Page 15 of Salvation

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Nerves from both excitement and fear course through me as I hear the familiar sound of a rock bouncing off the window. I jump from my bed, flinging it open and peering down. “Youcoming down, or what?” Wesley whisper-shouts, hands cupped around his mouth.

I roll my eyes and flip him a finger before crawling through the open bedroom window, careful to make as little noise as possible. I could have sworn I heard a light snicker slip from his lips. I can’t imagine how my mother would react if she caught me climbing through a window at this hour. It’s not that either of our mothers were very strict, but asking to leave the house this late at night would simply lead to too many questions.

And this little ritual had become something that was solely ours. I couldn’t even remember when it started, or how, but I cherished the moments Wesley would show up to sweep me away for just a few hours under the stars. We didn’t want to share it with anyone else, not yet at least. I drop to the ground in a crouch, wincing at the noise it makes. Wesley’s now the one to roll his eyes at my paranoia. “Come on, I want to show you a new spot I found earlier.” He reaches for my hand, and I take it, following. My cheeks burn at the contact, and I’m thankful for the darkness covering my features.

About a half hour later of walking through woods in silence, we come upon a clearing. As we walk, it opens to tall grass, with a pond nestled in the very center. Looking up, you can see the night sky so clearly, it’s breathtaking. So secluded and quiet save for the sound of the night’s creatures and their footsteps. I walk ahead of Wesley, spinning to take it in. I can feel him watching me.

“How did you find this?”

“You like it?” He asks quietly.

“It’s perfect.” I stop spinning, and we stare at each other, untouchable and unidentifiable emotions swirling in the air between us. Does he understand how much this means to me? These little moments? The ones where we could be away fromthe everyday chaos of our lives. Where I could forget the disaster of my family and just live in this bubble with him?

I hope he does.

Instead of acknowledging those feelings, or speaking about what I felt growing between us, we just took each other’s hands and walked to the pond, where we dipped our toes into the cold water and talked all night about anything and everything. That spot became one that the two of us visited every single night.

Chapter 14

Wesley

I’ve never wanted a dog of my own. Always been a fan of the idea, but never thought it’d be fair to get one when I’m not even home most days. The bar calls for long days and late nights, and it’s never a steady schedule, so it has never logically made sense.

Benji though? He always makes me question that. He’s awesome. Makes the lonely nights not seem so lonely, and I bask in the fact that it pisses my brother off to know his dog loves me more than him. I’ve tried on more than one occasion to convince Wyatt to just give him to me, but no luck. He loves the damn stray too much. Can’t blame him.

We’re going for a walk now, since he was waiting on my steps like a door-to-door salesman the minute I pulled in the driveway. He sometimes wanders down to my place when he’s bored. So, basically, every day. He’s an off-leash dog, always has been. He’s not the type to stray away. Always stays closeand listens. So, now he walks just a few feet ahead of me, his butt swaying back and forth, stopping every so often to sniff at some invisible object on the gravel road. He pauses suddenly, nose pointing in the air before him like he just caught whiff of something new, and he fuckingbolts.

“Benji!” I shout. “What the hell?” I break into a jog after him, scanning the area to see if I missed maybe a chipmunk or something scurrying by. He really does listen to anything and anybody, but right now? An absolute Hellion. It doesn’t matter that I pulled out my stern voice or yelled his name a dozen times; he just keeps running. A dogthatwell-fed shouldn’t be able to run that fast. I pick up my pace a little bit more, not because I’m worried he’ll get lost, but because I have no desire to pick a dead animal out from his teeth. It’s then that I glimpse a familiar blonde, clad in tight black leggings and a gray top. Standing in the middle of the road with papers in her hand. Clueless to her surroundings.Her head snaps up when Benji lets out an excited bark. “Wesley?”

Benji uses her pause as an opportunity to come plop himself at her feet, tail wagging faster than I’ve ever seen. Patiently waiting for attention. She squeals. Squealsand crouches down to scratch his ears.

“Oh, my! You’re so handsome! What’s your name?” She talks in a baby voice, and my mood dampens just a bit at the much warmer greeting a dog got over me.

I scratch the back of my head and say, “Benji.”

“You have a dog?”

“He’s Wyatt’s.” She looks up from where she’s kneeling on the ground, and every possible dirty thought my brain could manifest rushes to the surface. For a moment, we’re no longer on the road but in a bedroom. Her knees digging into the carpet beneath her, her delicate hands reaching up to wrap around my– “Ah, that’s whose farm is down the road. I came up a side road, so I didn't put two and two together.”

I clear my throat, her voice washing away all my perverted thoughts. She blushes, hopping back up to her feet, and I wonder if she’s recently taken on mind-reading. Or if she was visualizing the same damn thing. She shakes her head and asks, “Are you visiting him or something?”

“Yeah. Taking his dog for a walk.” The idea of telling her I live on this road felt far too intimate for some reason. “You?”

“I was going for a run.” She responds. A pregnant pause follows. I can tell by the way she’s acting that she’s distracted. Something’s thrown her a bit off-kilter, and I can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with her episode from the other day. We both just stand there, Benji looking between us likehecan read the awkward air. “Well,” She claps her hands. “I’ll let you get back to it.” She crouches again, giving Benji a pat on his head. When she returns to full height, she gives me a stoic look and dips her head. “Tell Wyatt I said hi.”

She waves and then breaks into a run, and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s resuming her exercise or if she’s trying to get as far from me as possible. “Come on, dude. I’m taking you home.” I’m positive he sighs in return, but reluctantly forges ahead, wistfully glancing at Blake as she moves away.

Chapter 15

Blake

Passing my phone between my hands, I debate on what I should tell Vivienne when I call to break the news. I’m sitting on the porch steps of my mom’s house, waiting for her to come home so I can share the news with her too. She’ll probably keel over from happiness, and I can’t wait to see her reaction. Jane and I spent hours going over the logistics of the home, and since she’s letting me keep all the furniture and everything else that was in the house, I can start to move in this weekend. She’s no doubt quick and efficient, and I can’t help but appreciate it. If she made me take a few days, I probably would have talked myself out of it. Thankfully, Vivienne’s job pays well, and I had already paid-up front for a couple of months in rent, so she could afford me pulling out. But the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her or make her angry for making such a huge decision without talking to her first. Vivienne has never actually visited Clover-Hills, even though Whitney lives here. She grew up in the city,thanks to the fact that they have different dads. The few times she’s even met Whitney have always been in the city.

What do I even say to her? “Surprise, I’ve decided to stay indefinitely, even though I’ve spent half my life hating this damn town.”

Do I even plan to stay indefinitely? It’s not like I can’t sell the house if I truly want to go back to New York. I sigh and drop my head into my hands, hating how much I overthink shit like this. “Fuck it.” I say aloud and press her name. I wait as it rings once, then twice, and then her voice filters through the phone with a chipper, “Hello, Darling!”

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