He bought a cheeseburger for himself and a pink cotton candy for me.
As I munched my treat and he gobbled his burger, we strolled down the parkway toward the fishpond. We stopped and watched a little girl in ringlets pull up her magnetic rod, which held a blue plastic fish. Her grin was big, showing dimples and a few missing teeth. After a little boy with a backwards hat took over we headed back into the crowd.
“Do you come here often?” I asked, pulling some cotton candy from the stick and popping it in my mouth. The string of sugar melted instantly onto my tongue.
“No, but I like to take the boat out and I’ve driven past a few times. The lights are pretty at night.” He leaned in, taking a bite of my cotton candy. “Umm, that’s good. I’ve never tried it before,” he mumbled, his mouth still full.
“Really? Not even when you were a kid?”
He chuckled in a way that made me think I was missing something. “Come on, we’re going on this ride.” He took my hand and pulled me onto the Ferris wheel. I wasn’t really a fan of heights, but I ignored my fear and took my place next to him. When the ride started and we slowly ascended, he took my right hand in his. I used the other to squeeze the dolphin. “You’re afraid of heights aren’t you?”
“A little. How could you tell?”
“I could feel you tense.” He rubbed my hand soothingly with his thumb. “Don’t worry, you won’t fall. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I stared into his intense blue eyes and I knew he meant every word. “Nate?”
He had turned away, looking down at the scene on the ground, the people milling about, going on rides and playing games. “Hmm?” he said absently.
“Why did you change your mind? Last week at school you didn’t want anything to do with me. Was it because Eddie was going to fix me up with his friend?”
He gave me a warm smile, his face aglow with affection, but for a split second, his eyes looked tortured. “You heard that, did you? I thought I heard the door open.” He sighed and bowed his head. “I couldn’t be with you, like I said, but I couldn’t see you with anyone else. It would kill me. It was bad enough watching you date guys at school, but to see you every day at Riley House and listen to the two of you talk about you and his friend—I couldn’t do it. So I was selfish. When you kissed me, I realized I couldn’t pull away again.” He leaned in to touch his lips to mine. The movement made the cart sway and we just happened to be on the top.
I grabbed hold of him, fear gripping me from the inside. “Don’t move!”
“We won’t fall, I promise.”
I looked down at the ground. God, we’re high. I needed a distraction. “So how long have you felt this way about me?”
“Oh, I don’t think you need to know that.”
“Come on, you said you watched me date guys, so that means you liked me before now. And by the way, it wasn’t many.” Since the cart stopped moving, I gently let go of his denim jacket.
“Fine, I’ll tell you.” He sighed heavily. “I wanted to be with you since the first time I saw you.”
I raised my eyebrows in shock and then a slow smile crept up upon my lips. “Three years ago?” He nodded. “I was leaning over a table in the cafeteria. I felt someone behind me, so I turned around and you just stood there staring at me with your intense blue eyes. I remember thinking that you were the best-looking guy I had ever seen. I had the instant urge to run my fingers through your thick wavy hair. When I smiled, you took off. That was when I started liking you and even when I tried to make you jealous by dating two guys in three years, you still never asked me out.”
“You remember that?” he whispered.
I nodded, feeling my cheeks go hot. Opening up to him like that wasn’t planned. I didn’t mean to express those words, they just came out. And now he was gazing at me and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I didn’t move or speak. His gaze was so strong I couldn’t look away. When the ride slowed and we finally hung over the landing, he smiled, taking my hand and pulled me out of the seat.
“Bumper cars next,” he said, tugging on my arm.
I sat in a red one, while he took a blue one with the number eight on it. The light came on and we took off. The hook above me that controlled my car raced around the metal roof, sending sparks flying.
I was slammed into by strangers a few times before I got to Nate. I hit his car, sending him into a yellow one. His body fell forward by the force of the blow. He wheeled around and smashed into me with a laugh. He bumped me continuously before the ride was over.
“Have you had enough?” he asked, helping me out of my car.
I nodded. “Let’s go.”
We giggled like kids as we ran down to the docks.
Once we were back on the boat, he took off. The cool crisp wind and spray from the water blew through my hair. It felt exhilarating going so fast with nothing but water all around us. I felt like we were flying. He drove until we were in the middle of the lake and then stopped.
“Come here.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me onto the deck with him.
We lay out onto the white fiberglass, side by side, staring up at the stars, our fingers lightly touching. Billions of shiny specks of light glittered above us, the vast blackness spreading out to infinity; a never-ending darkness. It made me feel awfully small, like a tiny ant looking up at giants walking above me.
I looked for patterns in the stars like I did almost every night when I stargazed at home. The Big Dipper came into view, but it didn’t interest me. I was looking for something that no one else could see—a pattern in the stars that was only meant for me: a secret between me and the dark sky. I was lost in my task when the sound of Nate’s soothing voice brought me back to earth.
“I’m sorry I ignored you all this time. But someday you’ll understand.” His voice was just above a whisper. I had to strain to hear him.
His face was unreadable when I turned to look at him. Instead of asking what he meant, I touched his face with my hand briefly before focusing once again on the sky.
“There’s Orion’s belt,” he said pointing up at the three tiny stars all in a row. “And there, that large scoop. You know what that is, right?”
“Duh…the Big Dipper.”
He chuckled, his hand shooting out to give me a playful slap on the shoulder. “There’s Cassiopeia…uh… oh and there’s Ursa Major.” He stopped talking, turning his head to gaze at me.
With eyes full of longing, he reached out and gently brushed his finger against my cheek, sending shivers all over my skin. His fingers moved down to my chin. Leaning over, he gently brushed his lips against my collar bone. Slowly and very softly, he moved up to my neck, leaving goose bumps along the way. I felt his tongue slip out and gently glide along my skin up to my ear and then finally finding my lips. He kissed me, opening his mouth to take us deeper and then deeper still. I felt an explosion of need. The need to explore the taste and textures of him, the tingle my lips felt when his moved softly over mine. The burn in the pit of my stomach when his teeth nibbled my lip as he moved back to my jaw, then up to my ear, giving me a chance to breath.
He pulled away, leaning above me, his hands resting on the deck on either side of my head. He gazed down at me with a slight smirk on his face. A giggle slipped out of me as he snuck a quick peck on my forehead before he lay down beside me, his arm wrapped comfortably around my shoulder.
I sighed, never having felt as happy as I was with him. It was funny how things changed so quickly. Just last week I was miserable; now I found myself completely and utterly content. There was nowhere else in this world I would rather be than right here on the deck of the Rileys’ speedboat, in the middle of Lake Wapoose, with Nate.
“It’s so peaceful here.” My voice sounded loud after our long stretch of silence as we gazed out at the lake. The water lapped against the boat, gently rocking us. The only other sound was far off in the distance, the soft buzz of a motor. I looked up to see a man turn off his boat and get a fishing
rod out. He sat quietly casting his rod, floating on the water, waiting for a nibble.
“Yes, it is. The Rileys let me take the boat out a lot. I’ve even taken Eddie out a couple times fishing.”
I watched a sea gull swoop down and land on a large boulder sitting in front of a small island. “Is that what you do on your free time, fish?”
“Among other things.” He chuckled softly. “I like to read and take walks in the woods on the Riley estate.”
“Why don’t you ever talk to anyone at school?” It was a question I’d wanted to ask since the night of the fire.
“I guess I just haven’t found anyone interesting to talk to.” He smiled, his eyes glowing in the low light. “Until now.”
His words made my stomach tighten. “You know that you’re kind of a mystery at school. Now that I’ve been seen with you, everyone asks me what you’re really like.”
A slight smile crossed his face. “I know. I’ve heard the whispers. They’d be very disappointed if they really knew me. There’s not much to wonder about. I’m just an average guy.”
I grinned at him. “I don’t know about that.”
He sat up. “What do you mean?”
“Just that you’re kind, giving and you really care about the people that walk through the doors of the shelter. I don’t know anyone like you.” He blushed slightly at my compliments. “And you’re also kind of sexy.”
He laughed, surprised at my last compliment. He took my hand and pulled me up to a sitting position and then softly kissed my cheek. He drew back and moved over to my other one, touching my skin so softly with his lips. He hovered for a few beats, his hot breath tickling my face. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he whispered before touching his lips to mine.
A squeal erupted, startling us. We jumped apart as a group of people darted by in another speedboat, shooting through the water like a bullet. Within minutes they disappeared around a small island, leaving only their waves crashing against us.
As our boat rocked up and down over the other boats waves, Nate sighed and took my hand, gently kissing each knuckle. “We should get going, it’s getting late.” He stood up and started the boat.
Chapter Fifteen
Charlie
He didn’t take us back to the marina. Instead, he pulled the boat up to the small dock near his home.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked, tying the boat to the dock.
“Sure.” I hopped off the tiny wooden dock. It bounced, slapping against the water. I made it to the door first and tried the knob. It wasn’t locked. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t be. No one even knew this cottage was here, so he probably wasn’t worried about burglars. The drive wasn’t visible from the main road. You had to go through the Rileys’ driveway and then about twenty feet to the right was a gravel road that took you to his cottage.
I was lying back on the sofa when he came in. “You look comfortable,” he said with a grin, a dimple popping out on his left cheek. “Would you like a soda?”
When I nodded, he brought two over. After sifting through a pile of DVD’s, he put one on and we snuggled up onto the couch to watch.
When the movie was over it was late and he made no move to take me home. I could tell he was reluctant to be away from me. I hoped so, anyway, because that was how I felt. I never wanted to leave his side. It was shocking how quickly I had become attached to him. But there was just something about him that I couldn’t explain. I felt drawn to him in a way I had never before felt. And although it scared me, I chose to embrace it.
After he turned the movie off, he grew quiet.
“Um…do you want to take me home? Or do you want me to stay?” I asked quietly, the fear of his rejection still somewhere inside me.
He grinned. “Do you want to stay?”
“I do.”
“It’s settled then. I really didn’t want to be without you, but I couldn’t assume you’d want to stay.”
“I’ll just text Mona. My parents won’t even notice.” I took my phone out while he went through a door that must have been his bedroom. I heard shuffling inside. I pictured him shoving clothes into drawers and under the bed.
When I stepped into the room a few minutes later, I watched as he shoved clothes into a dresser. I laughed softly, tempted to look under the bed. The room was about the same size as mine. A four-poster bed sat in the center with a blue blanket and matching pillows.
The beige walls were basically bare except a gigantic photo of an aerial forest view. When he opened his eyes in the morning, it would be the first thing he saw. If he was lying on his side facing the front of the house, he’d have a clear view of the lake. There were patio doors that led to the front deck and the lake beyond it. Now I knew what he meant when he said he woke up to the waves crashing against the rocks.
There was a shelf above a dresser with a ton of books; some looked like antiques. But there were no personal pictures of his family on the shelves. I didn’t see any in the room. Maybe the reminder was too painful for him.
“Do you have a big T-shirt I could wear?”
He turned around, took a shirt out of the third drawer and tossed it to me. “There’s a bathroom right there you can change in.” He pointed to a door directly across from the bed.
When I came out dressed in his shirt, the light was off. Even with the dim light, I could see from the moonlight shining in through the window that he was lying under the covers, arms up above his head. His chest was bare, exposing his smooth, sculpted, upper body. I climbed in on the side by the patio doors. He snuggled up behind me draping his arm around my waist. “Good night, Megan,” he said, his voice sleepy and content.
“Goodnight.” At first I was nervous to be in bed with his body so close to mine. But after I lay on my side with his arm around me for a while, I could feel his warmth seep into me. I wanted to sleep like this every night.
I was a little disoriented when I woke the next morning. I could hear a swooshing noise and the whirring sound of the wind blowing. Not exactly sure where I was, I opened my eyes and looked out the screened patio door. The waves crashed against the rocks and the wind blew wildly through the maple and oak trees. Nate was right. It wasn’t a bad way to wake up.
I heard snoring behind me. I turned over and jumped, startled to see the large blue dolphin lying between Nate and me. He must have placed it there in the middle of the night. I laughed softly as I grabbed it, tossing it to the floor and watched Nate as he noisily breathed in and out. He was so gorgeous. I took the time to study his face. His skin was flawless, except for a tiny scar that was visible only up close, right above his left eyebrow. Blond stubble was just peeking through his skin along his jaw. And his breath smelled oddly of toothpaste instead of morning breath.
His eyes moved under his eyelids. I backed away, not sure if he would want to wake up to see me hovering and scrutinizing him so closely. But they stayed closed; he must have been dreaming. He looked so peaceful that I decided to let him sleep. When I climbed out of bed, I stepped on the stuffed toy. I smiled as an idea formed; he could use some company. I placed the dolphin under the covers beside Nate and snuck out, tiptoeing into the kitchen.
I really hoped he had something in his fridge that would kill my morning breath. I must remember to pack a toothbrush in my bag, just in case. The fridge was loaded with food. I took out orange juice and guzzled it right from the jug. No one was around to see; what was the harm? Behind the milk and butter I noticed bacon and eggs. I pulled them out with the thought of surprising him with breakfast in bed.
Although I really wasn’t sure what to do, I had watched Mona many times. There were a variety of pots and pans hanging from a rack above the island. Not knowing which was best, I pulled down a medium-sized black one. Then I had to choose which temperature to turn the burner on once I placed the pan on top of the stove. Again, I guessed, medium. It was a safe temperature, not too cold or too hot. As soon as I was able to find the scissors and open the package, I set the baco
n in the now hot pan; it sizzled and popped. While I waited for it to cook, I thought I might take a look around.
I wandered over to the window to watch the birds dive into the water.
I was standing beside the fireplace when I noticed a line in the dust, as if a picture had been there. I looked around and saw a few more of those spots.
I opened a drawer of an end table and saw a pile of framed pictures. Why would he put all his pictures away? I just looked at the top one, not feeling comfortable going through his things. The picture was an old black-and-white photo of a girl, maybe sixteen, another girl about nine and a two-year-old boy. They were standing in front of a white colonial-style house that looked a bit like the Rileys’, but a lot smaller. They were dressed in clothes from another generation. The picture was so cool. It must have come with the house. The smell of bacon reminded me that I was cooking breakfast.
I shut the drawer and rushed over to flip the bacon before it burned. I cooked the whole package, knowing Nate’s appetite. When it was done, I made a bunch of scrambled eggs. On my first try that was the best I could do.
I took out a tray I found in a cupboard above the dishwasher and loaded it with a plate of food and a mug of coffee that I had also made. Nate was just waking up as I walked into his room with the food. “You made breakfast?” He sat up and leaned against the headboard, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
“Don’t get too excited. The bacon is crispy in some places, raw in others. And the toast is a little burnt, but the eggs are fine. I hope you like scrambled.” I placed the tray on his lap.
He just stared at me in awe. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe you did this.”
“Well, you looked peaceful. I don’t know how, though, you snore really loud.”
He smiled sheepishly. “I’ll have to get you ear plugs for the next time you stay.”
“There’s going to be a next time?” I asked, taking a bite of the bacon I stole from his plate.
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