Switching Gears Part 21

Lets hope not.

I fiddle a strand of hair, twisting it around my finger. Wheres Mom tonight?

He glances down the hallway toward their room. Shes not having the best night. She put her two weeks in at work today.

What? Why? She loves her job.

He shakes his head. She cant do it anymore. Shes made too many mistakes the past few months and knows if she stays, someone could get hurt. If she wouldnt have put her two weeks in, they would have let her go anyway.

Im sorry, Dad.

Its okay. We knew it was coming. We werent expecting it to be this soon, though. The doctor said shed be okay for a while, but now He trails off and lets out a slow breath. I want to hug him and tell him everything will be okay, even though it wont. Have fun tonight, okay? He pats me on the back and leaves me alone.

I step through the doorway into the hall and watch him walk to his bedroom. He closes the door once hes inside. Moms in there, Im sure. I should go talk to her. Tell her its okay shes quitting her job. But I know it wont do any good. Im sure shes devastated.

I open the fridge to find something to eat and try to think of something happy, but cant focus on anything other than my life unraveling. What if Dad doesnt make enough for Mom to quit? How will we afford to live?

When the doorbell rings, Gavin answers it and I hear Cole talking. Once theyve laughed a few times, I decide to join them.

Have fun, you two, Gavin says. And remember. Ill be watching. He winks at me as he goes in the other room.

Im going to short sheet his bed tonight.

Brought you something, Cole says. He pulls a stack of DVDs out of a bag. Im not sure what you like to watch, so I brought a bunch of different genres. He sets them on my lap and digs into his bag again.

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings?

I wasnt sure if that was one you liked, but Im kind of obsessed. I know some girls arent into it, so its fine if you choose something else.

I stare at the cover and smile. Something you should know about me: Legolas is my boyfriend.

Oh. Good to know Ill be competing with an elf with girl hair.

I laugh. His hair is pretty dreamy. I flip through the other movies and settle on a romantic comedy I havent seen. When I hand it to him, he takes it without complaint. But for real. I love Lord of the Rings. The only reason Im not choosing it is because I have to watch the extended versions and that would take way too long. I glance at him and smile as he produces a carton of ice cream from a plastic bag. You brought ice cream?

He shrugs. I thought about a shake and then had a better idea. He pulls out bananas, chocolate and caramel syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles.

Holy c.r.a.p. Its an ice cream bar! Youre my favorite!

I knew Id change your mind about me.

My cheeks heat. A little. Dont get too carried away. Maybe Ill change my mind more if you tell me another truth.

Maybe. If I decide to tell one.

Oh, Ill get at least one out of you.

Ha!

Im surprised by how comfortable Im getting with him. Its different than before"than even two hours earlier. Now that I know how awful I was to him. No arguing, no trying to be better than him. Im just me.

You ready to start the movie or do you want the ice cream first?

Ice cream. For sure.

I grab the toppings and he gets the ice cream as we head into the kitchen. He watches as I get two bowls and spoons out of the dishwasher and set them on the table.

I make a mean banana split, he says.

You can do the honor then.

Do you have a knife?

I grab one out of the drawer and hand it to him, curious.

The bananas are better when theyre cut up into slices.

Oh. Good to know. I dont know how long its been since Ive had a banana split. Years, probably.

I sit down and watch him work. The way he cuts all the bananas in perfect slices, the tip of his tongue peeking through his very kissable lips.

My heart speeds up at that thought. What would it be like to kiss him? I shake my head and stare at the container of sprinkles in front of me to distract myself.

And voila, he says. He scoots the bowl in front of me and waits for my reaction.

I look at his masterpiece. This looks delicious.

Told you.

I take a bite and after I wipe the whipped cream off my face, I stand. Lets start the movie then.

I put the movie in and take my place on the couch. Cole sits down next to me. We arent touching, but were close.

The movie isnt too bad. In fact, I find myself laughing through most of the beginning. We finish our banana splits and he takes them back into the kitchen. When he comes back, I notice he sits closer to me this time. Were separated by an inch or so.

A big part of me wants him to close the gap, and the voice in my head, the one still holding on to Lucas, shouts at me to move away.

I ignore the voice.

Toward the end of the movie, I feel my eyes drooping. Cole scoots closer and, after hesitating only a second, puts his arm around me. Youre tired, he says.

