Secrets Kept

by Allie Everhart

  The way they all react to Gavin, you'd think he'd been going to Moorhurst for years. It's like they're all friends even though he just moved in a few days ago. Maybe it's like he said and they just pretend to be his friend because his dad might soon be a senator.

  "You playing poker later?" one of the guys asks Gavin.

  "Not tonight."

  "C'mon. I've gotta win my money back."

  "Then you need to learn how to play." Gavin smirks.

  "He's right, man," another guy says to the first guy. "You suck at poker."

  "Bullshit. I win all the time when I play with my dad."

  "Because he lets you win," the guy mutters, grinning as he sucks down his beer.

  "Shut up." The guy hits him and the other guy laughs.

  "So guys, this is Kate. We met at my house the other night."

  "Hey, Kate," a guy yells as he waves his hand in the air. He's standing behind the group of guys, a drink in his hand. He's tall and thin with tousled brown hair, wearing a preppy pink polo shirt with the collar turned up.

  "Hey," I say, giving him a wave.

  "That's Dave," Gavin says. "He's always like that. He's got a permanent buzz going. Drinks all day and night."

  "I'm not drunk," he insists. "I'm just a happy-go-lucky guy." He stumbles back, hitting one of the tables. "Sorry, ladies," he says to the girls sitting there. They roll their eyes at him.

  Gavin introduces me to the other guys and we stay there and talk for the next hour. Well, the guys talk. I mostly listen. Gavin tries to include me but the guys aren't interested so Gavin and I have our own conversation on the side.

  "Where's Megan?" I ask, searching the bar for her. "Did she leave?"

  "I don't know. I don't see her anywhere."

  I check my phone. I don't have any messages. "I'm gonna go find her."

  "I'll come with." He takes my hand. "Let's check outside."

  We go out the side exit and see a couple lying on top of the picnic table, making out. I quickly look away and keep walking.

  "Kate," Gavin says quietly from behind me. I turn back and see him nodding toward the picnic table. From this view I can see the plaid bow tie. And Megan's scarf tossed on the ground.

  Holy crap! Megan's making out with Decker? What happened to her ban on Moorhurst guys?

  Chapter Eight

  They're not just kissing. Decker's hand is up Megan's shirt and she's got her hand on his ass.

  I grab Gavin's arm. "Inside! Now!"

  Megan and Decker are so distracted with each other they don't even notice we're there.

  Back in the bar, Gavin's laughing at me. "What are you so freaked out about?"

  "I'm not freaked out. I'm just trying to give them privacy."

  "If they wanted privacy, they shouldn't be doing it on a picnic table outside a bar."

  "They're not doing it. They're just kissing."

  "They're doing more than kissing. A few more minutes and..." He smiles. "I think Decker's about to get lucky."

  "I'll text her. Tell her to come inside."

  "Why?"

  "Because she's obviously drunk and doesn't know what she's doing."

  "I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing. She seemed to be an active participant."

  "That doesn't mean she isn't drunk. I'm texting her."

  He takes my phone. "Why don't you just wait for them to come back in?"

  "Because like you said, they might end up doing it in public."

  "There's nobody back there. They'll be fine." He leans down to my ear. "And besides, you and I almost did it back there."

  "No, we didn't." I tilt my head to the side as he leaves soft kisses down my neck.

  "We almost did." His lips hit the spot on my neck that sends tingles down my core. "If you hadn't stopped it, I'm pretty damn sure we would've done it."

  Now I'm almost wishing we had. Or that we were the ones on that picnic table right now instead of Megan and Decker. Gavin's had me so hot for him all night, so worked up, that it would be good to get some relief.

  "Do you wish we had?" I ask, my eyes closing as his lips move over my skin.

  "Part of me does, part of me doesn't."

  "What part of you doesn't?"

  "The part that wants to make love to you," he whispers in my ear. "Not just fuck you."

  I swallow and open my eyes to find him looking at me. "I want you, Kate, and I'd love to take you back to my room right now, but then what? Would you think I'm your ex? Or one of the other assholes you dated? Just using you for sex? I don't want you thinking that."

  "I wouldn't."

  "You might. When it's over you might feel differently, and I don't want to risk that happening. I want you to get to know me. To trust me. To see what kind of guy I am. And once you do, I'll take you against that wall. The picnic table. Wherever the hell you want."

  "I'll pass on the wall and the table. But somewhere more private would be good." I glance around the bar. It's getting more crowded and the noise level is rising. "Can we get out of here? Find someplace quieter? Maybe go to your room?"

  His brows rise. "I thought we just decided to wait."

  "I didn't mean we'd do that. We could just talk. Hang out."

  "What about Megan?"

  "I'll text her. Tell her where we are. If she needs a ride she can let me know and we'll pick her up. But I'm thinking she won't be staying at our apartment tonight."

  "I'm thinking that too. Let me settle my tab at the bar and we'll go."

  I quickly text Megan. Leaving with Gavin. You okay staying here? Text me back when you're ready to go. We'll pick you up.

  As expected, she doesn't text back. She's so preoccupied with Decker she probably didn't even hear the text coming in.

  Gavin and I go out to his car and drive the short distance to campus. The school is set far back from the main road. To get there you drive along a small road that's lined with large maple and oak trees. It's a beautiful campus, like the kind you see in movies, with old stone buildings covered in ivy.

  "I'm over there." He points to a building off to our right. "Second floor."

  We go in the dorm and upstairs to his room. I'm impressed. I thought his room would be messy but it's really clean. Stuff is organized in metal bins and on bookshelves. He even made his bed.

  "You know Pearce Kensington?" Gavin asks. "The guy you're catering for on Thursday?"

  "Yeah, what about him?"

  "I'm in his son's old room."

  "Garret?"

  "Yeah. He didn't come back this year."

  "Do you know where he ended up?"

  "Not sure. I know he was really out of control last spring. Remember all those stories about him trashing hotel rooms? Crashing cars? Maybe he's in rehab or something."

  "I'm surprised you don't know since your dad is friends with Garret's grandfather."

  "My dad might know, but I didn't ask. I don't really care. I've never even met the guy. I'm just glad he didn't come back so I was able to get his room. There isn't much for housing around here."

  I sit on his bed. "So what do you want to do?"

  My skirt rode up when I sat down and his eyes go to my bare legs.

  "For starters, you being on my bed probably isn't a good idea. In fact, coming here at all probably wasn't a good idea. You want to go to a movie?"

  "Not really. We can't talk at the movies."

  He pauses to think. "I got an idea."

  "What?"

  "You up for a drive?"

  "Where are we going?"

  "My grandpa has a cabin about forty minutes from here. It's more of a shack than a cabin but it's on a lake and he has a boat. It's a piece of shit fishing boat but it's where I go when I want to just get away to relax or think." He smiles. "Or get to know the girl I'm dating."

  "So we'll be alone on this boat? With no one else around? How's that any different than being in your room alone?"

  "Like I said, it's a piece of shit boat. You start rocking that thing, we'll tip
over. Believe me, nothing's going to happen. Well, some things might happen but not the thing that would happen if we stayed in this room."

  "Okay, let's do it. Oh, wait. I can't. I told Megan we'd pick her up."

  Just then, my phone dings.

  Don't worry about me, she texts. I don't need a ride.

  I text back. "You staying with Decker?'

  She doesn't text back. She won't tell me. She's too embarrassed to admit she's spending the night with a Moorhurst guy.

  "What'd she say?" Gavin asks.

  "That she doesn't need a ride, which I assume means she's staying with Decker."

  "Or maybe he'll take her home."

  "The way they were going at it? I bet she stays with him."

  We go out to Gavin's car and as we're driving, my mind is still on Megan. "At least now she won't be lecturing me anymore about dating you."

  "Who are we talking about?"

  "Megan. She didn't want me dating you."

  "Why not?"

