by Tl Reeve
Eden didn’t move. She couldn’t stop the freight train of horrors that was about to hit her.
“Why don’t the two of you take the ATVs out?” Though framed in the form of a question, it clearly was not.
“Mom.” She inhaled to get her entire protest out in one breath.
“Yes. It’s been forever since you took a break, and it’s a holiday.” Her mother clapped. “On top of that, today is Sunday. Nothing is going to happen today. You two take the ATVs out, go to that little spot you love, and I’ll pack you a picnic lunch.”
“That sounds magnificent.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“And don’t worry about rushing home.” Her mother practically leaped into the kitchen. “But never fear, I will be missing you both.” She blew them a kiss before turning to create some culinary feast.
Without a word, Slick polished off his waffle, then turned and gave her a wink of victory.
“Don’t be too proud of yourself, Slick. I actually love going on the ATV. Even you can’t ruin that.” She got up from the table.
“Good. I just want to see you smile,” he said.
She shook her head. The man would never have to worry about someone missing him.
Back in Perry’s real life, the sign of success was an incredible sports car.
Once he and Lyle had made a few dollars, he had leased the car. His business partner had shaken his head at the payment, but Perry had stressed their image was critical to their success. He’d promised his partner they would make enough to afford a fleet of these cars.
Out here in Eden, with Eden, his broken-down car meant nothing.
With nothing but a tilt of her head, she guided him toward the real status symbol in her town.
Two bright blue ATVs. The all-terrain vehicles looked more like little toy jeeps with large oversize wheels than something that traveled on every surface, as the name implied, and he wondered what the allure was with the little transportation devices.
“All right, Slick, you wanted a day, you got it.” Dressed in head-to-toe denim with a pair of gloves on, a cooler in one hand, and a helmet under her arm, Eden approached and stood by what he assumed was her steed in their expedition.
He went to the other ATV to find a matching pair of gloves and helmet. “What I want is to see you smile. What I want is to hear you laugh.” Keeping his eyes on her, he pulled on the gloves. “What I want is for you to believe in me.” He lifted the helmet. “What I want, my dear, is you.”
“Why?” She put the cooler in a little compartment of the vehicle. “Why me, when you can drive away from here and have your life again?”
“Because it’s what I want,” he shot back. “For the first time in my life, everything seems clear.”
“Strange: for me everything seems murky.” She got onto her vehicle.
He followed suit and turned to her. “Maybe what we need is a destination.” Without any idea on what to do, he mimicked her actions and strapped himself in the contraption.
“What I need is to get back here and get to work.” She turned the key and pointed way off in the distance. “Once back and forth to the rocks—you can take in the scenery, and then we can go our separate ways.”
Somehow he had to get her to let him in. “I have a different proposition.” He turned on his vehicle and yelled over the loud rumble of the engine.
She tilted her head.
He scanned the area. Quite a way away, he thought he spotted a large boulder of some sorts. While there were other rocks in the area, that one stood out above the rest. “Whoever makes it there first decides what we do next. Deal?”
After a pause, she gave him a nod.
In unison they put their helmets on.
The only indication she gave him to start was a thumbs-up.
Her ATV took off.
Fine, she wanted to play dirty, he would go along with it. He threw the vehicle into gear and it jerked to life.
Suddenly, he was driving. Caught in the dust created by Eden’s ATV, he simply aimed the strange vehicle straight and prayed he didn’t hit a building or a person.
In a flash, the town whirled by him, and he was out in the open with no road to guide him. The cool winter air only served to invigorate him, and the desert scenery turned into nothing but streaks of beiges and browns as he tried to catch up to his woman.
Below him, the uneven grown caused the low vehicle to bump and bounce, but he didn’t care. He kept his focus first on the rear of Eden’s ATV, then, as he found himself becoming more confident, he affixed his gaze on the rocks.
He pressed down on the accelerator and went for it. Finally, he was beside her, matching her speed, and they took turns glancing at each other.
As they continued their ride, she would inch forward a few feet, then he would, and so back and forth they went.
With a rhythm all their own, they continued on, one overtaking the other then switching places. The end was near. Under any other circumstances, he might hold back, let her win, but not now, not when it mattered most.
He turned to find Eden gripping her steering wheel and shaking her head, and he knew he had a chance.
Full throttle, he jammed his foot on the accelerator and went for it, not seeing the uneven ground before plowing up and over it. His ATV was airborne, and he swore he heard Eden scream.
He held on tight, and the vehicle hit the ground with force, but he refused to be defeated. For once in his life, he would win and win fair and square.
His heart throbbing, his breath coming in short spurts, his mind laser-focused, he finally skidded to a stop in front of the large boulder, coming only inches away from a collision.
He turned off the ATV and lifted his arms in victory right as Eden pulled up beside him.
She yanked off her helmet and tossed it aside. “Are you insane?”
Before answering, he took off his helmet and breathed in the crisp air, allowing it to cleanse him. “I think you know the answer to that.”
