Want to Make a Deal?
After crying myself to sleep last night, I wake up with darker than normal circles under my eyes. Rolling over, I stare at the ceiling and try to figure out why it matters so much. It really shouldn’t. Pity parties have no room in my life. Don’t have the time and in the end will get me nowhere, yet here I lay wallowing.
I rub the heels of my hands against my eyes before throwing back the covers and getting up. Tossing my hair up in its usual bun, I dress in a black tank and button up red flannel shirt. The jeans I pull on just so happen to be my favorite. They come from a yard sale about a year ago and are faded with holes in the knees, but I love them. Safe and comfortable is just what I need today.
Running a pot of coffee, I take my time sipping at the first cup. My eyes catch on the glint of silver of the keys hanging by the door. It would be so nice to drive today, but after the almost panic attack last night, it probably isn’t such a good idea yet.
I pour the rest of the coffee and a tad touch of creamer in my thermos and grab my leather jacket before heading out the door.
I manage to make it all the way to lunch without thinking about last night. Of course, as lost in my head that I was this morning, I forgot to pack my lunch. On a more positive note, I haven’t had to deal with any of the dicks today, so I’m just going to steer clear of the cafeteria and go to the library to work on my research paper that’s due Friday.
I should have known that would be too easy. Just as my hand reaches out for the door, it opens and pops me right across the knuckles.
“Oops, sorry,” a blonde says coming out.
“Don’t waste your breath on trailer trash, new girl,” Stacey Marsh says following her out. Just fucking great. The pod squad. You know, I get Derrik’s hatred, but I’ll never understand Stacey’s. It may have something to do with his obsession with torturing me, as if I have something to do with that. Everyone knows they’ve been dating since freshman year.
“Excuse me,” I say to the last of the pods, Sarah, still standing in the doorway, a blonde Barbie just like the rest of them.
She sneers at me, “Hey Stacey, aren’t those the clothes that you donated to the Salvation Army last week?”
I force my way in beside her and leave them cackling at the door. Finding a secluded corner of the room, I hunker down and get absolutely nothing done. Rain spatters against the window and I watch the water run in little rivulets down the glass. Tears roll down my face in the same pattern. I’ve never cried at school, because these people mean absolutely nothing to me. With all of the other shit going on in my head, though, it’s unstoppable. The ache of missing Casey, Will, and Brian is so deep today. It burns me so far down that I feel it in my soul. I’m surprised to look at my hands and still see flesh instead of ash. Depression is its own kind of evil and it’s weighing me down. I won’t even have the reprieve of work tonight.
When the last bell rings, I’m nothing more than a zombie. A walking bag of skin and bones with nothing firing upstairs. I hear my name being called, but I ignore it. There’s no one worth talking to at this place.
A warm hand grasps me at the elbow, “Kendall?”
My first instinct is to punch first and ask questions later, but I recognize the voice. The brown haired nice guy.
“Did you not hear me calling for you?” Lucas asks.
The bus behind me lets out a whoosh of air and closes its door. It’s getting ready to pull away and mine will be right behind it.
Lucas pulls my attention back to him, “Hey, are you ok?”
The rain steadily falls around us as we stand under the little canopy area. His hand is still at my elbow and I want nothing more than to lean into him. My eyes fall to my bus as it pulls away from the curb. Tears pool in my eyes and streak down my face at the thought of my now miserable walk home.
Lucas uses his other hand to pull my chin up to face him. His eyes roam over my face like he’s trying to figure out how to fix the white trash ruin that I am, but he has no idea just how impossible that would be. People are staring, and I couldn’t give two shits as Lucas locks eyes with me. His flick down to my lips and back up again.
He looks like he’s going to kiss me right before he clears his throat, “Hungry?”
“What?” I ask a little hoarse from not talking for so long.
He smiles, “I’m famished. Want to go over to Pete’s?”
Pete’s is a small diner kind of place that borders our small town and the next one over, which isn’t any bigger than ours. It just holds more of the upper class white collar people. It’s also about an hour walk from here. Twenty if we take a car. I shake my head.
His face shows defeat, but he still says, “Please. I promise to drive really slow and careful.”
The words take me by surprise, “How did you know?”
He shrugs, “I saw you clenching the armrest last night like it was going to fall off. I just assumed you were super pissed or scared of being in the car.”
