“Yeah, I was going to suggest that.”
“Do you bike to work every day?”
“I don’t have a car right now, so yes.”
“That’s cool.”
“It’s cool that I don’t have a car?”
“No, it’s cool that you bike to work.” Either I was putting my foot in my mouth, or he liked to be argumentative. “I tried that once. I showed up at work so sweaty I had to go home and change.” It had been humiliating. My blouse looked like I’d been caught in the rain.
He headed in the direction of the record store, and I followed. “But that’s because you had to dress up for work. I wear this.” He gestured to his worn jeans.
I looked him over. He made jeans and a t-shirt look way better than I ever did. His shirt was fitted enough to give a hint of the muscles underneath, but not in that in your face sort of way.
We walked back around to the other side of the shopping center. I waited while he unlocked his Trek bike, and we silently walked it back toward my car. He quickly attached it to the rack, and we got in.
“Where am I driving to?” I idled right before the exit.
“Turn right at the light.”
“You’re not telling me?” I was hit by a jolt of excitement mixed with nerves.
“It’s a surprise.”
“A good surprise?” I wasn’t necessarily a surprise person.
“Do you think I’m going to purposely surprise you with something bad?”
“Maybe not purposely.” Now accidently, sure. That happened more often than not. Maybe it was my own fault for setting unrealistic expectations.
I followed his directions until we reached a dead end on a small side street. I pulled up along the curb and looked into the dense woods a few feet from where we were. “What are we doing here?”
“Going for our walk.”
“Ok…” Despite my apprehension, I got out and locked the door. There had to be a reason he’d taken us there.
“You coming?” He crossed the grass next to the curb and entered the tree line.
“Um, where are we going?”
“I told you, it’s a surprise.”
“And you’re taking me into the woods right as it gets dark.” I glanced back toward where my car waited.
“And I told you the timing will make it better.”
“You better be right.” I glanced down at my flip flops. Had I known we were going for a hike I would have dressed more appropriately. That’s what I got for trying to look nice.
He moved further into the woods, and I followed against my better judgment. I wasn’t against spending time in nature, but I’d have preferred to have done it in the middle of the day, not around dusk.
We were walking alongside a tall chain link fence. It had to have been at least 12.’ He came to a sudden stop. “You know how to climb these?”
“Uh, why would we need to climb a chain-link fence?”
“I’ll take that as a no. There’s another way.” He continued on.
“Come on, where is this place?”
“We’re so close, I’m not ruining the surprise now.”
“If you say so.” I noticed a worn white ‘No Trespassing’ sign. I started to second guess my decision to follow Leo.
He stopped again, and this time he held up a piece of chain link that had been cut. Clearly Leo wasn’t the first to sneak into this place. “You’re going to have to get close to the ground.”
“Seriously?” I looked at the small space I’d have to slide under. Even if I crouched down I’d end up getting dirty.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“I shouldn’t be doing this.” Trespassing wasn’t something a twenty-seven-year-old attorney was supposed to do.
“Do it, and it will count as our third friend hang out.” He quirked a smile.
“Do you realize how weird it is you’re using that to convince me to trespass?”
“Not any weirder than wanting to become my friend inducing you to do it.”
“You had better be a really good friend.” I bent down and carefully made my way under the fencing.
“Aren’t I proving that now? Pressuring you to break the law?”
I laughed, as I managed to squeeze through the small space. I expected him to follow, but instead he climbed the fence and jumped down next to me. “Show off.”
“I have had practice.”
“Ok, we’re in. Now tell me where we are.” Part of the where was obvious. We were still in the woods, but I wasn’t sure what the giant fence was for.
“You need patience.” He started walking down a steep slope further into the woods. We weren’t on a path, but the ground was well worn from other people taking the same route.
“I have patience.” I followed right behind him.
“Then use it right now.”
“Fine.” I carefully made my way down the slope. Despite being careful, I still managed to slip, but before I could fall Leo caught my arm and steadied me. His touch sent a wave of warmth through me.
“Maybe I should hold your hand until we get there.” He entwined his hand with mine.
I smiled. “Maybe.” I couldn’t ignore the jolt of warmth that came from the contact, but more important was I had no idea where we were and exactly whose property we were trespassing on.
“We’re almost there.”
“Ok, if you say so.” I followed along beside him, glad he’d slowed his pace.
“Close your eyes.”
“Uh, what?”
“Close your eyes.”
I thought about it. I’d already come this far. I closed my eyes. “I’m trusting you.”
“As you should. We’re almost at friend status.”
I concentrated on the feel of his hand and the feel of the rocks beneath my flip flops as we continued down the path. I was close to giving up and opening my eyes when he let go of my hand.
“Okay, open them.”
I blinked a few times. We were standing in front of tranquil blue water that reflected the surrounding autumn foliage. “It’s beautiful.”