  "She doesn't like Moorhurst guys. She has a rule against dating them and thinks I should too."

  "Why?"

  "One, because they're rich. She thinks rich people are spoiled and get things they don't deserve."

  "And what's the other reason?"

  I shake my head. "Never mind. It's crazy."

  "What is it? Just tell me."

  "Okay, but don't think any less of her because of it. It's just the reporter in her, always questioning things. And if she doesn't have an answer, she comes up with these crazy theories."

  "So what's her theory?"

  "She thinks Moorhurst isn't just any college. She thinks there's something going on there."

  "Like what?"

  "That's the thing. She doesn't know and yet she still believes it's not your average college."

  "Why would she think that?"

  "Because of who goes there. The children of billionaires, politicians, corporate CEOs. She wonders why all these powerful people would send their kids to a school in the middle-of-nowhere Connecticut."

  "To give them privacy," Gavin says, as if it's obvious. "A lot of wealthy parents worry about their kids being followed around by the media or gossip magazines."

  "Going to Moorhurst doesn't protect you from that. Reporters and photographers hounded Garret Kensington when he was going to school there."

  "What happened with Garret was an exception. For the most part, students at Moorhurst are able to have their privacy."

  "Even if you told Megan that, she'd still think something was up. She doesn't understand why people with a lot of money and power would send their kid to Moorhurst instead of an Ivy League school."

  "She thinks Moorhurst isn't good enough?"

  "No, it's just—I can't explain it. She has her reasons for why she thinks this stuff and I don't bother trying to convince her otherwise because it's nearly impossible to change her mind. Which is why I'm completely shocked Decker was able to make her break her own rule. She must really like him."

  He chuckles. "Or she's just really drunk."

  "That could be, although she'd only had one drink when we left the two of them alone."

  We continue the drive, surrounded by woods, going down roads that get darker and darker. I have no idea where we are and haven't seen a road sign in forever.

  I suddenly start to get worried. Where is Gavin taking me? When I agreed to do this, I didn't even question it. Gavin hasn't given me any reason to be concerned about him, but I've only known him a few days so can I really trust him?

  "So, um, are we almost there?" I ask.

  "It's probably another five minutes away. Why? You tired of being in the car?"

  "I was just thinking maybe we should turn around and go home and do this some other time. Maybe during the day."

  "It's better at night. Lying in the boat, looking up at the stars. The warm summer air."

  "It sounds great. I just think tonight's not a good night. I'm getting tired and I have to work tomorrow."

  "It's not that late. And we don't have to stay long." He smiles at me. "C'mon. Just check it out. If you don't like it, we can leave."

  I look out the side window as we pass more woods. More thick, dark woods perfect for dumping a body.

  Why did I agree to this? Am I crazy? I just met this guy!

  "What's wrong?" He takes my hand.

  "This road has sharp curves. You should really have both hands on the wheel."

  "I'm fine, but if it makes you feel better..." He takes his hand from mine and places it back on the steering wheel. He glances at me. "I can tell there's something wrong. What is it? Was it something I said?"

  "Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."

  "You said you'd tell me when something's bothering you."

  "Nothing's bothering me."

  He turns down a narrow gravel road. It's dark. Isolated. Nobody would even hear me if I screamed. Maybe I'm overreacting but when you grow up with a cop for a dad, you tend to be overly cautious.

  Gaven stops the car and puts it in park. "Kate."

  I turn to him and blurt out, "Have you ever killed someone?"

  He laughs, but then stops when he sees I'm not kidding. "Shit, are you serious?" He pauses, a concerned look on his face. "You're afraid. That's why you've been so quiet. God, I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking. Taking you into the woods at night? I'm so used to coming out here, I didn't even think it might scare you." He starts the car. "I'll take you home. We'll come back here during the day, unless you don't want to, which is fine."

  "No. Wait." I put my hand on the wheel before he pulls back onto the road. "Maybe we could stay." I look at him. "You never answered my question."

