Anything Goes on a Friday Night (34 page)

He put his forehead to mine and sighed. “I’m insanely jealous when it comes to you. And he’s such a jerk.”

“It was goodbye, Finn. Nothing more.”

He kissed my lips softly. “I know. I trust you. So, do you have to go back inside, or can I steal you for a couple of hours?”

“I can come out. What’d you have in mind?” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I laughed. “I’ll go get my purse.”

I LOOKED OUT THE
window at a sign that read “Kerrville Municipal Airport”. I looked at Finn with his arm resting on his open window. I looked back out my open window and pulled my hair back in a ponytail.

“Ummm, Finn?” I said pointing out the window. “That’s a no trespassing sign.”

He chuckled and kept driving.

I stuck my head out the window and gasped when I saw a plane take off. It was so close. I sat back down in my seat. “I thought this place was closed!”

“Not tonight.”

He pulled off into a distant field and came around to my side of the truck. He opened the door. “Come on.”

“We’re going to get arrested, Finn!”

He laughed. “Probably.” He grabbed my hand, and I got out.

We climbed on top of his truck, and he put his arm around my waist. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Watching the small planes take off and glide toward the stars was hypnotic.

“What on earth made you think to bring me here?”

He kissed my forehead and smiled. “I was just thinking that we hadn’t done anything stupid yet. And doing something crazy stupid with you is on my Last-Days-Before-Ellie-Leaves Bucket List.”

“You made us a bucket list?”

He chuckled and nodded. “Sure did.”

“What else is on this bucket list?”

“Everything else has already happened. This was the last one.”

I smiled. “I love this, Finn.”

“I thought you would.”

Another plane took off, and we both watched, holding each other close. I didn’t want this to end. Graduation was in four days. That meant I left in five. My mood changed in an instant, and Finn noticed.

“Don’t think about it. Not tonight.”

I swallowed hard. “How do you know what I’m thinking about?”

“Because I’m thinking about it too. Let’s just forget about it and pretend like we still have forever before you leave.”

“I don’t have to leave, Finn. I can stay here.”

“Don’t say shit like that, because I’ll cave and take you up on it. I would hate myself forever. You’re going. Stanford is a huge accomplishment.”

I looked at my ring and smiled sadly. “I’m going to miss you so much,” I whispered as the damn waterworks started.

Finn held me tighter and kissed my cheek. He was about to say something when blue lights lit up the field. “Shit,” he said through laughter.

We hopped off his truck. The cop came walking through the field with his flashlight. I looked at Finn who was digging in his billfold. He pulled out his driver’s license and held my hand while we waited for the cop to get closer.

“What are you kids doing out here? This is private property.” The cop shined his light on Finn’s license plate and then took the driver’s license Finn was holding out to him.

“I’m Ricky Kerr’s grandson.”

The cop shined his light on his driver’s license and looked at Finn. “Lucky you.” He handed it back to Finn and looked at me. “Your boyfriend is lucky, or you both would have been going to jail.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but I nodded like I did. “Yes, sir.”

The cop looked at Finn seriously. “You should head home soon.”

Finn put his driver’s license back in his billfold and nodded. “We will.”

After the cop left, I looked at Finn and shoved his shoulder. “What the hell?” I laughed.

“My grandfather owns this place. He used to take me out here all the time as a kid to watch the planes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me that?”

“What fun would that have been?” He laughed some more.

“I thought we were doing something crazy stupid?”

He kissed me and smiled against my lips. “Silly girl, I can’t get you arrested right before you leave for Stanford.”

“I guess you’re right. Should we go?”

He shook his head. “Later. I’m not ready to let you go home just yet. Let’s watch a few more planes, and then we’ll go.”

I kissed him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Okay.” I closed my eyes and smiled when his oil stained fingers brushed against my cheek.

ON OUR WAY BACK
to my house, I sat in the middle of the seat, as close to Finn as possible. “Does your grandfather really own that place?”

His free hand rested on my thigh. “Yeah.”

“Your last name is the name of this town, and you said your ancestors founded this place?”

He chuckled. “That is correct.”

“Does that mean your family is loaded?”

He burst into laughter and shook his head. “Not anymore. There used to be a ton of money, but my family are heavy drinkers and gamble like crazy.”