“I told you it was worth coming.”
“Where are we?” I stared out at the pond.
“The park.”
There was only one park in this part of town. “Wait, this is the state park? Why didn’t we just park in the lot?”
“It closes at dusk, and the point of coming is to watch the sunset. They close the lot right when the sun goes down.” He sat down on the grass next to the pond. “Hope you don’t mind getting dirty.”
“I’m already dirty.”
“Look at that, focusing on the bright side.”
I sat down next to him before deciding to get the full effect and lean back. He did the same thing.
“I haven’t been in this park in years.” I’d barely been home in years. All my trips had been short and for holidays or other special occasions.
“You came as a kid?” He shifted slightly closer.
“With my brother.” He went to get away from everything, and when I was lucky he let me tag along.
“Where’s he at now?”
“He’s around. I haven’t seen him in months.”
“Really?”
“I thought he was annoyed at me, but I’ve been told it’s his girlfriend.” I needed to meet Melinda. I wanted to make my own assessment of her.
“He should ditch the girlfriend.”
“I haven’t met her, but I agree.” I looked out at the pond again. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Sometimes when I need a reminder.”
“A reminder of what?” I turned my head to the side to look at him.
“There’s still beauty in the world.”
I could have pushed him. I could have asked why he needed the reminder at all, but I didn’t. I said nothing and watched as the sun began its slow gradual descent.
We lay there in silence, inches from each other, but miles apart in how little we knew each other. Yet it didn’t matter
. We were sharing that moment, and somehow for the first time in years I felt something other than alone.
I watched intently as the sun slowly disappeared behind the trees. I was glad we weren’t running back to the lot.
When we were left in darkness aside from the moon, I leaned up on my elbows. “I guess we should go.”
“I guess so.” He sat up. “We should do this again sometime.”
“I agree. Sometimes I need the reminder too.” I stood and brushed some leaves off of my dress.
He took my hand as we headed back up the slope. Maybe he was doing it because it was dark or because I was wearing flip flops, but I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know. It was nicer to pretend he was doing it because he wanted to. Because he enjoyed the touch as much as I did.
I made my way up the path. I wasn’t in a rush, and he didn’t seem to be either. “Does this mean we’re friends now?”
“Yeah, I guess it does.”
“Good.” I looked away when I smiled.
“I’ll try not to make you do too many more illegal things.”
“If they are things like this, I’m game.” I’d needed it. I needed to remember there was more to life than what was right in front of me.
“All right.” He stopped, and I watched him in the light of the moon. “I have a new spin on you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“You’re adventurous when you want to be, as long as it’s for a reason. It’s why you’re trusting me. It all started with the tape.”
“I like that spin.”
“Good.” He started walking, and I kept pace beside him.
He moved slowly and slipped under the fence, holding the broken piece up for me. I was in such a good mood I didn’t mind this time.
“This was fun.” He smiled and walked around to the back of my car.
“Where are you going?”
“To get my bike.”
“I’ll drop you off at home. It’s late.” I knew I sounded over protective, but I didn’t care.
“I can make my way home, but I appreciate the concern.”
“I’m in no rush to sit in the basement. I can manage.”
“You sure?” He walked back toward the front of the car.
I’d won. “Absolutely.”
I got in before he could change his mind.
He took his seat. “I live off of Parnell road.”
“Oh, that’s really close to my parents.”
“Nice. I guess I won’t be too far out of the way then.”
“It won’t require scaling any fences though?”
“Nope. No more fences tonight.”
“Great.”
We chatted about nothing of consequence as I drove slowly toward his place. I rolled the windows down, taking advantage of the cool yet refreshing weather before it became too cold.
He directed me toward a wide street with sidewalks. “I’m the third driveway on the left.”
I followed his instructions and pulled into a long concrete driveway lined with brick. “Nice place.”
“I live over there.” He pointed to a detached garage. There was a staircase on the side of it that I assumed led to an apartment.
“Oh cool. How are the landlords?”
“It’s my brother and his wife. They’re decent.” He smiled.
“Nice.”
“Thanks for the ride.” He reached for the latch.
“Thanks for dinner and the sunset.”
“I do what I can.” He got out and closed the door.
I waved as he wheeled his bike toward the garage. For a non-date, the night had been rather memorable.
Chapter 9
The move was uneventful. Fluffy was the only one who seemed to have a problem with it. You’d have thought giving him a place with large windows would make him happy, but he meowed like crazy for the first few hours.
Maybe it was too many moves at once. In my attempt to bond with the cat I’d read quite a few books about cat care. Nothing had helped me with Fluffy, but I did learn cats don’t enjoy new places. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to move again anytime soon.
Clay had enough basic furniture to hold me over, and considering I wasn’t sure how long I was staying, I figured I could do without whatever was missing.
