She peers up at me and smiles. “Morning.”
“Sleep okay?” She nods her head and rubs her fingers over the back of my head. It tickles, but I don’t make her stop. “I’m bummed I have to let you out of here.”
“Can we do this again sometime?” She looks so hopeful I’ll say yes.
“It’s not too rustic?” Most girls wouldn’t last an hour up here.
“No, I like it up here. It feels a million miles away from the rest of the world. Just me and you in our own cocoon.”
I smile. My girl is awesome. “Anytime you want.” I lean over and grab her clothes from the side of the mattress. She sits up and lets me help her dress. The clothes are chilled from the cool morning air and she grabs the blanket for warmth while I get myself dressed.
“Hurry up! I’m cold!” Cara shouts from the ground below us.
“We better hurry, Kipton.” Sophie inches closer to the ladder, inspecting the ground below. “Whoa. It looks higher in the daylight.”
“Oh no you don’t.” I reach out to pull her back toward me wrapping my arms around her middle from behind. “You sure you have to go home today?”
She doesn’t respond. I wait another few seconds, but she doesn’t move either. “Hey.” I spin her around to face me. “What’s wrong?”
She shrugs her shoulders and stares at the wall of the treehouse. “Nervous about going home.” I don’t want her to struggle the entire time she’s away, or to revisit old habits. It would be easy for me to convince her to stay with me, but I know she needs to figure it out on her own. “I’ll be okay.”
I’m not sure if she’s trying to convince me, or herself. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. You need time with your family. I’ll be fine. I’m making it a bigger deal than it is. You ready?” She finally takes a breath and scoots over to the ladder. I don’t stop her this time.
“Go slow, okay.” She nods. “Wait. Let me go first so I can help you down.”
We switch places and I keep one hand on her ass the entire way down. For safety of course.
Reluctantly, I walk her to her car. Cara’s thrilled when Sophie unlocks the doors. “About damn time.” She’s being a tough ass, but we both know she loves seeing me with Sophie.
“Why didn’t you just get a ride back with Drew this morning?” I question.
“Because he had to be at the desk at six in the morning and I thought I should find my roommate first.”
“Thanks, Cara,” Sophie says.
I open Sophie’s car door and before she gets inside, I tuck a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. She ducks her head and tries to smooth it out. “I must look awful.”
“You look sexy. I like your freshly fucked look.”
Hitting me in the chest, she can’t help but laugh. “Be good this week.”
“You have nothing to worry about and I’ll call you every day. I’ll probably text you all day too.” I’m so whipped. “And Saturday will be here before you know it. Then, I’ll have you in my bed for a whole week.”
She digs her keys out of her purse and pauses. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t sleep in your bed with your parents in the house!”
“You can and you will. It’s not up for discussion.” I pat her butt and urge her inside the car. She goes reluctantly, but wants to argue about it more. “Drive safely; let me know when you leave.”
“Okay.”
I signal for her to roll her window down. She does and as soon as there’s enough room to stick my head inside, I plant one last scorching kiss on her lips. “I love you, beautiful.”
“Love you, too.”
I pray she comes back to me in one piece.
THE PAST HOUR I’VE PACKED and repacked enough times to know I’m procrastinating leaving the dorm. If it wasn’t closing, I’d probably stay another night and drag it out even longer. Cara’s packed and sitting on her suitcase watching me finish up.
“I’m gonna miss you. Home will suck without our nightly chats,” Cara whines.
I give her a hug, wishing I could skip going to my house entirely. But seeing my mom again will
be nice. “It’s just a couple days and then you can show me around your place.” I’m trying to convince myself as much as her. I can do this.
She rests her chin in her hands and pouts some more. “Doubt it. Kipton’s gonna hog you the whole time.”
“I promise you and I can have girl time. I’m sure he has other things on his schedule too.”
“Doubt it,” She repeats solemnly.
“Oh will you stop.” I pick up my suitcase and am thankful I can roll it out of here without breaking my back. “Give me a hug. I have to get on the road.” Cara stands and wraps me up exactly like she did on move in day.
“Bye, hooch.”
Laughing, I return the sentiment. “See ya, slut.”
It’s only after I leave the dorm that I get blasted with more emotion than I know what to do with. This place, this town, finally feels like home. And I have to leave.
In a daze, lost in my own thoughts, I don’t spot the flower on my windshield until I’m next to it. Tucked under one of the wipers is a gorgeous red rose. I bring it to my nose, inhaling its aroma. I lay it next to me on the passenger seat before stuffing my bags into the trunk. While I warm up the car, I type a note to Kipton. I’d call, but I’ll probably cry if I do.
Sophie: Thank you for the flower.
Kipton: You’re welcome. Leaving?
Sophie: Yeah.
Kipton: Be careful. Take breaks. I don’t like you driving so far all alone.
Sophie: I promise I’ll stop when I need to.
Kipton: Okay. Call me when you can.
Sophie: I will. Love you.
Kipton: That’s never going to get old. Love you too, beautiful.
After a quick stop for gas and another for lunch, the five hour drive back home takes closer to six. I’d gladly drive another couple hours if it meant I could put off going inside a little while longer. But as I pull up outside the brick two story home that’s still over-flowing with memories I’d like to forget ever existed, I know it’s now or never.
I can still see the crack in the pane of my bedroom window that was never fixed. If I move the dresser a few inches to the right, I’ll also find a hole in the wall from a thrown textbook. If only it was that easy to camouflage the emotional cracks and holes I’ve collected within my mind the last twenty years.
Mom’s still at work, so I head inside, unsure of how I’ll feel once I’m on the other side of the front door.
It’s open which surprises me. I slowly enter, nervous about what I may find considering mom’s car isn’t here.
“W-what are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same thing. I’ll be discussing it with your mom. She’s meeting me for dinner tonight.”
“Oh. You still have a key?” I don’t like that my mom hasn’t changed the locks after he moved out. That’s the first thing she should have done.
He has the audacity to laugh at me, but I’m supposed to be in here, not him. “Of course I have a key. She might have wanted to divorce me, but she never stopped loving me.”
“She did divorce you.” I step forward and move toward the kitchen.
“That’s what she wanted you to believe at the time. But she never showed up in court; couldn’t convince herself to sign away our marriage once and for all. I can’t say I blame her.” He opens the fridge and helps himself to a beer. That hasn’t changed.