by Diana Ryan
I cautiously answered, “Well…” Oh no. Is he going to make me study for hours again? “Not too much,” I said hesitantly.
“Brilliant! Then you’re spending the day with me!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. I heard the locks click open.
“Oh really?” Excitement stirred in my stomach. I tried to hide it, not wanting to look too eager. “Well, okay then. What are we going to do?”
“Just get inside, little lady!”
I curiously walked around to the passenger’s side door and slid into the seat of the car. I was immediately impressed. I didn’t know a thing about cars, but this one looked like it had all the extras. The interior was sleek beige leather and the dash was basically a fancy computer. Adam put the keys in the console between us and then pressed a button on the dash to start the engine.
“Where did you get this car?” I reached out and ran my fingers over the temperature controls by my side. It put the tape player in my Olds to shame.
“Well, there’s something about me you don’t know.” He started the ignition, but then stared out the windshield and said nothing.
The silence ate at my patience. Come on! Say something! My heart began to race, and an anxious feeling snuck into my stomach. Was getting in a car with this man completely unsafe?
He had successfully backed up the sophisticated car, using the rear camera display in the dash, and then said, “I’m royalty.
My jaw dropped.
“What do you mean, ‘royalty’? Like a prince?” He didn’t seem handsome enough to be a prince.
Suddenly Adam burst into wild laughter. “Oh good God! To see your face! That was hilarious!” He put the car in drive and headed up the hill, continuing to laugh as I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. “No, I’m not royalty!”
“That is not funny.” I told him, half laughing, half serious, but he kept smiling. “Okay then, Your Highness. Where did you get this fancy car?”
“Would you believe I won the lotto?”
“No.” I looked out the window as he drove past the baseball fields.
The corner of his lips turned up as he searched for another answer. “Quiz show champion?”
I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Absolutely not. Try again.”
“You’re a tough audience…hmmm…well, I don’t think you’d actually believe the truth, so you’ll have to settle for…pop star!” He turned the car left onto Main Street.
“Yeah, right. I like royalty better.”
He looked out the windshield smiling curiously. “Fine, royalty it is. Just call me Prince Adam.”
We drove through some residential areas and drifted into UWSP territory. I watched Gerke Field pass on our right. I knew something suspicious was brewing, but I wasn’t about to push it. I barely knew Adam, after all. “Alright, Prince Adam. Where are you taking me today?”
“Back to your house.”
“I guess I set my bar too high.”
“No offense intended, but you need a shower first.”
I laughed out loud. That was not what I expected to hear but it was probably true. I did need a shower. “I thought Europeans didn’t shower every day.”
He shook his head. “Nasty rumor. The French don’t bathe for days. Londoners, if we stink, we shower.”
“Fair enough. Turn here on Fremont.” Adam turned his fancy-schmancy car down the street.
“I’ll drop you off. Could you be ready in forty-five minutes?”
“Now turn here on College Avenue.” I pointed through the windshield. “Sure, I’ll be all clean and fresh for your olfactory nerves. We’re the last house on the block.”
“Oooh…did you look ahead in your biology textbook, Dr. Gardner?”
I gave him a fake angry face and Adam chortled gleefully. He pulled to a stop in front of the two-story, creamy yellow house. A dark, screened-in porch hung off the top floor.
“See you later, Your Highness.” I flashed a smile from the lawn, and he called, “Cheerio, Ava!”
Inside, Elaina and Sharon were sitting around the living room playing one of our all-time favorite board games, Sequence. Elaina was kicking Sharon’s butt, like always.
“Hey! There she is!” Sharon’s face lit up when she saw me.
“Kasie told us we may have to send a search party after you!” Elaina played a blue poker chip on the board.
“Naw, Adam is pretty cool. I totally trust him.” I took a seat on the couch for a quick second. “Actually, I’m just home to shower and change, and then I’m going back out with him again.”
