“Turns out she was in the other room while we were bringing our stuff up.”
“She didn’t hear us?” Andrew asks.
“She was, um, sleeping,” I say.
“Did she like Pickles?”
“Of course she liked Pickles!” I say, hitting him on the arm playfully. “I haven’t met a single person who doesn’t.” Except for one…
“Good,” Andrew grins. “Otherwise, I’d worry that we have a homeless cat on our hands. With a name like that, all the other animals would make fun of him.”
“He’s tough,” I defend, squaring my shoulders. I can’t help the warm feeling from growing in my chest. Are we flirting? “The name serves as a decoy. It makes all the other animals underestimate him.”
“I hope you’re not like that,” Andrew teases.
I show him all my teeth. “Oh, I’ve got some bite in me.”
“Noted,” he laughs. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
“No way,” I shake my head. “That’s up to you to remember.”
“I’ll do my best.” Andrew nods at my Beetle parked on the street. “You going for a drive?”
“I wanted to find some place to eat,” I explain. “Do you have any suggestions?”
Andrew nods. “Hell, yeah! Come on. I’ll show you.” He walks around the car and gets in. I blink, then try to force down the smile that wants to form on my lips. He never actually asked.
“You’ll want to back up, first,” Andrew teases when I turn the engine on.
“Thanks for the tip,” I deadpan.
“Then you’ll want to go down that street—” he continues, “—and take a left at the second light.”
“Got it,” I say. I drive down the street, following his directions. When he reaches for the radio, I stop him. “Don’t bother,” I say. “It doesn’t work.”
“Bummer,” he frowns. “You can tell a lot about a person by the music she listens to.”
“Really?” I arch an eyebrow. “Says who?”
“Says me. And, um, any sane person living on this earth.”
“I don’t think so,” I shake my head. “What if I’m one of those girls who only listen to top forty pop?”
“Then I say you like to follow the crowd and don’t want to stick out.”
“But what if I’m a party animal at the same time?”
Andrew looks and me evenly. “Come on. I can tell you’re not that.”
“Fair enough,” I laugh. “All right, so what if I listen to only eclectic stuff out of Iceland?”
Andrew starts guffawing loudly. His laugh is warm and powerful. I don’t know what he’s laughing at, but I can’t help but join him. “What? What’s so funny?”
“You said ‘eclectic’!” he chortles. “I’ve never heard anyone use that word in real life before.”
“Is it so strange?”
“It is from where I come from. Take a right here. Anyway, if you listen to eclectic stuff from Iceland? I’d say you’re rebellious and want to stand out. But in a subdued, careful kind of way.”
“That’s totally a contradiction,” I tease. “Besides, what if I just like the way it sounds? There doesn’t have to be anything deeper.”
Andrew surprises me by placing his hand over mine on the steering wheel. Our eyes meet. “Trust me,” he says. “There’s always something deeper.”
A loud honk rips me out of the moment. I look up in time to see that I’ve drifted into the oncoming lane. I swerve hard to the right.
“Better focus on the road,” Andrew chuckles.
“Yes,” I agree, breathless. My heart is thundering in my chest.
The problem is, I can’t tell whether it’s from Andrew’s touch or from the close call with the other car.
***
The drive to the breakfast place doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Still, the second half seems to drag on for hours. Neither of us says anything after the near miss. I blame myself for letting the awkwardness creep in.
Thankfully, Andrew snaps out of the funk as soon as I park the car. “Here we are,” he says. “Safe and sound. Good job.”
“Did you expect anything less?” I quip.
“For a minute there, I might have.” He laughs. “This place serves the best breakfast burritos in town.”
“Wait.” I scrunch up my nose, incredulous. “You brought me to a Mexican place for breakfast?”
“What? You’ve never tried it before? It’s the breakfast of champions, Paige!” He leans in close. “And, I hear, one of the best remedies for a nasty hangover.”
“Is that so?”
“Just a rumor,” he shrugs, stepping out of the car. “Something about the hot sauce.”
“Good thing neither of us is nursing one today,” I respond.
“Just a heads up for the future,” Andrew winks. He opens the door to the café and leads me in.
I couldn’t tell from the street, but inside, the place is packed.
“Who are all these people?” I ask.
“All the townies.” Andrew peers over the crowd and spots a table. He takes my hand and leads me through. The motion is so natural, I don’t even realize he’s holding me until we’re halfway there.
I like how it feels.
“So Paige,” Andrew says, sitting across from me. “Tell me about yourself. Why is it that I found a girl like you moving in all alone?”
There’s that comment again. A girl like you. Does he think I’m something special? I’ve given him no reason to.
Besides, if he knew anything about my past, that perception would definitely be wiped away.
“I’m used to being alone,” I explain, purposefully avoiding specifics about my situation. “I went to a boarding school by myself since the sixth grade.”
The bait-and-switch works. “Really?” Andrew asks. He seems interested. “What was that like?”
“Well, it was an all-girls school, for one,” I say. “This is the first time I’ll be sharing classes with guys since elementary school.”
Andrew whistles. “No way.”
“Yup. It’s going to be totally different.”
