Overlooked(2)(77)

My Googling still hasn’t gotten me very far, despite the number of hours I’ve spent searching the internet. But I have a new plan. A plan that will solve three of my problems at once — my over-protective parents, the snitty snits of this town and, most of all, finding Steel.

I’m going to apply for a job at the carnival. I found a website that’s exclusively for carnival jobs. And I’m going to apply for all the ones in the Carolinas. Then I’ll figure out which one is Steel’s, and join it.

I’ve sent emails to all of the ones I could find already, but I said I was looking for Steel instead of looking for a job. Not a single one responded to me.

My mind's made up. I am running away to join the carnival.

“Here you go, Emily,” Barbara says, passing me my coffee to go. I haven’t had it to stay since I got my tattoo.

“Thanks.”

“I’m still praying for your family.”

Barbara still says that, every Saturday without fail. I’ve never acknowledged her comment. Because her comment doesn’t acknowledge me.

Without regret, I turn and open the door to the main street in town. Or rather, the only non-residential street in town. I take a step out, hoping I don’t run into any other gossipers.

“Goldie,” Steel’s deep voice coats my skin in goose bumps and makes my heart starts pounding at ninety miles an hour.

I turn around to find him walking up behind me, his Hollywood smile beaming at me. My heart melts at his sight, and my entire body starts buzzing.

“You came back for me,” I say, my face beaming.

“Course I did.” My heart leaps at his words.

“Listen, we can’t really talk on the street, all the town busybodies are out.”

“Sure.” Steel makes a grunting noise. He probably thinks I’m crazy, but he doesn’t understand what it’s like. Or maybe, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks and thinks I’m being silly.

But I have to be careful, no one can think we’re together. Otherwise my dad will be on my ass before I knew what hit me. And lord knows what he’d do to Steel.

He follows me to my car, and I make him get in the backseat and lie down.

As I hop into my car, I glance in the backseat. Steel’s face beams up at me from his position lying curled up in the backseat. Good thing he had the foresight to put his legs behind the driver’s seat so we can talk.

“Stay down so no one can see you. Do you have any idea how much shit I’ve been through because of that night? My parents locked me in my room when they found out. That’s why I didn’t come back to see you the next night, I couldn’t.”

“You didn’t?” He heaves a sigh of relief. “My boss got pissed off and made me leave that day, so I wasn’t there that night. I’ve been worrying all this time about you thinking I skipped town on you.”

My eyes widen at his words. I’m so relieved he didn’t think I bailed on him.

I want him in the front seat, but can’t risk it in town. I start driving and head out down one of the country lanes. When we’re a little ways out of town, I pull the car to the side of the road.

“You can come up here now,” I say.

“About time,” Steel says, climbing into the front passenger seat.

As he’s doing up his seatbelt, our eyes catch and we freeze. Our faces are inches apart and neither one of us moves. My insides melt and explode at the same time. I still can’t believe he came back for me.

“You’re even more beautiful than I’ve been fantasizing about,” he says.

“You’ve been fantasizing about me?”

“Only every second I’ve been out of this town.” The comment makes me burst with joy.

“I might be guilty of that too.”

“Yeah, I’d be fantasizing about myself if I was you, too,” he says with a broad smile.

I burst out laughing.

“I meant about you.”

“Oh, you meant me?” he says, cupping the back of my head.

His smile is back, and I have to close my eyes and open them again in order to believe it’s real. And all for me.

Steel’s nose grazes mine, and his hand cupping my head tilts it. My lips part as his soft lips press against mine. He’s really here. At first he didn’t seem real, like I might’ve been imagining his return, but now his kiss puts any doubt of hallucinations out of my head.

His lips are the most wonderful feeling in the world, and make all the pain and loneliness of the past few months vanish.

A pick-up flies past us, bringing me back to reality.

I put my hand on his chest, and say, “We can’t here, we’re not far enough out of town.”