Solo (17 page)

"Okay, I'll help you on first." He hesitated. "Now, I'm going to have to touch you. Please don't flinch."

"Ha ha—just don't let me fall."

He boosted me up on Old Winnie and told me not to kick her. I reassured him I wasn't planning on doing anything. He climbed on his horse and took my reins, guiding my horse alongside his. We headed down a trail behind the stables. I couldn't help but wonder how fast he'd be galloping if he wasn't dragging me along.

"See, it's not that bad," he said.

"No, I can handle this."

Our horses plodded uphill following a well-traveled trail. I concentrated on not falling off the horse. I had no clue what was going through Lucas' mind.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

Lucas turned and smiled. "You'll see."

"Is this all your family's property?"

"Yeah, we have over three hundred acres to roam." He led the horses over another hill and followed the trail into the trees. Eventually, we broke through the trees near a small stream.

"We're almost there," he encouraged.

"Okay."

He led me to a small clearing alongside the stream and stopped. "This is where I come to get away."

"Your place is a lot harder to get to than mine."

He dismounted and helped me off Old Winnie. He tied the horses to a tree near the stream and I was surprised when he pulled a blanket out of his saddlebag.

"Do your parents know you come here?" I asked, watching him spread the blanket.

"No, they think I roam the hills and trails all day. I started coming here about three years ago. I enjoy listening to the water." He sat on the blanket.

"I don't feel so stupid about my meadow anymore." I walked to the water's edge.

"The sunsets are beautiful here, too," he added.

"Are you telling me we'll be here until the sunset?"

"That's up to you. I don't have anything else planned for the day. We can leave whenever you want."

"Okay, I'll let you know."

"Not that I'm trying to change the subject, but what did you want to talk about?"

"Well…" I sat on the blanket next to him. "I said things last night that I didn't mean."

"Okay."

"What I mean is that I wasn't completely honest. I'm a very stubborn person, and when we were talking last night, I didn't want to admit some things."

Lucas leaned his head on his elbow.

I played with a fold in the blanket, not looking up. "I've tried really hard to be just friends with you…but my feelings won't stop at
just
friends." I chewed my bottom lip, preparing my thoughts. I knew once I spilled my guts, I couldn't take anything back. "I've never liked anyone like this before, and I'm afraid that if I continue being stubborn, I'll lose you. I was worried last night that I'd hurt you so bad you didn't want to be around me anymore."

"Eliana," Lucas interrupted.

I glanced up, still gnawing on my bottom lip. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I do that when I'm nervous."

"Eliana, calm down. You don't have to worry. I wasn't giving up that easy. I knew you were upset and you had every right to be."

I looked at the creek. "You know, since I'm being honest…I wish you'd been the one trying to kiss me." I kept staring at the water. I didn't have the courage to see his reaction.

We sat quietly for a few moments before I felt his hand playing with the ends of my hair. "I want the first time we kiss to be special, not some sneak attack in the trees."

I summoned the courage to look at him. Seeing the sincerity in his eyes I smiled and no words were exchanged.

I had to break the silence. "So, you just sit here watching the water or sunset?"

He laughed. "Yeah, sometimes I bring a book. I'm sorry it's not as entertaining as your spot."

I could feel my cheeks blush. "I'm kind of nervous to ask, but what exactly have you seen?"

"Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that."

"That's not an answer."

"Well, I think you're very talented. I've only seen moves like that in movies. Our cheer squad has some good dance routines, but they don't move the way you do."

"Well, there's a huge difference between structured dance routines and a dancer."

"So, you've really never been on a dance team?"

"No, I haven't. My parents started me in dance and gymnastics when I was two. They thought it would be a good way to meet friends every time we moved. I fell in love with dancing. The gymnastics is something I added for a little twist. There isn't anything better than tumbling to work out your aggravation.

"Well, from what I've seen, you must get aggravated a lot." Lucas paused, and then said, "You should do the talent show."

I laughed, "That will never happen."

"Why do you hide it? You're incredible. You shouldn't be embarrassed."

I frowned. "I never said I was embarrassed. I get enough crap from Sasha. I don't want to add fuel to the fire. I think she's threatened by me or something. I don't understand why she's so mean."

"Oh, that's just Sasha. She's always thought she was above everyone else. Don't take it personal."

"Don't take it personal? Let her steal
your
clothes and leave you with only your gym clothes and then tell me not to take it personal," I blurted.

"I was never going to bring that up. I felt so bad seeing you cry. The only thing I could do was give you a tissue."

"That was you?" I felt my cheeks get warm. I really wanted to change the subject. "So, how did you find my meadow?"

"I was on my way home from practice when I came around the curve and caught a glimpse of someone going into the trees. I thought it was you because I know you run just about every day. So, I pulled over to check. When I started to walk into the trees, I noticed the pink marks and followed them. When I got close to the clearing I saw you stretching, and then you stood completely still. I couldn't figure out what the heck you were doing. All of the sudden you took off. I was amazed. I stayed back so I wouldn't startle you."

"Wow, I thought I'd been so careful about not being noticed."

"Seeing your long wavy hair was really the only reason I stopped."

"I'm glad to know you have a special place, too. Otherwise, this conversation would be very awkward for me."

