by Leddy Harper
Her appraisal was almost too much to bear. The sweetness of her voice too much to handle, and it left me with no desire to talk about myself anymore. Suddenly, the need overwhelmed me to find out anything I could about her. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I actually wanted to know everything I could about someone else. “What about you? Layne isn’t a popular name, either. Is there special meaning behind it, too?”
She adjusted in her seat again, facing the windshield once more. “Not a special meaning…it’s really kinda lame, especially compared to your story. It’s actually embarrassing to say it out loud.”
I reached over and grabbed her arm, forcing her to look me in the eyes. “Tell me.”
Her stare penetrated me for so long I thought she’d fallen asleep with her eyes open. She finally shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts, and said, “You’re going to laugh. Everyone does. It’s so ridiculous…”
“I promise.” I let go of her hand and crossed my fingers over my chest. “I won’t laugh at you. Without knowing the story, I can’t say I won’t find it funny, although it won’t be you I’m laughing at. You can believe me when I say that.”
Her gaze fell away, almost as if she became embarrassed. Though, without proper lighting, I couldn’t be sure. “Okay, I’ll tell you. You just can’t make fun of my parents. They’re odd and quirky, but they are the most amazing people in the world.”
Her warning took me by surprise and only served to make me more curious. “I’d never make fun of your parents. I happen to like odd and quirky. They’re my favorite kind of people. I can’t stand the serious, stiff types.” I couldn’t believe those words had come out of my mouth. To a lot of people, I was considered stiff and serious—all work and no play. I guess I’d said it to ease her worry. Which set a deep knot in the pit of my stomach. I’d never had this kind of reaction to someone before—certainly not someone I’d just met.
“Drea’s first name is Lois. Except she never goes by it. She started going by her middle name, Andrea, when we were ten. People kept pronouncing it wrong, so she ended up shortening it to Drea to make it easier.”
I waited for more, but she remained silent. “Okay…I don’t follow. What does your sister’s name have to do with yours?”
“Her name is Lois…mine’s Layne,” she explained slowly, yet I continued to stare at her, unable to understand what she meant. “Lois Layne…as in Superman?”
“For real?” My eyes widened and I tried with everything I had in me not to smile.
She laughed again, only this time, it came out slightly louder, deeper, more rumbled. It came from deep inside, unlike before. It was still as infectious as the quiet one, and it further enticed me to hear every type of laughter she had. It reminded me of Drea’s…only so much better. So much smoother. More consuming. “This is why I don’t tell anyone. My parents are such dorks. They met at a Superman convention and fell in love. If Drea and I had been boys, they were going to name us Clark and Kent.”
“What if only one was a boy?”
She shrugged as her giggles quieted down. “I don’t know. I never asked. I’m pretty sure they still would’ve used Layne. I guess it’s more commonly a boy’s name, because most of the time, people think I’m a guy before meeting me.”
“Well, I’m thankful you’re a girl. If that matters at all.”
Her pouty lips spread into a bashful grin. “It does.”
The screen lit up in front of us and sound resonated through the station on the radio. It was the worst timing. I’d finally gotten her to open up and laugh, but as soon as the movie started, she closed down and faced the windshield.
I’d forgotten about Colin and Drea sitting in the car beside us. I had no clue what movie played on the big screen in front of us. I hadn’t paid a single bit of attention to it, too busy thinking about the girl next to me. We’d talked off and on during the movie about the actors or something they’d said, but as soon as she’d face the windshield again, I seized the opportunity to study her out of the corner of my eye. One of the scenes I happened to catch was an old woman reading the palm of a young man. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I grabbed her hand and stretched her fingers back, exposing her palm.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a snicker after I took her hand and held it in mine, palm up.
“I’m going to tell you your future.”
Her eyes lit up and her eyebrows danced wickedly on her forehead. “Oh, yeah? Please, Creed, tell me what my future holds.”
I ran my fingertip along the deep lines and then up the length of her fingers to the very tips. I had no idea what I was looking at, but when she shivered next to me, I never wanted to stop touching her. “I can’t see too far into the future, however, I can see what tomorrow brings.” I waited until her eyes locked with mine before I continued. “You’re going to spend the day with me.”
“I am?” she asked quietly, almost unsure of herself.
“Yes. All day.” Before I’d even met her, I had made up my mind I wouldn’t see her again after tonight. However, after an hour with her, that was no longer the case. The idea of seeing her again excited me. I wanted as much time as I could with her, starting as soon as possible.
She asked what I planned to do, although I never told her. I only gave her instructions to wear comfortable clothes to work out in, and to make sure she wore a pair of tennis shoes. No longer paying attention to the movie in front of us, she excitedly asked about a million questions, all of which went unanswered. To my surprise, she didn’t grow irritated with my evasiveness. If anything, she seemed to become more enthusiastic about the secretiveness.
When the movie ended, Colin insisted he drive the girls back to their house. I wanted to take her home, not ready for our night to end, but he said it was pointless for us both to drive to the same place. His logic didn’t make any sense to me considering the entire night we’d gone to the same places and I’d followed him. However, he wouldn’t relent, and in the end, I said goodnight and headed home.
