He sighed, obviously relieved. “So next time you come over, I’ll challenge you to a rematch of boxing.”
“You’re on, but I’m totally going to kick your butt.”
He laughed. “Wasn’t that you running away from me tonight, or was that someone else?”
“Oh, it had to be someone else. I do not run.”
We talked for a bit longer, and then hung up. The sound of his voice made me feel at ease. I was glad that I had called.
“Is this going to happen every morning?” I asked as I climbed into Lucas’ sports car the next day. This time I had actually made it inside my car before he pulled in behind me.
He laughed. “Maybe, but today I wanted you to come over after school. I have a surprise for you.”
“What is it?”
He stifled a grin, staring at the road ahead. “No, not telling. You’ll find out later.”
We arrived at school and went to our separate classes. The day went by slowly. I was impatient and curious.
“What’s with you today, you seem restless,” Emma asked, looking up from her phone; she was texting her sister. We were sitting at our lunch table. Half of my brain was listening to the guys argue about a basketball game that was on TV, and the other half was trying to figure out Lucas’ surprise.
I had barely taken a bite of the sandwich that I was holding up in front of my mouth. I threw it down on the table in frustration—why was I so curious? “Lucas told me that he had a surprise for me, and I have to wait until after school to find out what it is.”
She shook her head. “Don’t guys realize the ‘need to know right now’ gene is in a girl’s DNA?” She stopped typing and closed her phone. After she took a long sip of her water, she slammed the bottle down, spilling water on her hand and the table. “Just last week Derrick said he had a surprise for me but waited three days to give it to me. It drove me nuts.”
“What was it?”
She lifted her arm. A silver charm bracelet glittered from her wrist. The charms bounced and jingled as she shook them. I remembered her showing me.
“Oh, right,” I said, before downing the last of my iced tea.
Emma leaned over me to smack Lucas on the shoulder with her hand.
He turned to her, one eyebrow raised. “What?”
“What’s the surprise?” Her eyes were narrowed.
Lucas glanced at me. “It’s really driving you crazy, isn’t it?” he asked with a wide grin.
I took my book out of my bag. “Not really.” I opened it and pretended to read, not at all interested in the conversation.
He just smiled wider. “Yeah, right. And Emma, you’ll have to wait to find out after she does,” he said, nodding at me. He turned back to the basketball conversation, which was getting very heated. Andy thought the team who lost was robbed, and Derrick agreed, while Lucas and Pete yelled that it was a fair call, whatever that meant.
Emma stared at him shaking her head, mumbling something about men and secrets.
In Lucas’ car after school, I finally cracked. “So where are we going?”
“You’re impatient, aren’t you?”
“And nosy,” I pointed out.
“Good to know.” He shook his head. “But I’m not telling you.”
I looked out the window and saw that we were on his road. “It doesn’t matter, I’m over it.” I heard a soft chuckle but didn’t turn my head.
We pulled up to his house, and he jumped out of the car. When I opened my door, I saw only Logan’s silver sports car in the driveway. “Where are your parents?”
“At the restaurant.” He opened the door to the house and held it for me. Then left me standing in the living room while he disappeared into his room.
I stood there, unsure if I was supposed to follow him or not. The sound of banging came from the kitchen, distracting me from my confusion. I ducked through the doorway to investigate.
Logan was standing at the kitchen island, chopping onions. The counter was filled with a variety of vegetables, and a plate sat off to the side with uncooked chicken breast. He glanced up at me; his face was full of surprise and embarrassment. “What are you doing here?”
“I came with Lucas, he’s in his room.”
He scooped up all the food and threw it in the garbage. Then, with his head low, he stalked out of the kitchen.
I stood in the doorway, mystified. What had just happened? Why would Logan throw out food he hadn’t even cooked yet? Was he trying to teach himself to cook and not tell his father? If so, why would he keep it a secret? Before I could figure out the evil twin, the good one came out of his room. He picked up a picnic basket off of the counter. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Where?”
Instead of answering, he held out his hand. When I took it, he led me out the back door and into the yard. Now I knew where we were headed.
It was a very warm day, considering it was October. The sun was shining brightly, but the breeze was cool.
We walked into the woods and onto the path that led to the cliff. By now, all the leaves had turned color, and only a few were left on the trees. Gold, brown, and rust-colored leaves moved on the branches as the wind danced through the air. They covered the trail completely. In fact, there were so many, I had a sudden childish urge to make a pile and jump in. One I ignored, and followed Lucas.
We came to the clearing and the small hill. Lucas spread a blanket on the grass. I joined him on the blanket, watching the waterfall. It was hypnotizing.
We lay down in silence, enjoying the sunny day and beautiful scenery. While I was lying there staring at the view, he sat up and leaned against the large trunk of an oak. I heard a click and looked up at him, surprised. He had taken a picture of me. “I wanted to take some photos of you when you were aware of it. I also wanted to take some of you at my favorite place.” He seemed nervous of my reaction, thinking I might freak out as I had last night. I smiled at him and then glanced back in the direction of the waterfall. “You know, I really love it here. It’s like we’re in our own little world, and nothing can touch us.”
