"Morning, Squirt." He wrinkled my hair.
"Morning, Gramps." I made a face at him and he laughed.
"What are you eating?"
"Cereal."
"Boring." It was his turn to make a face. "Want to go and get pancakes?"
"You and me?" My heart started beating fast as I stared at him with hopeful eyes.
"Yeah. I assume Eden is still in bed?"
"Of course."
"We'll call her on the way back. See if she wants anything." He grinned. "Now go and get dressed."
“What about Clara?”
He frowned. “She’s suffering from a hangover.”
“Oh.” I bit my lip and then continued. “Is she in your room?”
“No.” He shook his head. “She’s in her room.”
“Oh, you guys aren’t sleeping together?”
“Not on this trip.” He laughed. “Mom and Dad aren’t that cool.”
“Oh, okay.” Did that mean that he and Clara had slept together before or not? I knew it was none of my business, but I really wanted to know.
“Why?” He gave me a thoughtful look, and I stared at his lips, remembering the night he had taught me to kiss.
“I was just curious.” I shrugged and turned away. “Let me go and get my clothes on.”
I ran out of the room and made my way to the bathroom so that I could brush my teeth and wash my face. After that, I ran to the bedroom I was sharing with Eden and looked through my clothes for something cute but unassuming to wear. I decided on a black tank top and a pair of white shorts, and I was just brushing my hair when Hudson poked his head into the room.
“You’re not still getting ready, are you, Riley?”
“Yes. I had to put my clothes on.”
“Come on,” he groaned as I pulled out my lip gloss. “You don’t need that.”
“I’m coming.” I rolled my eyes at him and reached for my blusher.
“Riley,” he groaned again, and I glared at him.
“Be quiet,” Eden mumbled as she rolled over in her bed.
“Are you up, Eden?” I whispered, with my heart in my mouth.
“No,” she grumbled and rolled over again.
I grinned at Hudson and hurried out of the room. I was glad that Eden was staying in bed. I hadn’t spent time alone with Hudson in years, and I was looking forward to it.
“Are you finally ready?” He rolled his eyes at me and I shoved him.
“You’re an ass.” I laughed as we walked towards the front door.
“Watch who you’re talking to.” He grabbed me around the waist and pushed me against the wall. “I’m dangerous, you know.”
“Uh huh.” I giggled. “You’re the most dangerous twenty-year-old in the world.”
“And you think you’re the smartest eighteen-year-old.”
“Well, you know. I’m a eighteen-year-old rebel.”
“Well, rebel, want to go for a swim before breakfast?”
“At the beach?”
“Yeah.” He nodded and stared into my eyes. “Or are you worried about your hair?”
“What’s there to worry about?” I laughed. “It’s going to look like a frizzy mess in a few minutes anyways.”
“Oh, Riley.” He laughed, and then we both paused as we heard a sound.
“Hudson? Hudson, are you awake?” Clara called out, and I felt a surge of disappointment wash through my stomach. That was it then. Clara was now up.
“Shh.” Hudson placed a finger against my lips. “Let’s go.” He let me go and we walked quietly to the door, exiting quickly. We ran to his car in giggles, and I jumped in, feeling high on life.
“Why didn’t you answer her?” I asked him as he started the ignition.
“I wanted to spend a morning with my favorite girl uninterrupted,” he answered with a quick grin, and I sat back, feeling happier than I had in a long time.
“Then what are we waiting for?” I reached forward and turned on the radio. The Beach Boys’ high voices came vibrating out of the speakers, and I sang along to the music.
“So tell me. How are college applications going?” Hudson gave me a quick look before pulling onto the main road.
“Eh, still trying to decide where I want to go.” I shrugged and looked out the window. “And what I want to study.”
“What are you thinking?”
“English or journalism.”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“Maybe become an English teacher or a journalist.” I laughed and turned to him. “What about you? You graduate soon. What are you going to do?”
“I have no clue,” he sighed. “Mom and Dad keep telling me to go to law school, but I have no interest in being an attorney.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a boring job.”
“Maybe I’ll just travel the world and then decide.”
“Travel the world?” I looked away, not wanting him to see how disappointed that made me. I didn’t want him to travel the world.
“Yeah. It’s something Clara and I have been thinking about.” He frowned and then accelerated.
“Oh, Clara is going as well?” My disappointment became jealousy, and I looked out the window, nibbling on my lower lip.
“She’s thinking of taking a year off before med school, but she’s not sure.” He shrugged.
“So you guys are serious?”
“I can’t really answer that question. We don’t see each other that much, what with all her studying and her part-time job.”
“She has a job?”
He nodded. “She helps to support her mom.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, she’s a good girl.”
I looked over at him as he pulled off of the highway. “You really love her, huh?”
“I don’t know.” He gave me a quick look. “What’s love, really?”
“Does she make your heart race when you look at her? Does your stomach do flip-flops? Can you breathe when she’s not around?”
“What are these questions, Riley? Have you been reading too many romance novels again?”
“I don’t read romance novels,” I lied. They were my dirty little secret. I devoured about two romance novels a week, and all I could think about when I read them was me and Hudson riding off into the sunset.
“Well, then you need to stop watching chick flicks. Sometimes being with someone isn’t about all that sappy stuff,” he snapped. “Sometimes you’re with someone because the alternative is not acceptable.”
I stared at him with wide eyes. “You really don’t want to be alone, do you?”
“What are you talking about?” he sighed.
“You just said if you weren’t with Clara you’d be alone and that wouldn’t be acceptable.”
He shook his head in frustration. “I said no such thing.”
“That’s what I thought you meant.”
“Well, you thought wrong.” He pulled into the parking lot of a diner and stared at me. “You’re eighteen, Riley. You have the rest of your life to worry about love and all that nonsense. Don’t get caught up in it now.”
“I’m not caught up in anything.” My face went red as I got out of the car. “Asshole,” I whispered under my breath.
“I heard that.” He laughed and grabbed me from behind. I shrieked as he had caught me unaware, and he started tickling me.
“Hudson!” I squealed as his fingers worked their way under my arms. “Stop it!” I tried to escape his hold, but he pulled me closer towards him.
“What’s the magic word, Riley?”
“Please!” I pouted slowly as I stared up into his eyes.
“No.” He grinned down at me, his hazel eyes mocking me as his lips moved dangerously close.
“Open sesame.”
“What?” He laughed and tightened his grip on me.
“Hudson, let go of me.” I tried to push him away, but all I could feel was his solid muscle underneath my fingertips.