Page 30 of View With Your Heart

“You’ll always be in my heart, Brit,” I said, sorrow filling my voice. Her eyes reflected the bright light illuminating the sky with another burst of color.

“I love you, too,” she said, and I knew nothing would ever match this moment.

Take 11

Scene: A Rainy Night

[Britton]

I don’t know why I ran away from Gavin last night. Perhaps it was the shock of how much I enjoyed his kiss. The heat of his mouth, mixing with the coldness of mine, turned my insides in a way I haven’t felt for years.

Not even with Patrick.

I hate the thought as I loved Patrick. He was my best friend and a great father. He was a wonderful man, and he didn’t deserve to lose his life so young. He’d taken on a burden he never asked for and didn’t turn his back on me. I owed it to him to remain faithful to him, even after his death.

It was silly, actually. Jenna was always trying to get me to date.

“You’re too young to play the role of a black widow, doomed and damned to loneliness for eternity.” She was so dramatic.

Perhaps it was the fact I have something important to tell Gavin, and he keeps cutting me off, distracting me before I can get the words out.

These are my thoughts as I sit in bed after a sunny day has turned into a stormy night. The wind whips outside, and the exterior door to my bedroom rattles. I’ve tried to ignore it and read to settle my wandering mind. Tomorrow will be a long day as the annual Harbor Days Festival is a pivotal event in town. We’ll be open most of the day to accommodate the influx of visitors to our little city on the bay for a morning parade, afternoon family activities, and carnival rides. By four, we’ll be closed so my employees and I can enjoy the festivities which culminate in fireworks.

The first year we were here, it was only Gee and me. Last summer, he wanted to spend time with his new friends. I allowed it with myself as a chaperone. This year, he was begging to be allowed to wander the small carnival section with friends and without a hovering mom. I was hesitant to acquiesce, but Theo was on Gee’s side and even volunteered to keep an eye out for him. I’m saddened a little as I don’t know what I’ll do with myself that night, and the idea of sitting home alone feels pathetic.

On this thought, I press the bedsheet covering my legs off to the side. With the threat of rain, I’ve closed the windows, but the room is stifling me. Another rattle occurs at the sliding door leading outside from my room, and I slip out of bed to check the closure. The house is positioned on this land sideways, meaning the bedrooms face the lake to take advantage of the breeze. Each bedroom has a sliding door with access to the yard, which doesn’t thrill me about Gee’s room, but precautions are in place to secure the door each night.

As I flip back the curtain drawn over the glass, I reach for the handle and look up. With a flash of lightning over the lake, a man is illuminated just outside the door with his hands on the opposite side of the handle.

I scream.

Then a palm flattens on the glass, and I recognize him. Hastily, I unlatch the lock and slide open the heavy door.

“Gavin, what are you doing?” He’s drenched. I hadn’t even noticed the rain had begun, but on further listening, I hear the water pummeling against the roof.

“Get in here,” I whisper-hush, although I don’t know why I’m whispering nor why I’m letting him inside my room. He stands still once he crosses the threshold, dripping on the wood flooring. My eyes scan another dress shirt, soaked through, and plastered to his firm chest.

“What were you doing out there?” I groan.

“I needed to see you.” He swipes a hand through his hair, which splatters water on the curtain behind him. “I’m a fucking mess.” An undertone to his words implies more than the drenched clothing.

“Have you been drinking?”

He shakes his head, spraying more water around the room, and I think he’s lying, but it doesn’t matter.

“You could have used the front door,” I mutter, uncertain what to do with him. “Or called.”

“Funny thing. I don’t have your number, and it’s late. I didn’t want to risk disturbing Gee. I figured coming to the back door was better than standing outside your window holding a boombox belting out ‘In Your Eyes’ by Peter Gabriel.” It takes me a minute to process the scene from the movie Say Anything.

“You wouldn’t do that.” I laugh, recalling how he did something similar when we were younger. He’d hear a song on the radio and tell me to listen to it online. He’d say the song reminded him of me, and I’d analyze every word to understand his feelings.

A sly smile curls his lips while his eyes remain hesitant. Subtle plops of water puddle on the floor, and I notice his expensive shoes have been replaced by flip-flops. The bottom of his jeans are soaked like the rest of him.

“Maybe you should take your clothes off,” I say without thinking, and his eyes widen.

“If that’s what you want,” he teases, tugging at his shirt.

“I mean . . . let me get you a towel . . .” Flustered by the sudden seductive gleam to his eyes and the dimple on one side of his mouth, I turn for the bathroom. The small room joins my bedroom with Gee’s in a Jack and Jill manner. After double checking Gee is playing video games, I close the door tight on his side and then grab two towels for Gavin. Thankfully, Gee has headphones on and didn’t hear my scream. On the other hand, thank goodness this wasn’t an emergency as those headphones could block out anything.