Page 26 of The Road Sometimes Taken

1 Scout’s honor

11

I DARE YOU

HAPPY, CRAIG LUCAS

Manny

Cara disappearsinto the bathroom and I take this time to cool off. She’s been driving me insane all night. No, not insane. Fuckingwild.

Her dress showed off her body perfectly; not all of it, just enough to keep my imagination going. The top of her dress was tight around her small perky breasts and her waist then flared out. It’s short too, showing her perfect long legs. And those sandals. They wrapped around her feet and calves and had me wanting to wrap myself around her body. To top it off, as she danced her dress would lift, showing off her tight shorts underneath. She asked me why I didn’t dance with her and the truth of the matter is that every time she got up to dance, my dick got hard at the sight of her—so carefree and so beautiful and so perfect. The crush I’ve hidden on Cara all my damn life is definitely surfacing now and I’m at a loss at what to do with it.

I grab a water bottle from the fridge and down it in onegulp, before changing from my dinner attire to some sweatpants and a fitted white shirt to sleep. I grab the extra blanket from under the table and a pillow, making a bed on the ground.

I’m laying the blanket down when Cara comes out of the bathroom, her hair pulled to the side over her shoulder, wearing leggings with knee-high socks over them and a sweatshirt that could fit me. It lands mid-thigh on her and I don’t know how she can look so stunning in whatever she wears.

She puts the clothes she has in her hands on top of the night table and looks at me with a frown.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re not sleeping on the floor, Manny. This bed is huge, come on.”

I’m not sharing the bed with her. That’s a bad idea on all counts, especially because I’m worried about what will happen once her warm body is next to mine. I would never cross that line between us. But what will happen to me—I will probably die of pent-upenergy.

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll be fine, right here.” I smirk, tapping the floor with both hands before laying down and crossing my legs at my ankles. “See? Perfect. Good night.”

She stays quiet for a minute but then she comes closer, squatting down so her face is near mine. Her lemon scent entraps my body, making my skin break out in goosebumps like it is physically touching me.

I look up into her eyes—they look dark now in the dim light from the lamps—and she says the last three words I expected: “I dare you.”

“Come again?” I ask, coughing, grabbing the water bottle on the table and taking another sip.

“I said—” she pauses for emphasis, sitting on the edge of the bed “—I dare you to sleep with me. Sleep on the bed with me, notsleepsleepwith me. You get the gist.”

“No,” I insist.

“Such a shame, I thought you said you were a man of your word or something.” Cara doesn’t say anything else, she simply crawls to the top of the bed and pulls the blanket over her legs before laying down.

“Good night, Manny. I can’t wait to tell everyone how you avoided a dare.”

Por el amor a jesucristo?1.“Fine, I’ll take it,” I groan, standing abruptly and dragging my feet to the bed. I bring one of the pillows with me and set it between us, hoping that the pillow will be enough of a barrier to keep us apart.

“Nighty night, Manuel,” she whispers, turning her body away from me, pulling the chain on the lamp and leaving me alone with my thoughts. I count the time that passes. Seconds turning into minutes and minutes turning hours trying to fall asleep, which seems impossible with her soft waves spread across the pillow and her lemon scent enwrapping all of my senses. Whoever said that scent was one sense didn’t meet Cara. The way she smells starts with that one sense and it takes all of them. It sparks a memory. It sparks a feeling. The way she smells feels like basking in the sun. It smells like a day full of your favorite things, happy and sweet. It tastes like the sweetest drink. And with her laying right next to me, soft breaths coming out and eyes peacefully shut, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to smell a lemon and not think of her—not see her.

I wakeup alone in bed. I check my phoneand it’s 5:10am. I’m surprised I slept past five. I don’t set an alarm because I never sleep in. My body has a way of reminding me that there are things to do and I can’t accomplish them by sleeping. I usually check my emails and then go to the gym or for a run before heading to the office.But why is Cara up?Maybe she’s on her teacher schedule and her body wakes her up, too. I look around the dark room and don’t see her anywhere. Her side of the bed is made, the pillow barrier still in place, and the room is eerily quiet.

I get up and the floor creaks, like it’s announcing I’m up but there’s nobody here to hear it. I get my shoes and softly open the door to the tent. What I find on the other side is not what I was expecting. Sitting on the steps, wrapped in a blanket with her head low, is Cara. She’s moving her hand through her hair, caressing it gently as it falls down her back and her loose waves—dancing in the wind. I have to pinch myself to remember weareon this trip together because this scene is too close to what I’ve dreamed of for years. When I step closer, the floor creaks louder and she turns around. When her eyes look up at me, that’s when I can tell.She’s crying.

Her eyes and cheeks are red. Not like she’s cold but more like she’s been sitting out here crying for a while. Crying alone with only a blanket and surrounded by nature—the only thing she allows herself to find comfort in. Except I’m here and if she’s hurt, she could’ve told me.

“Hey,” I whisper, hurrying to her side and sinking into the floor beside her. She glances down, her hair falling to shield her face, and I catch a glimpse of her trembling shoulders. With a quick motion, she closes the journal resting in her lap, the soft thud echoing in the quiet air. She wipes at her cheeks with trembling fingers, her breath hitching slightly as she fights more tears stopping them from falling.

“What are you doing out here, Manny? I’m such a mess,”Cara grumbles, turning away from me so I can’t see her, but tough shit because I’m not accepting that.

“Hey,” I say again, this time softer, grabbing her chin with my fingers and tilting her face toward me. It’s still not sunrise but the sky is brightening. I can see it in the colors of blue merging softly with the light caught between night and day. The twinkling lights illuminate her face, highlighting the freckles across her cheeks, beautiful even with the crimson color behind them. “Cara, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing, nothing, just ignore me. I’m a mess,” she adds, sniffling and trying to take her face from my fingers.

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