Ch. 2: Part 3

“What are we doing?” He asked, later, on their way to her house.
“Sit back and relax. It’s a surprise.”
“It’s your birthday. Why do I have a surprise?” He said with a smirk.
“Exactly. It is my birthday. So, I should be able to do whatever I want.”
He sat back, defeated and amused. A little while later, they pulled up to her trailer. “You can come in if you want.” She said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Leo got out of the car and followed her up to the door. She unlocked it and bumped it with her hip as she turned the knob.
“It sticks.” She explained.
Her house wasn’t what he had been expecting. He didn’t really know what he’d been expecting. There was a low brown corduroy couch and big black TV on the floor across from it.
“Here’s the living room.” She said throwing up her hands. She kicked a basket of laundry out of the way and stepped onto the linoleum that adjoined the right side of the living room. “And here’s the kitchen.”
There was a dark, wood paneled bar with an off-white counter top that divided the kitchen from the living room. The corduroy couch was shoved up against it so that the counter was level with the head of anyone who sat on it’s stained cushions. An end table was placed on the other end of the couch. It held a lamp and a stack of magazines. The other table in sight was a teal card table set up in the kitchen. He assumed it was used for dining.
He looked over to where she was raiding her fridge. She put a six pack on the counter and popped a grape in her mouth as she shut the door. Leo stood by the front door as she dashed through the doorway on the left side of the living room which opened into what seemed to be a hallway.
His eyes wandered around. There was only one picture in the room. The frame was on the far end of the couch, lying on the cushion. It looked to be a younger version of Lana with a man of about forty. They looked close. Her dad? For some reason, that didn’t seem likely.
She popped back through the doorway with a big plaid wool blanket over her arm and a large grey hoodie over her thin frame. Her head jerked around as she assessed everything she had gathered, then her eyes found Leo.
“Do you need anything? You know, like, do you need to use the bathroom or something?”
“Uh, no. I’m fine. Ready?” She nodded.
Leo crossed the room and leaned over the bar to reach the beer.
“You want me to get these?”
“Yeah, thanks.” She locked the door behind them and they climbed in the car. She took the six-pack from Leo and threw it and the blanket in the trunk behind the seat.
“Do I get to know now?” Leo asked when they were on the road again.
“No.” He gave an animated sigh. She was easy to tease with. He’d still be staring at the floorboard with anyone else.
They sped down the pine surrounded highway until they came to a dirt turnoff. His eyes perked with interest. At the end of the winding path was the top of a large hill. They came up on the more even side of it and on the other was a steep drop.
“This is it.” She said with a satisfied smile. She grabbed the blanket from behind the seat and pulled herself out of the car. Leo stayed in his seat and with curious eyes watched as she spread the blanket on the hood of the car. She motion for him to come with a wave of her hand. He got out of the car and came around to the front. She lifted herself onto the hood and plopped down on the wool blanket. She patted the spot next to her. He plopped down too, mimicking her movement. She gave a smile and leaned back against the windshield. He laid back too as she exhaled.
The car’s inside lights went out and he was suddenly aware of how close she was. He intertwined his fingers over his stomach and looked over at her. Her eyes were lifted up towards the sky. He looked too. Billions of tiny diamonds winked back at him. His jaw fell slack. He jumped when he heard her giggle.
“They’re somethin’. Aren’t they?”
“Yeah.” He breathed. She smiled with her eyes again and his heart skipped a beat.
She held his gaze for a moment and then he diverted his eyes. He looked back at the stars. He felt a strange static between them. He swallowed and kept his eyes on the sky.
“You want a drink?” She asked a little too loud for the quiet night.
“No, thanks.” He didn’t tell her he was under age. Not that that had ever stopped him before but he wanted to be sober in case she wasn’t, when they left.
She hopped off the front of the car and came back with the cans. She popped the lid, took a sip and put the drinks on the ground beside the car and hopped up, resuming her former position.
“Thanks for celebrating with me.” She whispered. Leo turned to look at her. She had a deep look of gratitude on her face. He looked away, embarrassed.
“No problem.” But he couldn’t keep his eyes away very long and they found their way back to her face again. She was staring at the stars with a serious expression, but she turned when she felt his eyes on her and her face transformed into a grin.
He didn’t take his eyes off her this time. Her face turned impish. He froze as she leaned into him, her breath warm on his face.
Her lips were thin but soft and hooked around his with ease. His heart thumped jaggedly. He closed his eyes as she parted his lips and the kiss grew deeper. His breathing sped and he reached a hand up to cradle her head. Her hands moved to his hips, pulling herself closer. He nearly couldn’t stop himself but he quickly pulled away. His breathing was ragged.
“Wo.” He gasped. She grinned and leaned in again but he held her shoulders. She raised an eyebrow.
“Just, hang on a minute. Uh…” He was having trouble forming coherent thoughts. “I don’t, I don’t think this is such a great idea.”
“Why?” She didn’t understand. She didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t carry on like there was no tomorrow. Like he was normal. She had no idea that either of them could make a wrong move and she would stumble upon a pair of ivory wings. She’d already been way too close.
“It just isn’t a good idea.” He couldn’t think of a good reason to give her. Not a good reason he could give her. She scowled.
“What’s you’re problem?” She was offended. He could tell she was covering her embarrassment with anger. He sighed.
“I’m sorry.” It was her birthday. He felt like a jerk. He couldn’t believe he’d allowed this to happen. “I just, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t think I can do this right now. I’m sorry.” She started to get red. He didn’t know if it was with anger or embarrassment. But then something changed in her face and she let out a long sigh.
“Ok.” She whispered. Relief flooded through his body. He could have kissed her but that probably wouldn’t have helped things. He smiled tentatively. She rolled onto her back and sighed again.
“I guess I should take you home.”
“If you want.” He was sorry he had ruined things for her. He really did like her. Damn wings.
They both hopped off the car and she pulled the blanket off the hood. She stashed the cans and the blanket back in the trunk.
“I still don’t know where to take you.” She said apologetically and he knew she wasn’t apologizing for her lack of directions.
“Sorry. Just take me back to town if you could. It’s not far from there.”
“Ok.” It was a quiet ride back. She had lost most of her charisma. He grimaced out the window. This had gone horribly wrong. She probably hated him. She wouldn’t want to see him again. She exhaled when they pulled into town.
“Well, I guess I’ll seeya.”
“Yeah. Seeya.” He echoed. He gave a smirk and patted the top of the car lamely before it sped off.
He wouldn’t be looking forward to much sleep tonight even though that’s exactly what he needed right now. He started his way back to the dark lonely camp.