"I didn't think he would be here," she mumbled, glaring at the fire.
I tried to console her, but knew that nothing I could say would make her feel any different. "Don't worry about him; you can do so much better."
She grunted and took a sip of her drink.
After a while, the crowd around Will dissipated, leaving just Kelsey laughing at every word that came out of his mouth. She reminded me of a shorthaired cat with her heart-shaped face, ridiculously long neck and large yellowish green eyes. I watched her as she chewed playfully on the straw that stuck out of her bottle. Another one bites the dust.
I laughed and turned back to the fire. It was so calming, and it didn’t take long for me to become hypnotized by the shapes the flames created. I closed my eyes, listening to the crackling.
Kelsey's shrill laughter assaulted my ears. I turned my head to see her still deep in conversation with Will. What could she possibly be talking about for so long?
“Jealous much?” Irelynn’s amused face interrupted my view.
“No.” I leaned back against the log.
“Yeah. Right.”
“Why would I be jealous?”
She raised her eyebrow skeptically. “Hello? Because he’s all but moved in with you. And now he’s talking to Kelsey of all people.”
I struggled to seem unconcerned. “He has not. And why would I be jealous? He’s new, he needs friends.”
Irelynn smiled and leaned closer to me. “You can’t hide it, Cami. I know you, and that,” she nodded toward the pair, “is bothering you.”
She knew me too well. I was jealous...and irritated. Irritated with myself for being jealous. Jealousy was somewhat of a new concept for me. I’d never had a reason to feel this way before. I had never been so instantly beguiled by anyone. I wondered if this connection with Will was lopsided. Of course Irelynn noticed his constant presence; she was my best friend and we were attached at the hip. But even Dorothy, the busiest woman in the valley, noticed.
He consumed my thoughts now. The harder I tried to block him, the more engrained he became in my every moment, sleeping or awake. This was not like anything I had ever experienced before.
I sat up quickly, startling Irelynn.
“I’m going to go for a walk.”
She nodded and took another sip of her drink. I was about to ask her if she was going to be okay by herself when another boy from school, Adam George, walked over and sat down. He was obviously taking advantage of the fact that I was leaving. This would be a good distraction for her, I thought, anything to take her mind off the break up. I never understood why she always ended up pining for Tyson. They were clearly not good for each other. Each time she told me they were back together, she’d babble some nonsense about how being a soul mate doesn’t always make sense. As if there was such a thing.
I walked along the water’s edge soaking in the sounds. This was the perfect place relax.
“Mind if I walk with you?” His deep voice startled me.
“How do you just appear out of nowhere?”
“I didn’t. You were just pretty deep in thought. I called your name, but you didn’t hear me.”
How could I not have heard him? I was pretty sure I had developed radar just for his presence.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“What were you thinking about?”
The sincerity behind his question caught me off guard.
"Um. Well...everything and nothing really." It didn't make any sense but neither did my thoughts.
"That's deep," he joked.
I shoved him away from me, embarrassed. That is why I don’t share my thoughts, feelings, or anything else for that matter, with anyone. It always came out a jumbled mess of nonsense.
He pretended to be injured from my little push.
"That really hurt."
"Whatever." I smiled, happy that he was near.
“You shouldn’t wander around out here by yourself, you know. I’ve heard that there have been people disappearing.”
“I don’t go too far by myself, I am a big chicken. And now you’re here so I think I’ll be okay.”
He laughed and punched at the air, boxing an invisible opponent. “That’s right; bears are no match for me.”
We walked in comfortable silence for a while. I was perfectly content and he seemed to be, too. I thought about what Dorothy would say if she saw the two of us. She would probably take something as innocent as a walk on the beach and turn it into something more sinister. She was the definition of a worrywart. I wondered if she was this nervous all the time when my father was young.
From the stories I had heard, I was surprised she didn't have a stroke by the time he was a teenager. My father and his gang were definitely the rambunctious group of his time; constantly in the doctor’s office, to principal’s office, and as they grew older, in the county jail.
"So you live with your Grandma?" he asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Huh? Oh. Well, kind of. I live there with her and my parents. She takes care of me when my parents aren’t here."
"And where are they?"
"They’re in Costa Rica right now." Or at least they were the last time we spoke.
He was impressed. "Wow. What are they doing there?"
I hated this part. I'd have to divulge where they were and why, which made them sound so unselfish. He'd ask how I felt about that, making me seem like the selfish one.
"Peace Corps."
He didn't hear my answer though, something had stolen his attention.
"Hey, look at that."
He quickened his pace, walking toward an old dock at the end of the beach. His distraction was a relief. Anything that helped me avoid talking about my parents was welcomed.
By the time I reached the dock, he was already at the very end, kneeling down. I walked down to meet him, wondering what exactly had caught his eye. I saw nothing in the darkness but the dock and the water. He was running his hand alongside the edge of a small rowboat; a very old, rickety boat. I hoped he wasn't thinking what I knew he was thinking.
"Want to go out?"
