by Holly Hood
“Well, why don’t you look at it as a good thing? Maybe this is his way of being back in your life,” he said, taking my hand in his, he stared at my ring.
“I guess that is one way to look at it. Do you think those kinds of things are real?”
“I suppose it could happen,” he said matter of fact.
“You suppose. I feel like you should know this and you never do,” I said annoyed.
“I can’t let you in on every secret. What’s the fun in that?” he said teasingly.
“Evan, it’s not silly to me. It’s important. Could a person who is dead talk to you through dreams?” I wanted to know this, and if so, why would he wait four years to contact me?
“Anything is possible. I wouldn’t know firsthand, but I think it could happen,” he said, shrugging.
“Why now then if that is true?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because your life has changed, or is changing. Maybe its stress.”
He got up, heading in the house. I could see it made him uncomfortable discussing these things with me. Maybe he knew more then he could tell me.
Chapter 26
Today
“I never thought you would wear anything like that,” Vanessa said, laughing at my pink flowing sundress and my giant sunglasses.
I didn’t see anything wrong with what I was wearing. It was new, but I think it was Ari starting to rub off on me. Ari knew what was in and hip. I always just picked what was comfortable and a tad girly.
“People change, Vanessa,” I mumbled, going through the rack of clothes with a spastic gesture of agitation.
Evan had given me his credit card and told me to get out of the house with Ari and Vanessa and do some shopping. I wasn’t one to just be all right with using someone else’s funds, but he insisted I needed some girl time.
Vanessa pulled a red shirt off the rack holding it up to herself, admiring it in the mirror.
“That’s for sure,” she said back just loud enough to hear. Something about Vanessa today was irking me; she had a smug attitude that I was not feeling.
“What does that mean?” I asked sharply, slinging a floral sundress over my arm.
“Ever since you been with Evan you seem so different. Everyone notices it, not just me,” she said, ignoring my glare and going through the next rack of clothes.
“Oh really? Seems like you have been talking to my family too much,” I snapped. Ari looked at the two of us and headed into a dressing room with a ton of items.
“At least someone does,” she threw back.
“You’ve known me for twelve years. Don’t try to act all surprised that I don’t.” I was ready to rip her hair out, but not in a bad way. Vanessa always knew how to get under my skin, but I still liked her after it.
“Does he really make you happy? Happy enough to just leave your family behind?”
“You already know the answer to that. I wouldn’t be there and you know it,” I said, throwing another dress over my arm.
“Eve, I just want to know you’re okay, because Gray told me-” she stopped midsentence.
I turned to face her, a million thoughts running in my head. “Gray told you what?”
“He said that he looked into his family and, I don’t know, asked around. And he said that they’re into illegal things,” she said avoiding my gaze.
Ari came out of the fitting room in a red dress. She looked at me with a pained look. I could tell she sympathized.
“Is that so? Well, there’s nothing that I’m aware of,” I said, looking at Ari.
“Vanessa, I’m dating Kenny and I have known them since I was young. They’re harmless,” she said, fixing the straps on the dress.
“That’s really nice of you to put your two cents in, Ari, but Eve is my friend and I’m concerned,” she said, snubbing Ari.
“Vanessa, watch how you talk to her. Evan is harmless. He is a really good guy and if you knew him you wouldn’t be worried about it,” I said, touching her arm.
“Maybe he is, but Gray says his family is in all sorts of trouble,” she said, crossing her arms.
“It’s all accusations. It’s nothing more than accusations,” Ari insisted, moving in the middle of us.
“Nessa, I’m a big girl, and I am telling you I am okay,” I said, letting out a huge sigh.
“You’re my best friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you. And if your parents don’t have it in them to ask, I will,” she said, then walked away.
Ari stared at me. I acted as if I didn’t notice. “That’s a good friend,” she said, going back into the dressing room.
I knew she wouldn’t leave; she was just taking a breather. When Vanessa got mad she would take off. She always came back though.
I knew it was out of good intentions what she was trying to do. But if anyone knew anything, they would know I was in the best place I could be. Evan was in no way out to hurt me. He would only do that when it was time.
I was finally ready to go. After numerous dresses and shoes I was feeling like I had gone way overboard. Ari insisted that it was fine and barely a blip on the amount of money available on Evan’s card. I’d never spent that much in my life. Vanessa seemed shocked as well, her meager forty-five dollars was nothing compared to what our totals were.
“I’ll talk to you later, Eve,” Vanessa said, heading to her car at a quick pace. It was getting dark and I knew Nessa was spooked by parking lots at night.