Elaina put down her cards and sat forward. “Really? So are you ready now to admit you like Adam as more than a friend?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, I don’t think so.”
Oh no, my cheeks were burning pink!
“At this point he has just been really great company. He’s easy to talk to and I feel comfortable with him, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t any physical attraction between us.”
Sharon seemed to be studying my face for the truth. “I guess I’ll believe you. But are you sure he feels the same way? You don’t want to lead him on and then break his heart, do you?”
“Of course not.” Maybe Sharon was right. “I promise I’ll be careful. If he ever gives me a signal that says more than friends, I’ll get the heck out of there right away!”
“Good plan.” Sharon placed a red chip over the king of spades.
“Okay, I’m off to shower. He’s gonna be back in forty-five minutes.” I left the living room and headed for my bedroom. I checked my phone sitting on the window ledge above my bed—no new messages. I undressed, pulled my silky green robe off the hook behind my door, and then grabbed a white towel and some clean clothes from the laundry basket on the floor.
The hot shower massaged my sore muscles and refreshed my sweaty skin. After the quick shower, I dressed and blow-dried my hair. I was applying makeup when I heard the doorbell ring and my friends calling for me.
“Ava! Adam’s here!”
“I’ll be right out!” I yelled from the bathroom. I felt a quick flip of nerves in my stomach and smiled involuntarily. I suppressed it quickly—he’s just a friend, I reminded myself. I spritzed a bit of perfume, took another look at myself in the mirror and then opened the door.
Adam was sitting on the couch chatting with my friends, but stood up when he saw me. He was wearing a brown sweater with a dark green T-shirt collar peeking out. His jeans fit perfectly, and on his feet were casual brown loafers. He looked preppy-cool with his carefully styled hair.
“Ava!” He gave a big show of sniffing the air. “That’s much better! You ready to go?”
“Sure. Let me just grab my purse,” I said laughing. I ran down the hallway to my room on the end and grabbed my phone from the ledge, slipping it into my bag. Nerves crawled around my stomach. I took a deep breath and let it out loudly, trying to force my gut to settle down. The sound of my girlfriends laughing on the other side of the apartment interrupted my momentary freak-out moment.
“Everything is fine,” I told myself.
I pulled on my brown, heeled boots and then left the room. When I arrived in the living room Kasie was laughing so hard she was crying.
“What the heck is going on in here?” They all turned to see me standing in the hallway and toned down the laughing immediately.
Were they laughing at me?
Adam stood up quickly and came over to my side. “Your flatmates are a riot!”
“Yes, they are.” I looked from face to face trying to get a clue from someone. No one gave me any kind of hint as to what they were talking about and I began to feel a little hurt. What secrets were they sharing with Adam? I gave the girls a “shame on you” look when Adam turned and headed for the door.
“Have fun, you two!” Elaina hollered after us.
“We will!” Adam and I both said together.
“Cute. That was very cute,” I said as I opened the front door. We walke
d up the stairs and down the sidewalk to where Adam had parked his black car. He opened up the door for me.
“I guess chivalry is not dead in the UK?” I sat down, smiling, and then watched him walk around the front and get in his side.
“No, it’s not. We are taught to treat our women with kindness and respect.” He started the car and pulled out onto Fremont Street.
“How wonderful.” I wasn’t used to being treated like a lady. “So, Prince Charming, where are we headed off to now?”
“Surprises, surprises.” He smiled sweetly as he pulled onto Clark. “Are you hungry? I thought we’d do lunch first.”
“Starving.” We passed Iverson Park and the morning’s jog replayed in my mind. A little farther up the road sat my favorite restaurant in Steven’s Point—Hilltop. To my surprise, he pulled the car into the driveway instead of passing by!
Lunch was delicious and the conversation was wonderful. Adam asked me all about my interest in teaching and then shared with me how he decided to study communications. He graciously offered to pick up the check, but to me that felt too much like a date, so he allowed me to pay for half. With full bellies, we made our way out to the car.