I took my time unpacking my clothes, enjoying how little I’d brought with me. It made the small closet seem huge. At some point I’d probably have to go back for my stuff—or text Steve and ask him to send it to me. Funny how I’d lived with the guy for almost a year and now even a virtual contact seemed strange. I hadn’t expected him to call, but a small part of me expected him to check in on me.
Underneath our messy relationship was a friendship. It’s where we started in the first place. But I hadn’t checked on him either. Whether his actions and desires were the cause for the break-up or not, I’d been the one to initiate the termination. Somehow I even managed to make a relationship breakup sound technical.
I pushed away thoughts of Steve as I put away my shoes. I only had a few pairs with me, but they were my favorites apart from the boots I’d need when the weather got colder.
I shut the closet door and walked into the kitchen. Thankfully my parents had lent me some extra kitchen stuff, and I had a glass to fill with water. I’d left all my kitchen things with Steve. It was old and all from law school so I didn’t particularly care whether I ever got those items back.
I was still in the kitchen when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it without checking to see who it was.
“Hey, sis.” Nile stood in the doorway with a huge grin on his face.
“Nile, hey!” I pulled him into a hug. Surprised or not, it was nice to see my big brother.
“Nice to see you too.” He broke the hug. “So you’re staying in Clay’s old place, huh?”
“I’m paying rent through work.” I studied Nile in his khakis and collared shirt. He’d finally traded in his band shirts.
“Yes, work. Not sure why he’s trusting you to touch his business,” Nile teased.
“Yeah, well, I guess he took pity on me.”
“No one is ever going to take pity on you, Cassidy.” His words were light, but there was a slight edge to it.
“I hope there is a compliment buried in there.”
“There is.”
“Come on in.” I gestured for him to come inside.
He walked in and closed the door behind him before settling down on the one old couch in the room. He made himself at home like he’d been there a million times. He probably had. “There’s nothing about you to pity. You wanted to make changes, and you’re making them.”
“I wish Mom and Dad saw it that way.”
“They’re our parents. They’re always going to second guess our decisions.” He pulled out his phone and checked the screen before pocketing it again.
“What decisions of yours are they second guessing?”
“They don’t want me proposing to Melinda.” His expression darkened.
“Proposing.” I coughed. “I had no clue you were that serious. You never even told me about her.”
“It’s only been three months, but they’ve been the best months of my life. I can’t even begin to explain how incredible she is.” His face lit up.
“Three months? Isn’t that a little fast?”
“You waited like two years with Steve, and it didn’t help. It’s not about time when it’s the right relationship.”
I ignored the sting of his words. I was prepared to respond when he continued.
“You’ll find someone one day too. You’re young.”
“I’m not worried.”
“I can’t wait to introduce you to her.” He quickly turned the conversation back to himself.
“Yeah, I’m excited to meet her.” I tried to muster enthusiasm despite what Clay had told me. “When can I?”
“Not until we get back from visiting some friends. We’re going up to Vermont.”
“Which friends?”
“Some of her college friends.”
“Oh. Cool.” I tried to hide my reaction. Clay had warned me that he only hung out with her friends.
“Which reminds me. It’s part of why I’m here.”
“You don’t need me to dog sit, do you?” Fluffy and a dog probably wasn’t going to go over well in my tiny apartment.
“No. Clay is doing that. But do you still listen to the Pumpkins?”
“The Smashing Pumpkins?”
“Who else would I be talking about?”
“I was just checking.”
“I have two tickets to their show at Jones Beach on Friday. Want them?”
“You’re willingly giving up tickets to see the Smashing Pumpkins?” Nile was a giant fan.
“We’re going to be away. I don’t have a choice.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets.
“I’ll take a ticket.”
“One? You can’t take only one. What am I going to do with the second?”
“Fine, I’ll take them both.” I had one person in mind to offer the second to.
“Have fun for my sake.” He handed me the printed out tickets.
“I will.”
He started toward the door.
“Wait, you aren’t leaving yet. Are you?” I didn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. After months, he was giving me a total of five minutes of his time?
“I have to. Melinda is going to be pissed. I told her I’d meet her at the mall to do some shopping before we left.”
“Shopping? The mall? You don’t magically combust when you go in there anymore?”
“I need clothes. They sell them there.” He smirked.
“You usually make mom get you stuff or you order online.”
“It’s different with Melinda.”
“I bet.” I rolled my eyes.
He didn’t catch my sarcasm. “It’s really different.”
“Then go meet her.” I tried to sound convincing. “I appreciate the tickets.”
He hugged me. “I promise we’ll catch up for real when I get back.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be busy with work anyway.”
“Good. You like working. You’re a weirdo like that.”
“You’re the weirdo.”
“Have fun. Those are good seats.” He pointed at the paper in my hands.
“I know. I’ll enjoy it.”
Forever Love: A Friends to Lovers Collections Page 44