by Joy Elbel
“I’m not doing this for the great city of Pittsburgh— I’m doing this for you.” As an afterthought, I added, “I’m doing this for Lee.”
“You’re the best, Ru. Can I at least buy you lunch to make up for ruining your day?” Why not? It was just lunch, right? It wouldn’t be a date—it would just be two friends eating burgers together. Nothing weird about that. Even Zach couldn’t be upset by it. After Garnet shared her eating disorder with me, he was more than happy to watch me pig out.
I nodded my head in agreement. “Okay. I am pretty hungry anyway. Where do you want to eat?” There weren’t any restaurants in sight but I figured he would know where to find one.
Lucas jumped up from the bench with the most enthusiasm I’d seen from him all day. “I know the perfect place—let’s go!”
We got in the car and drove further into the city. It wasn’t as big as Philadelphia but being in Pittsburgh reminded me of Trinity. It seemed like years since I’d seen buildings that tall and traffic that crazy. It felt more like the good old days—the days I spent riding around with Lee. We used to visit museums and watch movies at the IMAX. The best I had in Charlotte’s Grove was the haunted Bantam and an old broken down drive in.
Traffic was bad and I was nearly starved by the time we pulled into the shopping center parking lot just outside of Monroeville. There were several fast food options there so I asked him which one was his favorite. Not that I really cared—anything that wasn’t still moving was fine by me.
“Oh, none of them—you haven’t eaten until you’ve eaten here,” he said pointing to what looked like a really fancy restaurant standing alone to the side of the shopping center.
I couldn’t believe it—D’avoir un Rêve made City Lights look like the Chicken Shack. It was, without a doubt, the glitziest restaurant I’d ever seen in my entire life. It was the kind of place only the elite ate at—not small town high school kids who were only in the city for the afternoon. And not at all what I had in mind when I agreed to let Lucas buy me lunch.
Lucas stepped up to the hostess and whispered something in her ear. She peered around him, shot me an envious look and nodded. “Follow me.”
The hostess led us through the dining room to a quiet table in the back. It was the only empty table there—how did we get lucky enough to arrive at the perfect moment? I took my seat and opened my menu the minute the hostess walked away. French. Every single word of it was in French. Sure, I’d been taking French since my freshman year but I that didn’t mean I paid attention to it! The only things I could understand were the prices and I prayed they were in francs and not US dollars.
“Lucas! This place is way too expensive! There isn’t a single thing on the menu under a hundred bucks! I can’t let you pay for this!” I stared longingly at the plates on the table closest to us. It all looked so delicious.
“I thought you said you were hungry? And you definitely agreed to let me pay so just order what you want and don’t worry about it,” he said, nonchalantly perusing the menu like he ate at places like this every day of his life.
“Okay, money aside, I can’t read a single thing on this menu. With my luck, I would end up ordering myself boiled squid or something!”
“I can help you—what are you in the mood for?” Lucas said suggestively, his eyes penetrating and seductive. His gaze was so powerful, I had to look away. Reluctantly and slowly but I still managed to break the spell. “Well, chicken’s my favorite….”
“Chicken it is then,” he replied and motioned for the server. Without any hint of hesitation, Lucas ordered for both of us in fluent French.
Shocking. He didn’t seem the type to speak another language, at least not so fluidly and effortlessly. “You speak French? You don’t even take French!”
“Don’t look so shocked—there are good schools in Pittsburgh, you know,” he said unfolding his napkin and taking a sip of his water. “And I didn’t sign up for French this year because it would have been boring. I think you can agree that I’m a tad bit past verb conjugations.”
Just when I thought I knew him, Lucas always seemed to find a way to flip me upside down and shake me like an Etch-a-Sketch. French was such a romantic language and his pronunciation was flawless. There was nothing sexier than a hot guy speaking French. I wanted to hear more.
“Say something else—I like how it sounds.”
He thought for a second and said, “Chérie, je veux vous détruire.” Again, I had not one single clue what he said. But it didn’t matter—it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to me.
