Page 23

Abby

The school year has ended. I planned everything well enough for my certificate to show an average grade above “good”, or B. I’m happy with myself.

“Will you miss me?” I ask Ve.

I always liked trips to Daisy Valley—the bonfires, sleeping in a tent, frolicking in the haystacks and the meadows. Now, for the first time, I feel I’d rather stay. I know neither my parents nor Victoria are going to let this go, though, as we’ve planned the trip as far back as the winter. On the other hand, maybe we could use a couple of days apart. Since we started seeing each other, there hasn’t been a single day we haven’t seen each other, even if only for a moment. We would sneak out to stroll the park together, and every day Ve would come over to accompany me on my walks with Lola.

“Big time,” he assures me now. “But go and have fun.”

“How about you? What will you be doing?”

“I’ll catch up on sitting around in the Den, maybe I’ll stay at home for a while…”

“Take care of yourself. And remember, I trust you,” I say.

Ve pulls me in for a hug and kisses me deeply. His tongue will never stop stoking that blaze in my body.

Vicky is already waiting. We pass the journey fooling around and reminiscing. Mom laughs with us. When we finally reach our destination, it’s already dark. We go upstairs to my room and go to sleep.

Time passes leisurely. We take long walks to the countryside and various places we’re not supposed to go. Today we decided to take a sneak peek at that old house nearby. People say it’s haunted. Nobody who’s ever bought the property managed to last long. I wouldn’t have gone there alone, but with someone to accompany me, it’s different.

“I heard that there used to be a hospital here during the war. They buried the bodies in the basement,” I say.

“Even mentioning that makes me have goosebumps,” Vicky replies, wide-eyed.

“Yeah, the energy of this place is strange, to say the least.”

I have no idea what the distances we walk every day are, but we just can’t seem to stay in one place. The weather is gorgeous, and it would be a shame to spend days like that indoors. So we go to the river, where I collect some stones—I’m always the one to find the prettiest ones. I love stones. I’m not sure why, but I do. We also stumble upon a spot in the forest with some ruins. A castle. Also haunted, supposedly. That may come as a surprise, but I do believe there’s some truth in the stories. I remember passing the place in the evenings with my cousins and brother, and my paternal grandmother telling us terrifying ghost stories. I loved them. I always liked stories about everything paranormal, out of this world, and uncanny.

The trip passes in a flash. It’s great, but as soon as we are back, I go to Ve’s. He’s not home, so I ask Carla—his younger sister—to tell him I dropped by. I’m not in the mood to go home yet, so I go check if Ivy’s at her place.

She opens the door and invites me in. Her hair is tied in a disorderly bun. She looks mind-blowing, as per usual.

“How was your trip?” she asks.

“Pretty cool,” I reply honestly. “A girls’ time out in the countryside. The weather was great. And look at what I got!” I say, triumphant, waving a cell phone. “A present from my parents. Finally, we’ll be able to text each other. What about you? Lucas?”

“He keeps pissing me off, but I can’t live without him.” She enters my phone number into her phone.

“Your characters clash. It can’t be easy.”

“What about you and Ve?”

“Thanks, everything’s fine. We’re taking it slow.”

“Oh, so mysterious!”

“There’s really not much to talk about. You know me. I’m crazy.” I laugh.

“How about we go to the park, Abbs? I don’t want to stay home.”

“Sure, you can just say you’d like a smoke.”

“Well, duh.” She chuckles.

The park is pretty large. It has an amphitheater which hosts events such as concerts. There are lots of little bars that offer beer to take away and beer gardens with benches and tables. I remember coming here with my grandparents or parents whenever anything was happening at the amphitheater. I would always get cotton candy or a balloon.

We sit in one of the bars. Ivy looks older than she is, so they don’t even ask her for ID. She orders beers. The benches are in full sunlight, so aside from having a nice cold one, we’re also getting vitamin D. Suddenly, I notice Ve. He’s walking towards the line of the trees with his buddies. I wonder what they’re up to. One of the boys turns our way. I hide behind Ivy and my glass.

“What’re you doing?” Ivy asks, looking around curiously.

“Nothing, just don’t move for a while. I don’t want him to see me.”

“Who?”

“Ve. He’s over there.” I point my chin in his direction.

