“Hey,” her pretty smile greets me as she strides timidly forward. “Have you been waiting long?”
I shove my hands in my pockets and walk a few steps to close the distance between us. “Not too long. How was practice?”
She rolls her eyes and grabs her right shoulder. “Good, but I think I hurt myself throwing all those balls into home plate. The coach is making us work on our outfield defense. Throwing in from right field repeatedly didn’t feel good on an already damaged rotator cuff. How was conditioning?”
I shrug, not caring to dive too much into weightlifting for Lincoln High’s next football season. “Good,” changing the subject, I add, “but my night is a lot better now that you’re here.”
What the hell was that?
A stupid as shit pickup line, that’s what.
She blushes and looks at her feet. Meanwhile, I inwardly kick myself for giving away too much of how I feel.
If I don’t stop this shit now, it’s just a matter of time before I end up like my father. Always out of town on business with two kids and a wife at home to support. A wife who screws every man who walks by her. Sure, she may need more attention than my dad can give but he works hard supporting her and us kids.
I will never let that happen. I won’t be a damn pushover.
But instead of running away from Gwen like every damn cell in my body is telling me to, I grab her hand and tug her after me. Pausing briefly to turn off my truck, she asks me where we are going, but I give her a mischievous smile instead of answering as I shut the door to the cab and start to walk down the gravel road to our right.
“I can’t stay long,” she says, and something in my heart begins to hurt.
No doubt she needs to get home to take care of her sister. I don’t know much about her home situation, but I do know her twin sister, Belle, has not been at school in over six months. From what my best friend Michael tells me, it’s not good. She has cancer. A brain tumor that is unoperational.
“Where are we going?” she asks again as she hurries along beside me.
I stop and turn to meet her stare. “I just felt like taking a walk.” I shrug nervously.
The thought of a night away from the lights and all the bullshit behind us seems necessary. I look up and see the city against the setting sun, and it makes me want to run. Take off and never look back. Hell, my parents wouldn’t miss me. My father is never home, and my mom sleeps somewhere else most nights. All I have back home is my younger brother Trevor, and he’s annoying as shit. Looking back Gwen’s way, I figure maybe she could use a little escape as well.
“Care to walk with me, Gwen?” she looks past me, contemplating it. My nerves get the better of me, and I start to ramble. “The sun is about to set. Thought we could watch it from just up ahead.”
She looks down at our hands laced together, and I grab hold a little tighter, letting her know I have no intention of dropping her hand anytime soon. She smiles, “Sure, Rex. I’ll take a walk with you.”
We stroll down the road for a minute in silence. She looks over at me more than once, and I hold her stare. She blushes and looks down at the gravel road crunching below our feet. Before I can stop myself, I pull her closer and notice a chill on her skin.
“Are you cold?” I ask, stopping and shaking out of my sweater. I drape it over her arms and pull her towards me to zip it up. When the zipper reaches the top, I pause. Her eyes meet mine. I swear she thinks I’m going to kiss her.
Fuck, I want to kiss her.
My hands tremble just thinking about it.
But shit, I am too scared. So I let the moment pass like a fucking idiot.
“Thanks,” she whispers.
I swallow hard, and notice my mouth has gone dry. I nod once, pick back up her hand, and continue our walk.
This could be different. She could be different. Not all women up and cheat when a man leaves her alone, right?
I look at Gwen and question everything I ever knew about the opposite sex. She’s quickly pulling me in, and I can’t help but surrender. She has me thinking of taking a chance. Something I never thought I would do.
When we get to the end of the road, there is a huge rock overlooking a valley where the sun has just begun to dip below the horizon. Gwen sits on the rock without a word, and I am quick to join her. We stare off into the distance, silent, and it all feels so natural, too familiar. Even though it scares me, I hold on to the feeling and will it not to pass.
“Hey, what are you thinking over there?” she asks as she playfully nudges my shoulder.
I shrug, not sure how much I want to open up.
Honestly, just sitting here with her is making all the bullshit in my head finally quiet. Out here with her, I can forget the pain I feel at home not knowing when my father is coming back, or if mom is really leaving this time for good. I don’t have to think about if I should tell them I made captain for my senior year in football, or ask if my straight A’s make them happy enough to come home and actually be parents. Be a family.
