The Day He Came Back

“We need to survive! That’s why you’re still working there. Plus, Mr. M has been nothing but good to you. I would never expect you to quit because of the stick in that woman’s ass.” I sighed. “So what’s the bottom line? Are you taking the money? Please tell me you are. I’ll find a way to pay him back someday, I promise. We need that money now to get you better. I have as much pride as anyone, but now is not the time for that.”

She paused. “I’m gonna take it.”

I spoke to the ceiling in relief. “Oh thank God.”***A week later, Gavin showed up at my window at night; that had become a habit.

He waved, his voice muffled through the glass. “Hey.”

I opened the window. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Just checking on you.” He crawled inside.

“Yeah? That’s it?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I really want to kiss you.”

Gavin and I were no longer playing the “just friends” game. While things hadn’t gone beyond kissing since that night at the beach, we couldn’t get enough of each other’s lips.

He wrapped his hands around my face and brought my mouth to his. His breaths felt like my oxygen. Immediately, my body reacted, needing so much more than his lips on mine.

When he finally forced himself back, he asked, “How’s your mom?”

“She’s good. Not nauseous like she expected.”

“She doesn’t have another treatment until next week, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You think she’ll be good until then?”

“Yeah. I do.”

He looked like something was up. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“I don’t have plans. Why?”

“I want you to spend the night with me…at my house.”

At his house?

“What? How?”

“My parents are flying up north to look at colleges with Weldon. They’re gonna be gone the entire weekend.”

Oh.

“What about the staff?”

“My mother is giving everyone the weekend off. There’s going to be no one home but me. I can’t tell you the last time this happened. Maybe it never will again.”

As enticing as this was, I was hesitant. I bit my lip. “I don’t know. I mean, I’d definitely have to tell my mother. I don’t want to lie to her.”

“Yeah. Of course. If you think it would upset her, I understand. You could come for the day even, if you can’t spend the night. Whatever you want. It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invite you over and not have to worry about anyone. That’s how it should damn well be all the time, Raven.”

He was right. This opportunity might never come again.

“I really could use the escape,” I said. “It’s been a hard week.”

“Think about it. No pressure. It just feels like this weekend will be the first time I can breathe all summer. And there’s no one I’d rather breathe with.”

“Are you sure no one will be there?”

“A hundred percent. I heard my mother tell everyone not to come in—including your mom.”

My mother didn’t normally work weekends, but she had been scheduled to work some now to make up for lost hours.

He squeezed my waist. “It’ll be so much fun. We’ll cook dinner together in the kitchen, swim, watch a movie in the theater—anything you want. The whole house will be ours.”***I hesitantly entered my mother’s room just before bed later that night.

“So, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I said.

She’d been reading one of her holistic books. After closing it, she sat up against the headboard. “Okay?”

“I was wondering if you’d be okay with me taking off for the weekend.”

“You mean, like, go away?”

“Yes.”

“Sure. I’m feeling okay, and the next treatment isn’t until Monday. Where are you going, though?”

I braced myself. “Gavin invited me to spend the weekend with him at the house.”

She nodded in understanding. “Because his parents won’t be there…”

“Yes, but before you say anything. I—”

“Raven, hear me out.”

“Okay,” I said, preparing for the worst.

“I know you’re probably expecting me to lecture you on how you need to be careful and you shouldn’t spend the weekend with him because it’s too big of a risk, but that’s not what I’m about to say.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Alright.”

“If this diagnosis has taught me anything, it’s that I wish I had taken more risks. I really do believe I’m going to be okay, but if for some reason I’m not, the one thing I’ll regret most is worrying so much about what others think and not taking more chances in life. If, God forbid, I’m not around someday to see you get married and have children, I sure as hell want to see you happy right now. That means today. And I know Gavin makes you happy. He’s a good guy, Raven. He really is. I know Ruth would have both of your heads if she knew—and mine, too. But I think you should live your life and do what makes you happy, despite that evil woman.”