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“This place is cute.”
“It’s a bar, Addy. It’s not supposed to be cute,” I reply.
“Not the bar, the town. It’s old but new. You know, it has historic charm but it’s like it’s been revived in a way.”
Looking up and down the two-lane road that runs through town, I see exactly what she means. When I left, the buildings seemed run down. Old, the entire town seemed old. It felt old. And small. Intimate in a way. Everyone knew everyone. You couldn’t walk down the street without running into someone you knew or at least knew of.
Maybe it’s a fresh set of eyes, or the fact that I haven’t been here in so long, but the town does seem different in a way. The buildings especially. Classic and historic, but with new life breathed into them. I don’t recognize anyone. I haven’t run into old friends or acquaintances, with the exception of Jones and Willy.
I’m sure that won’t last long. As that thought hits me, I see the door to the bar begin to open.
“Yeah, I guess so. Let’s go,” I reply quickly, taking off toward the park.
“What’s the rush?” Addy asks as she attempts to catch up with me.
“No rush,” I say, looking both ways before crossing the street. There’s not a car on the road, but I still feel the need to double check.
“If you say so,” she mumbles under her breath.
“I thought you wanted to check out the festival,” I reply, reaching for her arm and looping mine through.
“I do, but you look like you saw a ghost and were running for your life.”
No ghosts. Not yet. The moment I see Wyatt, I’m sure I’ll run, though.
As we hit the path that leads through the center of the park, a memory bombards me. The first time Wyatt and I were seen together. Well, more like caught.
Pushing him away,I rest my forehead against his in an attempt to catch my breath.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispers so only I can hear.
“We’re going to get caught,” I reply, sliding out from between his legs and off the top of the picnic table.
“I get that your parents are stuck up, but who cares? It’s not like someone is going to call them and tell them. Wait, it’s not like that, is it?”
His eyes widen in surprise when I scrunch up my nose in lieu of an answer.
“What the hell, Chloe? How is this supposed to work if you can’t even introduce me to your parents?”
“I’ll introduce you, eventually. It’s just, they still think I’m dating Josh.”
“What?” There’s a hint of anger in his voice that I don’t miss even though he’s trying to cover it up.
“I never told them I was, I let them think it. When I tell them I’m going out, when I meet up with you, they still assume I’m going out with Josh. Its better this way, I promise.”
“How is that better? It’s like I’m your dirty little secret.”
He has a point. A good point, but if he knew my parents, he would understand why this is a good thing. The second they find out I’m dating someone else, they’ll want to meet him. Then, when they find out that his pedigree isn’t up to their standards, they’ll find a way to keep us from seeing each other.
We’ve only been together a couple of weeks, but they’ve been two of the best weeks of my life. Wyatt’s amazing. He’s sweet and caring and the nicest guy I’ve ever dated. I don’t want it to end and the second my parents find out about us, it will end. They’ll make sure of it.
It takes me almost an hour to explain it all to him before he gets it. The ramifications of telling them the truth are finally what gets through to him.
“So I need to stay your dirty little secret if I want to see you, basically?” he asks after a long pause.
“Unfortunately, yes. I know it sucks, and I’m sorry. I’m not ashamed of you if that’s what you’re thinking. I would love nothing more than to introduce you to them if I thought they wouldn’t freak the fuck out.”
Reaching for my hand, Wyatt pulls it to his lips, kissing it gently. It’s in that moment I realize that I would do almost anything for him. He’s agreeing to keep our relationship low key so we can have one. It’s not a secret that the town is divided, it always has been.