“Wow—what else do I not know about you?” Lucas smiled smugly and leaned across the table toward me. “I knew there would come a day when you would want to know everything about me.”
Uncomfortable. I didn’t think I was flirting with him but he seemed to take it that way. He looked exactly like Lee but that was where the similarities ended. How should I respond to that? Better yet, how did I want to respond to that? Lucky for me, I didn’t have to.
When the server placed my meal in front of me, I thought I’d died and gone to culinary heaven. After the first bite, I knew for sure that I had. Between mouthfuls, I thanked Lucas for picking out something so delicious for me.
“I’m glad you like it,” Lucas replied. “It’s one of my favorites.” He laid his fork down on his empty plate. “Room for dessert?”
“Oh no,” I said, “I’m good.” That was a lie. I always left room for dessert but the meal was already so expensive and I didn’t want him to have to spend any more money on me.
He waved to the server who cleared our empty plates and took his dessert order. “Before we head back to Charlotte’s Grove, would you mind making one other stop? There’s a place here that I really miss and I promise we won’t stay long. I’m sure Zach is anxious to get you back.”
Zach! I promised to check in with him regularly but I hadn’t talked to him since shortly after we left. He was probably assembling the National Guard to look for me by now. I pulled out my phone to answer his string of frantic text messages.
I looked at my phone, shocked and confused to find that I didn’t have one single message. That was weird— normally I would have had at least one, if not several. Andy must be keeping him busy at the shelter—that was the only plausible explanation. When Lucas’s dessert arrived, I forgot all about Zach and wished I could take back my refusal to order my own.
“Tira misu,” Lucas explained, taking a bite of the chocolaty creation. He must have noticed the drool forming in the corners of my mouth because he offered to share.
“No, I couldn’t,” I protested unenthusiastically.
“Yes, you can,” he said and scooted his chair around the table until we were nearly touching. “Open up.” Just one bite wouldn’t hurt, would it? I pressed my lips together hesitantly but he coaxed them open with the tip of his fork. Once it was inside my mouth, I couldn’t hold back. So rich, so decadent, so seductive against my tongue. Lucas removed the fork from my mouth and slid his tongue over it to get the last taste of chocolate.
He took another bite and then offered me another one too. “Do you want more?”
“I do,” I replied eagerly. It was just dessert—there wasn’t anything wrong with what I was doing. Was there? Lucas alternated between feeding me and feeding himself until the dessert plate was empty. He paid the bill, left a very generous tip, and we walked back to his car. I left the restaurant with an odd mixture of satisfaction and guilt. What just happened in there? The way he fed me was so sensual, so intimate. Was that what Zach had in mind when he bought the strawberries and chocolate for our special day? It had to be. What never happened between me and Zach just happened between me and Lucas. I was the worst girlfriend in the world.
One quick stop before heading home—that’s all it was supposed to be. And when Lucas pulled into the parking lot of the Diamond Blades ice skating rink, I didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be. As much as I wanted to learn how to skate, I knew
it wasn’t possible. My last date with Zach proved that. I followed Lucas inside figuring he was just there to talk to a friend. Prepare for another hard shake on the Etch-a-Sketch.
The entire rink was deserted except for a girl in her early twenties working the skate rental booth. “Size?” she asked me as I approached the counter with him.
“Who? Me? No, I don’t skate.”
“What do you mean, you don’t skate?” Lucas asked with surprise. “Are you afraid or something?” Afraid? Me? It took a lot more than ice skating to frighten me these days. “Of course not—I just can’t skate. I tried once and I couldn’t even walk on those blades let alone skate on them.”
“Let me guess—your ankles buckled under you, right? Well, I know how to fix that.” “Right,” I replied with a hint of dry sarcasm. “I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll never be an Olympic figure skater. My dreams of bringing home the gold are long past shattered—it’s okay.”
“Humor me for a minute, Ru. What size do you wear?”
