Page 19 of Believe in Caloosa Springs

“Do you know what time it is? My phone’s dead.”

I shook my head. I’d left mine in my cabin. If I had to guess, I’d say about eight. Maybe eight-thirty.

“Is Mandy still here?”

I shook my head again, remembering her saying goodnight to everyone about an hour or so prior.

“Fuck,” he cursed. “So she just abandoned me out here?” His bottom lip protruded, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

Oh, wow. He was pouting. I wondered if he was aware. He looked very intimidating at first glance, but, seeing him now, with a deep frown on his face, the way his eyes were darting around behind me in the darkness? He looked like a scared little fox. Maybe a cat. Something that hissed when it felt threatened, but really only wanted ear scratches.

“I could drive you home,” I said before I could stop myself.

“Really?”

I nodded. I had no clue where anything in this town was, but as long as he knew how to get us to his house, I was pretty sure I could manage to find my way back.

“I should just call and make Mandy’s traitorous ass come down here and get me,” he muttered.

“Whichever you prefer.”

He glanced at me again. “You really don’t mind?”

“I have to run over and grab my wallet. I’ll bring the car over and grab you in just a few.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

It wasn’t freezing by any means, but I was happy the heater in the car worked. I had to give Henry credit. He’d done a great job preparing things for our departure. The car was the part I had worried about the most. Henry wasn’t exactly known for his decision-making, especially under pressure, but he’d ultimatelydone well. I would have liked for him to have spent a little less of our savings, but that would be replenished soon enough. There was a large part of me that still couldn’t believe we’d done it. I was proud of Henry. I was proud of myself. That’s what I was thinking as I drove Tian through the darkened streets of Caloosa. Definitely not about how close he was in the passenger seat, or how our arms almost brushed on the console.

“I think the turn is just up ahead,” he said, sitting up straighter to give himself a better view. “It’s so dark out here, it’s weird.”

“It doesn’t get dark where you’re from?”

Of course it gets dark where he comes from, you fool…“I mean…”

He looked at me and huffed out a little laugh.

“Yes and no,” he began. “I’ve been in Las Vegas for years. While the sun does go down, it doesn’t really get dark. Between the thousands of cars and their headlights, the streetlights, and all the neon signs, you can pretty much see everything all the time.”

“That seems a little intense.”

“You get used to it. I actually prefer it over the small town thing.”

Salt Lake City wasn’t a small town by any means, but nothing like Las Vegas. Or so I had always imagined. I’d never been there, myself. Anything that had a nickname that involved the word ‘sin’ was pretty much a no-go for the Beckett household.

We fell into silence once more, and I sat there racking my brain for something to say to keep the conversation going.

“You don’t really say much, do you?” he asked.

Oh, great. You waited too long. Stupid. Stupid!

“I- ugh, sorry.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize for being who you are,” he said casually, turning his head away.

You don’t have to apologize for being who you are. I repeated his words in my head. Wow, that felt like a slap in the face. I’d only known this kid for several hours, and he’d already shown me more respect than most of my family had in my entire life.Huh…

I pulled to the curb where he’d instructed and put the car in park.

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