Midnight Rose

by Dani Hart

  A car full of teenage boys passed, honking and catcalling Kendra.

  “And that is the perfect example of why I don’t like dating.” Kendra threw her hair behind her shoulder.

  The interruption saved me from an uncomfortable conversation that would undoubtedly lead to Wes, so for the moment, I applauded the boys in the car.

  The school bell echoed across the parking lot.

  “Shoot, we’re late,” Kendra panicked.

  There wasn’t time to finish our conversation as we ran separate ways to class.

  I CHOSE TO WALK to the bistro, avoiding the twenty questions from my parents. My dad tried to derail my interview by guising it with my first driving lesson, but he failed to remember I wasn’t an impressionable pre-pubescent kid anymore. Plus, I needed the ten blocks to work off my nerves. By second period I had convinced myself to flake on the whole thing, but by lunch I realized my apprehension wasn’t because I was afraid to run into Wes, but because he might think I only wanted the job to run into him. At the end of the day, I reminded myself I had applied for the job way before the Hunters came back, with no reason to think they would return. I wanted this job, and considering the other dozen places I applied hadn’t called, my options were limited.

  I stood outside of the bistro, staring at the sign, studying it like it would be one of the interview questions, stalling as much as I could until I could breathe evenly again. It was like plucking petals off a flower. I want the job, I don’t want the job, I want the job, I don’t want the job. What petal would be left?

  The door opened. “Great, you’re here.”

  Mr. Hunter’s voice was kind and his smile captivating. He waved me inside, holding the door open. My shoulders slouched in defeat as I accepted Mr. Hunter’s invitation hesitantly.

  The restaurant was bustling for a Monday afternoon.

  “It’s been crazy today. The good weather brings everybody out, and I had a girl call in sick, so I’m going to have to cut the interview short.”

  He walked me to a table in the back.

  “We can reschedule if you need to.”

  He sat down and motioned for me to do the same.

  “Actually, I was going to just say you’re hired and see if you could start right now.” He laughed.

  His laugh was just as enchanting as his smile. I laughed with him and then sat awkwardly when he stopped and didn’t say anything else.

  “Oh, you were being serious.” Panic dispersed through my limbs.

  “You don’t have to, of course.”

  Looking around the packed restaurant there was no doubt he needed the help. “Umm, okay. Sure. I can start right now.”

  “Fantastic.” He jumped up, handing me an apron. “If you could just clear tables and refill drinks for now, and then we can set up a training schedule this evening.”

  I nodded. “Great. Okay. I’ve got this,” I said, feigning confidence. My eyes widened with horror as I scanned unfamiliar territory. Here went nothing.

  I called my parents quickly before jumping on the floor to let them know. They seemed fine with it. I thought. I told them I would walk home or get a ride from someone.

  Fumbling through the late afternoon rush was nothing compared to the dinner rush.

  “Excuse me, Miss. Can I get another Coke?”

  “Miss, I asked for no onions.”

  “Can you bring out a kid’s plate to keep my baby busy?”

  The requests never stopped. One after the other. Watching Mr. Hunter, he hadn’t even broken a sweat, floating from table to table, talking with the guests, laughing and smiling as if everything was under control. I, on the other hand, was a sweaty mess with tousled hair falling out of my haphazard topknot.

  When the last customer was gone, I fell into a booth and started rolling silverware with another employee who skipped the pleasantries, ignoring me altogether. I only knew her name was Penelope because of Mr. Hunter. I rolled quietly, catching Mr. Hunter out of the corner of my eye counting the register and locking up. Penelope, who had a nose piercing and blue hair and ear buds firmly in place, stood up and walked away with an arm full of rolled silverware without any acknowledgement that I even existed. Friendly, I thought sarcastically.

  “How was your first day?”

  My heart stopped. Wes’ words prickled through my body. “F-fine. Good. Great, actually,” I said, stumbling on my words. I braved a glance up, immediately regretting it. His long lashes blinked slowly, and his smile melted every bone in my body.

  Breathe. In and out. Just act natural.