“See ya. Oh, and call me when you’re home,” I said as me and Ari loaded the bags in Ari’s trunk. Vanessa nodded, speeding out of the parking lot.
“That was fun,” Ari said, smiling as she slammed the trunk shut.
“It was,” I said looking off.
“What is it?” Ari asked me, jingling her keys as she touched my arm. “Eve, you’re going to get that a lot. And as long as you know, don’t worry about what others say.”
“I know, it just really bothers me sometimes because I know and no one else does and I just wish they understood like we did,” I said, getting in the car.
“We are the very few who do. Do you really think they would, even if it was spelled out for them?” Ari asked half laughingly.
“No, I guess they wouldn’t. But Ari, do you ever wonder about your own fate?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking at me.
“Do you think it’s something you will find out about when it’s your time?”
“I’ve asked this before, and I’m not completely sure. I never heard about anything like it before, or should I say haven’t witnessed it happen yet,” Ari said, driving slowly out of the parking lot. Her carefree way wasn’t there at that moment.
“I wonder about it, and I asked Evan, he said not to worry. Do you think that means he knows or doesn’t?” I asked.
“I don’t know. But knowing Evan, I would think it’s something he would tell you about. Kenny on the other hand…” She trailed off, rubbing her arm in silence as she drove.
Kenny on the other hand, would probably off Ari and not even let her see it coming. And I knew that was what she was thinking as well.
Chapter 27
Balance
Ari and I laughed as we came walking into the house. We had found it amusing the amount of clothes that we had bought, it seemed a little silly. I had so many bags looped on my arm I was wobbly. Ari’s laugh came to a halt as Kenny appeared in the door. Kenny’s face wasn’t looking too amused, I thought to myself, my smile fading as well.
“Wow, you never disappoint now do ya?” he said, looking past me to Ari.
Ari dropped her bags at her feet. She sighed, finding a new way to arrange them so she could get them inside.
“They had a good sale,” she muttered, walking past him in a huff. Kenny held the door watching Ari walk away.
“It was fun. We had a lot of fun. Where’s Evan?” I asked him, trying to break the crusty mood that was oozing out of him.
“He is in the bedroom packing,” he said, no
t looking at me.
“What?”I asked in shock.
People normally didn’t say things like that out of the blue, and when they did, the other people living in the home usually knew what they were speaking of.
“What do you mean packing?” I said to Kenny.
He sighed, slamming the screen shut before it could shut itself. “I mean he is taking things and putting them into boxes,” he snapped at me.
His mood wasn’t intimidating to me at all, and the thought of not knowing what was going on was bugging me. I tried to bite my tongue, but it was no use.
“No shit Sherlock!” I yelled, throwing my bags over my shoulder and stomping down the hall.
I kicked the door to our room with one quick kick and threw all the bags on the floor in a big heap. Evan came out of the closet with a handful of his own clothes on hangers, his expression going from concentration to almost startled.
“You’re back already. Did you have a nice time?” he asked me, laying his stuff on the bed.
“I did, yeah. All the way up until I saw Kenny,” I said harshly.
“He upset you?” he asked, playing dumb.
“Evan! Why are you packing?” I practically yelled at him.
He sighed, sitting down on the bed. “I was going to tell you as soon as you got here, but can I see Kenny got to you first.”
“Uh, yeah, and the part about you gutting the closet was a pretty good tip off as well. Why don’t I know about this? And why so sudden?” I said, hurling it at him at once. My cell phone buzzed in my pocket.
“Are you going to answer it?” he said, setting up a box.
“I’ll call you back, Ness,” I said, flipping my phone shut and tossing it on the bed.
Silence did wonders when serious things were brewing.
“Piper Valley is where we are going. I told you about this. I just wasn’t sure when exactly we would be heading out.” He looked away from me. I think he knew I wasn’t happy. I was as happy as when I was informed we were moving back then.
“Why now?”
“It’s time. I know not the right time for you, but Carlo, he called and said the movers would be here tomorrow. I think you will like it.” He took my hand.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I ever heard of Pepper Valley,” I said, holding his hand loosely.
“Piper Valley. It’s twenty minutes from here. So you still can visit your family in no time. They can come there too.” He squeezed my hand trying to find some life in me.
“What is so special about Piper Valley?” I demanded.
“Let’s just say that we all share one common bond there,” he said. I sat down next to him to listen. “Ari and Kenny will be there, my brother Mark, his girlfriend, and plenty of others you will get to know in no time. Eve, I really think it will be good for us.”
“But how will I fit in?” I asked, worried that me amongst a bunch of them I would stick out like a sore thumb.