“I think you’ll be okay,” he winks, “as long as you don’t expect us to be any different from before. If anything, we’re probably even more immature now.”
I laugh and perk my eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“It’s a fact,” Andrew says, all serious now. The corner of his lip twitches up in his attempt to hold down a smile. “And you’d do well to heed it.”
The hostess arrives and hands us our menus. Andrew waves them away and says we already know what we’re going to get. When he sees the quizzical look on my face, he touches my hand and whispers, “Trust me!” before ordering some type of food I’ve never heard of before.
I don’t really like how he ordered without my opinion, but that feeling is quickly forgotten when Andrew asks his next questions. “So, Paige, here’s one for you. If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?”
I laugh. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Andrew winks. “It’s a question boys ask girls all the time. I’m just helping you prepare.”
“Well, why do I have to choose only one?” I complain. “Maybe I want to be one of those superheroes with a dozen powers? Like Superman or Batman or something.”
Andrew tsks and shakes his head. “Batman doesn’t have any super powers. I’m disappointed in you, Paige.”
“That’s not true!” I defend. “He’s got the… what’s it called?” I spread my arms out like a hawk to show him. “The thing that makes him fly!”
“His cape,” Andrew says flatly. “The only super thing about that is that it’s super expensive. A custom carbon fiber exoskeleton with some tough cloth. Nothing extraordinary about that.”
“You sure know a lot about these things.”
Andrew shrugs, his eyes twinkling. “I’ve got a little brother. We watch cartoons sometimes.”
“Well, what about the way
Batman can take bullets without flinching?” I ask.
Andrew taps his chest. “That’s a Kevlar body suit. Protects him from gunfire and sharp objects. A bit more advanced than what cops wear, but basically the same thing.”
“Fine.” I cross my arms and slump back, pretending to pout. “You win.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” he reminds me.
“About the super powers?”
“Just one!” he says.
“Let me think. I would… I would want to be like Superman, and see through walls.”
“What? That’s what you would choose?” He leans in. “That’s like his lamest one! What about being able to fly, or have super strength, or super speed?”
“Jeez, Andrew, I didn’t know there were any right answers here!”
He reaches over and touches my hand. “I’m playing.”
That makes me smile and relax. “All right. What about you? You have my answer. What would you choose?”
“Pfft. That’s easy. I’d want to fly.”
“Oh, come on,” I chide. “That’s a total copout. That’s the least original answer ever!”
“Would you rather I say I’d have Spiderman’s web-slinging ability? Then I’d have spider webs coming out of my palms! And every time I did this—” he covers my hand with both of his, “—your hands would get all sticky! Yuck.”
I laugh. “I guess that’s true.”
“Besides, I have my own reasons for my choice.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I didn’t just say I want to fly to be able to get from place to place faster. Have you ever seen the older Superman movies? How he flies backwards around the earth and warps time with him?” Andrew leans back and crosses his arms behind his head. “That’s why I’d want to fly. I’d use it to control time.”
“Clever,” I muse.
Andrew winks. “You’ll see, Paige. I’m full of useful little insights like that.”
Chapter Four
We have breakfast. It’s some type of burrito with scrambles eggs and vegetables and hot sauce inside. It doesn’t look very appetizing, but it tastes heavenly.
Time flies by as we chat. Conversation is light, fluffy, and fun. I’m starting to figure out that I like spending time with Andrew.
Once we’re outside, he hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going this way. Can you find your way back?”
“What, you’re worried I’ll get lost driving all of two miles back to my dorm?” I hit his arm. “Give me a break.”
Andrew grins. “Some girls are helpless with directions.”
“I’m not like that.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He pauses to consider something. “Hey, since you’ve already unpacked, you’ve got nothing to do tonight, yeah?”
“Well—” I start.
“Great!” Andrew beams. “Meet me outside your dorm at seven thirty. Say… on the steps? And wear shorts.”
“Shorts?”
“Do it!” Andrew laughs over his shoulder as he starts walking away. “I’ll see you then!”
“Why shorts?” I call out.
“It’s a mystery!” Andrew yells. He turns around and, walking backwards, winks at me. “You’ll see.”
***
I’m on the steps outside my dorm at seven-twenty. Wearing shorts, just like Andrew asked.
I don’t know what it is about him that makes me so eager to comply. I’ve never been one of those girls who gets all dewy-eyed over a boy. Then again, I haven’t been given many chances.
The yard in front of me is a bustle of activity. Groups of parents and freshmen dot the lawn. Most have their hands full of one type of bag or another. Move-in day is in full swing.
I haven’t met my other two roommates yet. I did find their things lying in the living room. But the dorm itself was empty every time I came up there during the day.
Three quick honks draw my attention to the street. Andrew pulls up in a white Jeep. He swings out of the driver’s seat and jogs up to me. “Wow,” he says, looking me up and down.
Ugh. Is this going to be one of those typical dates that start with a compliment on my clothes? In shorts? “Wow, what?”
“Wow, you’re early,” Andrew laughs. “I was afraid I’d have to wait on you. And you’re wearing what I told you to. Well done.”
His easy manner puts my fears to rest. “I can follow directions with the best of them,” I tell him.
“Is that so? I’m going to have to test that claim with something a little tougher in the future.” He turns around and runs to his car. “Come on, come on. If you don’t hurry, we’re going to be late!”
“Late for what?” I ask as I tug on my seatbelt.
“Well, technically we can’t be late, since the course doesn’t actually close. But the weatherman says it’s going to rain later tonight. Don’t want to be caught up in that.”
“Rain?” I ask, looking up at the bright sky overhead. “Are you sure?”
Andrew grins, starts his car, and steers onto the road. “I take it you don’t have much experience with weather here.”
“I mean, it’s got to be the same as pretty much everywhere else, right?”
“Wrong. Here, you blink once, and snap—” Andrew snaps his fingers for emphasis, “—a monsoon comes throttling down. Don’t worry, though. I’m pretty sure we’re going to beat it and get to the course in time.”
“What course?” I ask. I think back, remembering the polo I’d met him in. “You’re not taking me golfing, are you? I tried it once and was horrible.”
“Uh, no. I’ve got something a bit more exciting in mind.” Andrew reaches back and tosses a Frisbee onto my lap.
I look at the plastic plate. “What is this for?”
“Frolf,” Andrew says.
“Frolf?” I ask. “What’s that?”
“It’s like golf, but with a Frisbee. And tons more fun.”
“Sounds… interesting,” I hedge.
Andrew laughs. “I sense hesitation in you, young grasshopper. Fear not! You have me as your faithful guide.”
“All right. But why shorts?”
Andrew looks over and grins. “You’ll see soon enough.”
***
I don’t know what to expect when Andrew turns his Jeep onto a dirt road leading into the woods. Rays of sunlight filter through the canopy, making the forest seem old.
He stops in a wide, gravel clearing not far from the main road. There are a few other cars around. I don’t see any people, though.
“Here it is,” Andrew announces, switching off the engine. He gets out and runs to the back. When I step out, he has already pulled two wooden paddles from the trunk. He tosses one at me.
I squawk and nearly drop it. “Dude! What the hell?” I complain.
“Sorry.” He gives a sheepish grin. “I thought you’d have better hand-eye coordination.”
“My coordination is fine,” I tell him. “I just don’t expect to have lumbering pieces of wood thrown at me!”
Andrew laughs. “True. My bad. You got the Frisbees?”
“The ones from the car? Yeah, they’re right here.” I pick them up off the ground. “But what’s up with the paddles?”
Andrew doesn’t answer. “Can you swim?” he asks instead.
I toss my head. “Please. I’ve practically lived in the pool since I was six.”
“Good. We won’t need these, then.” Andrew drops the life vests he’s holding into the trunk.
“Why do we need paddles and life vests if we’re going frolfing?” I ask.
“Ah. Therein lies the secret of the day. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re just trying to confuse me with all this stuff for when you pull something truly unexpected.”
That cracks Andrew up. “I’m not that sneaky, Paige. At least, not yet.”
I follow him on a trail leading away from the parking lot. Andrew steps beside me and links our hands together. Again, the
motion is so natural and smooth that I don’t object. I like feeling his hand around mine.
We come to the top of a small hill and emerge in front of a spectacular lake. The water is calm and tranquil. I can see an island full of evergreens not far from shore.
“This is where you brought me?” I say. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
He smiles. “Glad you like it. But this isn’t our final destination.” He points at the island ahead. “That is.”
I squint my eyes at Andrew. “I don’t suppose you expect us to swim across?”
He laughs. “If only it were that easy…” He nods to a shack I hadn’t yet noticed. “We’ve got a canoe waiting for us over there.”
“How convenient,” I note.
Andrew shrugs. “The guy who owns it lives in a cabin in the woods. He lets us use it if we bring him food a few times a week.”
I stare at him. “You’re not serious.”
Andrew manages a straight face for a few seconds. Then he breaks out laughing. “No. No, I’m not. Truth is, a bunch of us frolf players pitched in and bought it. We keep it locked in there for whenever we want to play.”
“So, there’s a league of you, now?”
“Something like that.” Andrew smiles. “Help me with the canoe.”
Together, we drag it to the water. I’m impressed. I’d never expected this much effort for a first date. “So, do you do this to win all the girls’ hearts?” I joke.
Andrew stops and looks at me. “Not all. Just you.”
He says the words with such sincerity that my knees go a little weak. He is being way too sweet.
His laugh snaps me out of the moment. The canoe splashes into the water and he hops on. He holds out a hand to help me.
I take it and step over the side, careful not to tip the canoe. Just because I can swim doesn’t mean I want to get wet.
Andrew nods at me when I get inside. “Ready?”
“Ready,” I say.
He puts his paddle in the water and pushes away from shore. The canoe dips forward. “Start paddling,” he says.
I do. We fall into a brisk but comforting rhythm. It’s so quiet out here. So peaceful. I wish I’d had a spot like this to go to after my grandma died. There had been a lot on my mind. I could have benefited from some honest introspection.
Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) Page 163