“And you don’t think that had anything to do with me being in a car full of strange boys?” I ask.
Tilting his head back, he laughs, “With the way that you stood up to Mav, that thought never crossed my mind.”
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t admire the sight of his smile and the sound of his laugh. If he hadn’t accused me of being scared and the words hitting home, I may have told him no. So, when I say yes, I’m not sure if it’s to prove him wrong or myself.
“Come on,” he says pulling my hand to the crook of his elbow without letting go, almost as if he’s scared I’m going to take off running. That’s not too far from the truth.
He leads me over to the newest car in the lot, a huge black pick-up truck. It’s raised so high that Lucas gives me a boost up. I’m so nervous that I can’t even manage to thank him. Snapping my seatbelt and watching him walk around the front of the hood, I take several deep breaths trying to calm down. This is harder than last night, and I think it’s because I was so angry at both the Dicks and Maverick.
I try to distract myself with Lucas. When he comes around the corner, the street lamp catches his hair just right and turns the brown a tinge red. There’s a five o’clock shadow across his jawline that makes me wonder what it would feel like under my fingers. It’s been so long.
He hops up into his seat and I notice his clothes for the first time. In brand new jeans and white long-sleeve shirt underneath a navy vest, he looks like he’s ready for prep school. The only thing that argues that is a black, leather jacket lying against the center console.
It takes a minute to catch on to the fact that he is saying something, “What?”
He passes me a knowing smile, “I just asked if you were good.”
I nod and he starts the engine.
The ride to Pete’s is quiet, but not the awkward kind. Almost like he doesn’t want to pressure me into talking. Lucas makes a few turns to take us out of town. This road runs parallel with the train tracks. All I can hope for is one not to pass. The thought has no sooner left my head and I hear a horn behind us.
My throat clinches tight and my breath comes in short gasps, “Pull over.”
“What?” he asks with concern.
I reach out for his hand, “Please. Just for a minute. Pull. Over.”
True to his word, Lucas has driven more than careful and pulls slowly over to the shoulder. I close my eyes and try to slow my breathing down, so it will slow my racing heart.
When I can no longer hear it, I risk opening my eyes. The last car keeps moving until it’s no longer in sight. It’s then that I realize that I’ve been squeezing the shit out of Lucas’ hand.
“Sorry,” I say trying to let go.
His fingers tighten around mine, “Nothing to be sorry for.”
Breathing in through my nose and out my mouth, Lucas doesn’t rush me. I’m just thankful he’s not asking if I’m ok. I’d probably break down again.
“We can go now,” I say quietly.
He clenches my hand and never lets go the rest of the way to the diner.
We walk into Pete’s and a few people turn around to stare.
“Hey! What’s up, Lucas?” A tall boy says striding up to us. He’s dressed in the same uniform style as Lucas, so they must go to the same school.
They do a crazy fist bump handshake thing, “What’s up bro?”
The stranger all but jumps up and down on his toes, “You ready to whoop some Eastern ass on Friday?”
Lucas grins, “You already know,”
“This is the year we go undefeated man. I feel it,” the stranger says, “Oh and after party is at Kelly’s lake house.”
He looks over and notices me for the first time, “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Henry Edward the third. Most people just call me Eddie.”
I take his outstretched hand, “Kendall. Nice to meet you.”
He smiles, “Likewise. You should definitely come to the soirée Friday night. It’s going to be banging. Especially if our boys take us to state.”
Glancing up at Lucas, I see he’s watching me. Possibly waiting for the next break down. I have half a second to be thankful that the tears have stopped falling and I don’t have a bad after crier’s face, other than slightly puffy eyes. Trying to make my face relax, I smile and one side of his mouth quirks up. I turn back to Eddie, “Sounds like fun. I’ll be there.”
“Most excellent,” he says before fist bumping us and making his way back to his booth where several other people dressed the same wait.
Lucas’ hand finds my lower back and sends a kaleidoscope of butterflies straight through my belly as he leads us to a booth in the corner. He gives me a little nudge to sit with my back against the wall as he sits to face me.
“Sorry about that. You didn’t make any promises that you have to uphold or anything,” he says watching my face.
I shrug, “I’m actually off Friday night. Might be nice to do something different for a change.”
This earns me a full-on smile and I have to look away before I find myself falling into it, “So you guys are like some big football stars?”
He looks surprised, “Wow, are we that easy to guess?”
