Page 10 of Still Love You

"Except we never actually watched the movie." His grin remains as he takes my hand and begins walking back to the truck. It's so true. The movie was just a place for us to make out without our parents around.

"You can't keep doing this." I hold up our joined hands.

"Why not? When we were friends we held hands."

"We were also seven years old at the time."

"We were older than seven. We held hands all through grade school and middle school."

It's true, but we stopped holding hands once I went to a different school. After that, I didn't see Silas much until we started dating. 

Switching schools was a turning point in my life. That's when I decided I'd had enough of my parents' hippie lifestyle and was not going to follow in their footsteps. The hippie clothes? The vegan diet? It's just not me. And I have no desire to take over the family business someday. I admire my parents for running an organic farm. It's their passion and something they believe in. But it's not what I want to do.

I'm a type A personality and I want to run a company someday. A large corporation, probably in the financial sector. I want to be a CEO. I decided this years ago and my first step in getting to my goal was to go to a normal school. Colleges don't want students who grew up going to hippie school. Employers don't either.

I'm still holding Silas' hand. I didn't let go because I like holding his hand. It's familiar. Comforting. When I hold some other guy's hand, it doesn't fit right with mine. Something always feels off.

But holding Silas' hand is like coming home. It brings back the memories I keep trying to forget. Those feelings I keep trying to bury. And those urges to do more than just hold his hand.

"See?" He squeezes my hand, then lets it go. "That wasn't so bad." He opens the passenger door.

"Don't—" Before I can get the words out, he's already hoisted me up and into the truck. "I got it," I say as he reaches up for the seat belt. I don't want him putting it on me again. The last time he did that, my heart went into overdrive the second his hand pressed into my hip as he secured the belt in place.

"I won't do that every time," Silas says as he starts the truck.

"Do what?"

"Lift you into the trunk. I only did that because you have a dress on and I didn't want you giving the whole parking lot a show."

"I could get in without giving anyone a show," I insist.

"Oh, really?" He smiles. "I'd like to see you try. I'll stand behind you just in case."

"In case what?"

"In case you fall backward. Or your dress rips."

"That won't be necessary. I won't need to get in the truck again. We're almost home."

"We're taking it tonight when we go out."

"Then I'll change into shorts."

My phone rings and I almost don't answer when I see it's my mom. I'm mad at her for doing this. I know she purposely sent Silas to get me, hoping we'll end up together.

"Hey, Mom," I answer.

"Hi, honey. Did Silas get there on time?"

"Yes, but why didn't you tell me he was coming to pick me up?"

"We asked him at the last minute. We were all ready to drive down and get you but then your father wasn't feeling well so I called Silas. Make sure to thank him. He had to miss his last hour of class in order to do this for us. If I knew he had class I never would've asked him, but he insisted on helping us out."

"What's wrong with dad?"

"He felt sick to his stomach. I don't think it's the flu. I think it was something he ate. He's resting now."

My parents don't like to waste food so my dad will eat most anything to avoid tossing it out, even if it has mold on it. He'll just eat around the mold.

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