And then kicked myself for the rest of the night because I hadn’t kissed her.
The mere thought of her lips on mine prevented sleep from taking over.
* * *
After less than two hours of sleep, I choked down an entire pot of coffee and left to pick her up. I was so tired, I didn’t know if I’d be able to make it to noon, but the second she answered her front door, adrenaline pumped through my veins and my lack of sleep became the furthest thing from my mind.
The night before, it had been dark. I wasn’t able to get a very good look at her from the lights on my dash or the glow from the screen. So when I picked her up the next morning for our day together, I became spellbound by the sight of her.
She may have been Drea’s twin, but other than their height, they looked nothing alike. Drea had straight, light-brown hair that fell to her shoulders; Layne’s was blond and hung in loose waves down her back. I hadn’t noticed the length the night before because of the bun, although seeing it long made me ache to run my fingers through it. Her eyes were strikingly different. I didn’t know the exact shade of Drea’s, other than they were darker, not the vibrant, crystal-clear blue of Layne’s, which had the ability to hypnotize me.
As I took in Layne’s outfit, I couldn’t help but admire her figure. She was thinner than her sister. Where Drea had healthy curves, Layne had lean, defined muscles. Her workout pants showed off her legs, hugging tightly to her thighs and calves. I used to think Drea had the perfect body…until I saw Layne’s.
“Are you going to tell me now what we’re doing?” she asked as I drove away from her house.
“We’re going on our first journey.”
Her enthusiasm was contagious—as well as the permanent grin on her face. “First? As in first of how many?”
“I don’t know yet.” I stopped myself before I said something else. It was an insane thought, one I’d never had before, but I never wanted this ride to end. I wanted to
spend every day with her. Ridiculous, considering I’d met her less than twelve hours ago, but I couldn’t shake the conviction that her fixture in my life wouldn’t be temporary.
As if my heart had latched onto hers and refused to let go.
Yet I decided to see how the day went before allowing myself to entertain such a thought.
“Are we doing them all today?” Her eyes were wide, eyebrows arched high.
“No. As far as I know, it’s just this one. Depending on how well you like this, we might have to plan others like it. But we’ll have to see.” I took her hand in mine as I drove away. “But this won’t take all day. I thought maybe after the fun and games are over, we could get cleaned up and have dinner. What do you think?”
She rested her head on the seat behind her and turned her attention to me. “It’s ten in the morning. How long is this supposed to take? I just might be too exhausted come dinnertime.” Every word was filled with light humor, teasing almost. And without even looking at her, I could tell she donned a smile on those lips—the same lips I hadn’t been able to get off my mind and had kept me from getting a good night’s sleep.
“It won’t take all day. Unless we want it to. It’s totally up to us…more importantly, it’s completely up to you. You’re calling the shots here.”
Her giggle blanketed me and my nerves immediately vanished. “Yet you won’t even tell me where we’re going. How exactly am I calling the shots?”
I squeezed her hand and smiled broadly. “You’ll see.”
The drive wasn’t long, but it afforded us enough time to talk about nothing in particular. I asked her how her night was after she got home, and then she asked me about mine. I wasn’t about to admit I’d stayed up nearly all night because I couldn’t stop thinking about her, so I lied and said I passed out before my head hit the pillow.
As soon as we pulled into the parking area of Laurel Bluffs, she knew exactly what I had planned. She stared through windshield and asked, “We’re going hiking?”
My stomach sank faster than a lead weight in a pond. I’d been here once before when I first moved to town, and I thought it would be a beautiful place to take a date. Except I never dated, so in the two years I lived here, I’d only been that one time. The second I realized I wanted to see her again, spend more time with her, it was the first spot I thought to take her. “Like I said, Layne, this is all up to you. We don’t have to go. If you’re not into hiking—”
“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes widened and her entire face lit up with her smile. She didn’t even give me time to get out of the car and open her door before she made her way toward the entrance of the trail.
I snatched the pre-packed bag from the back seat and slung it over my shoulder before catching up to her. Thinking about bringing her here had filled me with exhilaration and flooded my mind with thoughts of making memories. It wasn’t until almost three in the morning before I worried she wouldn’t like it. Some girls I’d known in the past would’ve had no interest in hiking a five-mile trail. I began debating it, and even tried coming up with a backup plan. But in the end, at around seven this morning, I decided to go with it and see what happened. In all the scenarios my mind came up with, not one had her so excited, so filled with eagerness. It was infectious, and I found myself instantly calmed.
I didn’t waste any time before grabbing her hand and leading her down the trail.
The time went by fast as we walked and talked, learning all kinds of things about each other. She told me about the vacations her parents took her and Drea on, the things they saw, her favorite places, and the ones she wanted to go back to. I hadn’t done a tremendous amount of traveling, so I couldn’t contribute much to that conversation. Although, I kept her busy with questions.
The entire time we strolled along the trail, I thought about what Colin and Drea had said the night before, about Layne going through a difficult time and not being out much lately. Since meeting her, she didn’t seem to fit the person they’d described. Her attitude was amazing and extremely uplifting. Her laughter was genuine and easy, as if she found humor in everything. The only thing I could come up with was a relationship gone bad.
