Page 20 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“Sure, bud. Go ahead. I’ll be right here and don’t leave the rink unless you’re coming right back here.” Jackson and Xavier awkwardly jump in excitement on their skates, then waddle off. His parents give me a nod and a wave.

I turn my attention back to Layla. “Sorry about that.”

She shakes her head. “Don’t be.”

“So, you’re here for another ten or so days. What else do you have planned?”

“Honestly, I’m kind of winging it. Trying to live in the moment. I’m just enjoying being here, it feels so festive and magical. I miss that feeling. Sacramento can get a little dull around this time of year.”

I smile. “I know what you mean. Not that I’ve spent much time in Sacramento. I’ve only really passed through on the way to college. But about that feeling you get here. There’s no place like it in the world. Not for me, anyway.”

She smiles back, and our gazes lock for a moment. It looks like she wants to say so much more, but I really can’t read the emotions on her face right now.

“Can I take you somewhere tomorrow?” I ask confidently, though I blurt it out on a whim. What am I doing? This woman just showed up a few days ago and will be gone in a little over a week. But she gives me the cutest tight-lipped smile, and all logic is out the window.

“Depends…where are you taking me?” she replies with a coy smile, but I know I’ve got her.

“You’ll have to wait and see.” I return her coy look and bump her knee with mine. Then I force myself to pull my attention away from her for a moment to watch Jackson, making sure he’s okay out there. He’s skating along with his friend, looking thrilled.

“I hate surprises,” she pouts, though she’s fighting back a smile.

“You’ll like this one,” I wink back at her.

She gives me a side-eye, then sips her coffee while watching the skaters pass by.

I watch her for a moment as she takes in the people going by. The subtle bump in her cute nose, her long lashes that flutter every so often when she blinks, her perfect lips as they sip from her steaming cup—she’s captivating to look at. I sit beside her, taking it all in as I sip my own black coffee. It’s a drink that I grew fond of so many years ago, back when a certain brown-eyed girl waltzed into my life, took my breath away, and then left just as quickly.

Layla may be leaving in a little over a week, but I don’t think I’m going to let her go so easily.

Not this time.

14

Liam

Nine Years Ago

She told me her family usually went to Tahoe during winter break. I remembered almost everything Layla shared with me that night. So, as soon as I finished with classes in the fall—nine months after meeting her during spring break—I headed home with excitement. I was hoping for more than a little luck.

My first day back, I checked the cabin her family stayed in last time. No luck. I even knocked on the door, only to be met with some confused strangers. I didn’t care. I apologized and walked along the lake’s shore, hoping to see her. Still no luck. I knew it was a long shot, but I wasn’t ready to give up.

I hadn’t stopped thinking about Layla all year. School kept me somewhat occupied, but I was also a little bit bored. Most of what they were teaching me was stuff I already knew. I even forced myself to go on a date or two, but I wasn’t feeling it. My first year of college should have been fun, but instead, it dragged on. A lot of that had to do with her. I still couldn’t get her out of my mind after nearly a year.

That first day after we met, I slept most of the day since we’d been out past sunrise. As soon as I woke up, I felt excited, hoping Layla would want to hang out with me again. I was like a lovesick puppy. Totally smitten. After eating, getting ready, and heading to her place, though, my excitement faded. She wasn’t there. No one was.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. I figured she and her family had gone out for dinner or something. They’d be back.

By the next day, my feelings turned to dread. They still weren’t back. I happened to run into one of their neighbors, so I stopped to chat. They informed me an ambulance had taken an elderly lady from the cabin the day before. My stomach dropped. I thought her grandma might have died or something, and I felt terrible.

Every day I went back hoping they’d return, but if they had, I must have missed it.

Nothing changed over winter break—I still hoped to find her wherever I went. I would sit in a restaurant or stroll downtown, spotting a head of black hair and feeling a spark of excitement, only to be disappointed when I realized it wasn’t her. I couldn’t spend every minute looking for her, though. Dex kept me busy, dragging me off to snowboard, making appearances at a couple of parties, and other mindless things.

On the last day of my winter break before I had to head back to college, I was having lunch with my older sister, Lace, and my best friend, Dex. I was feeling down, my hope of finding her dwindling to almost nothing. They both knew all about my obsession with the girl from spring break. Dex had already met her, and I’d told Lace all about her. Lace thought it was adorable, and said Layla sounded great. She had never liked any of the other girls I talked to in the past. She was always very protective of me.

“Alright,” I said, sitting up straighter after we finished our food. “It’s my last night here. Let’s do something crazy.”

“I’m in!” Dex exclaimed, his smile widening. He didn’t even listen to my idea before agreeing.

---