The Absence of Olivia(23)
“Okay,” I breathed, literally unable to form any words besides the one. He picked my backpack up off the floor and then motioned for me to leave the house ahead of him – ever the gentleman. He helped me into his truck, hands on my waist, which I was becoming accustomed to, even started looking forward to. When he was in the driver’s seat, he turned his head my way and crooked a finger at me. I smiled and moved to the middle so our shoulders were touching.
“I’m not driving for two hours without being able to touch you.”
“You’ve already driven so much today. I could have met you at the cabin, you know.”
“But then I wouldn’t be able to drive you home. And trust me when I say, Evie, taking you home, saying goodbye, those are some of my favorite times with you.”
I blushed because I knew he was thinking about all the making out we’d done in his truck down the street from my house. I couldn’t argue with him. Those were some of my favorite times with him as well.
For two hours we drove, listening to the radio, telling each other memories the songs brought up, learning a little more about one another. Either his hand was on my thigh, my knee, or wrapped around mine, his fingers threaded through my own. I’d lost track of where we were as we headed into parts of the state I was unfamiliar with.
When we pulled off the main highway onto a gravel road, my nervousness spiked. I was comfortable being alone in his truck with him, but we were venturing into new territory. Would he assume we were staying in the same room? Did I want to stay in his room? If I stayed in his room, would he expect sex? I shook my head at the thought. Of course, he wouldn’t expect sex. Elliot was, and had always been, exceedingly respectful. Perhaps I was just nervous that I would want to have sex with him.
He gave my hand a squeeze, but then released it, needing both hands to mind the steering wheel as he navigated the unpaved and pothole-riddled road. The shaking of our bodies as we drove over the road hid the trembling of my hands, which I was grateful for. The truck pulled around one last bend in the road and I saw two things immediately. The first was a gorgeous and rustic-looking log cabin. It only appeared rustic though, because I could tell by looking at it that it was pretty new. Exposed logs on the outside made it look like every log cabin I’d ever seen in movies or books. It was almost too perfect.
The second thing I noticed was we pulled up right next to another car parked in front of the house. I looked at Elliot and he was wearing a sneaky grin, but before I could ask him who the car belonged to, Olivia came bounding out the front door, yelling “Surprise!” She launched herself toward the truck, but I quickly turned to Elliot.
“How did you…? What is she doing here?”
He didn’t have time to answer before my door was pried open and I was yanked out. Olivia had her arms around me in a tight hug. “Are you surprised?”
“Yes,” I managed, even though she was depriving me of oxygen. As she loosened her grip on me, I saw the front door open again and Devon came out, walking toward us with a smile. I tried not to notice how the sunlight brought out the lighter brown highlights of his hair. I hadn’t seen him all summer, so the difference in him physically was a little startling. He was bigger, if that was even possible.
When we’d met in the spring, he’d already been one of the biggest guys I’d ever met. But, he was bulkier now. More imposing.
“Evie.” Devon said my name with such ease, as if I was one of his best friends. “Glad to see you’re surprised, and that this one here didn’t blab to you that we’d be here,” he said as he wrapped his arm around Liv’s shoulders.
“I don’t blab,” she said, insulted.
“Babe, you keep secrets for shit.”
“That’s not true,” I jumped in, ready to defend her. “When it really counts, she keeps a good secret. It’s gossip you’re thinking about. She spills gossip faster than butter melts in a hot pan.”
“Thank you, Evie. I think.” She stepped out of Devon’s arm as the two boys did that typical male handshake, back-pound ritual.
“I’m glad you guys could make it up. I think it’s gonna be a fun weekend.” With that, Elliot took my bag from the truck, as well as his own, and then nodded his head in a way that said I was to follow.
We walked into the foyer and I tried to keep my mouth closed, but I felt it drop open in awe. The cabin looked like it could have been staged for a photo shoot in some home journal magazine about the filthy rich’s vacation homes.
“Wow,” I breathed. I was used to my family’s humble split-level home. We weren’t poor, not by a long shot, but I was not familiar with that kind of luxury. “This place is really nice.”
“Thanks. I’ve only been here once before. My parents bought it while I was at college, so I never really got a chance to use it.”
“Wait, this is your house?” My head snapped to look at him. In the back of my mind, I knew it was his. We’d planned all along to go to his cabin, but I’d never imagined something like this.
“I don’t think I’d fare well in jail, Evie. I’m not into B&E.”
“Of course not, uh, I just didn’t know…”
“That my family has money?” I nodded, feeling any words I might have been able to conjure up getting stuck in my throat. “Don’t go all weird on me now. My parents have money. Not me. I’m the same guy you’ve been talking to all summer.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I take advantage of the fact that my parents are well off,” he said, moving his arm to motion to the great expanse of the beautiful house we were standing in. “But most of the time, you’d never be able to tell.”