“Gross,” he shakes his head and opens the door wide. “Folks are going to get nosy if you don’t get inside soon.”
While that might be true, I don’t believe his reasoning for a second. As cool as he’s been with my sister, I have a feeling he’s going to be a thorn in my side. Too bad I need to keep those frustrations at bay. I won’t do anything to make Lisa run again. And constantly bringing up Eric will do just that. It can’t happen. Not when I just got her back.
11
Lisa
"Doyou need to let my sister know where you’re at?" Devin asks from the driver side of the truck. There’s a sack of food between us and drinks in the cupholder. "I can run you back over there to get your car."
"It’s fine." I wave his words away. This drive is the opposite of the one the other night. Then I was determined to keep my focus on the darkness outsides. Anything to not fall for him again. Tonight, though…I can’t stop staring at him. He’s mine after all this time away. At least now I don’t have to feel bad about it since we have Delilah’s blessing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I’m sure she’ll figure it out."
"True enough." He turns his blinker on and takes a right on the road his house is on. "I’ll be surprised if she thinks you’re coming back tonight."
He pulls into the driveway, goes past his parent’s house and parks in front of his tiny home in the back part of the lot. We’re on the outskirts of town and I think that’s the only reason they allowed them to put in the tiny home. That and the fact they have a huge piece of property. I see his dad move away from the kitchen window. "What are your parents going to think about this? They’ll won’t just see me as your sister’s friend."
The belly laugh coming from him is a little ridiculous. I don’t think my question warrants all that. He turns the truck off, reaches over, and grabs my hand. "Apparently, they’ve known about us this entire time."
"What?" I shriek. Devin shushes me. "How the hell did they know?" My voice is a fierce whisper. I'm mortified.
"Well," Devin grabs my hand and walks me toward his door. He unlocks it and pushes it open. The crickets chirping the soundtrack to our night. "When my dad came by here the other night and chewed my ass out for acting like an idiot, he let on that they knew the whole time."
"Why didn't they say anything?" It feels like a pretty big secret to keep considering how close I am with Delilah.
"He said it wasn't their place." He closes the door behind us and turns on a light. Setting the bags of food on the table, he pulls a chair out for me.
This feels natural. Like old times when we'd come here after I got off work. We'd talk for hours on end and he'd write music. There were so many times we'd still be awake when the sun came up. I really have missed this.
"That was nice of them...I think." I sit down and slide my chair toward the table. The scratch of wood against the flooring is loud in the mostly quiet home.
He sits across from me and pulls the food out of the bag. It's honestly ridiculous how much fast food I've eaten this week, and I need to do better. That's a problem for another day, though.
"It was. They didn't want to make things awkward for any of us." Unwrapping his food, he shrugs. "At times, though, I think it would have made things easier for us. Everything would have been out in the open."
"And your sister would have felt betrayed because we didn't talk to her about it ourselves." Sighing, I lean back. "I think that's what made things different this time around. She knows and gave us her blessing. Even if she feels like it might be weird sometimes."
This conversation is taking me back to the last time I was here. When I walked out on Devin and left Asheville behind. I had almost gotten caught leaving the house by Delilah. It was never an issue before, but when our hours coincided, it was harder to get out without her questioning things. I told him then that we needed to tell Delilah. We needed to come clean, but he didn't want to. He didn't think she needed to know, and it wasn't any of her business.
"Things have definitely worked in our favor this time." He takes another bite. "We'll try to keep from making out in front of her so she isn't freaked out."
Of course, that's where he goes with it. Men, I shake my head and finish my food. Although, I'd be lying if I said my mind hasn't gone there as well. Especially when he's being sweet. That's something I don't see from guys our age often.
"So, are you doing music full time?" I can't believe I'm just now asking him this. It didn't come up in our other interactions because of the all the stuff going on.
The laugh that bellows out of him is loud and self-deprecating. There's a twinge of wishful sarcasm. "I wish. I still have to work at the construction site." He takes a drink of his soda. "Not for long, though. If we can get discovered, then goodbye heavy machinery, hello center stage."
"I hope that comes true for you one day." And I do. He's talked about it for as long as I've known him. That's a bridge we'll have to cross when we get there. Assuming we're still together then.
"Of course, it will." He places his hand on mine. "You'll be right by my side."
I could argue with him right now, but we're in a good place. We just became a couple again, with no fear holding me back. It's a fight I really don't want to start. Not now, anyway.
"What time do you need to go to bed? I don't want to keep you up since you have to be up early for work." A change of subject. That's what will keep any arguments from happening. Maybe he'll even forget.
He sets his food down and stands before coming to my side of the table. Holding his hand out, he waits for me to place mine in his. I can't help but wonder what he has planned.
