Page 19 of Running Risk
RYLEE: THEN
The flames flicker in front of my eyes, and the heat from sitting so close to the fire pit burns my skin.
I take off my socks and wiggle my toes toward the flames.
It’s one of my favorite things, a cold night cuddled in my fuzzy blanket in front of a fire.
My parents have already gone to sleep, and it’s just me sitting under the night sky.
So much change is coming within the next year, and I want to soak up nights like this as much as I can.
There’s a football game tonight, but I didn’t have the urge to go.
I open my book and flip to the page I’m on. I should be catching up on my reading for school, but those books don’t interest me as much as Mr. Darcy proclaiming his love for Elizabeth. I have read this book over a handful of times. It never gets old, just like watching the movie.
Fully immersed in my book, I don’t realize the fire subsided until my body shivers.
Putting my book aside, I get up and grab a few logs to get it blazing again.
A twig snaps from behind me, and I whip around to find Clayton standing a few feet away, coming from the path we made years ago, leading to his house .
Putting my hand over my heart, I exhale in relief. “You scared me.”
“Need help?” He motions toward the logs.
“You coming to invade my solitude?” I put a hand on my hip, still holding wood in my other.
Clayton walks closer, his eyes never leaving mine as he takes the log from my hand. “Do you mind?”
I walk past him, bumping him with my hip. “It’s about time you did. I almost froze my ass off waiting for you.” I chuckle and glance at him, catching a small smirk on his lips.
I’m not sure when it happened, but he’s a lot more manly than I ever realized.
His large hands easily place the wood in the pit and pile several more pieces on his strong forearms. He joined the weightlifting class to fill up one of his free periods.
I think he liked finding another release, and he pushes himself a little harder than the rest of the class.
His efforts clearly show. He’s wearing a plaid flannel over a white T-shirt with jeans.
I will never understand how he stays warm, but he rarely has a heavy jacket on unless there’s actual snow on the ground.
I have no doubt his mom is the one forcing him to wear it on those days.
Cuddling back up in my blanket, I watch him get the fire roaring again before he sits down in the chair next to me. My head rolls to the side to look at him, and his eyes stare off like he can’t see anything. “Penny for your thoughts?”
He shakes his head, blinking away any thoughts he had. “They aren’t worth that much.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” I wait for him to reply, but when he doesn’t I move on. “Did you get your acceptance letter yet?” There is no doubt in my mind that he got in, just waiting for the college to send the letter.
“I don’t know.” His hands grip the arms of the chair .
“Well, let’s go look in your mailbox then.” I shove his shoulder.
He shakes his head. “Maybe another time.”
I huff out a breath, the fire finally warming me again. “What did you get on the English test?”
He sits forward, putting his forearms on his knees. “Seventy-three.”
My eyes go round. “What? How?” He’s always been good at school and never gets such a low grade. I know there are problems at home with his parents, but he won’t talk about it. He keeps brushing it aside or suggests we do something fun.
He shrugs. I go to open my mouth, but he swiftly stands. “Let’s go for a ride.” His bright eyes scan my face, and the hope in them that was vacant only moments ago makes me relent.
I chuckle. “Okay.” I stand, wrapping the blanket tighter around me. “Where are we going?”
He spreads his arms out wide. “Who cares?” He takes a few steps backward, and I laugh as I soak the burning coals with the water hose before I follow him back to his house to take his truck.
We both slide in, shutting the doors behind us.
As soon as we pull out on the road, my hand rides the cold air waves out of the truck window.
“A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton plays through the speakers while the heat blasts through the air vents.
My toes wiggle in my socks on the dash as Clay drives through the winding mountain roads.
We are letting all of our worries fall behind us like nothing can catch us as long as we keep driving.
At a stop sign, he leans over, opening the glovebox, and tosses a bag of Skittles into my lap.
He knows me better than anyone and is always ready to feed me.
I beam as I open the bag, tossing a few into my mouth.
The instant sweet taste of the candy hits my taste buds.
I offer him the bag, but he shakes his head, letting me enjoy my late-night sugar rush.
I can’t help but feel special when he does little things like this to show he cares.
The roads are dark and empty, and we drive for hours without a word being said.
It’s one of my favorite things. Enjoying life together and knowing that we will be there for each other even when life gets hard.
We always have a safe place with each other, and we can attempt to outrun our problems at least for a little while.
As he pulls into my driveway, he turns off his headlights so he doesn’t wake my parents. I always send them a text if we ever go out late, but he still doesn’t like to disturb them.
“Pick you up at seven for our run?”
My hand holds onto the door handle, and I glance at the time on the radio. It’s already two in the morning. “Do you see what time it is?” I raise an eyebrow.
“See you at seven.” He winks, putting the truck in reverse.
I shake my head and get out of the truck, shutting the door behind me. “You’re cutting out my much-needed beauty sleep. You do realize that?” I stand facing him through the open window.
He shakes his head, looking down at his legs. “You don’t need beauty sleep, Ry. You’re beautiful without trying.” He backs down the drive without another word.