“Size eight,” I said with a sigh. At least there wasn’t a crowd of people to watch me fail again this time. The girl behind the counter reached for a pair of white figure skates but Lucas shook his head no. “No—make it a pair of those.” He pointed to a pair of sturdy, black hockey skates.
Great. Not only was I going to make a fool out of myself—again—but I was going to look like Frankenstein while doing it. Whatever. All I had to do was put them on, show him that I couldn’t even manage to walk, and the humiliation would be over.
I sat down on the bench, removed my boots and slid the skates onto my feet. Lucas knelt down on the floor and laced them up tight for me.
“See—I told you this would happen.” I stood up to prove my point but proved nothing. Once on my feet, I was perfectly balanced on the silver blades. “Oh my God! I’m standing! How’s that possible?” I started walking to the ice, ready to conquer it once and for all.
“Hey—wait for me, Ru!” Lucas called from the bench where he sat hurriedly changing into a matching pair of skates.
I pranced in place, anxious to get out onto the surface of the rink. “How did you know these would work?” I asked curiously.
“You have weak ankles—so do I. These are the only kind I can wear so I figured they would work for you, too.” Lucas finished tying his laces and slid out onto the ice as he took my hand and pulled me with him.
The lights on the rink were low, dark except for strings of red and white twinkling lights all around. One look at it and I was rethinking my hatred of Christmas decorations. It literally took my breath away.
At first, I started to slide but Lucas linked his arm around my waist and steadied me. Then, we started to glide. And I was transformed into an ice princess. Sure, I wasn’t dressed like one but I could pretend. Sparkling costume, delicate frame of jewel encrusted silver perched upon my head, handsome prince on my arm. Lucas twirled me around like we were dancing. I wasn’t the most graceful princess but at least I stayed on my feet.
Two hours flew by in the span of what felt like minutes. I knew we had to get home but I never wanted to leave the ice. If only Misty could see me now. No, wait. If she saw me like this with Lucas, she would get the wrong impression. But what was the right impression? I loved Zach but Lucas was starting to feel like more than just a friend. That realization was enough to make me want to leave the ice.
“We need to head home now—it’s past six!” I exclaimed, pulling Lucas off of the ice along with me. I had too much fun today—I needed to put some distance between us. Fast.
Sitting across from Lucas for the two hour ride home wasn’t nearly enough distance. I checked my phone before leaving Pittsburgh and still found nothing from Zach. There was no way he was still at the shelter—not this late. Was he ignoring me intentionally? Maybe I should just give in and call him. But then again, maybe not. If he wanted to play games, I had to show him that I could play, too. The minute I put my phone away it felt like I kind of put Zach away, as well. And I started to say things I never thought I would say.
As Lucas asked questions about my relationship with Zach, private things spilled out. Before I knew it, I’d backed myself into a corner. There was only one way out—I had to explain the events of this past summer. I decided to tell him about Scarlet.
“What? Rosewood’s haunted?” Lucas nearly missed our exit while trying to wrap his brain around what I’d told him.
“It was but not anymore. We found a way to get rid of Scarlet. I would have died that night if it weren’t for Zach. He saved my life.”
“Oh, that explains a lot,” Lucas said with an “ah-ha” look on his face.
“What do you mean by that?” I replied defensively. I wasn’t going to like where this conversation was going, was I? “Well, you and Zach don’t make sense together, you know. If it hadn’t been for all of the drama, you probably wouldn’t have stayed together this long. Zach does seem to like to play the hero, doesn’t he?”
My greatest fear now verbalized by an outside observer—tears formed instantly in my eyes. Please, do not cry now! Was he right? If I’d never had that damned near death experience, would Zach and I still be together? Was Zach drawn to me or my endless parade of tragedies? The worst part was that there was no way for me to ever get a definitive answer. A road sign flew by declaring that Charlotte’s Grove was only thirty miles away but it might as well have been thirty thousand.
