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She tilts her head as I turn off the four-wheeler and walk toward her. “That will work too.”
“All right. You ready? You can pretty much follow me if you want. Do you need a recap on four-wheelers?”
“How about a recap on this one, just to be safe? It's been a while.”
So, I show her where everything is on the one she will be driving. She gets on and I take the extra helmet. With her all set, I get on my own four-wheeler and we start them up. The helmets already have goggles on them, so we cover our eyes before taking off.
I lead her on the many trails, through mud holes, and all around the park. It only takes us like ten minutes before we're covered in mud, and I swear I can hear Eva laughing behind me. When she rides next to me, I know she is laughing every time we sling mud. We ride for hours and still don't cover the entire park. It's that big. Plus, I avoid the few manmade lake areas and those with the huge mud pits. We don't need to be in all of that. When Eva finally says she's ready for a break, it's close to four o'clock.
I laugh when we step off the ATVs. There's not an inch of her not covered in mud. When she takes off her helmet, I finally see some mud-free places. She was right, too. Her curly hair is all over the place with nearly twice as much frizzy volume. I remove my helmet and laugh at her again. Eva comes over, wraps her arms around me, and kisses me.
“Most fun I've had in a while. Thank you, even if you did laugh at me.”
“Well, you didn't give me a chance to tell you that you still look as beautiful as ever.”
She grins. “You've now been forgiven.” She steps back, looking down at herself and at me. “We're a dirty mess. I'm glad we're going to be able to shower and change.”
“Me too. Why don't you grab the towels in the back of the truck and cover our seats while I load these up. Mom will be expecting us soon. There are extra towels for us to wipe off with too.” I pull my keys from my pocket and hand them to her.
I put the four-wheelers back onto the trailer. By the time I'm done, Eva has mostly just smeared mud around on her skin. She hands me a towel.
“I was able to get some clumps off, but I think I did more damage than anything,” she says. I try not to smile as I notice she's gotten some on her face and in her hair. She must have tried to push hair out of her face and did it then. “What are you smiling about, Emerson?”
“You've gotten it on your face.” I laugh, wiping myself off some, and she rolls her eyes.
“Hurry up and let's go before I decide I don't like you anymore,” she jokes.
“Here.” I find a clean spot on my towel and gently wipe the mud off her face. “Most of it is gone now.”
“Thanks,” she replies softly.
“Let's head out.” I open the passenger door for her before walking around and getting in myself.
“I won't even lie. I'm going to sleep so good tonight. It's fun, but really tiring. My hands hurt a little too.”
My hands are sore, so I know what she means. “You better not fall asleep on me again, Eva.”
She laughs. “I won't. The shower will help refresh me. You know, I'm starting to think it's you. I've never fallen asleep when I was out with a guy before.”
“Are you saying I'm boring?” I glance at her with a raised brow.
“No. I'm saying my mind and body must feel at ease around you to allow me to doze off. Say thank you because it's a compliment as weird as it may be.”
“Thanks,” I chuckle.
When I park at my parents, I send Eva inside to shower while I unhitch the trailer, unload the ATVs, and then rinse them off before placing everything back where it belongs. I finish just as Dad comes to tell me the shower is free now. Eva is smiling and helping my mother with dinner when I pass the kitchen to the bathroom.
The more time I spend with Eva, the more I like her. How can I not? She's this great girl with a bright personality, and I'm constantly laughing with her. And there seems to be a blunt type of honesty about her. It'll be interesting to see how it'll feel to have her around my parents.
When I exit the bathroom, all clean again, I take my clothes to the washer, where Eva's are already deposited. I start the load before making my way to the kitchen.
“Where's Eva?” I ask upon only seeing my parents.
“She asked if she could see your old room.”
Of course she did. Eva's also unashamedly nosey and in a way that's not bad. I'm halfway to there when I realize just what she'll see in my room. Aside from the normal things, I still have pictures of Kelly and me hanging up. I never considered taking them down before whenever I did come home. One year for Christmas, she fixed me a collage of photos of us, and it's hanging above my bed. Eva is standing next to my bed, looking at those pictures when I walk in. She doesn't notice me yet.
Her wet hair is even curlier than I thought it could be. Her change of clothes is white shorts and a green tank top. I'm so going to miss summer and those clothes. Shaking my head, I finally speak.
