“Not that it matters.” I tossed my bangs out of my face. “Neither of you qualify anyway.” Light. Keep it light.
“And yet, here you are.” A small smile played on his lips. “And you haven’t objected yet.”
“Maybe I’m just trying to have an adventure,” I said breathlessly. “You know, you’re not as awful as you used to be.”
His grin widened. “I try.” Then he leaned down until his breath was hot on my ear. “And just think,” he whispered, “if you were still following all those rules, you’d probably be at home right now, studying.”
He was right. That would be exactly what I would be doing. Because if I was honest, I wasn’t following the rules today either. But as the world continued to twirl around us, and his hand stayed warm and firm on my back, I couldn’t help wondering. How many days like this had I missed because of those rules? How many more would I sacrifice?
As always, however, my inner pragmatist couldn’t be silent.
And what will you do when he has to leave and he takes your heart with him?
“You know what?” Derrick glanced over my shoulder at what was probably an irate Sam. I felt bad for leaving him like that, but not bad enough to stop. “Let’s order our food to go. There’s something I want you to see.”
I nearly said no, but the unsated hunger in his eyes kept my mouth shut.
“Do you trust me?” he whispered again.
Did I trust him? I trusted him not to drive me off into a ditch every day as he insisted on chauffeuring us around. And I knew him well enough to trust him not to do anything villainous or dastardly when we were alone. But did I trust him with my heart? Because I was rather sure that was exactly what he was going to ask for. And when all this was said and done, and I was in my right mind again and not thinking under the influence of his gaze or his arms, what would I think of such trust then?
“Take a chance,” he murmured. “Before you say no, just see what one night of adventure can bring.”
Slowly, I nodded and let him lead me from the dance floor. And this time, he didn’t let go of my hand.
* * *
“You wouldn’t let me eat for this?” I clutched my to-go box as he pulled into a dark parking lot beside the river. “You know, if this were a story, this would be a ‘The Big Dam Bridge would be the perfect place to get rid of a body’ kind of story.” I cringed even as I said it. Somebody had gotten a kick out of naming this thing.
“Don’t be getting any ideas, Miss Hangry.” Derrick got out, holding his own to-go box. Once the car doors were shut, he pulled two long bags from the trunk and locked the car and reached out his hand. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I slid mine into his anyway. I’d already gone past nine at night without my dinner, and I was in one of the best places in the city to die quietly, had he been a villain of sorts. I might as well let him hold my hand.
We made our way up the bridge, styrofoam food boxes in hand. I’d driven over this bridge a million times. In fact, we’d been on it today on our way to dinner. But now we took the sidewalk that was part of a long trail used for hiking and biking. Derrick stopped us at the very top. The sounds of water passing through the dam beneath our feet was a bit alarming at first, but after half a minute of listening, it was actually quite soothing.
But the sight was what took my breath away.
The bridge, which was aglow with white and blue and purple lights, lit the night air like magic from runaway fairies. When I turned around to see why Derrick was so quiet, I found two folding chairs set out, and him in one of them.
“Have a seat?” He patted the empty chair beside his.
I grinned and sat.
“Gladly.” I took the plastic fork he offered me and dug into my chicken piadini. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so hungry. For several minutes, we simply sat there, eating, and my muscles began to relax as the warmth of the food filled my belly. Likewise, Derrick just ate his dinner, too, like it was any other day, rather than the most romantic day I could have imagined in my entire life.
“Sam wasn’t happy when we left,” I finally said. Then I eyed him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
The glint in his eyes was answer enough. But what he said took me by surprise.
“Why do you have those rules anyway?” He shrugged as he folded another piece of his pita bread. “I mean, I’m fine with you using them as an excuse not to date pocket-protector Teacher Man—”
“Sam does not wear pocket protectors.”
“But,” he held up his hands, “I’m curious as to why you came up with them in the first place.”
I sighed, tucking a curl behind my ear. Was I ready to tell him this? Then again, we were so far in now, what did it matter? “My dad took a job here the month before I started my freshman year of high school. While we were getting all settled, just before the school year started, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.”
My throat tightened as I remembered. “I started high school with a mom in chemo, and my dad working every extra hour he could squeeze in to help make up for the medical costs.” I shrugged. “Having a mom in that kind of position changes how you see things, I guess. I decided during my freshman year that I was going to work hard enough to get all the scholarships I could so my parents wouldn’t have to pay for college and could focus on medical costs instead. And as soon as I was in college, I decided to get a master’s so I would be indispensable to whoever wrote my paychecks.”
Derrick’s chewing slowed, and since my eyes had adjusted to the low light, I could see him frowning thoughtfully. “But your mom got better, didn’t she?”
