My face heats. “This is so not a date, Mom. Please get that out of your head.” Please don’t plant more ideas in my head, because I’ve already got my hopes up high enough that this will at least be more than something school or soccer team-related.
“Well, at any rate, I hope you have a nice time, sweetie.” I open my mouth to thank her but she keeps speaking. “And remember to use protection if the need arises.”
I wad my napkin into a ball and throw it in her direction. It doesn’t even make it to the other side of the table. I plop my head down into my hands and groan. At this rate, I’m going to look like I’ve got a sunburn by the time Ryne gets here.
* * *
At nine o’clockon the dot, Ryne pulls up in front of the house. I move the curtain back in place and grab my bag. I don’t know where we’re going but figure it doesn’t hurt to be a little bit prepared (and no I am not talking about condoms). I’ve got bottles of water, granola bars, and sunscreen, along with a few other things.
“I’m leaving, bye!”
I shut the front door behind me and book it down the steps and sidewalk before Mom has a chance to stick her head out and yell anything embarrassing. Ryne stretches across the seat and opens the passenger door for me, and I slide in and close it quickly with a sigh. An amused chuckle floats over from the driver’s seat.
“You okay? It looked like you were trying to escape.”
I grin at him and buckle up. “My mom is… how do I put this nicely?” I tap my chin and pretend to ponder. “Wicked embarrassing.”
Ryne shakes his head then looks me up and down. We’re dressed similarly, workout clothes and sneakers. “Good to see you follow directions well.” He winks at me and faces forward again.
I don’t know what alternate universe I woke up in yesterday, but I sure as hell hope I stick around here for a while. After a few silent minutes of him driving and me staring out the window, I turn to him. “So where are we going?” I try to keep my voice neutral.
“To the lake.”
The lake? I’m not sure what to make of that. On one hand, it doesn’t sound school or soccer-related, which is great. On the other hand, we’re all out there a lot, so I’m kind of at a loss about what we might be doing. Ryne glances over to me as he shifts.
“You look a little confused, Dacen.”
I bite my lip and scratch the back of my head. That’s because I am confused. My confusion deepens when we turn into a different parking lot at a section of the lake I’ve never been to or even seen before. Ryne pulls into a parking spot and shuts off the engine. We turn and stare at each other. There’s a different sort of energy about Ryne today. I can’t put my finger on it.
“Ready?”
My brows knit together as I take in the water, the tree line, everything around us. It’s quiet. There are no other cars in the parking lot. It’s peaceful but at the same time a tiny spark of anxiety flares up. “You’re not going to leave me stranded here are you?”
I realize how stupid my question sounds but I genuinely don’t know where things stand between us. I’ve never taken Ryne as someone who would pull a prank like that, but if you don’t ask the questions then you don’t get answers.
Ryne looks insulted. “Am I going to… No, I’m… No.” He shakes his head. “I’m not gonna leave you stranded here, Dacen. What the fuck kind of question is that?”
His frown tugs at my heart. The look on his face says maybe he regrets bringing me here. Or I might be imagining that, but it’s how I’d feel if I were in his shoes right now with someone lobbing anxiety-fueled questions at me.
“That was a dumb thing to ask. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
He runs his tongue along the edge of his teeth and frowns again. I should just put my seatbelt back on. He’s going to drive me home and kick me out of his truck, and then never speak to me again. The burn from his stare sears my skin. Any second now he’s going to turn the truck back on and take me home. He reaches down to the ignition and… pulls out the key and twirls the keyring around his finger.
“Okay, D. Let’s go.”
A few minutes later we’re trekking down a path that leads along the lake but then turns and heads into the trees. It’s beautiful out here; warm but not hot, not a cloud in the sky, and the water looks like sparkling diamonds. This is why I’m a little confused when we detour into the trees. Ryne smirks at my expression.
“I wanted to do something… for your birthday or whatever, something different.” He fumbles a bit over his words. “I figured you hadn’t seen this yet.”
I shake my head. “This is all completely new to me. It’s pretty out here.” I gesture toward the lake behind us and Ryne smiles. I could get lost in his smiles. The real ones. Like the one he’s giving me now.
“It is, yeah.” His smile deepens. “But you ain’t seen nothing yet. Just wait.”
My head rears back. “Those are some bold words, Sutton. Big promises. You’ve just set my expectations extremely high, just so you know.”
Ryne steps up to me and a fresh wave of excitement swirls through my body. “Guess I better make sure I deliver then.”
“I’ll grade you afterward. We’ll see how things shake out.”