“Why don’t you go over, then?”

“Why would I? He’s with his friends.”

“All the more reason to do that!” Ivy cries out.

Before I can stop her, she’s already calling out to the group and waving them over.

Ve stops and gives us a surprised look. He says something we can’t hear, and the entire group heads our way. Max plops down on the bench first, then the rest. Ve’s the last to come. He’s keeping his hands in his pockets.

“Hi there, girls,” Max says with a smile.

“Hi there yourself,” Ivy replies. I nod my head. “Where are you heading?”

That’s when Ve reaches us. He sits down next to me and pulls me in.

“Hey there, kitty cat. What are you doing here?” he says into my ear and places a gentle kiss on my neck.

“You weren’t home, so I went to Ivy’s, and we came here to have a beer.”

Nobody responds to her question, so Ivy asks again: “Where were you going?”

The boys send each other loaded looks.

“Just, you know, walking around. We were bored,” Ve says. He’s hiding something. I push the thought away. The day is too nice to ruin it like that. Maybe I’ll ask him later.

The guys talk to my friend, and I enjoy the bliss Ve’s presence is giving me. He puts his face in my hair and breathes in the scent.

“You smell nice,” he whispers.

“I missed you,” I say quietly.

“Me too. A lot.”

“What are you going to do now? Are you going with the boys?”

“We’re here now, aren’t we?” The others have ordered themselves beers, which I missed earlier.

An hour or so later, we decide we’re in the mood for a smoke, so we take a walk. Ve says he’s going to come over later, but that now he has to go. He gives me a hug, wraps an arm around my waist, and kisses me, quick and wet. He joins his friends, who are halfway to the forest already.

“You’re both seriously in love, aren’t you?” Ivy shoots me a piercing stare. It says: Tell me everything!

“You think so?”

“Abbs, he’s totally into you. And you’re the same if you ask me.”

“Maybe. But I think I’m scared of what I’m feeling. I know this may be big and I’m afraid it will destroy me.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I’m not sure, but I feel this could really end badly. He’s difficult sometimes. I’m worried this might be getting out of control. You know, who he’s becoming for me. I’m scared it’ll overwhelm me.”

“What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Ivy, being herself, seems taken aback by my pessimism, despite being a lot worse than I am at this whenever anything concerns herself. Funny thing, that.

“Well, maybe I give everything of myself and he leaves me? I couldn’t survive something like that, Ivy.”

“But why would he leave you?”

“I don’t know, I’m just scared.”

We sit on a secluded bench by the forest and lit cigarettes. I breathe in deep, wanting the smoke to numb my feelings. The beer and the tobacco make my head spin. Not good.

“I’ll walk you,” Ivy says. “I’ll check if Lucas is at his grandma’s along the way.”

“I won’t say no to that. I don’t want to go alone. I think I’m a bit drunk,” I admit.

We reach my block. Ivy gives me a quick hug and is on her way. Then I go to my flat and straight to the balcony. It’s my favorite place. I take a seat and watch the breathtaking view, the never-ending sky. The sun is setting, and the scenery is spectacular.

I wonder when Ve will come over. My parents are supposed to come back tomorrow. I don’t know if they plan to go anywhere soon or stay at home for longer this time. I’m about to get up to make some tea when there is a knock at the door. I rush, hoping it’s him, look through the peephole, and feel my heart skip a beat. I open the door and fly straight into his arms.

“I’m happy to see you too,” Ve says with a grin. He locks his arms behind my butt and lifts me into the air. I wrap my legs around him.

He slams the door shut and presses me against the wall. My hungry lips smash into his, and my tongue makes its way forward, seeking fulfilment. That kiss sends waves of heat across my entire body, stopping between my legs, causing the spot to buzz. I can feel his erection.

“How are you doing that, girl? A single kiss and I’m hard as steel.” Ve’s words make me go wet at once. After what we did in the bathtub, I’m up for more. “If we don’t stop right now, I won’t be able to stop myself. Better break it off now, if you don’t want to take this any further.”

“Oh, but I’d like that,” I whisper, licking his ear. My hormones are whirling in a twister, but the goddess I have inside tells me it’s not the moment yet.

“Me too,” he says with a growl and clasps his hands on my buttocks.