While I was talking, he was snapping pictures of me at different angles. I felt self-conscious at first, but figured I would have to get used to it if I was going to date a photographer. “You are so beautiful,” he said quietly to himself.
Finally setting the camera down, he lay down beside me. I felt him absently play with my hair as we watched a couple of finches flapping around on a branch about ten feet up in the tree. From our spot on the ground, I couldn’t see them clearly, but I could hear the loud chirps.
“Here, sit up,” he said, suddenly pulling me into a sitting position.
After placing the camera on a rock, he hit the timer and then positioned us so the waterfall would be in the background.
After I heard the click of the camera, I relaxed. “What’s in the basket?”
“I asked my mom to make some sandwiches. There’s also some fruit, cheese, and crackers. And a bottle of wine I took from my dad’s wine cellar. One glass won’t hurt us.”
I didn’t like wine, but I couldn’t tell him. The gesture was so sweet and romantic I didn’t have the heart to. He took out the plates and food, setting them in the center of the blanket. I placed the food on each plate while he poured the wine.
“So, how did you get interested in taking pictures?” I asked him, leaning back on my elbows.
He chuckled. “When Logan and I were about twelve, we started playing practical jokes on each other. It began because he was mad about me getting better grades than him. So one night I went into my room and crawled into bed, only I wasn’t alone. I touched something slimy with my foot.”
“Ooh, what was it?”
“A big bullfrog.”
“Gross. Why did he do that?”
“Cause he was mad, and a twelve-year-old boy. But I got him back. I stuck two-way-tape to the toilet in the bathroom we share. You should have heard him howl when he stood up.”
I laughed. �
��What does that have to do with taking pictures?”
“Well, a few months later, after I found my copy of Huck Finn floating in the toilet, I snuck in his room and waited in the closet. I took a picture of him in his underwear singing into a hair brush, and pinned it up at the community center. Everyone knew it was him because I wore glasses and his hair was shorter.” He grinned. “Anyway, for some reason I loved taking the picture and I started taking more, mostly to get embarrassing shots of him, but that’s how it started.” He took a sip of his wine. “What about you, how did you start playing the piano?”
I smiled. “My grandmother. She used to be a concert pianist.” He raised a brow. “She really was. She retired when she became pregnant with my mom. But for as long as I can remember she used to sit in front of her grand piano and play. I loved hearing the beautiful songs. When we went home after a visit, I missed the twinkle of the music. One time for Christmas she made a CD for me. I wore it out. When I was five, I asked her if she would teach me. So she did. She died a year ago, and left me the piano.”
“I’m sorry, you must miss her.”
I nodded, my mind full of thoughts of my grandma. “Yeah, I do.” Swallowing the lump in my throat with a sip of wine, I choked from the strong bitter taste. I tried to smile and act as if I liked it, but he saw through me and drank the rest for me.
We ate our sandwiches as we watched the waterfall. A comfortable silence fell upon us. I enjoyed the crisp breeze that lightly blew across my face and hair.
He leaned in to nudge me down, so that I was lying on the blanket with him angled above me. We kissed for a while, exploring each other. His lips tasted sweet, like the fruit from the wine. He reached for my coat to pull it off. I let him, and then I pulled off his. Although it was warm out without my jacket I noticed a slight chill coming from the water, but his body heat kept me warm.
He returned his lips to mine and then traveled down to my neck and throat. His lips were cool against my skin; a tingle glided up my spine from his touch. I gripped his hair with my fingers, not sure where this was going. He lifted his head up and gazed into my eyes as if reading them, looking for an answer to an unspoken question. I don’t know what he read from my eyes, but he suddenly smiled and chuckled.
“We should go back to the house before it gets dark.”
“Why, what’s wrong? Did I do something?”
His gaze was intense as he answered, “No, but it’s going to get dark soon. We should go before it does, unless you want to wander around in the woods at night.”
I had never been in the woods at night, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
I helped him pick everything up and put it back in the picnic basket. Then we started back down the path.
“So did I upset you last night when I reacted the way I did, about the picture?” I asked as we strolled through the brush.
“I was a little worried that I had scared you away, but I felt better after you called me last night.” He stopped walking and turned to me. “Don’t worry, Sarah, I know how you feel.” He stretched out his fingers to gently caress my cheek. I leaned into him and closed my eyes, loving the feel of his touch on my skin.
He dropped his hand, placing it in mine, and together we made our way back to the house.
Chapter Eighteen
Road Trip
His mom and Logan were sitting at the kitchen table eating some kind of pork and seasoned potatoes when we let ourselves in the back door. “You guys hungry? I can warm up some of the food I brought home from the restaurant,” his mother asked.
“No thanks, Mom, we had the sandwiches you made for us.”
“Yes, they were very good, thank you.” I took a few steps forward and leaned against the counter. “Karen, if you’d like I could give you a piano lesson before I go home.”
She smiled widely. “Are you sure? You’re not in a hurry?”
“No, I brought some song books just in case.”
She sat her fork down on her plate. “Thank you, I would love that.”
