The Hazards of Skinny Dipping (18 page)

“I’ll take your word for it.”

I liked it that Reed didn’t question me.

We walked out into the field. It was pretty
much set up with a team on each side and the main field in between.
The field consisted of obstacles, like broken down cars and these
man-made structures you could climb. I had absolutely no idea what
I was supposed to do, but I assumed Reed would let me know.

He came up behind me and leaned in to
whisper, “You need to get over to that structure and climb to the
roof.”

“The roof? Aren’t I asking to be hit?”

“They won’t bother with you. They’re going to
be more concerned with Al and me since we’re the biggest.”

“Okay…”

“When the other team passes, take them out
one by one.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“It might be.” He grinned. “Have fun,
Oakley.”

The horn blew, and I did exactly as Reed
said. I climbed up and waited. As Reed expected, they weren’t even
looking for me. I double checked my gun as I waited for our
opponents. They moved past, thinking they were safe, and I hit the
first one on the arm. I did the same for the second, and then got
the third guy in the back. I knew there were two more left, but I
figured three out of five was pretty darn good.

I climbed down and hid around the back side
of the structure. Before long, Reed and Al took out the remaining
men.

“Nice going, kid.” Al patted me on the back
when I met up with them.

“Thanks, but it was all Reed’s idea.”

Al turned to Reed. “You knew she could
shoot?”

“I had a hunch.” He grinned, remembering back
to laser tag. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

“My dad’s retired Army. He made sure his kids
could handle a gun. I didn’t like it, but I put up with my yearly
lessons.”

Reed smiled. “Your dad sounds like an
interesting person.”

“He is. You’d probably get along with
him.”

He put an arm around my shoulder. “You want
to play the next round?”

“I think I might sit it out.” I was having
fun, but these guys took things seriously, and it might be more
entertaining to watch.

“That’s fine. Maybe we can grab lunch after
this?”

“I’d love to. I skipped breakfast.”

“All right, see you in a few.” He grinned
before striding back toward the field.

***

“What’s going on with you and Reed?” Cara
asked on the way back from the house on Sunday night. It was a
clear night, slightly cool, but still warm enough that the walk was
pleasant.

“Nothing. We’re just hanging out.”

“You sure? You two spent practically the
whole weekend together.”

“We did not.” I hadn’t even heard from him
after paintball. We’d had a great lunch at a burger joint, but that
was it. “What’s up with you and Bill, Mallory?” Deflection seemed
like a great idea.

“Don’t get me started.”

“Wait, what happened?”

“I went back to the house with him after the
party. He totally broke down and cried about missing his
ex-girlfriend.”

“Seriously?” Cara and I said in unison.

“Yes. It was so awkward. I think I’m done
dating for a while. It’s kind of a blow to your self-esteem when a
guy cries right before you’re about to hook up.”

I put a hand on her back. “It could have been
worse.”

“How?”

“He could have cried during sex. Or
after.”

“Good point. Wow, my favorite pessimist just
described a glass as half full.”

I laughed. “What can I say? Life without
Dylan is good for me.”

“Are you sure it’s not life with Reed?” Cara
laughed.

“Reed and I are just friends.”

“Uh huh. I’m sure.”

“We are.”

“I give you guys a month.” Cara messed with
her phone. She was probably texting Aaron.

“I say two weeks.” Mallory ran a hand through
her hair.

“What? You don’t think I can handle being
single?”

“No. I don’t think you can resist Reed.”

“He doesn’t like me that way. I’m telling
you, we’re just friends.” Was it bad that part of me wished we
could be more?

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I had
forgotten to turn the ringer on. I smiled when Reed’s name flashed
across the screen. “Hey.”

“Hey, are you busy?”

“Define busy.”

“Doing something important. Is there another
definition I’m not aware of?”

I laughed. “I’m not busy.”

“Want to do something?”

“It depends. What would we be doing? I don’t
think I can handle any more paintball.”

“I promise, it doesn’t involve guns at
all.”

