I didn’t know whether to smile or cry. He was actually taking the fall for me.
“I didn’t know it would lead to her losing control of her bowels, kind of like she is right now with her mouth. The bathroom door was locked, and despite me telling her to just go in the lake, she refused and turned into a karate kid, busting open the door.”
I bowed my head. I was so ashamed.
Damn you stomach, damn you.
“I will pay for the fines, it wasn’t her fault. It was all my idea. I take full responsibility.”
I profoundly sighed, I couldn’t allow him to take all the fall. Stepping to the side of him, I grabbed his hand in mine.
“Officer, I’m a grown adult and I chose to break the law with him. I stand by my decision and I will go peacefully to jail. But first, can I please use the restroom?”
The officer gazed back and forth between us until he finally stated why he was there, “You’re illegally parked.”
My mouth dropped open. “You mean we’re not going to jail? I just told you all that for nothing?”
“Not for nothing. Now I know if I ever pull you over or arrest you, I should probably make sure there is a bathroom nearby.”
“Oh, so the officer has jokes too?”
“Would you rather I arrest you then?”
“Ummm, no thank you, sir. I’ll take your jokes.”
He nodded toward Leo. “Make sure to move your truck and find her a bathroom.”
Leo chuckled, “Will do.”
The officer excused himself and off he went. As soon as he drove away, we started laughing hysterically.
“You won’t be experiencing anything like this in the Virgin Islands.”
“You’re right about that.”
Still giggling, I threw my arms around his neck.
“What’s this for?”
“I’m going to miss you so much.”
He hugged me back. “I’m going to miss you so much too.”
“Thank you.”
“For?”
“For making it hard to leave home but giving me something to come back to. For being the best, and willing to take full responsibility for me, even if it meant you going to jail. You’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for.”
He chuckled, “Sappy ass.”
“You love me.”
“That I do, Lala, that I do.”
While Leo disposed of our garbage, I found the spot that had our names carved into the rock and snapped a picture of it with my phone. Picking up my backpack purse off the stone, I grabbed my black marker from the inside pocket and wrote today’s date below our names. Before taking another photo.
I found Leo back at his truck, getting into the driver’s seat. Moments later, I watched as we drove away from our rock, knowing this was the last time I’d see it for a while.
It didn’t take long for Leo to pull into the nearest Dollar Tree, they were basically on every corner of Tennessee. The store was packed. This was one of my favorite things about the south. The Dollar Trees and the Family Dollars were always the place to be.
I went to the bathroom while Leo grabbed a couple of groceries, showing me in the truck that he picked up snacks to make s’mores. It was another one of my favorite things to do. Make s’mores in his backyard while sitting in my swing he made for me.
You could see Leo’s cabin from down the road, he had white LED lights set up to find the treehouse in the dead of night. There were no streetlights on the road to his house, so he put them up years ago. His cabin looked like it was Christmas all year long. It was a magical experience, cozy and comforting when I’d see them. Always bringing a huge smile to my face.
However tonight, the lights only brought on nostalgia, and I was right there, I could still see them.
Am I making the right choice? Could I do this? Do I still want to? What am I trying to prove? What am I trying to find that isn’t already in my hometown?
The more I thought about it, the less confident I felt I could truly do this…
Move away from everything and everyone I knew.
Leo parked his truck in his usual spot, and we both jumped out. Walking onto the bridge that had lights on the rails and above our head in the trees, we made our way into his cabin.
He punched in the code, my birthday, into the lock on the door. He opened the door for me and I stepped in first. Going straight into his bedroom, I grabbed a clean pair of leggings and a tank from his drawer, along with a fresh pair of panties and fuzzy socks. I’d been keeping clothes in his room since he first got this cabin.
At the last second, I grabbed one of his hoodies from his closet, deciding I was going to take this one to St. Thomas with me.
When I walked back out, Leo was standing in the kitchen, fixing himself a drink.
“Make me a margarita.”
“Already planned on it.”
I smiled. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be right back.”
“Good idea.” He nodded. “There’s been a lot of traffic through there today.”
“Hey! We made a deal not to talk about that for the rest of the day.”
“Oh.” He lifted his arms in the air. “I didn’t know we were back to that, considering you told the officer your whole life story.”
“Yes, we’re back to that. No more talking about the worst thing that has ever happened to me for the rest of the night. Deal?”
“Go take a shower, swamp ass.”
“Leo!”
“I’m sorry, it just slipped out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it did.”
He grinned at me while I backed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I got undressed and stepped into the shower, instantly realizing…
It was the last time I’d be doing this as well.
Chapter 21
—Leo—
Why is she leaving?
The question repeated itself in my mind for pretty much the entire day. Anytime she smiled, laughed, looked at me for more than a few seconds, I could see it in her eyes. She didn’t want to leave.
What do I do?
We had been friends our whole lives. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t talk to her about. Come to her for. We respected each other’s opinions, yet she still hadn’t asked me what I thought about her moving. Maybe she didn’t have to, maybe she knew deep down all I wanted was for her to be happy. Even if it meant she had to move across the world to make it happen.
Mila loved Tennessee. Her heart was in the south. She was a country girl, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think she’d come running home. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Something I told myself to help me let her go.
When did things change? When did they become so confusing?
By the time she was walking down the stairs, I drank about a quarter of the whiskey bottle. Feeling…
Not a fucking clue.
Too much.
Too little.
I’d never been this torn in two. My emotions were getting the best of me as I watched her walk down the stairs, the soft warmth of the lights illuminating her face. She was glowing, wearing one of my hoodies which looked more like a dress on her. Anytime she’d wear something of mine, whether it be clothes, a hat, socks, it didn’t matter; a sense of home washed over me.