I roll my eyes, “I may be the weird girl from the trailer park, but I do like my football. Just not our team because they fucking suck. Not to mention the players are complete dicks.”
There’s a quick moment of silence before he bursts out laughing. It’s a head back kind of laugh that draws the attention of the people around us, including his schoolmates in the corner. The tiny blonde girl sitting with them gives me an appreciative nod. I’m not sure I understand why, but it’s nice to not be glared at for once. When my eyes move back to Lucas he’s smiling enough that the laugh lines are still there around his eyes.
The waitress chooses this moment to walk up, “How are you doing today Lucas? Where are the other three to the fantastic four?”
His smile turns respectful, “They all had detention after school. So, it’s just Kendall and I today, Judy.”
Her gaze flicks to me, “He being a proper gentleman?”
If it were Teagan or Maverick in front of me, I wouldn’t hesitate to get them in trouble. I’m just not going to do that to Lucas, so instead I answer, “Yes ma’am.”
“Oh, pretty and polite,” she says then moves her hand beside her mouth as she mock whispers to him, “This one’s a keeper.”
He grins at me again and I feel my face turn red from the attention.
Judy saves me, “Are we ordering the usual?”
“Yes please,” he replies, “And Kendall will have the same.”
He winks at me as she says, “Ok, be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
“Did you just order for me?” I ask with mock horror.
The grin he shoots me could melt sugar, “I do believe that I just did.”
My eyebrow goes up in question, “What if I don’t like what you ordered?”
Shrugging he says, “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”
This takes me aback. It’s been a long time since I trusted anyone other than Gramps. My spine straightens, and I lean back against my seat. I pick at a spot on the table with my fingernail.
“Sorry,” he says quietly, “I didn’t mean to say anything to upset you again.”
I shoot him a sad smile, “It’s ok really. I’ve just had a bad couple of days.”
“Does it happen to have anything to do with us?” he asks.
My turn to shrug, “Maybe in an off-hand kind of way, but not really.”
Judy runs two waters out to our table and says the food’s going to take a little longer before disappearing again.
Lucas takes a long drink of his before he says, “You know, Teagan didn’t mean for all of that to go down the way that it did last night. He has never been the super serious type, so sometimes he comes off as an offensive asshole.”
Thinking back on my reaction, my face turns pink, “I may need to be the one apologizing. I overreacted a little. I just didn’t feel right taking his money like that.”
He lets out a short laugh, “You know, honestly, I think that very reason is why Maverick took a liking to you.”
I snort softly, “Right.”
“No, it’s true. He’s rough around the edges and a bit harsh sometimes, but he’s a good dude. Trust me when I say that he wouldn’t have let just anyone get in the Rover drenched with soda like you were. I’m pretty sure he’d probably go to jail for attempted murder if one of us tried it,” he says.
I think on his words for a minute, “Speaking of which. Why am I here? Why did you bother to come to the school Lucas? Especially after I showed you where I live.”
He sighs, “Because you were wrong.” My eyebrow goes up again and he says, “What? You think that just because we go to a prep school that we’re snobs? That sounds a lot like stereotyping to me.”
Shit. I don’t want them to be, but his words are true. My actions are no better than Derrik’s toward me and I never even thought about it like that, “I’m sorry.”
One corner of his mouth quirks up in victory, “No reason to be sorry. I’m sure it’s what you’re used to at that school and probably in life period.”
Before I can say anything, Judy drops plates covered in french fries and two of the biggest burgers I’ve ever seen in my life in front of us. “Y’all let me know if you want anything else.”
Lucas thanks her as I attempt a half-assed thanks. I know my eyes are as big as saucers, “You actually eat all of this?”
He laughs and rolls up the sleeves on his button down, “At least once a week.”
As he eloquently digs into his plate, I admire the way that his muscles flex in his forearms. Tattoos run from his wrists all the way up his arm underneath the rolls in the shirt.
I am completely entranced trying to pick apart the different designs, “How far do those go up?”
Looking up I see that he’s been watching me the whole time as he’s taking bites, “Eat some and I might tell you.”
Unladylike, I stuff three fries in my mouth at once and look at him expectantly. He almost chokes on a drink of his water and it makes me smile. After wiping it off his mouth and the little specks that landed on his shirt, he says, “These go all the way to my shoulders, but I have more across my back and chest.”
