Page 61 of Puck Drop
I turn the engine off, the heat instantly suffocating us in the cabin of the truck. We both pop the doors open at the same time and get out. We meet at the front of the truck, and we both rest our hands on our knees at the same time.
“That was too much damn excitement to last a lifetime,” Sebastian says. He clears his throat a couple of times. “If you ever tell anyone that I screamed like a little girl on the way here, I will deny it until my dying breath.”
I don’t even have the energy to laugh at that. We both let out some high pitched noises as we kept on thinking we’d run into something.
“We shall never speak of this again.” I put my hand out for us to shake on it.
“I’m gonna take off now.” He starts walking toward his car that’s parked out in the street. “I’m a little scared to even drive that now.” He lets out a nervous laugh. “I’m traumatized for life.”
I pat him on the back in support. “Call you tomorrow to unload?”
He nods and waves goodbye. Since I don’t need to see him off, I turn to go inside the house. Before opening the door, I take a deep breath in, bracing myself for what I might find. Doubt is already creeping in. What if I made a mistake asking Elizabeth to move in? What if we both hate living together? It would really suck if this ruined whatever we had from before.
I put my hand on the doorknob, turn it, then push the door open. I have no idea what I expected to find, but I am completely taken aback by how the entire vibe of the house has changed.
Music plays softly from somewhere in the living area, and I can hear Elizabeth singing along while she shuffles some bags around. A glance around the entrance tells me that nothinghas changed while at the same time, everything has. My heart became happy the second I stepped over the threshold.
I walk around the corner and see her. She is sitting on the floor, sorting through some clothes, separating them by colors and whatnot. My couch is covered in her garments, bags everywhere.
“Hey.” I drop the keys to the truck on the coffee table and take a seat next to her on the floor. “Whatcha doing here?”
She jumps in place, surprised that she’s no longer alone in the house. But then, her face breaks into the happiest grin, like she’s been waiting for me to come home.
“All this…” I point around to all her clothes. “They are meant to be in a closet,” I explain to her. “We don’t keep them in the living room.”
She breaks into giggles. “Shut up!” She pushes gently at my shoulder. “It was just easier to organize everything in here instead of in the bedroom. There’s more light here, too.”
I keep the shutters closed in my bedroom because I want to be able to sleep as much as possible on my off days, and the sun bothers me in the mornings. The large windows of the living room have a protective film on them that allows for the light to come in but not for the heat. That way, I don’t have to pull the shades down, especially since I love looking out over the pool.
“How did it go with the truck?” Elizabeth asks. “I can’t believe you drove it. It looks so intimidating!”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I shrug and lie through my teeth, thankful that I’m sitting down because my legs are still a bit shaky. “Sebastian was a little nervous, though,” I throw my friend under the bus.
I once again take in everything she’s got out here. “Is there enough room in the closet?” I ask, and she instantly looks away in embarrassment.
“I was sorting everything so that I can put in the closet only what I really want. And I’ll put the rest in the suitcases I came with. I’ll rotate them,” she explains.
I frown at hearing that. “Why don’t you put the rest in the spare bedroom closet? It just sits empty. They’ll get wrinkled up in the suitcases.”
Elizabeth drops the shirt she was folding and turns sideways to look at me. She stares at me like she’s about to give me bad news, but how can that be since she hasn’t even been moved in for twenty-four hours yet?
“I feel like I am taking over your life.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“You’re not…” But she doesn’t let me finish.
“It’s true,” she insists. “I followed you to Texas without even asking if you wanted me here. I just assumed. Now…” She sighs and looks around. “Now I am moved into your house. I have no real prospects for a job, and you’re trying to support my dream of being an artist.”
I wait for her to continue, but when she stops talking, I don’t know what to say either. I can tell that this is eating at her.
“Maybe I should go back home for a while, Lo,” she whispers. “I can stay with my father until I have my life in order. Then…”
I can’t believe my ears. In one swift move, I pick her up and plop her into my lap.
“I asked you to move in with me because I wanted you here,” I tell her. “And I promise to always be honest with you, okay?”
I shake her shoulders lightly to bring my words home, then wait until she nods that she understands.
“Would I have asked you to move in if this hadn’t happened? I have no idea,” I shrug. “But once I said the words, I meant them. I know that it took me a while to say I love you again…” She looks away, like she can’t meet my eyes while talking about this. “But that doesn’t mean that I stopped loving you, Lizzie.”