  “Good. I’ll see you around.” He drifted to his dad across the room.

  His words hung in the air like a hovering dragonfly. The energy buzzed around me, making me feel lightheaded, the feeling I always got when Wes was near. Mesmerized by his presence, I watched as he spoke softly with Mr. Hunter. Their bodies were stiff, and their eyes were intensely focused on each other. Something was wrong.

  I looked away quickly when both their eyes turned to me, my heart racing. Scooping up the rolled silverware, I passed them with my head down and stuffed the rolls into the podium at the front desk.

  “You saved me today,” Mr. Hunter said.

  I had the strangest feeling he would have been just fine without me.

  “No problem. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be heading out.” I untied my apron and let down my hair, shaking it out gently.

  “That’ll be it. I have to take care of some things tonight, so can you come in tomorrow after school so we can go over your schedule?”

  I couldn’t help but look over at Wes who was leaning casually against the podium watching me. Studying me. A drip of nervous sweat ran down the back of my neck.

  “I’ll come right after school.” I smiled nervously.

  “Perfect. See you then,” he replied.

  I reached under the front desk, grabbed my bag, and walked to the front door, but just as I was reaching for the handle, fingers stretched over my shoulder, grazing my neck and unlocking the door. I peered up and met Wes’ radiant eyes. My heart pounded loudly against my chest.

  “Are your parents picking you up?” Concern layered his words.

  “Uh, no. I’m walking.”

  His fingers recoiled slowly, brushing across the crook of my neck, dazing me. His touch felt warm and inviting, my neck instinctively extending, exposing it to him.

  “It’s dark out. I’ll drive you,” he said softly.

  “I’ve walked home later than this.” My argument lacked zest. He had every part of me bursting, begging for more time alone with him, but the other part of me that was still mad, objected. If I didn’t get out of here soon, I would be helplessly lying at his feet. “I have to go.”

  “Wes, we need to go.” Urgency was in Mr. Hunter’s tone. “She’ll be fine.”

  He seemed almost angry at the thought of Wes driving me home. After a quick look at Mr. Hunter, I said, “See? Even your dad knows I’ll be fine.” I pushed the door open quickly, welcoming the brisk air breaking the sudden tension. The cool night air awakened my muscles and sharpened my senses again. The exchange between Wes and his dad was unnerving.

  Before getting through the parking lot, I allowed myself a glance over my shoulder and caught Wes watching me, his eyes burning fiercely. I tucked my head and turned away, shoving my hands into my pockets and walking the ten blocks briskly, acute to every car, snapping twig, and animal cry around me. I was on high alert thanks to Mr. Hunter’s odd behavior. I sped up my pace, sprinting at any break in the silence, and made it home in record time, completely stressed.

  That night, I tossed and turned for hours. I knew the probability of seeing Wes at the bistro was high, but I wasn’t expecting it to be on my first day. I couldn’t shake how he and his dad were acting, secretive and, if I wasn’t mistaken, troubled. And then it almost seemed like Mr. Hunter was adamant that Wes not have me in the car with him. The whole situation was off. Who was I kidding? My whole universe had completely f
allen off balance.

  I WAS NERVOUS about going to the bistro today, but it was unfounded, because Mr. Hunter acted as though nothing had happened last night. He thanked me for my help and gave me my training schedule. I was working four days a week. I left feeling better and somewhat excited at the prospect of having my own money. No matter what my parents said, it was always uncomfortable asking them for it. A lot of the time I just went without whatever it was I wanted.

  Walking up my driveway, I noticed an unfamiliar car parked in front of the garage. The very same white Jeep I had dog-eared in a car magazine I had left sitting on my desk. I walked by it cautiously as if it might come alive and bite me. When I opened the front door, I was immediately drawn to laughter in the kitchen.

  “Abigail, is that you?” my mom called.

  “Yeah, Mom.” I tossed my bag on the couch, and against every screaming part of my body, entered the kitchen. Around the table sat my mom, my dad, and a young man who looked to be in college. He was handsome with emerald eyes and soft features. A lock of his blond hair fell over his long lashes as he looked up from a glass of water. He brushed it back and smiled, his eyes fixing on mine.