I narrow my eyes at him, “Wait, how old are you?”
He points at my food and waits until I take a bite of burger before he answers, “Nineteen.”
My mouth falls open in shock. Thankfully, there’s no food in it, “But those must have taken hours to do. What do you go and get new ones every weekend?”
Laughing he says, “No, I actually started some of them when I was sixteen.”
“How?” I ask
“Richie from Suburbiaville, remember?” he says with a smile.
Damn, he’s never going to let me live those words down and if I’m honest, I don’t really deserve to. I try to bring the conversation back to my curiosity, “Can I see the rest of them?”
This earns another laugh, “You better be glad you’re asking me that question and not Maverick or Teagan.”
“Why?” I ask suspiciously.
“Because,” he starts, “They have some that you can’t see unless they are fully undressed, and I know for a fact they wouldn’t tell you no.”
My face turns red and make it a point to eat and not talk anymore.
After a few minutes, Lucas says, “Want to make a deal?”
Tilting my head to the side, I ask, “What kind of deal?”
“One where I show you the rest of them,” he replies.
It sounds sketch, but what girl in my shoes would say no, “Ok.”
He nods as if he expected my answer, “Tell me where you were earlier, and I’ll show them to you.”
I’m confused, “What do you mean? I went straight from home to school today.”
“Not then,” he says with a sad smile, “Where you were in your head when I called for you today?”
“Oh,” I say glancing at the table. “I told you. I’ve just had a shitty couple of days and I’m just mentally exhausted dealing with the bullshit that comes with life.”
“Does it have anything to do with those assholes in the car last night?” he asks with a serious tone in his voice. I don’t want to lie to him and tell him no, because they have been some of it here lately. “Or is it about the reason why you’re scared of cars.”
My eyes flick up to his and I reign in the anger trying to bubble out of my mouth. His voice turns soft again, “My dad died in a car crash when I was two years old. I wasn’t even old enough to know anything. He was just there one day and not the next. I don’t even remember anything about him. If it hadn’t been for my uncle, I’m pretty sure that my mom would have gone insane.”
My face scrunches with confusion and he says, “Yeah, my dad’s brother is now my step-dad. Trust me. I caught so much shit for that one growing up. People love the incest jokes even though they aren’t even close to being the same thing.” He pauses and runs a hand across his jaw, “That’s how Maverick and I became friends. Seventh grade and he was new, he hadn’t heard all of the rumors yet. This kid we called Johnny come up and started shit with me one day and Maverick threw him to the dirt and beat the hell out of him. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
I mull his words over in my brain before quietly asking, “But what if my story doesn’t have a happy ending like yours?”
He leans his arms down on the table and waits until I’m looking straight at him, “With the way that you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, I assumed that it didn’t.”
I suck in a shaky breath, “My boyfriends died in a train wreck two years ago.”
He doesn’t even flinch at the plural use of the word, “They were the guys in that old Camaro?” I nod, and he says, “Yeah, I remember when that happened.”
Tears roll down my cheek and there’s no stopping them now, “They were my best friends and it’ll be exactly two years ago next week. That’s where I was today when you called for me. Wishing for the millionth time that I had been in that car with them.”
He chews his bottom lip and I close my eyes not wanting to see any kind of pity or whatever on his face. I hear him shift in the booth and the next thing I know, he is pushing into my side to get me to scoot over. When I oblige him, he sits and takes my hand in his, “Do you think that’s what they would’ve wanted?”
I shake my head and let out a small laugh, “No, if they were here they’d either be pissed or laughing at me right now.”
With him sitting this close, when his voice goes quiet, it turns into this smoky sound that sends shivers down my spine, “Kendall, this is probably one of the hardest things that you will ever have to go through, but it will make you a better person for it. You just have to live. If for no other reason than for them. Live life to the fullest, just like you know that they would want you to.”
His words make sense and he’s right. I don’t know why it takes him saying it for it to click in my head, but I do want to live for them. I want to start right now. With Lucas sitting so close, it’s nothing to tilt my head up and give him the ok look to kiss me. His eyes flick down to my lips and I close my eyes as I feel his breath on my face. That’s the moment his phone decides to go off in his pocket. It’s playing the song from Top Gun and I can already guess who it is calling.
Lucas sighs and presses his forehead against mine, “I’m sorry.”
He pulls away and answers the phone as I’m left wondering what he’s apologizing for, sympathy for my story or the almost kiss.
“Yeah, hang on just a sec,” he says to one of the guys on the line. Turning to me he says, “They got out early and want me to meet them here for food. If you don’t want to see them then now’s our chance to run. We’ve got about a five-minute window.”
If I’m going to try my hand at this new me, I’ve got to keep it rolling or I might wimp out and decide it’s not worth it after all, “It’s ok. We can wait for them.”
One side of his mouth pulls up and he puts the phone back to his face, “Already here waiting on you dude. Yeah, I didn’t know you were getting out early and I was fucking starved. Whatever asshole, see you in a few.”
“Let me guess,” I say, “Maverick?”
He laughs, “I would say how’d you guess, but it’s not even worth the breath it takes.”
For the first time in a very long time, I feel a small weight lift from my heart as I laugh with him.
It isn’t even the full five minutes later when Teagan, followed by Goose and Maverick, come strolling in through the door.
Teagan throws Lucas a shit eating grin right before he catches sight of me sitting next to him. He halts so fast in his tracks that Goose slams into his back and it knocks his phone to the floor.
“What the fuck, T?” he all but yells as he bends to pick up his phone. “You better hope you didn’t crack the screen mother fu--” Teagan elbows him in the stomach before he can finish. He follows his line of vision and smiles at me. I could be wrong, but I think Maverick was the first one to see me. I feel his gaze like sunburn after sitting on the beach all day.
Goose walks around Teagan and slides into the booth opposite us, “You didn’t say that you were on a date.”
“It’s not a date,” I say quickly jumping in to defend Lucas and possibly even my own pride. I don’t want to hear Lucas say it. He cuts his eyes over to me in question, but smiles as if he already knows my reasoning. Maverick slides in after Goose and leaves Teagan to grab a random chair to sit at the end of the table.
There’s an awkward silence for a few seconds before Lucas breaks it, “You guys get out for good behavior or something?”
The three of them smile, but it’s Teagan that answers in that smug tone of his, “It was Ms. K dude. Just told her we were hungry and growing boys and we needed food.”
Wow. These guys really are used to getting their way, “What were you in detention for anyways?”
“The usual,” Maverick says then pointing at Goose and Teagan, “These two were horsing around and talking shit.”
“And you just got caught in the middle?” I ask.
He nods, “As always. The staff just assumes now that we’re all in on it, even if we’re not even close to each other. The only reason Lucas lucked out is because he doesn’t have that class with us.”
“Yeah dude,” Teagan says offended, “What the fuck? Why didn’t you do something to get locked up with us?”
Lucas laughs, “You’re kidding right? I’d say that I spent my time much better than that today.”
Maverick’s eyes narrow on me and I have to look away as he says, “Yes, I would say that you did.”
I could kiss Judy as she chooses this moment to bring out three plates that look exactly like ours did. They dig in just as quickly as Lucas had earlier. It’s surprising to watch teenage boys eat hamburger and fries with such refined table manners.
“What?” Goose asks as he catches me watching him. I just shake my head. I’d rather not insult them by saying they’re supposed to be acting like complete slobs.
Teagan is the first to finish, “So, what are we doing this weekend?”
“Well,” Lucas starts, “I think we’ll be going to Kelly’s lake house for the party after the game.”
Maverick looks up from under is glasses with a confused look on his face and Teagan laughs, “And why the fuck would we be doing something stupid like that?”
Lucas smiles over at me, “Because Kendall told Eddie that we would.”
I cringe down in my seat a little, “I was only trying to be nice and I didn’t say that you guys would go. I just told him I would.”
Maverick’s eyebrows are high on his forehead and he smiles for the first real time since I met them. Goose shakes head and looks at Lucas, “You must not have explained it to her.”
Now it’s my turn to be confused, “Explain what?”
Teagan smiles at me, “We don’t go to anything like that alone. Always as a group.”
“It saves us from doing stupid shit,” Maverick adds.
I shake my head, “I’m not in your group though. Besides, I probably won’t even go, so it’s no big deal.”
They all look at each other before Lucas says, “Let’s just say you’ve got a temporary pass and we’re going to the party Friday night.”
Teagan just about jumps out of his seat, “Does that mean you’re coming to the game too?”
I shrug, “It’s been awhile since I’ve been to one. I always work on Fridays plus our team sucks.”
The guys laugh like Lucas had earlier and Teagan says, “Yes they do. So that means you need to come watch how the game is really played.” He jumps up from his seat and strolls over to the table in the corner where Eddie and his friends are. My eyes travel across his body and I can’t help but admire the swag that he puts into his step. It makes his jeans hug in all the right places.
When I tear my gaze away, I catch Maverick staring at me. I feel my face heat up in embarrassment. Goose in my peripheral is watching the two of us and smiling like a lunatic.
“Ok,” Teagan says walking back to the table with the small blonde under his arm, “Kendall meet Ryleigh, my baby sister. Ryleigh, Kendall.”
She holds out her hand across the table, “Nice to meet you.”
“Back at you,” I respond as I shake her hand.
Teagan throws his arm back around Ryleigh as he talks to her, “Kendall is coming to the game and Kelly’s party Friday. She doesn’t know anybody from our school. You’ll help her out and let her sit with you at the game and stuff, right?”
Her eyes light up like she’s happy to do anything and everything he asks, “Yeah, of course.” She turns to me, “I can come get you right after school since you get out a little later than we do. We can hang out at our house until the game starts.”
I see Lucas stiffen in the seat beside me and even as I answer her, he still doesn’t relax. “Sure. Sounds fun,” I say.
“Hey Ryleigh, we’re heading out,” Eddie says from the door.
She throws up her hand at me, “See you Friday.”
I nod at her and Lucas pounces as soon as she’s out of earshot, “Are you going to be ok riding with her?” His words are quiet, but the guys still catch it.
“Why would she not be ok?” Maverick asks in that serious tone of his.
Lucas looks to me in question and I shake my head. “No reason man,” he answers Maverick. Then to me he asks, “You ready to go?”
I nod and dig my wallet out of my side pocket of my shirt. Lucas puts his hand on top of mine stopping me. The other three watch the exchange with expressions ranging from curiosity, hurt and anger. The last coming from Maverick of course.
Lucas whips out a twenty and tosses it on the table, “I’m going to run Kendall home real quick. Meet you guys at the house in a little while.”
They all give me polite goodbyes, but if looks could kill, Lucas would be a dead man. I return Judy’s wave on the way out the door. Lucas opens his door for me and once I’m inside and buckled in, I take a tension relieving breath. It’s intense being around the four of them together like that, especially being attracted to all of them. Not to mention the seriousness of the conversation and the almost kiss earlier.
Lucas lets me get lost in my head the entire way back to Sleepy Pines. He goes to pull in and I stop him, “Right here is ok.”
He shakes his head, “I thought we were past this. Which one?”
Shame burns hot spots on my cheeks, but it’s not really for our place. It’s for all of the others around us. They’re all in bad shape and no one bothers to keep their tiny spaces clean like Gramps and me. I point to it on the end, “That’s me.”
He pulls up behind the Malibu and I grab his hand as he goes to throw the truck in park, “Thank you for everything today. I didn’t realize how much it would help to talk to someone about all of it. It’s not the same when you pay someone to listen. You’re much better than my therapist any day of the week.”
I feel stupid for saying so much, but he just smiles, “Anytime Kendall. Truly. If you ever need anything, just call me.” He reaches in the glovebox and pulls out a pen and napkin. After he writes down his number, he hands it to me, “Use it if you need to. Or even if you just want to.”
I nod and hop down. He shuts off the truck and comes around the side, “Can we go inside real quick? I almost forgot that I owe you something.”
My thoughts are jumbled in confusion caught somewhere between what he’s talking about and the thought of him coming inside.
His fingers move to the buttons on the front of his shirt, “Or I can just strip down out here.”
Then it clicks. His tattoos. “Oh my god, Lucas!” I freak out, “You can’t take your clothes off out here.”
He undoes the top button and his hands move to the bottom of the vest thing that he’s wearing like he’s getting ready to pull it over his head. My hands close around his, “Please stop. Save it for another day.”
His eyes narrow teasing me, “Are you sure?”
I nod, “I won’t let you forget.”
He smiles and leans down to press a kiss against the corner of my mouth. It sends tingles all the way to my toes. I watch as he gets back in the truck and winks at me before pulling out of the little driveway. Watching until he’s all the way back on the road, I don’t go inside until I can’t see his lights anymore.