I broke away from Lacey's body and pulled her shirt down.
I saw the lights of the truck flashing against the window as the vehicle grew closer to the house.
"Shit," I whispered.
"What's wrong?" Lacey asked.
I looked at her. "I have to go, darlin'."
"What? Why?"
"I need you to just stay here, okay? I'll be back soon."
"River, I can't. I have to get home."
"You can take my truck," I said. "Your parents will flip out about it, though. Park it on the street and I'll get it."
"No, don't leave! What's happening?"
The truck horn blared again.
Fuck me, I'd forgotten about my nine o'clock thing.
I got up on my knees, towering over Lacey.
"This is work stuff," I said.
"You have to fix a car right now?"
I smiled. "It's my other job. Look, it's going to be okay, darlin'. I just have to go. I'm sorry. Will you stay here and wait for me?"
"Yes," she said. She pushed to sit up. "I'll be here, River. But I can't stay all night."
I grabbed for my truck keys. "Take these. If it gets past midnight, I want you to drive home. Blame me. Your parents already hate me. I don't need them to hate you."
"River, I'm scared."
I slipped my hand behind her neck, pulled her close, and leaned down. I kissed her. "Darlin', there's nothing to be scared of. This house is big, empty, old. Cuddle up the sleeping bag and relax. You know how to get out of here and get home. I'll be fine."
"Please hurry."
"I'll try my best."
We kissed again, and I stood up. I grabbed my t-shirt and my smokes. I looked back at her one last time and smiled at her with a wink.
The second I walked out that door, it was all business.
There were two guys in the front of the truck. Two more guys in the bed of the truck. They all had bottles of beer. Someone threw one from the bed of the truck at me. I snagged it midair and popped it open.
I jumped into the bed of the truck, and we were off.
"You ready?" one of the guys, Charlie, asked me.
I made a fist. "I never lose."
"You leave something behind in there?" He pointed to the house as the darkness swallowed it up.
"Nothing for you to worry about," I said.
I pounded back the first beer. The second one I took my time with.
I never got nervous when it came to work.
Except this time. I had butterflies in my stomach, and I knew why.
I wanted to make it back to Lacey and hold her. Smell her. Taste her skin. Lick up whatever innocence was left.
Get whatever time I could with her.
Because our time … it was just ticking down to heartbreak.
Lacey
ALMOST TEN YEARS AGO
When the sound of the truck was gone, I looked around the house. I instantly felt like I was a little girl, terrified of every shadow and creak. But I wasn't a little girl. I wasn't a girl at all. I was a woman. If I had it my way, I wouldn't even be living at home, but since my parents were covering the cost of my college tuition, they demanded I stay home to help them save money and give me time to focus on classes. My dad wanted me to become a doctor, and my mother always went along with him. He was tech guy. If you asked what he did, he'd speak another language of big words and jargon that only a handful of people understood.
I sat on the sleeping bag and spread my hands out over it. I started to smile, reflecting on what had happened with River. He never once pressured me about it. We were just sort of together all the time. I loved him. I really did. He said he loved me. He didn't go out with other women or anything like that. So it just felt right. At least to me it did. I didn't care what anyone else would think, not that it was their business.
Having River as my first was exactly what I had imagined. Even in the abandoned house, it was all just somehow fitting for him. He was a wild boy, a rambler, living on the edge but always coming back to me. He was the complete opposite of me. And that's why we worked. I wished my parents could see beyond the roughness of River.
I tried to put my head down, but that wasn't going to cut it.
I swore I heard footsteps upstairs, and that freaked me the hell out. I jumped up and put my pants on, got my socks on, and did a one legged-hop as I slid my shoes on, heading for the front door.
Outside, the night was calm, the serenade of crickets playing.
The house was really beautiful, even if it was run-down. There was so much potential in the house. Fresh wood. Fresh paint. Cleaning the thing up. It would be such a fun project to have. Hidden in the woods. No neighbors.