After giving her a lesson on the different notes, I gave her basic songs to practice and then Lucas took me home.
“Sarah, is that you, I didn’t recognize you. I haven’t seen you in so long,” my dad said with sarcasm as I walked into the living room after Lucas dropped me off.
“I just saw you this morning, and last night, so nice try.” I sat on the arm of the couch they were sitting on. My mom was reading, and my dad was playing a video game.
My mom glanced up at me and smiled. “Did you have a nice time?”
“Yes, I’m starting to give his mother piano lessons. She’s always wanted to learn.”
“Good for you. How is your original piece going for music class?”
“Pretty good actually. I already wrote it, and now I’m just practicing it along with Miss Fitzgerald. I’m going to get a half hour in before I go to bed.”
She smiled. “Good, I don’t want you to forget your responsibilities now that you’re dating Lucas.”
“I won’t. In fact, I have homework I need to finish. I’ll see you later.”
“See ya,” my parents said absently. Mom had started to read again, and my dad took the game off pause. I could hear the bleeps and toots from the game all the way upstairs.
My homework took longer than I thought; I got stuck on a chemistry problem and almost gave up. But a call to Derrick solved it; he was a genius when it came to science. But by the time I had finished, it was too late to practice. Instead, I crawled into bed.
The next morning I woke up excited about our trip. We carpooled in Derrick’s car, a big four-door green SUV. It had more room for all of our stuff. As soon as the bell rang at the end of the day, we hurried to the car, ready to start on our journey.
“How was your dad this morning? Is he nervous about this?” Lucas asked once we were on our way. We were sitting in the back seat. Derrick was driving while Emma fiddled with the radio trying to find a station she liked.
“Um, he was quiet all through breakfast, and when he left for work, he gave me a big bear hug and told me how much he loved and trusted me. I think it’s a tactic, so I don’t disappoint him.”
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm. We were so close I could smell the lemon scented laundry soap from his shirt. “We won’t,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
The drive took about three hours. We checked into our hotel rooms, they were next to each other with a connecting door between the two. The plan was to lounge around our room until it was time to go to the arena where the concert was being held.
“Let’s order some food,” Lucas said. He was leaning back on the bed beside me, watching TV, with the remote in his hand.
“Sounds good to me,” Derrick agreed while Emma took out the phone book, flipping through it looking for a pizza place.
Once she placed our order, Emma and I each showered. I used our bathroom, while Emma used the boys', since they weren't using it. We each chose short dresses with black tights. Mine was a silvery grey, and hers was red. It took about an hour for us to do our hair and makeup, and get dressed.
It took the guys about fifteen minutes to shower, change their clothes, and put goop in their hair. Life wasn’t fair.
While we waited for Derrick and Lucas, Emma and I took some pictures of each other in our room. I wanted evidence of us in our separate rooms so when the boys were finished, I took some goofy pictures of them making stupid faces at me. After we were finished fooling around with the camera, it was time to leave.
The concert was awesome, and I was glad Emma talked us into coming. There were two bands, the first was an all girls group called The Pink Ladies, who played cover songs from eighties girl bands. The second was an indie band called Monster Ball.
Afterward, when the guys were getting something to eat again, I bought Lucas a black T-shirt with Monster Ball’s logo on it. I put it in my purse to give him later.
Back at our hotel I said good night to L
uke and slipped into our room.
“I get the bathroom first,” I called out to Emma, who was lying on the bed holding the remote, flipping through the channels on the TV.
“Whatever,” she said absently, leaning back on the pillows. She was still wearing her dress, minus the tights and spiked heels, which were tossed on the middle of the floor.
I changed into my pj’s and brushed my teeth, then headed back out to the room. I tripped over her heels and kicked them under the bed. “Your turn,” I said, smacking the lump under the covers. She didn’t move. “Emma, are you asleep—” I gasped as I pulled the blankets off of her. It wasn’t Emma. It was Lucas. “What are you doing here?”
He gave me a mischievous smile. “Emma asked me to switch with her. Actually, she asked me on Sunday.” I gave him a cold stare, and he continued. “She said not to tell you. She knows how honest you are, and she didn’t think you’d agree to lie to your parents.”
I wasn’t sure about the honest part, but she was right; it would have worried me all week. Apparently, all three of them were in on it, so who was I to argue? “Fine, but if my father asks, he’ll know I’m hiding something.”
“I doubt he’ll ask if we slept together.”
I gulped. “We’re going to sleep together?” I didn’t mean to, but when I spoke, my voice was full of panic.
He chuckled. “You look terrified. Relax, I just want to fall asleep with you in my arms.”
It did sound nice. I sighed. “Fine, but first I have something for you.”
I went to my purse, pulled out the T-shirt, and handed it to him.
He smiled. “Thank you, I love it. I’ll sleep in it every night and think of you. And hopefully you’ll do the same.” He picked up a plastic bag off the nightstand that I hadn’t noticed when I came out of the bathroom, and handed it to me. I opened it and pulled out a ball of pink material.
It was a Pink Ladies T-shirt. “I guess great minds think alike,” I said as I leaned in to kiss him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to change for bed.”
Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) Page 15