“Yeah, sure. I’ll just go tell the guys we’re leaving,” I said, pulling my keys out of my pocket.
We pulled into my driveway to swap the cars back over and this distance was there again. I was disappointed, although not at all surprised. I didn’t know how to break down that big brick wall she’d built but I wasn’t about to give up.
“Let’s go,” I said, leading her around the back of the house and down the road until we made it to the beach. It was peaceful around here, almost too peaceful. The tourist part of the town was half a mile down, so besides a few dog walkers you didn’t meet many people on the beach.
Tegan had a permanent frown on her face and I knew what was going on with her even less than normal.
“You okay?” She didn’t answer or acknowledge that I’d asked something so I waved my hand in front of her face. “Earth to Tegan.”
She stopped walking and turned to face me. “What?”
“Where were you?”
She looked at me like I was an idiot and I almost laughed. “What?”
I shook my head. “Never mind. I wanna show you something but we’re going to have to climb that hill over there.” I pointed ahead of us. It was quite steep but I had climbed it so many times now. I go up there to think or just get away from everything sometimes.
“Up there?” she asked. “It’s steep and I’ll fall.”
“I won’t let you fall.”
She thought for a minute. “If I do I’m holding you personally responsible,” she said, raising her eyebrow to show how serious she was.
“Deal,” I replied, fighting a smile.
“I mean it, Lucas. If I fall and break or even bruise anything you’re being my slave until I’m better.”
“I promise you won’t fall. But if you do, I will happily be your slave.”
She assessed me for a minute, green eyes searching for something I had no idea what but was pretty sure I’d give it to her if she’d just ask. “Okay. Let’s go then.”
She started walking towards the wrong hill and I let her walk for a bit. “Tegan,” I yelled when she was far enough. She turned around and threw her arms up. “We’re going up that hill.” I pointed to the bigger one a little way along.
She came storming back, eyes narrowed, looking like she was about to murder me. “So you just let me walk all that way up the wrong hill?”
“Come on, you would have done the same to me. Your face was so funny,” I said, chuckling.
“You are going straight to hell, Lucas.”
“Meet you there, princess.” I almost threw up in my mouth when I realised I’d used the nickname Kai gave her. To be fair though, it did suit her sometimes. Still, I wanted to wash my mouth out with bleach.
She growled. “Lead the damn way or take me home.”
“Alright, chill. Come on.”
She licked her lips, wincing as we hit the steepest part. “How’s your dad doing?”
Wow. She didn’t ask that.
“He’s doing okay. It’s early days but the tests he’s had done have all come back normal. Your dad had a strong heart.”
“So, is there actually a top to this stupid hill?”
It came as no surprise when she changed the subject the second I mentioned Simon. She could, on occasion, talk about my dad but not hers. Never hers.
We weren’t even halfway up yet. “Yeah, we’re almost there.”
She sighed. “No, we’re not.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I would have said the same thing to you.”
“Touché.”
She groaned as she realised we had a little way to go yet. I let her walk in front of me, partly because if she fell I wanted to be able to catch her and partly because it gave me a very good view of the back of that dress.
We finally reached the top and I walked to the side that has the better view of just the ocean. It was a perfect night to bring her here, the sky was clear and the moon and stars were the only light.
I watched her as she looked out into the ocean. “Oh, wow, it’s incredible up here,” she whispered. “I forgot things could be this beautiful.”
My heart ached for her. She didn’t see much good in the world right now. My dad was ill and had been for a long time but we had hope, she had a huge hole in her life.
We lay down on the grass and she opened up about a few minor things like pranks she and Sophie had pulled at school. I felt like I’d at least smashed one brick from that wall. But when I attempted to steer the conversation onto the subject of Simon she cut me off and built another layer.
I felt deflated, like getting close to her was completely impossible and I was fighting a losing battle.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time when the sky started getting lighter. That wasn’t a good sign. Shit, it was just after half three in the morning and I had eight missed calls. “Err, Tegan?”
She turned her head and as soon as our eyes met my heart started beating faster. “Yeah?” she whispered.