I backed away from the edge. "No that's okay. That doesn't look like the sturdiest vessel."
He laughed and put all his weight on it. "It's not going to sink."
"That's what they said about the Titanic, and we both know how that worked out."
"Good thing this isn't the frigid Atlantic then, huh?" he quipped, climbing into the boat.
He turned around and offered me his hand. I bit my lip, contemplating the hazards of stepping into the boat. From what I could see under the moonlight, there was no water in the boat. That was a good sign.
"Trust me, Cami." He grabbed my hand.
His touch stopped my heart. I looked into his reassuring eyes and no longer worried about the boat sinking; I was now worried about fainting like an idiot and falling into the water.
"Okay," I choked out.
I climbed in, his steady hand holding me upright.
"Thanks." I sat on a small splintered wood plank that barely passed as a seat.
Will untied the rope and pushed on the dock. Slowly, we floated away. I closed my eyes and tried not to focus on the rocking of the boat. This is stupid! The middle of the night was a bad time to pretend to like water. Will grabbed the oars and began rowing.
My breaths were becoming short as my heart raced. The combination of being this close to him and drifting out into the middle of the lake was not how I pictured the night going.
My stiff body and locked elbows must have clued him in.
"What? Don't like water?"
"No, I’m just not a very strong swimmer. I usually have a giant red life jacket to cling to.” I tried to sound as indifferent as I could. I was a terrible swimmer and if anyone could drown in a bucket of water, it would be me.
“Well don’t worry. I’m not going to capsize us.” He smiled.
His joke did little to reassure me. He looked around the boat, searching for something
.
“Maybe this will help,” He rose and lifted his plank placing it on the floor. He took off his jacket and laid it across the end of the boat. The boat rocked as he stood up and slowly eased toward me.
I froze, grabbing onto the sides.
Once again, his hand was held out.
“What?” I looked up, confused.
“Give me your hand.”
After a slight hesitation, I put my hand in his, causing my heart to stutter again. He pulled me up next to him. My heart pounded even more as our bodies grazed. He stepped to the other side of me and pointed to where he took the seat out.
“Maybe if you lie down, you won’t be so scared.”
“I’m not scared,” I lied.
He tilted his head to the side in disbelief.
My deception failed. “Fine.”
I slowly sat down on the floor of the boat and lay back against his jacket. The boat was deep enough that the sides came up so I couldn’t see the water anymore. I was instantly secured. He sat down at the other end and looked at me.
“Better?”
“Much, thanks,” I admitted.
He continued to row slowly. For some reason, the rocking didn’t bother me anymore. I stared up at the sky letting my mind wander and occasionally stealing a peek at him. The night sky could not have been any clearer, with millions of twinkling stars suspended above me and I felt my defenses relax.
He began to badger me with questions and normally I’d be annoyed, but coming from him, I didn’t mind. He wanted to know every boring aspect of my life. Had I had lived here my whole life, what was I doing after high school. We’d never had this much time alone to talk about personal details, but it was my intention to get information about him, not the other way around. He seemed to be mostly impressed in my fascination with art. It was more of an obsession really.
“Caravaggio,” he paused, thinking of my favorite artist. “Baroque, right?”
It was my turn to be impressed. “Right.”
“Seems kind of violent.”
“I don’t know. A little, I guess. I just love how incredibly emotional each piece is. How he captured each thought, each feeling, and the contrast in his work is fantastic. I can’t imagine having that ability. I wish I had that kind of talent.”
“He was pretty tortured, wasn’t he?
“Aren’t they all?”
He chuckled at my question. “True. You can’t be a famous painter without killing someone or cutting off your ear.”
“Right,” I laughed. “I’m kind of partial to my ears, so I’m out.”
“That always leaves homicide,” he reminded me.
“Not one of my hobbies. I guess I’ll have to stick with law school.”
He laughed again. “You’d be a very good lawyer.”
“Why’s that?”
He leaned toward me. “Because in the short time I’ve known you, you’ve knocked out your friend, argued with me at every turn, got hit by a car and forced your best poker face getting into this boat. You're tough.” He continued to smile, obviously waiting for my automatic defensive response. But I didn’t have one.
He finished rowing when we reached the center of the lake. As he did with the plank earlier, he lifted his and placed it on the floor. He leaned back against the boat.
“Peace Corps. Huh,” he said, seemingly impressed with how noble that made my parents sound. Apparently he had heard me earlier. “Are you going to follow in their footsteps?”
“Absolutely not!” I didn’t mean my response to be quite so emphatic, but it was the truth.
I flashed back on being seven years old and wondering if my parents would ever return. Sometimes their peaceful missions turned into a fight for survival. On several occasions, gunmen wanting the supplies they were carrying had held them hostage. They of course never told me this. It was my grandmother that saw no reason in letting me remain ignorant. “It’s for the greater good,” Dorothy always said.
“Sorry.” He saw the slight hint of pain behind my eyes.
“No. It’s okay. It just never appealed to me.” It terrified me. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Why?” he grinned. “I like watching you fidget when you‘re uncomfortable.”
“That obvious?”
He continued smiling and closed his eyes, folding his arms behind his head. “I love it out here,” he proclaimed with a deep inhale. “It’s so quiet and peaceful.”
For a moment everything was still. He was lying so peacefully I couldn’t help but study him. How could someone with so much energy at any given moment be so calm? There was something about him that was different than most guys my age. My eyes ran over his body as he soaked in the moonlight. I felt extremely insignificant in his presence. It wasn’t just his physical appearance that attracted me to him. It was - well everything. It was how he looked at me and how he said my name. His hidden intelligence was a nice surprise. Even his arrogance was growing on me. As open as he seemed to be with me, it was all superficial. I knew he hated pizza, loved Jimmy Hendrix, and knew all there was to know about soccer…football. But still he remained a mystery. That was perhaps that was the biggest draw of all. I wanted to know more.
“Will?” I whispered, half hoping he didn’t hear me.
“Hmm?”
“Tell me something about you?”
His eyes fluttered open. “I’m six foot two.” He stood up to stretch. His tall frame took up the entire boat when he was lying down. Now towering above me, I could appreciate his answer.
“Duh,” I sighed, not sure of what I really wanted to know. “Where were you before you moved here?”
In mid stretch, he twisted toward me. “In your dreams,” he smirked.
Excuse me? My mouth fell open. Before I had a chance to object to his answer, he launched himself off the tiny boat, torpedoing into the water. With a muted splash, he was gone.
“OH MY GOD!”I shrieked. My grip was tighter than ever on the old boat.
The lake was shallow, not to mention freezing that time of year. My grandfather and I used to come near that spot every Sunday morning before church to fish when I was little. It was maybe eight feet at its deepest part. I searched the water for any movement…bubbles…anything. There were only ripples from where he’d dove in. Panicked, I leaned against the side for a better look. The water was too dark even in as the moon lit it.
He was down there too long. “WILL!” I screamed. Oh please, I prayed. Too long. Too long. Should I dive in? I can’t dive! I could barely swim well enough to save my own life. That didn’t matter. He wasn’t coming up. I’d have to go get him. I quickly searched the tiny boat for a life jacket. Crap! No jacket. My heart was thundering in my chest as I lifted one foot on the side of the rocking boat. I plugged my nose. One… Two… Th—.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” his waterlogged voice gargled. I whirled around to see his arms resting on the side of the boat; the rest of him was still half in the water. My eyes widened as I tried to focus on what looked like a very large gash on his forehead, before I could get closer to inspect it, he wiped the lake water from his face and raised his eyebrows at my shocked expression.
My relief was instant; the gash must have been his hair. Great, I thought, now I’m hallucinating. Relief faded as my short temper began to flare. The only danger he was in now was from me. I shot forward with the intent of punching him right between his sparkling eyes. He sunk back into the water before I could get to him. I fell against the boat almost tipping it over. I heard him laugh as he popped up on the other side.
“Jerk!” I shot at him for lack of a more offensive term.
“Easy,” he warned. “A second ago you were ready to throw caution to the wind and rescue me.” He climbed into the boat, laughing and soaking everything in his path.
“I hate you.”
This made him cackle even harder.
“Feel better?” I scowled.
“Much, thank you,” he said, yan
king his drenched shirt over his head.
I found myself gawking yet again at him and his newly bared chest. Hmm. I should push him back in to the water - Stop it! My anger was back. It was far too easy for him to distract me. What were we talking about before he decided to become Shamu?
Oh right…
SMACK! The sudden burn on my thigh from his wet shirt took my breath away.
“Ooh...” he teased. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”
My teeth ground against each other to stifle the cry that was raging in my throat. With a slow breath I closed my eyes. “Apparently…as well as being pushy, you have no qualms about hitting women.”
“Well,” he mused. “I guess it depends on the woman.”
I relaxed backward and began massaging my leg where there would surely be a pretty welt in the morning. I closed my eyes and tried to get my heartbeat back to its normal rhythm, although I wasn’t really sure what that was anymore.
“Brr,” he shuddered. “I’m freezing.”
“Good. You deserve it,” I hissed, keeping my eyes closed.
He had done it again. Anytime our conversation came even close to something deeper the weather, he distracted me. Why? The fact that I really knew nothing about him was driving me crazy. I would keep that to myself for a while because that moment, except for the questions raging in my mind, everything was perfect. He’d tell me more about himself if he wanted to. I didn’t want to seem too interested anyway. Play hard to get right? That’s what I always heard my friends say. But I wasn’t even completely sure that he was up for the chase and I’d never been very good at deciphering the motives of guys when it came to me, especially this one. I wondered what he was thinking about lying there so serenely. I guessed I’d just have to wonder…and go completely insane in the meantime.
“Thanks for inviting me,” he finally said.
“No problem,” I answered coolly. “I figured you couldn’t pass up a big fire in the forest.”
He snorted. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because you’re a boy.”
“What?” He sat up. “A boy?”
The Valley Page 4