  “Abigail, this is Elijah.”

  My mom introduced the handsome stranger who had me a bit tongue-tied and a strange pull on me that was both dark and mysterious.

  “Abby,” I corrected my mom.

  Elijah stood up and held out his hand. I reached out obediently and placed my hand in his, an unexplainable flash of blackness sucked me in, taking every last bit of oxygen from my lungs. Elijah’s eyes remained locked on mine.

  “Are you okay, Abby?” He raised an eyebrow.

  I pulled back my hand and broke the bond that had me spellbound. I couldn’t tell if he was amused or genuinely worried.

  “Fine,” I answered, trying to disguise the sheer terror that overtook me. I rubbed the dread from my palm.

  His eyes studied me, like I was a specimen to dissect.

  “Your parents tell me you’re interested in buying my car.” His voice was smooth.

  I looked to my parents for confirmation.

  My dad answered, “I saw the magazine in your room.”

  “You were in my room?” I felt like a mouse claiming cheese from a trap.

  “Maybe I should go?” Elijah interjected.

  The world had proceeded in slow motion, still dazed from Elijah’s touch and betrayed by my dad’s intrusion.

  “Abigail, isn’t that the car you were interested in?” my mom asked, clueless.

  I turned to Elijah who hadn’t looked at anything but me since I entered the room. “I…I don’t have the money right now,” I explained to the unwelcomed stranger.

  “We already took care of it.” My dad stood and shook Elijah’s hand. “Thank you, Elijah. I’ll drive you home.” He paused, then with a gleam in his eyes said, “Actually, Abigail will drive you home.”

  I was panic-stricken. “What?” My head rapidly went from my dad to Elijah. “I don’t have my license.” Thoughts of the accident flashed like a disco ball, and my hands started shaking.

  My dad laughed loudly, “With me, Abigail. Do you really think I’d let you drive without a license?”

  Or with a stranger who could turn out to be the next Jeffrey Dahmer?

  A wicked smile crossed Elijah’s porcelain skin. “Thank you, but I can call a taxi.”

  “Nonsense.” My dad was suspiciously insistent.

  I felt weak. This would be my first time driving since the accident, and now I had two witnesses to the humiliation.

  My dad led us outside, and I watched distrustfully as Elijah climbed into the back seat of my new Jeep Cherokee. My dad slid into the passenger seat while I stood paralyzed with fear, tightly gripping the open driver’s door as I fought the urge to run back into the house.

  “Abigail, the first step to driving is getting in the car and putting on your seat belt.”

  My cheeks burned with humiliation number one, and I could only imagine how many more there would be. Elijah cracked a smile, but kept very quiet, still observing me intensely.

  I tried to block out the accident as I slid into the driver’s seat and buckled my seat belt, checking it twice and then a third time to make sure it wouldn’t come off in a collision should I be so unlucky.

  “It’s buckled, Abigail.” My dad watched me uneasily, his faith in my driving abilities obviously waning.

  I flashed a weak smile and tried to steady my heart. As a distraction, I focused on the surprisingly pristine condition of the interior. The black dashboard shined like a brand new penny, and the smell of the leather seats still lingered. This couldn’t be the same car in the ad.

  “What year is this again?” I played dumb, gazing in the rearview mirror at Elijah. When he locked eyes with mine, the blood rushed to my head, confusing my train of thought.

  “2009,” he answered directly.

  Even the leather binding of the steering wheel under my fingers felt new.

  “It’s in remarkable condition.” My voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the condescending tone.

  “Yes. It mostly sat in my garage.”

  “Let’s get going, Abigail. It was a steal.” My dad winked.

  I turned the key and listened to the engine roar to life, the soft vibrations settling in my bones.

  “This is a 4WD, so you’re going to want to leave this lever in 2 High. Not that you’ll be off-roading any time soon,” my dad teased threateningly.

  I chanced another look at Elijah in the back seat. He flashed another smile at my expense, but for the first time since we met, he turned his gaze outside.