“You’re crazy. You could have gotten yourself killed.” She got off of the ATV and stood with her hands on her hips.
He also got out, his legs a bit shaky on solid ground. “True, but you know what I did get?”
“What?”
“I won.” Taking his time, he approached her, let the anticipation build.
She didn’t back away, only straightened up when he finally reached her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I won, and now we get to do what I want.” No more delays—he kissed her.
Where she fought him every step of the way, the moment their mouths touched, she softened, allowed him access, and took it upon herself to deepen the kiss.
“I have no doubt what you want to do.” She let out a sigh that spoke of defeat.
“What is it that you think I want?”
Rather than speak, she raised her eyebrows.
“Then you would be wrong.”
She pursed her lips.
“Honestly, Eden, by the time I make love to you, you’ll be begging me for it.” He let go of her and took a few steps back.
Now she crossed her arms.
“You know what we are going to do today?” He pulled off his gloves and dropped them onto the ground.
As if they were getting ready to duel, she kept her eyes on his and took her gloves off as well. “Tell me.”
“We are going to play.” In a sudden move, he reached over and tapped her on the shoulder. “Tag, you’re it.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he took off running.
Eden’s laughter echoed around him. Now he could work on the rest.
Eden sat down, pulled her knees up to her chest, and put her head down. There was no way Slick would find her now.
“You can’t hide from me.” From far away he yelled.
She squeezed into a tighter ball in an attempt to make herself even smaller. The cool winter breeze caused her to shiver, but she wouldn’t crack, wouldn’t move. She would win.
“E
den, oh Eden.” His singsong voice faded in the distance, indicating he walked the wrong way.
Into her lap she let out a low chuckle. All afternoon she hadn’t been to contain the laughter. They were like two schoolchildren—playing tag, playing with a tennis ball she found in the ATV, drawing pictures in the dirt with sticks, and now they were in for another round of hide and seek.
“All right, where are you?” His voice came closer, and his shoes crunching on the ground became louder.
As if someone was breathing right down her neck, she shivered. Her body trembled with anticipation, and she held her breath.
“Eden.” He stopped right on the other side of the rock.
Everything became silent, and she remained perfectly still.
For much longer than Eden found possible, nothing happened. Not one sound, not one movement—nothing.
She couldn’t take it. He was right there. Why wasn’t he finding her?
Another minute passed, then another, without a sound, without anything but the sound of the wind. Finally, curiosity and suspense got the best of her, and she jumped up.
“Found you!” From right above her, leaning on the rock, Slick pointed at her.
“Ah!” Her chest seized and she fell back.
“Eden!” He lunged at her and tumbled over the rock, landing on top of her.
At the insanity of it all, the pure playfulness of the day, she burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Slick took her into his arms and joined her. Together they lay in the dirt, simply laughing, their bodies vibrating in unison with their coordinated joy. Her sides ached, and their laughter ebbed, but the second they caught glances, it restarted.
He buried his face in her shoulder, and they continued to laugh until they were left gasping for air and weak.
Once they’d both calmed down, he slid off to her side and took her in his arms.
For the first time ever, she felt as if she belonged somewhere other than with her family. With him she was safe; dare she say happy? She couldn’t allow this but couldn’t stop it.
“Eden, I have something extremely important to tell you.” His voice came out low and serious.
She hated the way her stomach tumbled at his words. Perhaps, after all these days, he would let out he was married, or an escaped convict, or something else horrifying. It wouldn’t be the first time, though thankfully, she’d never had the escaped convict. Maybe she’d won the lottery this time. “All right, tell me.”
“I’m starving. It’s becoming critical.” He turned and gave her a grin. “Please feed me.”
Why she let out a sigh of relief, she would never know. It would be so much easier if he were a felon. “I think we can fix that.”
They got up and, hand in hand, returned to the ATVs and all their supplies.
She grabbed the cooler and he took a blanket and, without even having to say a word, they set up a little home base in the shadow of the large boulder.
Her mother had gone all-out, preparing a meal fit for two people who needed to spend the day together, and Eden pulled out some bread, freshly sliced baked turkey, two different salads, and even some cookies. When she reached the bottom of the cooler, she had to laugh at the fact her mother had even left some Hanukkah gelt and a dreidel.
“This fits the theme for the day.” Slick leaned over and picked up the dreidel. “I don’t know if I remember how to play.”
“I’m not sure she put enough gelt in here to have a real game.” Eden doled out the food.
“I think we can make this more interesting than playing for chocolate coins.” He lifted the little toy.
Before she ended up in a game of strip dreidel, she swiped the top out of his fingers. She needed to call the shots on this one. “All right. We will play truth with dreidel.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t it truth or dreidel?”
“No. Truth with dreidel,” she corrected. Normally, the game was played based on gaining or losing gelt or chocolate coins, depending on which symbol the four-sided top landed on. One side had the player win all the coins; another nothing; the third one won half, and the last side, they had to put a coin into the pot.