I couldn’t hide the fact that he struck a nerve—I couldn’t even try to defend Zach’s intentions. We both remained silent the rest of the way home. But just as the old saying goes, silence spoke louder than words.
12. Reconnaissance Mission
I liked to think of myself as a responsible guy but when I woke up this morning, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I needed to lie. It wasn’t something I was proud of but there was no way I’d be able to work all day while Ruby was in Pittsburgh alone with Lucas. So I left for work like usual but called Andy to tell him I had the flu. He was sympathetic, of course, which made me feel like a complete ass. But ass or no ass, it was something I had to do.
The urge to follow Ruby came over me so suddenly that I didn’t have time to come up with a plan—I just had to go with my gut feeling and hope it would take me where I needed to go. Only one thing was clear—I had to make sure she didn’t see me. If she saw me, it would all be for nothing.
Don’t get me wrong—I trusted her. Completely. It was Lucas I didn’t trust. Not for a single second. There was something about him—something, well, fake. I know that sounds stupid. It was obvious that he had to be Lee’s twin brother. Still, there was something completely bogus about that guy and I was going to figure out what it was. It would have been so much easier if she would have simply believed that he wasn’t who she thought he was. Her judgment was clouded—any idiot could see that. So until I had proof, the only thing I could do was keep her safe. Unlike most days, today I had to figure out a way to do that from a distance.
I parked at the entrance to Silver Lake and waited for them to drive past. They would never even notice me there behind the trees but I would clearly see that beast he called a car. What a stupid car, anyway. What kind of jerk would drive around in a car that was twice as old as he was? I wouldn’t be caught dead in that monstrosity—my Neon was way cooler than his hunk of junk. Did he seriously think girls were into that kind of car? Counting to twenty before pulling out, I gave them enough of a lead that it wouldn’t look like I was following them. Once we hit the interstate, I could easily blend in with the traffic. Phase one of my unplanned plan was successful.
The first obstacle came when he didn’t take the onramp at mile marker 101. So he thought he was too cool for the interstate, huh? So City Boy knew a shortcut, did he? Whatever. Not a problem. Once we hit the two lane stretch, I dialed her number. She was supposed to call me as soon as she left Rosewood. Why did she always seem to forget about me the minute she saw his smirky little face?
One ring. Two r
ings. Why wasn’t she answering her phone? Three rings went by before I heard her sweet voice on the other end. A bit too sweet for my liking. She sounded like a girl who was trying to make a guy jealous—only I wasn’t the target of her little game. I was torn between screaming at her and crying like a baby.
It looked like her little trick worked. City Boy swung into the fast lane and gunned it. It was time to find out what my car was made of. I pushed the pedal to the floor and took off after them. When my speedometer hit ninety, I knew it was time to put down the phone and pay attention to what I was doing. Keeping her in my sights was far more important than listening to her try to make him jealous.
City Boy slowed down once she was done talking to me. Figures. Now that he knew he had her undivided attention, he would milk that drive for all it was worth. Why couldn’t she see that he was only playing that whole adoption thing for a little bit of sympathy? Okay, so finding out you were adopted would really suck. I wouldn’t want to be in his situation but I certainly wouldn’t use it to try to get into a girl’s pants.
Just thinking about it made me want to rip his head off. Time to use some of my anger management skills. I counted down backwards from ten but it didn’t even take the edge off. Dammit! If I could only hear what was being said in that car!
I always thought our relationship was unbreakable— even during the times we were broken up I knew we would be together again. But this time, this time I was scared. Sure, I had that crush on Misty back in the day but Ruby was different. She wasn’t just a crush. I felt an unexplainable connection to her and I never wanted to let her go. When the other boys looked at her they just saw a pretty face and a smokin’ hot body but she was more than that to me. To me, she was everything. Sigh. It’s going to be an awfully long day.
While I watched them obviously having fun in the car in front of me, I drove without even turning on my radio. Why should I? Every song would just remind me of her in some way. Not that I thought of anything but her the entire way to Pittsburgh. Or ever, for that matter.