  His brows rise. "Uh, no. I have never killed anyone. And I never will. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. Not once. I'm not a violent person. I've only been in one fist fight and that was in eighth grade."

  "What caused the fight?"

  "This kid kept saying all this shit about a girl in my class. She was really quiet and kept to herself but he kept telling everyone she had been with all these guys. Made her sound like a slut. None of it was true. He only said it because he wanted to go out with her and she refused. One day he said something really bad and made her cry. I punched the asshole right in the face and he dropped to the ground. I got suspended for a week but the kid never bothered her again."

  "So you're not a killer," I say. "You're a hero."

  "I'm not a hero. I'm just doing what I was taught. See something. Do something."

  "Did you ever date this girl?"

  "No. I wasn't interested in her that way. But she dated a friend of mine." He cautiously holds my hand again. "So what do you think? Stay or go?"

  "We can stay, but not for very long. Even though you're not a killer, I'm still a little freaked out being out here in the dark."

  "It's not that scary. And if it's too dark, I'll turn the porch lights on and bring a couple lanterns with us on the boat. It's easier to see the stars in the dark but I don't want you to feel scared."

  "How much farther before we're there?"

  "We're here." He turns the car off and opens his door. "Let me grab a flashlight from the trunk before you get out. I don't want you to trip."

  It's really dark but the flashlight helps. He holds my hand as we walk past a row of trees to the cabin. I see it just ahead. Like he said, it's more of shack. We go inside and when he flips the light on, I see a small cot on one side of the room, a couple fold-up chairs on the other, and some coolers in the back next to the fishing gear.

  "Told you it's not much," Gavin says. "My grandpa doesn't have much money."

  And yet his dad is loaded. You'd think Niles would buy his father a better cabin. Or at least fix this one up.

  Gavin walks over to a curtain suspended from a wire and slides it back, revealing a toilet and small sink. "This is your only bathroom option. If you need to go, I can wait outside."

  "I'm fine." I look around at the sparse space.
"So does your dad ever come here?"

  "No. He hasn't been here since high school. He's more of a five-star hotel type of guy. He likes his modern amenities. And my mom wouldn't step foot in this place. She doesn't like that I come here. Says the place is unsanitary and should be condemned, even though she's never even seen it."

  "But your parents still let you come here as a kid?"

  "Not really. They told my grandpa not to take me here but he didn't listen. Whenever I'd stay with my grandparents in the summer, we'd always come here, but he didn't tell my parents. I'm sure they knew but they never said anything, at least not that I know of." He walks to the door. "You ready?"

  He turns on the porch lights, grabs a couple lanterns, and leads me out to the small dock where the boat is tied up. He reaches in the boat for a lifejacket. "You don't have to wear it but I'd feel better if you did."

  I nod and he slips it over my head and tightens the straps.

  "Aren't you wearing one?" I ask as he gets in the boat.

  "There's only one. I'll be fine. I'm a good swimmer. And if for some reason I start to drown, I trust you'll save me." He smiles. "Unless you're a killer who lured me out here only to drown me in the lake."

  I smile. "I'll save you."

  He helps me in the boat, then unties the rope and paddles us away from the dock. It's dark but the porch lights are really bright and light up the shoreline. The lanterns are bright too, illuminating the inside of the boat but also the water around it.

  "You okay?" he asks as he sees me eyeing the water. "You're not afraid of the water, are you? Guess I should've asked you that before we came out here."

  "I'm not afraid. I was just wondering how deep it is."

  "It's not very deep." He sets down the paddle and moves the lantern aside, then lies down. "Come here."

  I lie down beside him and he slips his arm under me. I rest my head on him and we gaze up at the stars.

  "What do you think?"

  "I like it." I see what he means. It's peaceful. Relaxing. The boat lightly rocking. The crickets chirping. The stars shining.

  We lie there, not talking, and surprisingly, I'm comfortable in the silence. Maybe that's a sign this might go somewhere. Usually silence on a date makes me feel awkward, like I should be talking, and then I do but it's forced which makes it even more awkward.