Unravel(54)

My imagination was not limited when it came to Lachlan. I would think of the craziest scenarios of how he would suddenly fall for me. He would tell me how much he loved me. And then he would kiss me. It would be a kiss that could take every kiss and touch before him and make it disappear. But it always stopped there. Right now, my mind was giving me scenarios that involved more than kissing. My arms tightened around his stomach, inadvertently pressing him closer. My breasts were pressed against his body and I felt warmth in between my legs. It was like lighting a match. One minute there was nothing and the next there was nothing but light and heat.

It scared me enough to make me pull away. Lachlan looked at the spot I had been in seconds ago with confusion before he cleared his throat and looked around. Only a few inches kept us apart. I took a step back. “Tell me everything!” I demanded with a squeak in my voice. “How’s your new job? When are you moving back to McLean?”

So many questions. I couldn’t contain any of them. Lachlan would always keep in touch via e-mail. But his e-mails were brief. Quiet. They were nothing like seeing him in person where he would always go into great detail about his friends, school, or even something he had seen that was funny to him.

I lived off of those stories.

Lachlan’s shoulders visibly relaxed over my questions. “My new job is boring. I’m basically an errand boy, with a small cubicle as my ‘office’. And my ‘office’ is right next to this guy. I think his name is Darin. He’s a heavy breather. Creeps me the f*ck out. I swear he does it to drive me insane.”

I laughed. “It still sounds exciting. Even with Darin the Heavy Breather.”

He hesitated before he slung a heavy arm over my shoulder. He used do this all the time, in a friendly way. But now my breasts were pressed against the side of his stomach and the heat of his body warmed me instantly. Tingles were back. He cleared his throat.

“Everything is exciting to you,” Lachlan said. “I could tell you I’m getting a root canal tomorrow and you’d be jumping up and down with excitement.”

I gave him a look as we walked toward the deck in the backyard. My hand had been hanging awkwardly at my side since we started walking. I wanted to reach out and touch him like he was touching me. I hooked it around his waist.

“And as for moving back to McLean, I don’t think that will ever happen.”

My head whipped in his direction. “Why not?”

“There’s more to this world than just McLean. A lot more. Trust me. Once you leave your home, you’ll never turn back.”

I nodded briskly, soaking in Lachlan’s words like a sponge. But he didn’t have to tell me twice about never coming back to McLean. I had no desire to stay here, but a part of me was scared at what else was out there.

“What about you? What’s going on in your life?” Lachlan asked.

“You already know,” I reminded. “I tell you in every e-mail what I’m up to.”

He nodded. “But you’re still writing?”

“I am.”

“That’s great,” he said with another strained smile on his face.

I wanted to shout at him: “Where is my Lachlan? Where are you?”

He talked to me, but his voice was tight, making me anxious. I didn’t like this… awkwardness. I didn’t know how to get rid of it.

I stepped away. His hand disappeared from my shoulder, making me feel cold and alone.

“I have to go home,” I said. I stared down at the ground, kicking pieces of gravel around with my foot. “We’re having guests over for dinner.”

I looked up at him. His eyes remained on me. But there was a different look there. One that I had never seen. He would always look at me with amusement, like everything I did was guaranteed to bring a smile to his face. But now he just looked pensive, almost unsure of me.

“You’ll still meet me tonight, right?” I asked.

There was that frown again. His shoulders tensed as he backed away.

“Yeah, tonight, Naomi,” his voice was terse and short.

I would see him later. Like all the other million times I saw him, but this time, things would be different.

I walked away from him, back to my horse, replaying our conversation. I was too preoccupied to realize that he had finally called me Naomi.





“Where the hell are we going?”

“Just wait,” I said. “We’re almost there.”

“It’s pouring down rain. I’m getting ready to turn back home.”

I didn’t even bother turning around. “No, you’re not. Just keep walking.”

Miles away from our families’ properties, hidden in the foliage of oak trees, was a white cottage that was all mine.

I stumbled across it by accident a few months ago.

The sunlight was out that day and in the corner of my eye, past the oak trees, something glinted. I walked deeper into the woods, for what felt like miles before the trees finally thinned out. The ground was covered in old leaves and twigs and in front of me was a cottage that was falling apart. The white paint was chipped off. The front deck was caving in slowly. A few windows were broken, or simply boarded up. All it would take is for one big gust of wind and this place would crumble in seconds. But I thought it was amazing. I thought it had potential. I looked past the damage and was determined to fix it. That night I wrote Lachlan an e-mail describing the cottage. He wrote back and said it sounded like the setting of a horror movie.