“I’m halfway back to my dorm. Should I turn
around and head for your house?”

“I’ll head toward you. We can meet up
halfway.”

“See you in a minute.” I hung up.

“Was that Reed?” Mallory asked.

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure nothing’s going on?”

“We’re friends.”

They both laughed.

“I’m going to meet up with him. I’ll see you
guys tomorrow.”

Cara grinned. “He found you first.”

I spun around. Reed was right behind me.
“That was fast.”

He shrugged. “What can I say? I was anxious
to see you.”

“Have fun, you two.” Mallory grabbed Cara’s
arm, and they continued toward the dorms.

“What are we doing?” I asked. Reed had
already turned back the way he’d come. I followed.

“We’re going airplane gazing.”

“Airplane gazing?”

“You’ve never done it? It’s like stargazing,
except you’re watching planes take off.”

“We’re going to the airport?”

“Near it.” He stopped at his truck and held
open the passenger door.

“Thanks.” I smiled. “Do you go airplane
gazing often?” I asked when he got in.

“Not so much anymore.”

“Why the sudden decision to go again?”

“It’s not sudden.” He downshifted. “I finally
have someone I want to go with.”

I couldn’t help smiling.

Reed pulled into an empty field, parking the
car somewhere in the middle. He shut off the engine and the
headlights. We were in almost complete darkness. The full moon and
some distant lights from the road were the only illumination. He
reached over me to pull a flashlight out of the glove
compartment.

“Ready?”

“Where are we going?”

“Not far.” I could almost hear a smile in his
voice.

He switched on his flashlight and hopped out.
I waited for him to come around before I joined him. “Why do I feel
like I’m in a horror movie?”

He laughed. “It’s not a horror movie. I
promise.”

“Good.”

Reed opened the tailgate. He had a few
blankets rolled up in the back. He hopped up and gave me a hand. He
spread out a blanket and lay down on his back. I tentatively
settled down next to him.

“Geez, Reed, if you wanted to get me alone,
you could have found an easier way.”

“This isn’t just alone. It’s isolated,” he
said in a scary voice.

I punched his arm. “Don’t mess with me.”

He laughed. “I won’t. Trust me. You’ll like
this once the planes start.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

I heard the first plane before I saw it. It
roared to life before flying right above us.

“You’re right. This is cool.”

He laughed. “That didn’t take long.”

I looked back up at the sky. “Whenever I see
a plane, I wonder where it’s going.”

“Yeah, I’m like that when I see people at the
airport. I wonder what their stories are.” He shifted, and his arm
brushed against mine. “Like when I see an excited-looking woman, I
wonder if she’s going to see her boyfriend. And if I see a young
kid, I wonder if he’s going to see his parents.”

“How introspective of you.”

“Introspective? I’ll give you introspective.
Do you ever wonder what we’re doing here?”

“Like why we’re alive?”

“Yeah. Do you?”

“Of course. Doesn’t everyone? I don’t know. I
guess we’re here to live, learn, hopefully fall in love, have kids,
and continue the cycle.”

“So you want to fall in love and have kids,
huh?”

“Not now, or at least not the kids part.” I
knew I was blushing, but thankfully, he couldn’t see it in the
darkness.

“What about the fall in love part?”

“That can happen anytime, but it’s not a
rush. I’m only eighteen. I’m all about the living part.”

He laughed. “I’m twenty-one, and I feel that
way, too.”

I wanted him to kiss me. The thought came to
me out of nowhere, but once I felt it, I wanted it so much it hurt.
He didn’t, though. He just lay there, watching the planes take off.
I did the same for the next few hours and let my thoughts
drift.

Eventually, we got back into the front of the
truck. “I like airplane gazing.”

He smiled. “We’ll have to do it again
sometime.”

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Hey back

Dear Just Juliet,

I knew it would.

Almost Amy.

I looked up from my history book again. It
was six o’clock on a Thursday night, and Al’s was still empty. Reed
looked so damn good in the red Lacoste shirt. It clung to his
chest, showing off every muscle. He’d come straight from
volunteering at the high school and hadn’t bothered to change.