Slick sat up straighter and rubbed his hands together. “All right. What are we playing for?”
“Information.” She handed Slick a sandwich, then studied the dreidel, making her rules up on the fly. Finally, she had the opportunity to get any information out of him without appearing as if she were fishing for it.
“Interesting. Remember it goes both ways.” He bit into his sandwich.
Yes, she knew that, but something told her that she had a lot less to hide. “If it lands on this, you reveal something you are proud of, and this one, tell something you regret.” She turned the dreidel and began pointing out the different symbols, gimel, hay, nun, and shin. “This one you tell something you wish for, and lastly, a secret.”
He paused and pursed his lips, before at last nodding and motioning ahead. “Ladies first.”
Using the cooler as a makeshift game board, she spun the top, and it landed on gimel, the side they’d designated for a secret.
“This is the best game ever!” Slick ripped off a piece of his sandwich with his teeth and sat back with a satisfied grin. “Secret time, woman. Give it up.”
She took her time, politely taking a bite of her food and making sure to wipe her mouth before answering. It took all her strength to contain the laughter, and she cleared her throat. “I own a cell phone. Actually, a smart phone, top of the line.”
His jaw dropped open, and he shook his head. “Wh-wh-what?” He pounded his fist into the blanket. “Eden has no cell site!”
The laughter that had seemed to overtake her all day bubbled up again. “I do sometimes leave town.”
“This from the woman who uses a telegraph.” He turned away and held his hand up as if blocking his view of her. “I am sorely disappointed in you.”
“Eden may be in a bubble. I’m not.” With a bit of pride, she leaned down on her elbow. “I’m sorry if I disappointed you.”
“Actually.” He lowered his hand. “Now that I think of it, your talents have many uses.”
At his double meaning, or what she took to be a double meaning, her cheeks heated.
“Aside from the obvious.” Apparently, he got the meaning as well and winked. “Having a woman who is well versed in many different methods of communication would be extremely helpful in the case of a zombie apocalypse.”
“Well, I am glad to know I would be of use in case of a global disaster.” Most people thought Eden would only be of use for the end of the world.
“There is no one else I would want to be with.” He spun the dreidel. “It’s my turn.”
She watched as he spun the top. The little toy slowed down and landed on the side where he should reveal something he took pride in.
He rubbed his hand over his chin.
With literal bated breath, she waited. Her answers to the same question swirled in her head. She was proud she’d taken over the garage from her grandfather and loved it every time people seemed shocked she was the mechanic; proud of her family; proud of Eden and the town and the fact that they were self-reliant without needing the normal crutches of society.
Only when her lungs couldn’t take the lack of oxygen did she gasp. “Are you going to answer?” Here she’d told him a secret, so he had to give it up. This one should be easy.
“Can I take a pass?” He pushed the dreidel toward her.
“What?” She didn’t understand the issue.
He turned the dreidel to the secret side. “How about I answer this one?”
When she didn’t say a word, he sat up and nodded. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a relationship before. I thought I was, but now, the last few days, with you, I realize those were all practice.”
“Are we in a relationship?” Her voice came out a little above a whisper, and she wanted a long drink of water to cool her throat and her heart.
In all honesty, she didn’t know why she would ask such an insane question, when the answer was obvious. Maybe she just wanted to belong to someone, even if it was for only a little while.
“Can I tell you another secret?” He reached his hand out across the cooler.
Any resistance had left her long ago, the day on the floor in her boarding house kitchen, and she put her hand in his. “All right.”
“There’s something about you that calls me. I feel like I have a purpose with you.” He pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
Though she tensed, she didn’t pull her hand away. “I don’t want you to think you can come here and save me or the town. We don’t need saving.”
“I do.” His words hung in the air.
She tightened her hold on his hand. “I don’t want you to think Eden is an escape.”
He stared into her eyes. “She is; the place isn’t.”
Needing to be closer to him, she crawled around the cooler until she was by his side. “What are you proud of?”
He put his arm around her. “I don’t know yet.”
She went to take her turn, but he stopped her. “I think I’ll go again since I didn’t really play right.”
Once more he spun the dreidel, and it landed on the shin, the symbol for telling the greatest regret.
Again as she waited for his answer, she thought of hers. Maybe she regretted never really giving the world a chance and hiding herself away.
“I regret every promise I never kept.” He hid his face in her hair. “I regret every time I told someone what they wanted to hear and I knew I couldn’t deliver.”
His confession hit her right in the chest.
“I regret that I am so obviously that person, that you call me Slick because you know.” His voice lowered.
While she didn’t want to ask the next question, she had no choice. “Is that what this is?” She swallowed. “Telling me what I want to hear? Making promises you never intend to keep?”
He pulled back and looked at her. “I feel like I got a do-over with you. I have one chance not to screw it up, and the only thing I can tell is that time will tell you if I’m telling the truth or not.”