“That sucks!”

He shrugged and smiled. “They’re motto is: you can’t take it with you when you die, so spend it while you’re alive.”

“Are they at least paying for your college?”

“Nope. That I’m paying for myself. I’ve been saving money from working at the shop.”

I scrunched my nose. That seemed awfully selfish of his family. “Well, I’m proud of you. But I hope that heavy drinking and gambling isn’t in your future plans because I’m not so sure I’d still want to marry you,” I teased.

He turned into my driveway and parked. He looked at me and laughed. “I can assure you that I’m far from anything like the rest of my family.”

“They sound awful.”

He shook his head and half-smiled. “Nah. They’re great actually. Selfish, yes, but they are good people.”

I raised a brow. “How can you be selfish and a good person at the same time?”

“I don’t know, they just are. Are you done talking yet?”

“What?”

“I really want to kiss you right now. You are only here for 120 more hours, and I only get a fraction of those with you. And I’d rather spend a majority of them with my lips on yours instead of us talking about things that really don’t matter.”

I laughed. “Well, what are you waiting for then?”

He laughed and cupped my face in his hands, pressing his lips against mine.
His tongue.
God, I loved his tongue. He kissed me so perfectly, and I tried my hardest to memorize each one so I could remember how this felt. Maybe it’d get me through the next year without them.

One of his hands stayed in my hair, and the other went to my inner thigh. I gripped the front of his shirt and kissed him harder. We couldn’t do this here. Not in my driveway where Dad would see.

“Finn,” I said out of breath. “Backroad.”

I didn’t have to tell him twice. He put the truck in reverse and headed out to our spot at the river.

T
AP.

Tap, tap.

I rolled over toward the window, squinting my eyes. I had stayed over with Jane to have one last night with her before I left. I looked at her; she was sound asleep.

“Jane,” I said, shaking her shoulder. “Jane,” I said again, shaking a bit harder.

“Hmmm?” She rolled onto her side to look at me. “What is it?”

Tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

“Did you hear that?” I asked, pulling the covers to my chest like they’d protect me.

She sat up. “The wind moving a branch?”

Tap!

We both jumped.

She got out of bed on her tiptoes and grabbed the lamp on her nightstand after unplugging it from the wall.

“Seriously?” I whispered and followed close behind her as she made her way to the window.

“Got a better idea?”

“Maybe go wake your parents?”

She ignored me and pulled back the blinds. She screamed. I screamed.

Finn?

I moved from behind Jane and placed a hand on my pounding heart. I lifted the window pane and saw Finn with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I know I said I’d leave you alone tonight so you and Jane could hang out, but I can’t sleep. All I can do is think about tomorrow, Ellie. You’re leaving tomorrow night after graduation, and I won’t see you until Christmas break. Do you realize how long that is? That’s—”

“Stop. I know how long it is.” I climbed out the window and looked at Jane. “Be right back.” I followed him into Jane’s backyard.

“I lied. I can’t do this. So much can change in a year, and what if you meet someone smarter than me? I’m sure guys at Stanford could offer you a whole hell of a lot more than I can. Maybe I was crazy for proposing. I shouldn’t have done that. Am I being too possessive? Holy shit, Ellie, I’m an asshole! And here I am intruding on your night with Jane, and—”

I grabbed his face and kissed him. When he started to say more, I kissed him again. I kept kissing him until he calmed down.

He held me tightly against him. “I’m so sorry for acting like this.”

I started laughing. “Finn, shut up.” I looked up at him and kissed his jaw. “I won’t go. Just tell me to stay.”

“No. No way. You’re going. I’m being stupid.”

I wiped his tears and smiled softly. “I love you.”

“I thought I was prepared for this, but I’m not. There are so many what-ifs.”

“Finn?” I said calmly, trying to get him to relax.

“What?”

“I love you.”

He let out a heavy sigh and a few more tears. “I love you, too.”

We both looked toward Jane’s room when we heard her dad. I looked at Finn. “I better go back in there before he calls the cops on you, and your grandfather decides not to get you out of this one.”

“Actually…”

I laughed and kissed him quickly. “Bye, Finn. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He kissed me before walking toward the road where his truck was parked.

“Elena, get back in the house,” Jane’s dad said.