He caught me looking. “Is there a particular
reason you’re staring at me?”

“No. I’m just looking.”

“Just looking? Be careful, or I’m going to
have to start charging for that privilege.”

I laughed. “It might be worth it.”

“Wait…are you actually flirting with me?”

“Who me?” I pointed at my chest.

“Yes you.” He set aside his book.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Oh, now the truth comes out.” He stretched,
leaving his hands behind his head for a moment.

“Is there any chance you might want to come
to my semi-formal with me?” I was asking for two reasons. First, I
needed a date. Second, I wanted Reed to be my date. I was done
denying the second part. “Airplane gazing” had made that
impossible.

He grinned. “Wow, flirting and asking me
out.”

“Come on. It doesn’t have to be a big
deal.”

“I don’t know.”

My heart sank. Seriously? He didn’t want to
go with me? Had I completely misread the signs?

“You can wipe that devastated look off your
face. I didn’t say I wouldn’t come. I just have a condition.”

“Oh?” I asked hopefully.

“I’ll go to yours if you’ll go to mine.”

“Isn’t yours in Savannah?”

“Uh huh. This coming weekend.”

“Isn’t it too late? I thought you had to book
rooms over a month ago.” I knew all about it from Cara.

“Nope. We can get double beds and share a
room.”

“Oh.” The thought of a weekend in a room with
Reed made my body temperature rise a few degrees—even if we’d be in
separate beds.

“Do we have a deal?” He held out his
hand.

I made a split second decision. “Yes.” I
accepted his hand, and we shook on it.

“Nice. It’ll be great to have the company.”
He winked.

“Is there anything in particular I need to
bring?”

He wore an amused expression. “Other than a
dress and yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. It’s only one night, so you don’t need
much.”

“Gotcha.”

“So I’ll pick you up on Saturday morning
then?” He stood up, probably to start some prep in the kitchen.

“Yeah, that sounds great. Wait, I’m meeting
with a study group at ten. Should I cancel or—”

“We can leave later. It doesn’t really
matter.”

“Cool.”

“I was waiting for that word.”

***

I checked my bag one more time before zipping
it up and grabbing my purse. I was a mixture of nerves and
excitement as I waited for the elevator. Cara had left with Aaron
earlier in the day. He was in charge of organizing everything, so
he had to be early.

Reed was leaning against his truck when I got
down. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Maybe I was imagining it, but he
looked a little nervous too. Considering the sexual tension that
had been building between us the last few weeks, spending a night
in a hotel room together could bring up some interesting
possibilities.

He put my suitcase next to his in the back.
“You packed light.”

“It’s just one night.”

“Yeah, but some girls would have packed
double.”

“I guess I’m not ‘some girls.’”

“We can safely say you’re not.” He opened my
door for me, waiting for me to get settled before closing it.

He went around to his side and climbed in.
“How was your study session?”

“Thrilling.” If I hadn’t been one hundred
percent certain before, I officially knew I wasn’t meant to be a
science major of any sort.

“I bet. There’s nothing like Intro Biology.”
He pulled out onto the road. Our weekend officially began.

“I can only hope this weekend can
compare.”

“I don’t know. It’s going to be hard to
compete with that.” He turned on the radio, settling on a rock song
I didn’t recognize.

“Well, if anyone can compete, it’s you.”

He turned toward me. “I appreciate the vote
of confidence.”

“Anytime.”

“Is that a new sweatshirt?” He gestured to my
hoodie. Was it really so awkward that we were discussing
clothes?

“Yeah, I decided it was time to replace the
one with holes in the sleeves.”

“Makes sense, but I liked that one.”

“Me too.” It was a simple gray one with my
high school’s name on it that I’d bought years ago.

“Just so you know, tonight’s the party, but
we don’t have anything planned for tomorrow.”

“Coo—Great. I’d love to explore a little.” I
caught myself using cool again. I’d never noticed how often I said
it before Reed pointed it out.