"You don't have to be embarrassed around me." Lucas stretched out and put his arms behind his head, looking at the sky.

"I know this is an off-the-wall question, but I'm curious about how many girls you've brought to this place?"

"Well, let me think about it for a minute."

I turned to see if he was serious. His mouth was set in an irresistible grin.

He held up a finger. "One. Do you really think I'm a player?"

"Well, I've heard that you never date anyone
exclusively
; only go on casual dates with random girls, like Sadie, for example. How does that make you sound?"

"I see your point. Sadie is someone I've dated from time to time. Friday was her birthday and we'd made plans a while back to do something. I took her to the diner for ice cream after school. But look at it my way, I've never had enough of a connection with a girl to want her as a girlfriend. The point of dating is to see if you connect. I'm not one of those guys with a different girlfriend every week. So, no, I've never wanted to use the term
exclusive
girlfriend…until now."

I darted my eyes to his to see if he was serious. Oh, yeah, he was serious. Then he started playing with the ends of my hair again. I didn't know what to say or how to react. This was a first for me. The only thing I could think to do was lay down next to him. So that's what I did. I stared at the sky and started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" He sounded like he was smiling.

"I just remembered the last time I was in the sun like this, I got a terrible sunburn."

Lucas chuckled. "Sorry, I don't have sunscreen on me."

I closed my eyes and smiled. I felt Lucas sit up. "Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked.

"Sure, but what about the horses?"

"They're tied by the water, they'll be fine. Besides we won't be gone long. Come on." He reached his hand to help me up.

We walked to the dirt trail. I followed a few steps behind him looking at the rocks along the path. Occasionally, I bent over and picked up a unique one. I noticed Lucas staring at me.

"Is it okay for me to pick these up?"

"Yeah, help yourself."

He stayed in the middle of the trail during our walk. I, on the other hand, moved from side to side picking up little memories along the way. My hoodie pockets were getting full. "I got a great idea," I said, shyly.

"What's that?"

"Let's hop on the sun spots."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what that is."

"We have to hop from one sun spot to another before it disappears."

"I've never played that game. You show me how."

"Okay, but I'm warning you, I can be pretty fast."

"I'll take my chances."

 I started to hop from one spot to another. Eventually, I was so lost in the childish activity I couldn't stop laughing. I turned to see if Lucas was keeping up, but, to my surprise, he was still standing where we'd started. "What happened? I thought you were behind me."

"I was too busy watching you. This is why you're so different from everyone else. One minute we're having an intellectual conversation, and the next, you're hopping around like a six year old."

I looked away, embarrassed.

"Don't be upset, it's not a bad thing." He reached over and touched my hand. I felt the tingles in my stomach.

"Well, if you'd played along, I wouldn't feel so stupid right now," I sulked.

 We continued our stroll. It felt so nice to hold Lucas' hand.

"So, what are you going to do with all those rocks in your pockets?" he asked.

"Well, I'm going to fill a jar." When he looked confused, I explained. "I collect jars full of rocks, sand, trinkets, whatever I happen to pick up from special places."

"That's different, how many jars do you have?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I have enough that I could open my own museum. Remember, I'm a military brat. I've been all over the world. But I can count the most important ones on one hand."

When we reached the end of the trail, Lucas pulled his phone out of his pocket. "It's almost six. We should head back to the creek so we don't miss the sunset. If that's what you want to do. If not, we can ride back."

"I'd like to stay for the sunset."

He took my hand again and we walked back.

I knew the sunset would be bittersweet—romantic because we were watching it together, sad, because we'd have to leave soon. I didn't want the day to end. This was the best day I'd had since moving to Myrtle Creek.

Lucas must have perceived something because he lightly squeezed my hand. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking what a great day this has been."

"I agree, but it's not over yet," he teased.

The walk back to the stream took longer because we weren't playing with the sun spots. It was more like a slow, romantic stroll with the sounds of nature surrounding us.

Lucas suddenly stopped and gently pulled me against him. "Just to clarify something—are we still
just
friends?"

I glanced bashfully upward. "I thought you knew the answer to that."

"So, the word
exclusive
comes to mind." He wrapped his arms around the small of my back.

I melted into him. "Yeah. If you're not afraid of using that label on me."

He brushed my hair behind my ear. "I have no doubts about you."

I just knew Lucas could feel my heart hammering as he leaned in and placed his lips against mine. Electricity flowed through my veins and the tingles reached my toes. I was afraid to open my eyes. I didn't want the kiss to end. I wanted time to stand still.

Slowly, he pulled away, gazing intensely at me. "Come on, I don't want you to miss the sunset." Holding my hand, he led me to the blanket. He sat down and patted the spot in front of him. "I have the perfect seat for you."

I sat and he wrapped his arms around me, leaning forward to place a small peck on my cheek. There was
nowhere
on earth I'd rather be. We watched the sun slowly hide behind the mountains. The skyline turned brilliant pink before fading into deep purple. I had to take a picture to capture the moment. I reached into my pocket for my phone. "You're right—I wouldn't want to miss this."

When only a thin line of purple outlined the mountain peaks, Lucas stood and reached to help me up. When I was on my feet, I felt faint. He must have known something was wrong because he quickly grabbed me before I fell.

"Eliana, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy."