Laney (14 page)

Chapter 17 - The Longest Day Ever

This was going to be the longest day ever—a.k.a. “Date Day.” I was so nervous. I woke up with knots in my stomach. I felt nauseous. It wasn’t like I hadn’t spent tons of time with Oliver, even alone time, but this was an actual date—our official first date—and a first anything was nerve wracking.

Oliver came by to pick me up for school, as he said he would.

“How’s your lip?” he asked, as he took my backpack and carried it for me.
Such a gentleman
.

I ran my tongue over my lip. It was healed; just a small bump of scar tissue remained. “It’s better.”

We rode to school quietly. When we got to English, where Oliver now sat beside me, Kiera told us what had happened the previous night. She told us that, after we left, a couple of the guys got into a fight, which drew too much attention to the fact that they were up there, and the cops were called. She and Carter had left just as the screaming began and they had watched from the window of Carter’s apartment as the cops arrived and took a couple of the people away. The rest of the party was sent away by a pair of the school’s head officials and campus security—after they were reprimanded and handed heavy punishments of school community service and detention. Because the apartments were subsidized by the college, even though they weren’t technically on campus, they were monitored by school security. Oliver raised his eyebrow knowingly, like he was saying “I told you so.” I just smiled and shook my head at him.

Time seemed like it had been slowed down as I watched the clock’s second hand slowly tick by.
Will this class never end?
And then it did.

After our last class we headed for the library. There was a big test coming up and, considering how distracted I was by Oliver in class, I seriously needed to study. However, my distraction was in the library with me, so I didn’t get a lot done. We stayed for almost two hours, sitting across from each other at a quiet table near the back of the library. It was late afternoon by the time we left the musty smell of old books behind us.

We quietly walked to his car and he drove us home.

At my apartment, Oliver handed me my backpack as I opened my door.

“I’ll be back just before sunset to pick you up for our date,” he said. I caught a hint of nervousness in his voice.
At least it wasn’t just me
.

“I’ll be ready,” I said more confidently than I would have expected. It seemed to give me strength knowing he, too, was nervous about our date.

Once inside, I hurried to turn on my laptop. I had no idea when the sun was supposed to set and I needed to look it up. I found my answer after several minutes of searching; just after seven. I had almost three hours. It was a little strange to me that he had said sunset rather than seven. Who knew that kind of thing, when the sun sets? Maybe I had just discovered Oliver’s weirdness. Could that be considered a strange thing, or was it just me that didn’t know this kind of information…?

I was ready in an hour. The weather had turned cooler, so I chose a pair of jeans, a short-sleeved, satin, turquoise button-up top, buttoned halfway, over a black, lace-trimmed tank, with my black, rhinestone flip-flops. I was also wearing my new bra and panty set, not that he was going to see those—not yet, anyway.

I had no idea where we were going and not knowing made me even more nervous. I didn’t want to carry my purse, so all I was taking with me was my cell, the key to my apartment, and a twenty-dollar bill, just in case.
In case of what?
I had no idea.

I spent the next hour flipping through channels and checking and re-checking my make-up and hair. I had left my hair down, but I had added a cute rhinestone star clip to one side.

The anticipation was making me crazy and I started to fidget, tapping the remote on the couch and my foot on the floor.
Fifteen more minutes
. I wasn’t sure I could take it. Then there was a soft knock on my door.

Chapter 18 - First Date

The nervousness I felt the night we went to the Lunatic Stallion was nothing compared to how I was feeling at that moment. I took a deep breath and answered the door. There he stood, with the most beautifully crooked and bashful smile I had ever seen. His wavy hair was perfect, as always.

He was wearing a short-sleeved, black, button-up shirt with a hint of emerald thread and a faint design across the chest and down the sides. The emerald in his shirt seemed to be making his eyes stand out more than usual. Or were his eyes what made the green in the shirt stand out? Either way, he was absolutely gorgeous and perfect. He was also wearing his usual Levi’s which accented his lower body, along with classic black Converse shoes. I felt like I forgot to breathe. I was full of excitement and nervousness. My pulse picked up and my stomach dropped, causing an uneasy feeling. I wasn’t sure I would make it through the date.

“Hi,” he said softly.

I returned my own soft, “Hi.”

We exchanged nervous smiles as he held out his hand to take mine. I felt a shock of energy flow through me as he interlaced his cool fingers with mine. I locked my door behind me and we started down the stairs.

“So,” he said, flashing me a quick smile, “I’m thinking we walk downtown to the Fountain Park and then walk through the street fair and farmer’s market. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great,” I said, my heart working overtime. He gave my hand a quick squeeze and I smiled.

We walked quietly through the tree-lined streets in the cool evening air. There was a slight breeze; it felt nice. The sky was a beautiful mix of blue, pink, and orange as the sun descended.

I tried to distract myself from my nervousness by admiring, or possibly criticizing, the houses we passed. In the downtown area, most of the houses were old, some teetering on the edge of ruins due to their old age and lack of proper upkeep. A large percentage of them were rented out by groups of college students and a few of the larger houses had been turned into frat houses. The rest seemed to be owned or rented by the professors of the college or older couples. Only a few families with children occupied the homes near the college. Not a lot of thought was needed to figure out why.

Most of the homes had wooden or concrete steps leading up to their front doors or large covered porches that sometimes held old, battered couches or a chair—which was always classy. A few had just a tiny slab of front patio and one little step. As we got closer to downtown, the houses grew in size and magnificence. They were well cared for, large and Victorian looking. It was unusual to find college students living in these splendid homes; however, you would find several well-to-do people, mostly older women, living quietly along these streets and there were a few families scattered here and there.

Oliver kept my hand in his all the way to the fountains. We found an empty bench and claimed it for ourselves. The Fountain Park was in the center of downtown. It used to be full of huge, beautiful trees, but they had gotten some sort of tree disease and the city had to cut them all down. The trees were replaced with concrete. It sounds awful, but it was actually quite pretty, especially at night. In the center of the park were fountains—the type that come right out of the ground. During the summer, kids loved to run through them and spent hours playing in them. Throughout the year, in the evenings, colored lights were added to the fountains; at times, there was music that was synchronized together with the water shooting out of the ground. Tonight there was music. Oliver wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in close against him. The water, colored by the lights, moved beautifully in time with the classical music.

“I love to come down here and people-watch,” he said happily.

I flashed him a quick smile as I snuggled in close and watched, enjoying the scene, but mostly enjoying his arm around me.

The park was full of people—couples holding hands, some pushing strollers or holding the hand of a little one, walking dogs, and so on. A bum rode by and checked the nearby garbage can looking for something worth adding to the stash in his bike cart. There was an older couple dancing nearby and they caught my eye. They looked so blissful, I couldn’t help smiling. They danced, holding each other with their arms and eyes. They swayed beautifully with the water, lights, and the music. It was peaceful. We sat there together for some time and people-watched, pointing out little things to each other now and then.

Oliver kissed the top of my head and squeezed me a little tighter. “You ready to move on to our next destination?”

“Well, when you put it like that, of course.” I smiled, looking into his brilliant green eyes.

He locked his fingers with mine again and we headed toward our “next destination,” as Oliver had called it. I felt giddy, like I was walking on air. I had a smile I couldn’t control. I was finally getting my alone time. Granted, there were hundreds of people around, but he was here with me, only me. As we were passing the dancing older couple, Oliver stopped me. “Wait just a moment.” I waited and he strolled over to the pair. He said something and they smiled and nodded. He trotted back over to me with the couple following.

“What are you doing?” I asked suspiciously.

“I want to capture this moment with you.” He winked and handed the couple his phone, explaining how to take a picture. My heart melted.
Can he get any better?

He put his arms around me from behind. “Smile, Laney.” My cheeks warmed.
I wore blush, why?

They snapped the picture and handed Oliver back his phone. He thanked them.

“You two make a beautiful couple,” the lady said, gently touching my arm.

I smiled and felt my cheeks burn.

“Enjoy your youth,” she said with a pat to Oliver’s arm.

“Every minute of it,” he responded, glancing up from his phone with his heart-throbbing smile.

Oliver took my hand and we started off again.

“Wait.” I stopped.

“What is it?” He seemed concerned and that made me giggle. His eyes lit up and his concern was gone.

“It’s my turn,” I said, pulling my phone out of my back pocket.

I stepped up on the curb to get closer to his height and pulled him closer, wrapping one arm around him, trying to getting as close as I could. “Smile, Oliver,” I said with a quiet laugh. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me squeezing me tight. I snapped the picture and saved it to his profile.

He kissed my cheek before letting me go, then he intertwined his fingers with mine again and we headed toward the next part of our evening.

We wandered through the farmer’s market, hand in hand, exchanging nervous smiles with each other. The streets were lined with older two-story buildings and packed full of vendors in front of them. There were so many merchants. I hadn’t been down here in forever. It was interesting to see all of the different types of things they sold now: fruits, vegetables, oils, popcorn, baked goods, clothing, jewelry, and soaps, just to name a few. There were also company reps pushing business cards and trying to sign people up for “the best deal.” It was a lot different than I remembered it.

Oliver bought a sliced apple with caramel sauce for dipping. We walked on through to the street fair and sat on the curb across from a juggler and a young man playing guitar. Oliver offered me an apple slice and took one himself. I dipped mine; it was so yummy. I hadn’t eaten much that day; I had been too nervous and my stomach had felt like it was in knots.

“Now you can tell Carter that you’ve seen me eat,” he said, finishing a bite of his apple slice.

I smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. It was the first time I’d seen him eat, too.

We finished the apple. I finished the caramel.

“Would you like anything else?” he asked.

“I could use some water,” I said, getting up from the curb and brushing myself off.

He bought me a bottle of water and I noticed a picture in his wallet. “Who’s that?” I asked, as he started to put it away. He showed me again; it was an older photo and very worn.

“That’s my baby sister, Olivia,” he said and then put it away.

“She’s pretty. She looks a lot like Hayden.” And she did; he could’ve convinced me it was Hayden, except Hayden’s eyes were a darker blue.

He smiled at me. “They do look a lot alike. They look like my mom.”

“Really? Do you look like your dad?”

“I’m a combo of both of them, but I guess I do look more like my dad. My brother and Olivia look more like our mother.”

“What about Julz? Who does she look more like?”

He thought for a moment and then said, “Not sure. She’s really her own person.” He gave me an awkward smile.

We wandered through the rest of the street fair. It was packed with performers: musicians, a group of belly dancers, a henna tattoo booth, a man making balloon animals, and a fire breather just to name a few.

We came upon a fortune-telling gypsy lady. As we were walking past her, she called out, “Come moon children. Come let me tell you your fortunes.”

I turned to Oliver. “Did she just call us moon children?”

“I believe she did.” He looked a little amused.

“Huh, that’s weird.”

“What’s weird?” he asked.

“My aunt always called me a “moon baby” because I was born at night,” I admitted.

“That’s cute,” he said with a smile. “She’s got some great nicknames for you, Laney Jo.”

“Stop it.” I giggled and pushed at him a little.

“Come,” she called to us again.

We ventured closer. She had a small, open tent covered in crushed blue velvet that was trimmed in matching blue lace with gold beading. A Victorian-looking sign hung across the front that simply said, “Madam Habitha—Fortune Teller” in fancy lettering. The table that she sat behind was covered in the same blue velvet, matching her tent. Her table contained an actual crystal ball, a partially melted red candle, a deck of tarot cards, and a jagged square of slate with different shaped, quarter-sized stones that had markings on them.

She was a heavyset woman; her fuzzy grey hair was held back by a band of the same blue velvet and tied on the side behind her ear. Her face was pudgy and wrinkled. She had on thick foundation under her painted pink cheeks, dark red lipstick, and blue eye shadow that reached up to her penciled-in eyebrows. What I could see of her dress was big and poufy, with ruffles of blue and black crushed velvet. It was trimmed with lace and beads to match and she had a sheer blue shawl draped around her shoulders. The top of her dress scooped down low to show way too much cleavage, which was thankfully hidden behind lots of beaded necklaces and one very large crystal pendant. She had large gold-hoop earrings and a small dark band around her right middle finger.

She smiled warmly at us and gestured for us to have a seat. I didn’t know what was drawing us to her.

I sat in a metal folding chair across from her and Oliver stood just behind me with his hand on my shoulder.

“On the house for you both tonight,” she said with a smile.

Something about her was off, but I couldn’t place it. She looked into my eyes with her grey colored ones. “Your hand, my dear.”

I hesitated. She made me very uneasy.

“It’s okay, Love. You can just lay it on the table. I will work around it without touching.”

I placed my hand on the velvet table.

“Palm up, please,” she said cheerfully.

She scattered the stones around my hand and her pudgy fingers pulled a card from the stack beside her. She studied the stones for a moment and then smiled at me.

“You are a daughter of the water, are you not?”

I didn’t know how to answer that.

“Her mother’s name is Brooke,” Oliver offered. I was impressed he remembered.

“Yes, Brooke. Like a stream.” She smiled again and I noticed a dark gap between her teeth and her gums, like she had bad dental work or maybe dentures. “Only love lets us see extraordinary things in an ordinary way. Trust your intuition. The universe is guiding you.”

Her smile lingered on me as I tried not to raise my eyebrows at her mumbo-jumbo. Then her attention shifted to Oliver.

“And what about you, child of the night? Will you let me read you?”

“I bet you don’t need to my hand to read me,” he countered. His tone was almost mocking. I quickly glanced up at him.

“You are right, child.” She studied him for a short moment. “Something you have lost will soon turn up. Use your head, but listen to your heart with this chance you have recently taken.”

He reached for my hand as I stood. “Thank you,” he said and I thanked her also as he led me away.

“You are a beautiful and royal couple. Do not let the forces destroy you,” she called after us as we walked away.

Lacing his fingers with mine again, we left the hectic farmer’s market and street fair behind and began walking the tree-lined streets that led the way back home. We’d been out close to two hours. I wasn’t ready for the night to end and I hoped he wasn’t, either. That spark of energy still ran through me when we touched; it felt amazing. When his eyes met mine, it only made it stronger.

“That was interesting,” I said, as the silence had gone on too long.

“Agreed. I found it interesting that she was able to get the water and night thing to match up to us.”

Ah, I hadn’t caught that night thing with him—his last name, Knight. “Wow, that’s crazy. I wonder how she did that.”

“I imagine it’s one of those crazy, unexplainable things,” he chuckled. “Don’t take her seriously, Laney. She could’ve gotten you with anything. If she would have called you a child of the night, we could have associated it with you being born at night. It’s just what they do.” He gave my hand a little squeeze and smiled his brilliant smile at me.

“Tell me about Olivia,” I said in a gentle voice, hoping it wouldn’t upset him to talk about her.

His smile didn’t falter. “She was hilarious and smart. She was adventurous and she loved life. She always said life was short and that she was going to make the best of every moment.” He had stopped walking and now he faced me. “This picture and a couple of others are all I have left of her—that and my memories,” he said very quietly.