Layne was young—well, younger than me. I was only twenty-one, and she was eighteen. I couldn’t imagine anything substantial happening to her other than a bad breakup. So I played it cool and continued my inquiry, hoping it might lead to some sort of answer. Or at least something I could base a logical assumption on. Unfortunately, she didn’t give me anything.
Once we finally made it to the spot, we stopped and admired the scenery. A flat boulder extended over the river and the water ran steadily in front of us. I led her to the edge where she stood and stared out at the heavily wooded bank on the other side. The sounds of nature encompassed us as we took in the view. There were so many things I wanted to say, but had no idea where to start. Layne also acted as though she had something on her mind; however, she, too, remained quiet.
After a few moments, she reached up and wiped the back of her shoulders. She’d gathered her hair low on her nape as soon as we started our hike, but apparently, it wasn’t enough to keep her cool. I wrapped my fingers around her ponytail, which seemed to surprise her, because she moved away. Her chest heaved as she stared at me, not blinking as if I’d triggered a fear of hers.
“I’m sorry,” I said with my hands up, hoping to show her I hadn’t meant anything by it. “I was only going to suggest you get your hair off your neck. You seem to be a little sweaty, and it might cool you off more if it was up higher.”
Her gaze flitted around me, rapidly moving from one thing to the next. She’d switched from content to nervous in an instant, and it left my mouth dry, my throat constricted in abrupt worry. When her hands began to fidget in front of her, I knew immediately something had happened—I’d caused a change in her. Only, I couldn’t tell if she was scared or nervous. She swallowed roughly, causing her throat to dip deep as she ran her trembling hands over the crown of her hair.
“Layne.” I kept my voice low, soft, and I didn’t make any movements toward her. “Whatever I did, it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I carefully studied her as she retreated farther, getting closer and closer to the edge of the rock behind her.
“It’s fine… You didn’t…” She closed her eyes and shook her head in short, jerky motions.
When she took another step back, clearly trying to evade me, I took two large ones forward and grabbed her arms. “Layne, be careful. You’re about to walk right off the rock.” I pulled her to my chest and held her there for a moment. My heart pounded against the side of her head, practically threatening to jump out of my body.
She fisted my shirt, lifted her gaze, and met my stare. Something clouded the usual bright blue, dimming them to an almost grey color. “I’m sorry. I just don’t like people touching my hair.” Her confession forced my thoughts to the night before, remembering what Colin had said.
I wanted to ask why, although I knew better. I was told not to mention it, so I had to bite my tongue and let it go. I didn’t want to cause her any more agony over whatever fear she experienced. “I didn’t mean anything by it. But I promise, I won’t touch your hair again. Maybe you should put your ponytail up higher. It might help with the heat.”
“No,” she said with wide, scared eyes. “I can’t wear it up like that.”
My forehead creased as I tried to understand what she meant.
“Didn’t my sister or Colin tell you?” Fear no longer clouded her eyes. Instead, skepticism took over her expression as she turned slightly and scrutinized me through her long lashes. Her tongue peeked out and ran smoothly over her plump lips, her brows raised in question, waiting for my response.
“Tell me what?” My words were cautious and my voice soft.
“What did they say to you to make you come out last night? And be honest with me. Drea has begged me for weeks to go out with her, and then at the last minute, they show up to take me home and b
ring me a date like I’m a freaking charity case.”
It was my turn to take a step back. The person in front of me wasn’t anything like the one I’d spent the evening with last night, nor the one I’d been hiking with for the last hour on the trail. “They said I spent too much time studying and I should take a break. Drea mentioned you and thought it would be a good idea if I came with them to keep you from being the third wheel.”
“Just like that? They were able to convince you to come out with us at the last minute, bring your own car, and keep me company with nothing more than a suggestion to keep me from being a tagalong? Creed…what did they really tell you? Specifically, about me?”
I didn’t want to say too much and piss anyone off. I also didn’t want to upset Layne. Whatever had caused this change in attitude baffled me. I figured it’d be best to simply answer her question and let whatever happens, happen. She couldn’t be upset with me, considering I had no idea about anything.
“They mentioned you hadn’t been out in a while. Something about you going through a hard time and needing to have some fun. That’s when Drea said I should have some fun, too, and invited me to come along.”
“There has to be more to it than that. Drea said you are really focused and it’s impossible for them to get you to do anything. There’s something you’re not telling me. What did they say to get you to come out with us? And don’t lie to me, Creed. Please. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s being lied to. Even if it’s meant to protect my feelings. I’m a ‘give it to me straight’ kinda girl.”
I admired that about her. I couldn’t argue with someone who only sought the truth, and for that, I decided to give it to her. No matter how ridiculous it made me look. “I had no desire to go, you’re right. I should be studying. I have a test this week, and I have to be prepared for it.” I let out a grumble and rolled my head back until I stared up at the clear blue sky. “I don’t know, Layne. I don’t know what you want me to say. No matter what I tell you, I’m going to be the asshole.”