24
It’s early and I’m groggy. I stayed up too late finishing Angelo’s room. Then, the loud music and scenes from my dream woke me and I struggled to go back to sleep. The concert’s tomorrow night and I’m praying this dream will go away with The Skyline Riders come midnight tomorrow.
I pour myself a bowl of cereal and sit down at the table.
“You okay, Esther?” Summer’s tying her jogging shoes and getting ready for her morning run—I know it’s early when Summer hasn’t even started her daily routine yet.
“Yeah, I just had this dream—I didn’t sleep well.”
“You want to go for a jog?”
I like running—you have to run miles in one soccer game, it’s not like I hate the idea. But I’m just so tired.
“Come on, grab your shoes,” she says with my thoughtful pause.
I’m slow, but she waits. It’s after six by the time we step outside and the sun has just risen. I’m guessing Summer likes to race the rising sun, but I’ve made her late today. Still, the air is crisp and the waking sun on the hills reminds me of a painting. We don’t talk, we just jog, side by side, until I’m about out of breath. Summer slows and sets two fingers to her neck while studying her watch.
“Today’s the day I get to put Angelo’s room back together, right?” she says, her eyes still on her wrist.
“Yep, I’m finished with my touch ups.”
“He loves it Esther. You all did a great job.”
“Thanks,” I say, my hands on my hips as I concentrate on my breathing. “It was fun.” And it was, but doing it with Finn—just like my book tree—made it special. “I wish Finn and I had another project. I like working with him.”
“You could come up with one. ”
I shift my gaze to her, narrowing my eyes a little. “Did I say that out loud?”
Summer laughs and drops her hands to her sides, sweat pooling at her hairline. “Yeah, you did.”
“Doing something productive seems to make him happy.” I wipe my head with the back of my arm. “Finn told Angelo he’d like to be a runner.”
“Oh, yeah?”
That and a few other things. “I hope he gets to run one day, Summer.” Unexpected tears pool in my eyes.
“Me too, sweetie.” She reaches for my hand and I let her take it. We climb the hill to Summer and Rodrick’s house hand in hand, both of us with sweat dripping.
My thoughts have been blazing with all the things he said to Angelo—and how he talked to him willingly, not because Angelo’s six, but because he was sincere with his questions. I wish I could dream about all those things—Finn skiing and jogging, but I’m stuck with a concert I’ll never make it to.
Back in the kitchen, Rodrick packs a lunch for himself. Summer explains that he’s got an early meeting. But I swallow back a few more tears—knowing that had Summer gone for her run on time she’d have helped Rodrick with his lunch, just like she helps me. But she waited for me anyway. Rodrick doesn’t complain either, and I think it’s why the two are so happy together. They don’t expect and they don’t complain.
“Oh!” Rodrick slaps his head, while I gulp down my second glass of water. “I almost forgot.” He digs into his work bag. “I have these for you, Esther.” He holds out two strips. “I won them at work.”
I take the stubs and peer down at one. In big letters it reads: THE SKYLINE RIDERS at The Center for the Arts. “Are these tickets?”
“Yeah,” he stuffs another granola bar into his bag and Summer takes it out, replacing it with a banana, “they had this giveaway and I entered, knowing you wanted to go. I didn’t say anything because—”
I leap at him, my arms around his neck, squeezing and cutting off his words. “Rodrick! Are you sure? You and Summer don’t want them?” But I’m already clutching them tight in my grasp with no plans of letting go.
He laughs, surprised by my reaction. “They’re yours. I entered one hundred percent for you.”
One hundred percent for me—Uncle Rodrick has no idea what those words mean to me.
“Okay, open your eyes,” I tell Finn. Somehow, I was able to keep my excitement to myself. I never showed him the tickets. I even got him to agree to close his eyes on our way to the destination of our first official date. My body is crazed with nerves that feel more like live wires.
“The arts center… are we crashing?”
I pull the tickets out of my bag, unable to hold back my enormous grin anymore.
“How?” He looks as stunned as I hoped he would.
“Rodrick won them at work.”
“Sweet.”
Portable bleachers have been set up on the grass in front of The Pavilion. We find our seats among a couple hundred others. We’re in the second row. The seating is tight, but our view is perfect. Finn and I crowd together, talking above the chatter.
“Do you know this band?” Finn asks, his lips next to my ear send a small shiver down my spine.
“No, you?” I yell.
He smiles and his oxygen tubing moves with his swelling cheeks. “No. I thought for sure you liked these guys. You worked so hard to get us here.”
I turn my head to look up at him, to talk in his ear. I’m surprised by his answer too—with the dream, I thought for sure I was fulfilling some grand wish for him. Still, he doesn’t move to offer me his ear, but beams down at me. His sandy hair waves over his head, his blue eyes happy and sparkling.
His warm hand slips into mine and we look at each other a few seconds more, until the band starts up and the crowd goes from chatter to cheering. Finn and I may not know who The Skyline Riders are, but the rest of Jackson seems to.
We laugh at the noise and excitement and the strangeness of it all. We don’t let go of one another, and when the pleasant smell of earth and grass fills my nostrils, I realize it’s not this place, as I thought in my dream, it’s Finn. He smells like summertime.
The band hasn’t been bad. It’s on their encore song that Finn’s lips are at my ear again. “Are you going to stay for the year, Esther?”
My fingers are sweaty in his, but I have no desire to remove them. I gaze up at him, at his eyes so intently on me. The music is so loud and my voice is hoarse from yelling with the crowd. I don’t know, I mouth with a small shrug.
“Stay,” he says. “Don’t go.”
I can’t answer him. So, I lift my hand to his jaw, my fingers at his neck and pull him a little closer.
I would be a liar if I said fear didn’t pulse through me. Yet, everything inside of me needs this. I need Finn to kiss me, like Finn needs air.
He wraps an arm around my back, one hand holding my head, and closes the gap between us. His lips move with mine, curious and craving. My teeth graze his full lips as I attempt to hold him closer, but his body is already flush to mine. Neither of us show signs of stopping until a man behind us hollers for us to—get a room.
I drop to the heels of my feet, holding a hand to my lips. I’m afraid to look behind us. Finn’s fingers intertwine with mine once more, but this time he pulls me along. We scoot past the rest of our row and hurry off toward the exit.