guard as you were bringing him in. Now hopefully he won't be stopped on his way out. You just wish you could have let him stay.

You wish a lot of things.

There's a rustle of leaves behind a shrub a few feet away. Funny, since there isn't any wind tonight. When you turn, the shrub is mostly quiet. Except that usually shrubs don't breathe that loudly.

In seconds you're there, searching it until you find your spy.

The outside of the house, especially the landscaping, is well lit, so when you find her, it reminds you of bad guys being frozen in a police spotlight. You imagine piercing sirens. Actually, you could set off piercing sirens just to scare her. But you won't. Even though you're older now, and really you're only a guest here anymore, you'd both get into trouble. Besides, you need to know what she knows.

"Elsie! What are you doing?"

She looks up with unreasonably big eyes, full of mocking innocence. "Nothing," she sings. She raises her shoulders for effect.

You're looming over her, as if you could be forboding. "How long have you been hiding there?"

She shrugs, and in the spotlight the shape of her mouth answers 'long enough', without opening.

"Seriously, Elsie, how long?"

She tilts her head to the side to look up at you. "Will," she begins, with an arrogance only fit for a twelve year old princess, "Relax."

"Elsie, I won't relax! I'm not fooling around here..." before you can finish she is laughing. "What?"

"Yes you are," she giggles.

"I am what?"

"Fooling around, here, Willy." She can barely get the words out, she is so pleased with them.

"Okay, listen, Elsie. I'm a lot older than you, so I know a little more about the way..."

"Will, cut it out. It's okay. I won't tell." It can't be this easy. All the times you've imagined being caught like this, and she isn't even making it hard for you.

"Aren't you confused or upset?"

"Willy, it's practically the 90s. Times are changing! You can do whatever you want." She has that look again, the one telling you she's twelve and she knows best. Maybe she does. "Besides, you go back to school in a few weeks."

You sigh because you don't know what to say. "Let's just go inside." She nods and grabs your wrist to pull herself up.

You walk her the few feet to the door, where she looks up at you. "You should be more careful, though."

"Hey, I couldn't help it. He was French," But you stop arguing as she goes in. You'll just leave this conversation at the door.