Adam drove back down Main Street toward campus. “Alrighty, Miss Ava. I did my research and found a place right here in Stevens Point that will make you feel right at home.”
“Really? That sounds exciting. Where is this mystery place?” The car made its way around the mall and over to the riverfront.
The riverfront!
He was taking me to see where the Wisconsin River ran through Stevens Point. I suddenly felt very excited and a large, toothy smile struck my lips.
“Brilliant! You’ve figured it out. I can tell by the look on your face.” He drove past Pfiffner Park and over to a parking lot lining another grassy area. I could see the river from the road and my heart began to leap with joy. I barely let the car stop before I jumped out.
“Hold on! Wait for me!” Adam shut off the car engine and jumped out after me, laughing. I could hear him yelling as he caught up. “I knew you’d be excited, but wow!” We ran across the empty field, over the sidewalk and past a row of tall trees. We didn’t stop until we were all the way to the riverbank, where Adam slowed down and let me go on ahead.
I ran right up to the place where the rocky shore met the water’s edge. There I stood before the grand and glorious Wisconsin River. It took my breath away like seeing a great old friend I’d been apart from for many months. The river’s deep brown water flowed swiftly past me, and I imagined that same water reaching my beautiful Dells by the time the sun set.
I took a deep inhale through my nose and recognized a smell I knew only as river water—a scent that filled my soul with hope and calmed my heart to contentment. The only sound was something I’d heard a million times before—tiny waves lapping up on the rocky shore, a lullaby to my ears.
Although I felt at peace, I suddenly felt incredibly homesick. The lump in my throat showed up just before the small, salty tear fell from my eye. It gently rolled down my cheek and dropped into the water below me. I looked out over the broad, brown river and wiped my face as another tear escaped.
A hand landed on my right shoulder and a voice came from behind me. “I’m so sorry, Ava. I didn’t intend to make you cry.”
And then a dam burst inside me.
Overcome with emotion, I turned into Adam and surrendered to my tears. He pulled me in for a tight hug, assuring me that everything was going to be alright. I had no feelings of embarrassment, only a sense of comfort from my new friend. He was so patient, just letting me release my tension on the sleeve of his shirt. He held me tight, slowly rubbing my back.
Soon the clouds above us began to cry, too. I felt a water drop from the sky land squarely on my forehead. The sound of the raindrops quietly landing on the surface of the river was soothing. Adam broke the hug, and although I wanted to go back in for another one, I thought of the conversation I had earlier with my roommates—Don’t lead him on.
The rain’s pace picked up, raindrops coming down faster, each one a bit bigger and fatter than the last. I tried to stop the tears. I knew most guys never liked blubbering girls as company, but Adam was very patient, standing next to me, staring off into the water patiently.
Finally I found my voice behind the lump in my throat. “Oh, Adam. I feel like there’s a hole inside of me.”
He looked deep into my eyes and gently placed his hands on the outside of my upper arms. “‘In three words I can sum up everything I know about life: it goes on.’ ” His words were beautiful and a bit pretentious, but somehow comforting.
A tiny smile poked through my somber face. “Did you make that up yourself?”
“I’m sorry, I cannot take credit. Those are the words of the famous American poet Robert Frost.”
“Studying American Lit, are we?” The rain continued to drizzle on our heads.
“Nine o’clock every Monday and Thursday morning,” he confessed.
We both took a deep breath and exhaled at the same time. I could feel Adam’s eyes carefully examining my face, but I kept my gaze on the river and my imagination followed it all the way to the Dells. A vision of Jack smiling showed before my eyes and then left as quick as it came. There was something big that happened this summer, I could feel it in my bones, and I felt like a complete idiot for not knowing what it was.
“Ava. My heart aches for home, too. But you have to remember this: You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
“More Frost?” I said, sniffling my runny nose.
“Nope. That one is anonymous, but it’s sort of been my credo this term.”