“You’re with me. You’re no different than any of the other girlfriends or fiancé’s. Ari is human like you. Believe me, you will be just fine. This is like the next step in our relationship.” He kissed my forehead.
“I know, but I feel so new, like I’m not as experienced as anyone else,” I said blushing. It sounded stupid, but Ari was like an old pro. Me? I hadn’t been around it long enough to truly grasp it all. I had months versus Ari’s years.
“You’re going to be fine. You’re my fiancé, you’re with me,” he insisted, getting up and packing again.
“I don’t know if I am going to be fine. Things happen so fast around here I don’t ever get a chance to even think about any of it,” I said, irritated.
His quick bounce back to what he was doing was not sitting well with me. It was more like something that was a definite to him, not something that was going to be discussed or compromised on, and I didn’t like that. I was starting to feel like it didn’t matter if I didn’t want to go, I had to. And if I didn’t, then I would be saying goodbye to him.
“What are you talking about?” Evan asked irritated himself as he threw another heap of his clothes out of the closet. This time he threw them on the floor, heading back inside.
“Does it even matter if I am okay with this?” I asked, coming in the closet.
“Of course that would matter,” he said, giving me an evil eye.
“It really doesn’t feel like it,” I said, crossing my arms.
“I don’t get you. You say this is what you want, you accept my proposal, and yet you’re complaining that we are moving in the direction towards being together,” he said, walking past my moody mope.
“I do, but why can’t we live where we want?”
“Because some things in my life don’t work that way. I’ve done all I need to do out here, and now that I’m with you, Piper Valley is the place I need to be,” he said.
“No, that doesn’t even make sense because Kenny and Ari aren’t engaged or married, so why would they have to go there too?” Having talked to Ari enough, I knew that Kenny was never going to ask her to be his wife.
“Whether Kenny likes it or not, that is who he is going to be with,” Evan said, looking at me intently.
“So once again there is no choice in anything.” I threw my hands up in disgust.
“There’s always a choice in everything. You made a choice when you slept with me,” he barked. The look on his face was one that I had only seen when he dealt with Kenny, and it took me aback. I wasn’t used to it being directed towards me.
“Whoa!” I shot back. Evan tossed his shoes one by one out the closet in a fit of rage, his body tense with each throw.
“Whoa what!” he yelled, whipping sneakers in a huff.
“I slept with you because I was thinking about sex, not about being bonded into some kind of contract. If you would have been more informative maybe I would have thought twice!” I yelled at him.
“I thought I was okay?” he asked, grabbing hats now, his breath coming in short puffs.
“Well you weren’t,” I said, starting to give up. The argument was going nowhere.
“I’ve told you that I am not like the typical guy. I have told you what I do, what my family does. Ari, I’m sure, has informed you. I know my dad has as well. So why do you always insist on playing stupid with me?” he snapped, his fist balled up. He brought them to his head, looking up at the ceiling as if he had a huge headache.
“Why are you being so mean to me?” I asked. This was one side I had never seen.
“Because I care about you more than anything, Eve. Ever since we met, everything has changed for me. You’re all I think about when I do anything anymore, and I would do just about anything for you. I want you to be happy,” he sighed, the intensity coming down a bit.
“I know you do,” I said in a whisper.
“No, you don’t. I know you’re the one for me. One hundred percent, you’re my soul mate. I feel I am yours for whatever reason it may be. So I know and feel that I would do anything to be with you. I will do whatever to get this right. Does that make any sense to you?” he asked me.
It made sense to me; it was almost like a poem, like something you would hear in a movie.
“Yeah, it does. And I feel that way too. I guess sometimes I just like to complain. I haven’t lived your life for long, but if I want to be with you, that’s what I have to do. I’m sorry,” I said.
Evan pulled me in for a kiss, all the anger disappearing. He gripped the back of my head hard, running his hand down my back. I could tell he was pleased I gave in or accepted what was going on. The look on his face was of almost a panic, and after he explained it to me, it was a panic of losing something that he found more sacred and special than anything he had ever known. It was a nice feeling to think someone cared that strongly for me. At the same time, I wondered how much of it was of free will and how much was fate to him.
Chapter 28
Welcome Home
I sat on a patio chair next to Ari still half
asleep while movers went in and out of our house packing and taking boxes to the U-Haul. It was way early and there was no stopping the process. I was tired and cold and not in the mood for moving. I was in the mood for sleeping. Although Evan said all the stuff from this house was being left behind, there still seemed like a whole lot of stuff to be moved.
