Chapter Nine
Tasha
After checking my reflection in the full-length mirror in my old room, I smiled with satisfaction. I had taken great efforts to curl my hair and pin one side neatly with a shiny silver clip. I had on an old school eyelet dress that Mom had just sewn for me. It was not my usual garb and a little off my personal style, but a big part of me wanted to please her and make up for lost time.
Besides, I had to admit the dress made me look a lot more feminine yet very grownup. Aunt Lenny will surely love it.
When I went out into the hallway, the guest room door opened, too. Stryder stepped out, wearing a pair of dark jeans and plain blue button-down long sleeves. He’d rolled up the sleeves, though, for a more casual look.
As soon as he saw me, the approving and lingering look on his face gave out his actual thoughts. “You look amazing,” he actually said, making my heart flutter.
“So you like this look, huh?” I asked, grinning and twirling around.
He suddenly grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close to him. I could feel my heartbeat reverberating through my chest. It was a miracle he couldn’t hear it, the way it was pounding so hard.
“I like all of your looks, Tasha,” he whispered. “You’re very beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking up at him, mesmerized by the moment. He was about to kiss me when we heard Pop calling us.
We broke apart and hurried downstairs just as two little boys burst through the front door, playing with their toy cars. They were holding the cars up in the air, imagining a flying race while acting like commentators.
Pop and Mom tried to hug them, but they were a bit elusive, oblivious to us and lost in their own world. We simply laughed as we watched them in amusement. They didn’t even seem to notice that they were already in a strange house without their parents.
Soon Aunt Lenny came with Uncle Billy. She quickly shushed the kids who ignored her and simply continued their game. She rushed forward to embrace me and then my parents while her husband shook our hands.
“I’m so sorry about these boys,” she said, looking a little shaken but still beautiful. “They’ve been at it all the way from the hotel and as soon as we parked here, they ran out of the car and into the house!”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mom said quickly, ushering them all to the dining area. The boys followed but refused to sit down, insisting that the race wasn’t done yet.
In the midst of the chaotic conversation, laughter, and warnings for the little ones, I managed to introduce Stryder to them.
“Great to meet you,” Aunt Lenny said with a smile. Then wiggling her eyebrows at me, she added, “Great catch you’ve got here.”
“Aunt Lenny!” I protested laughingly. “He’s right over here and he can hear us.”
Stryder simply chuckled. “That’s okay. Thanks for the compliment.”
To my horror, Mom and Aunt Lenny actually began discussing my past boyfriends way back from high school and college. I was a little embarrassed because I had been with so many losers, but Stryder seemed to find it funny.
They all laughed and teased me about it.
“I do remember that sweet boy Brad who used to give me flowers every time he visited,” Mom shared. Then suddenly she seemed to remember that Stryder was there, so she immediately changed the topic. She and her sister began talking about life in Australia.
Meanwhile, I took a look at Stryder who didn’t seem bothered at all. He was busy enjoying the food. I felt disappointed that he hadn’t gotten just a teeny bit jealous.
“Hey, there!” someone suddenly said, startling us both. It was one of the boys, tugging at Stryder’s shirt. “I think I’ve seen you on TV.”
Stryder grinned. “Really? Maybe it was just someone who looked like me.”
“No, it was you!” the kid insisted, now actually trying to feel his face, which was making me laugh.
His older brother bounded over to us curiously and actually began poking Stryder’s shoulders and face. “Holy—!” he began to say before clapping a hand over his mouth and peeking at his parents. They were fortunately busy chatting and eating. Then carefully, the older kid leaned forward and said, “You’re… You’re… that football star!”
“You like to play football, little guy?” Stryder asked. “I can show you a few moves.”
“Wow! Sure!” the older boy said, jumping up and down.
“What’s your name?”
“Kyle,” he answered, still looking up at him in awe.
Stryder turned to the little brother. “And what about you?”
“I’m Kurt,” the other one said. “Are you really a football player?”
“Yes, I play for the Windfield Warriors.”
“Whoaaa! Cool!” Kurt exclaimed, climbing onto his lap and giving him a hug.
It was so cute I couldn’t help giggling. Quickly, I grabbed Stryder’s camera which happened to be nearby, and I took a snapshot of him with the kids.
“You’re awesome!” Kyle said. “Come on, let’s play football!”
“But we don’t have a ball around here,” Stryder said, glancing at me.
“Uhm, let me check in the basement,” I said. “Maybe I have an old one lying around. I used to love the sport, too, years ago, you know…”
“I didn’t know that,” Stryder said with a questioning look.
“There’s a lot of things you still don’t know about me, I guess.”
He nodded with a smile. “You’re right. Despite all the things you’ve told me about you, I still have a whole lot to know.”
He didn’t add anything else and I silently wondered if he intended to change that in the coming days or if he liked our current status just the way it is. There’s also that scary possibility that he might not want to spend more time with me anymore, that he was done with me as his “flavor of the month.”
Luckily, I found a nice football downstairs. Pop said he’d inflated it because someone in school had borrowed it recently.
We headed to the backyard by the lake to play some football. When Stryder turned the ball around in his hands, he noticed some faded writing on it. In small block letters, it said, “Love, Brad.”