A gust of wind blew the brown hair from my shoulders, and a shiver ran down my spine. “I like it.” I looked up to the sky and felt a few light raindrops on my face. “Can I use it, too?”
“Absolutely.” Then a sharp crack of lighting and a loud boom of thunder interrupted our pair of aching hearts.
“Uh-oh.” The clouds opened up and the rain fell down harder than before. “I hate to pry you away from your river, but I think we better head back to the car park now,” Adam took off his jacket and held it over our heads as an impromptu umbrella. We dashed across the grassy field with little rain on our heads, although the storm continued to rage above us.
We quickly got inside the car and slammed the doors. Adam reached to the dash to press the ignition button, but I grabbed his hand before he touched it. “Wait. Listen…. I love this noise.” I dropped his hand and closed my eyes, tipping my head back against the headrest. The sweet sound of fat raindrops gently hammering on the metal roof of the car filled me with comfort. I breathed in a cleansing breath and slowly let it out.
Adam leaned back against his seat, eyes closed, listening carefully. “Laughton…” he whispered. “I love this noise, too. Reminds me of lying in my bed as a young chap listening to the rain beat against the tin roof of our house at night.”
We sat in the car for several minutes, pleasantly listening to the storm until Adam’s cell phone buzzed in the console. He quickly grabbed his phone, looked at the screen, and then stopped the vibrating.
“It’s my mom. I can call her back later,” he said, putting it down.
“Your mom? From London?”
He nodded his head.
“You should probably call her back!”
“Nah. It’s okay.” Lightning streaked the sky just before a loud thunderclap struck above our heads. It startled me so much I jumped in my seat. Adam softly laughed as he pressed the ignition button on the dash and waited for my permission to leave.
“You’re right,” I commented. “We better get going and out of the storm.”
Adam backed up the car a little quicker than I thought necessary, and followed the tiny roadway leading out of the park.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. “Is it hard to get used to driving on the right side of the road?”
“Huh
?” He looked over at me, and I saw the light click in his eyes. “Oh right. Yes, it was difficult at first, but I’ve got it down, now.”
We both laughed sort of awkwardly. A long pause followed, and I noticed Adam kept looking in his rearview mirror. Perhaps I freaked him out and he was paranoid of driving the wrong way.
I moved a hand over to pat him quickly on his forearm. “You’re doing fine.”
“Thanks.”
A few more seconds of silence followed as he continued to drive toward my house. I figured I better apologize for blubbering all over his sleeve earlier.
“Adam. I’m really sorry for overreacting back at the riverbank. I’ve just had a crazy week. Stressed out, you know.”
“Don’t apologize, Ava,” he said sincerely. “I’m happy to be a shoulder to cry on.”
“Thank you, Adam. I wish I could repay you for your kindness.”
He smiled but kept driving, saying very little.
A few minutes later we arrived back in front of my house. Adam turned off the car and sat looking out the windshield for a few seconds. Obviously something was bothering him—his demeanor had changed considerably since we got in the car at the river.
Had I said something wrong?
My mind rapidly replayed the afternoon’s events as the rain above us pounded down on the roof above our heads.
“Are you okay?” I finally blurted out.
Should I put my hand on his shoulder?
He turned his head from the window and looked me straight in the eyes. Adam held his gaze for a few seconds without saying a word, and it made me feel a little uncomfortable. “I’m fine, Ava.” His voice sounded like his own but with some unidentifiable emotion behind it. “Thank you for a wonderful day in your company.” Then he smiled a sincere, wonderful smile, and I was pretty sure that whatever was bothering him had nothing to do with our friendship.
“I feel the same way. See you later, Adam.”
Chapter Seven
The next morning I woke and got ready for class, feeling nervous. It was quiz day. I revisited the notecards Adam and I made over a bowl of Fruit Loops. It felt like I knew the words, but I was half sure my mind would blank out when that quiz paper appeared on my desk in thirty minutes.