  I eased out of the driveway, stopping at the bottom to check for any passing cars. “Which way?” I was still on edge, but I was curious where Elijah lived because I surely would have recognized him if he was from Sandpoint.

  “Bayview.” His eyes connected with mine again in the rearview.

  Bayview rivaled the beauty of Sandpoint. It was about thirty minutes from Sandpoint, around the lake. It hadn’t been stripped of the lush forest that wrapped around the lake for strip malls and industrial buildings like Sandpoint. Sure, Sandpoint was nice, but it was like comparing Oahu to Kauai. Bayview was prime real estate for vacation homes owned by very rich people. Very few people lived there year-round.

  “How long are you vacationing here for?” I watched for his reaction as I turned toward Highway 95.

  “Abigail, you didn’t use your turn signal,” my dad chastised.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, shrugging my shoulders. Humiliation number two. Thanks, Dad.

  Elijah interrupted, “That’s very presumptuous of you, Abby.”

  His response caught me off guard. I had offended him, and surprisingly I felt guilty for it. I turned onto the highway, remembering my signal this time.

  “I’m sorry. I just assumed—”

  “Yes, we have established that already,” Elijah responded coldly.

  I scrunched in my seat, feeling worse. I had hoped my dad would have come to my defense, but he seemed unaffected by Elijah’s attitude toward me.

  “Abigail, you should concentrate on the road.” My dad sat back in his seat, relaxed as if this were a scenic drive around the lake and not his daughter driving for the first time.

  The Jeep was quiet for the rest of the trip. I tried to put the radio on, but my dad said it would be a distraction, which was kind of the point. Instead, we treaded in a sea of thick tension.

  The traffic was light on the highway, not that there was really any traffic in Idaho. It got busier during commute time, but that just meant reducing speeds to sixty. It was still too early for the night commute.

  “Turn left up ahead,” Elijah instructed, breaking the silence.

  Glancing back again, he was sitting straight up and stiff. On alert.

  “Am I making you nervous?” I shared a smug smile of my own.

  His body relaxed a bit, and a gleam in his eyes ignited. “No, Abby. Yo
u could never make me nervous.”

  My heartbeat gathered speed, flipping at his unexpected response.

  “This is the left here.” Elijah leaned forward between my dad and me.

  He was close enough that I could feel the air he exhaled with his words. It electrified my senses, and it was yet to be determined if the feeling was good or bad, remembering the black hole when we shook hands.

  I turned onto a gravel road. So much for never off-roading, I giggled to myself. I heard a little chuckle from Elijah in the back seat, sending chills down my spine. I just wanted to get the hell out of here. I was thankful my dad was here.

  The driveway was long as we drove up and followed a bend flanked by large, mature trees with turning leaves. Reds, oranges, and yellows led us to a large historic home on the lake. I was awestruck by its size and architectural beauty, and by the time I parked in front, the house had doubled in size.

  My dad slid out, leaving Elijah and me alone in the car. My hands stayed firmly planted on the steering wheel, and my eyes fixed out the windshield until he got out.

  “You’re shaking,” he whispered into my ear just before stepping out.

  My lungs froze. With two words, he had rendered me defenseless.

  He climbed out of the car with very little effort and stood by my dad. They shook hands again.

  “Thank you again, Elijah.”

  “My pleasure, James.”

  James? Since when were they on a first name basis?

  Elijah leaned into the car. “It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Abby.” He flashed a mischievous smirk

  “Thanks for the car, Elijah,” I stammered while quickly thumping my foot. We couldn’t get out of here fast enough.

  “Eli, please. Elijah is too formal, Abby.”

  His ability to arouse fear in me was disturbing, but I couldn’t deny that I was also inexplicably attracted to him. I played with my lip nervously.

  “Goodbye, Elijah.” I mustered a little defiance.

  “Until we meet again, Abby.” Elijah winked dangerously.

  He moved aside, and my dad slid back in and shut the door. As I backed up the car, Elijah kept his eyes fixed on mine. Even when I turned the car around, I could still see him in the rearview mirror, watching me.