Yes. I didnt realize how tired I am until now and decide to be brave. Or maybe stupid. Or maybe Im so exhausted that the rational part of my brain turns off as I lean my head on his shoulder.

The movie plays, and I tune it out, my eyes closed, but ears still listening. When it ends, I open my eyes, which Im sure are bloodshot from my contacts being in for too long, but I dont want him to leave yet. I like being with him. I like the feeling of his arm around me. And that freaking terrifies me.

He nudges my shoulder. You still out?

I never fell asleep, I say, almost slurring.

You were snoring.

I sit up, praying I wasnt drooling, too. Was not.

He chuckles. No, you werent. I study his eyes to make sure hes not lying. I dont think he is. I promise you didnt snore.

Sigh of relief. Good. Ive been known to snore. Thats why I was worried. It totally could have happened.

Cole squeezes my shoulder as I move around to try and get comfortable. This was fun. Next time I choose the movie, though.

Blood and guts it is, I tease.

Eh. Im not a huge fan of all that.

Neither am I. Besides Lord of the Rings, of course.

He smiles. Of course. He hesitates before reaching out a hand to take mine. Is this okay?

After a moments hesitation, I nod.

He squeezes my hand in response. So, a truth.

What?

Im going to tell you a truth. I believe the last time I told you one was when I took you on that date.

Yes. I believe youre right. It was the first time I saw him as more than just a playboy. Maybe the first time I kind of felt something for him.

Okay. Here goes. He lets out a long, exaggerated breath. Im terrified of spiders.

My mouth drops open. Youre kidding.

He grins. Not at all. His teeth are really white in the dim light. And straight. I wonder if he had to have braces when he was younger. Hed look cute in braces.

Are you serious?

When I see one in the house, my mom has to come kill it for me. Unless its on the floor. Ill step on it then.

So, ceiling spiders are a no-go.

He shivers. The worst. They could fall on me and Id never know where it landed.

I throw my head back and laugh, then glance at the hallway to make sure my parents didnt wake up. Thats hilarious, I whisper. I never thought youd be afraid of something as dumb as a spider.

Do you like them?

I wouldnt let one crawl on me or anything, but I dont go all crazy and kill one if I see it. Unless its a huge one with babies on its back. Ew. I get Gavin to take care of those.

He shivers again. So theres my truth. Lets hear one from you.

Hmmm I wrack my brain with ideas, but Im not sure which one to tell him. I love food.

So Ive heard.

I dont eat a ton, but I do love the taste of food. I like to savor each bite. Especially if its something I really like. Like pie. Or ice cream.

So you have a sweet tooth then. Noted.

I lean forward a little more, our faces a few inches from each other. Were so close, I could move a tad more and touch his lips. Ive already noticed that he has nice lips. And Im positive hes a good kisser. Hes got to be. So, if I ask you a question, will you answer truthfully?

Depends on the question.

Understandable.

Do you have a question to ask?

I shrug. Maybe.

Shoot.

Why, after a year of me being awful to you, did you not give up trying to be my friend?

His eyes sparkle in the lamp light as he stares at me. I only said one truth tonight.

You dont have to answer if you dont want to.

No, Ill answer. He smiles and rubs his thumb in little circles on the back of my hand, making me shiver. Ive had a crush on you since the first time I walked into one of your biking meetings.

It was a serious question. Quit flirting with me.

Im not.

Thats not true. Is it? My cheeks flame and I try to pull away from him, but he doesnt let go.

Im serious. Your hair was pulled in a ponytail, your eyes were bright and focused when you talked about what the team needed to work on. I could see the pa.s.sion in every movement you made, explaining what races we were going to tackle and what not. And your voice. Dont get me started on that. He gives me a wicked grin. s.e.xy.

I burst out laughing and then cover my mouth. I swear my parents are going to come in the room any second. And then Dad would kick Cole out because its almost midnight. Or maybe theyd let him stay. I dont bring friends home very often. Besides Kelsie. My voice is not s.e.xy.

Is too. Its kind of lower. Its nice.

Stop talking, I say, blushing furiously.

You wanted me to answer your question, so I did.

No you didnt. You didnt really answer it. You said you had a crush on me. Why did you keep trying to be my friend after I quit the team?

I expect him to make another joke, but he doesnt. Instead, his eyes find mine and his expression softens. Because at the beginning of the school year, underneath the pa.s.sion and love for mountain biking I saw a girl who needed someone to care about her.

What?