My eyes widened when I saw the words. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize—I mean, I don’t really remember—“
Stryder chuckled. “Hey, it’s fine. No big deal, Tasha. I mean, you guys were done many years ago and we’re not really dating exclusively so… never mind, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, but my heart felt like it had just plummeted to the ground and landed with a loud thud.
As I watched them play, though, I felt myself admiring Stryder for the way he handled the children. For someone who didn’t seem like he wanted a family of his own someday, he was really quite good with kids. It was heartwarming to watch him joke around with them, give them words of praise and encouragement, and just goof around with them. I soon forgot about my earlier disappointment and instead just joined them.
The evening wore on fast. The boys wanted to play some more but they needed to go already.
“Don’t worry, guys,” Stryder assured them. “You’re going to see more of me tomorrow and the day after that.”
“Thanks, Stryder,” Aunt Lenny said. “We’ll surely be back here tomorrow.”
We said our goodbyes. Aunt Lenny and her family headed back to their hotel, while Mom and Pop went to rest.
It wasn’t that late yet. Stryder and I were used to city life, so we were far from sleepy. We decided to start a bonfire and have some drinks while listening to the sounds of the nearby forest and the gentle lapping of the lake.
We sat warming up by the fire, with my back on his chest and my head on his shoulders. We each had a beer in hand, content to be enjoying each other’s company while gazing up at the star-lit night sky.
He was awfully quiet, though, but he simply said he was tired. I could tell there was more to it, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“So… are you up for an early hike tomorrow?” I said, breaking the silence.
He didn’t answer at once. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Despite the romantic setting, he was certainly not in the mood.
“Earth to Stryder!” I said, pinching his cheek.
“A hike?” he suddenly said. “Sure, no problem.” Then to my surprise, he gently pushed me forward and stood up.
“Where are you going?” I wondered, standing up, too.
“Calling it a night…” he said, his eyes averting mine.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “You must be tired. It was a long drive, after all.”
Suddenly, my phone rang. I tapped the answer button. “Hello?”
I heard a couple of voices shrieking my name, causing me to move the phone away from my ear. I almost dropped it, too.
Stryder looked puzzled, which is probably why he lingered behind.
I shrugged at him and gave the phone a quizzical look before putting it back on my ear. “Who are you guys again?” I asked in a friendly manner, knowing these were probably people I was close to.
“I can’t believe you’re in Green Meadows!” somebody screamed. It was a familiar female voice, one I’d known since I was a kid. “How dare you didn’t inform me earlier!”
“Trina!” I greeted, laughing at her mock anger. “I’m sorry, this was sort of unplanned. But yes, I’m here at home. Where are you?”
“You’ll never guess where!” Trina said with a mysterious laugh. “I’m with the rest of the gang!”
A click sounded. I couldn’t believe she’d put the phone down. But before I could react further, I heard squeals of laughter from behind me. When I turned around, I saw my high school best friend Trina running toward me. Behind her were our other friends who are still staying in this same town.
Trina threw her arms around me before shaking me in pretend fury. “You bitch! You didn’t even tell me you were coming! You could have called while you were on the way.”
“Why? Were you going to throw me a welcome party?” I kidded. I was truly glad to see her again, of course.
“Well, you never know,” she replied, tossing her black hair behind her shoulders.
Three other girls surrounded me and began talking all at once. They were unabashedly eyeing Stryder, but were probably too polite to say anything yet. Well, they were still small town women.
There were also two guys with them, both my high school buddies, who gave me a hug and a high five.
“Let’s get this party started!” one guy shouted, hauling a small cooler and throwing the lid open to reveal bottles of beer. The others cheered as they all got their share.
The bonfire threw shadows on their faces, and in that instance, a sense of déjà vu came over me. It was just like old times.
I waved my hands up in the air. “Hey, guys! Thanks for coming. You know you’re all welcome here anytime. I’d like you all to meet a good friend of mine from the city—Stryder Cooper.”
“Football center of Windfield Warriors, right?” my buddy Paul said, shaking Stryder’s hand. “Great to meet you, man.”
“Thanks, thanks,” Stryder said with a weak smile.
The others greeted and welcomed him, too. The men launched into an animated discussion about sports while I reminisced with the women about our high school dramas.
“So…” Trina began, suddenly changing her tone. “When were you going to introduce me to your hunky boyfriend?”
“You mean Stryder?” I said in bewilderment. “Oh, we’re not together.”
“No?” our other girlfriend Jill asked in surprise. “So what’s he doing here, visiting home with you?”
“We’re just hanging out,” I said truthfully. “Nothing serious.”
“Ooh, interesting,” Janice said with a meaningful grin.
We all eventually got to drinking and dancing to the music from Janice’s tablet. I could see that Stryder was loosening up and seeming more like himself again, so I steered clear of him throughout the night. I didn’t want to trigger negative feelings in him again. It was bothering me, gnawing at the back of my head, but I chose to ignore it and just have fun.
I had just finished my bottle of beer when I felt a tap on my back. I whirled around and the smile on my face instantly froze when I saw who it was. I couldn’t believe it.