Page 36 of Another Love, Another Time
“My mom and dad chipped in for the gas card. They figured you could use it,” she explains.
“Thanks, River.” I flash my best smile, rip the tags off the shirt she got me, and pull my current shirt off.
She giggles. “What are you doing, Auggie?”
“I’m wearing my new shirt. What do you think? How does it look?” I spin for her to admire the new shirt on me.
“You know you don’t need your ego fed; you could make a paper sack look good.”
“So, you’re saying I look good?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “You know you do. Start driving, big head. I’m getting hangry.”
After we eat, I feel like I need to be rolled out of the restaurant. Man, I’m miserable. I think River feels the same way. I’m not quite ready to go to the party. Not a lot of people will be there just yet; it’s still a little early.
Reading my thoughts, River asks, “Who all will be at the party tonight? Anyone I’ve met before?”
“Yeah, well, you know Logan will be there. I think you met Gracie and Kyle and a few of the others. Amber will be there, but you don’t have to worry about her. She’s on, like, her sixth boyfriend since me.” I smile slyly.
“What about Melissa? Am I going to be forced to be in her presence tonight?” she asks.
“Probably. I usually see her at all the parties. She hangs out in our group.”
She nods. “Let’s go get some snacks and drinks for tonight. I know that I’ll get thirsty tonight, and I don’t want to be tempted to drink anything if I get thirsty.”
I put my turn signal on so that I can head towards Walmart. I can’t imagine how she’s thinking about food right now, but River is always thinking ahead.
When we arrive at the party, Kyle already has the bonfire going. There are people standing around the fire and sitting on the tailgates of trucks that have been backed up to the fire. I pull up and start to back into the last empty spot by the fire.
River looks over, smiles, and says, “Man, there are a lot of people here, Mr. Popular.”
I see Kyle walking towards my window and comment, “We better get out, or they’ll drag us out.”
We both hop out and go around to the back of the truck. I put my tailgate down and move the cooler closer to the edge so it's easier for River to reach it. Kyle reaches us. He already has a beer in his hand and is trying to give me one. “Nah, man,” I say. “I’m not drinking tonight.”
“What? You have to. It’s your birthday!” he encourages.
“I know, but I’m not drinking. I have to drive River back home tonight. If I drink, her parents won’t trust me again.”
“That sucks, man.” He looks at River. “No offense.”
She just shrugs. “He’s the one who agreed to it.” She hops onto the back of the truck. She’s wearing cut-off jean shorts, the shirt that has us in the bathtub together, and her red Converse. Her golden hair is down now, but I know it won’t be long until it’s pulled up into a ponytail. She brought one of my old hoodies to wear just in case she gets cold. She said she had started wearing makeup, but I don’t notice any. She’s beautiful without it. I’m glad she’s never felt the need to wear a lot. Breaking me out of my thoughts, she asks, “Auggie, you want something to drink?”
“Yeah. Can you just get me a water?”
She shuffles through the cooler, brings out two bottles of water, and throws me one. I untwist the cap and chug down half of it.
“Woah, slow down,” she says. “We’re going to have to pace you tonight if you keep that up.” She laughs and then holds her hand out, wanting me to help her down. Instead of grabbing her hand, I grab her by the hips and throw her over my shoulder. She squeals, “Let me down, Aug!” I start to let her down headfirst on my backside. “Auggie, no!”
“I thought you wanted down?” I taunt.
“You know what I meant.”
I bend over in the front and make sure she’s planted firmly on the ground, but I don’t let her go. I wrap her up in a hug and press my lips to her forehead. God, I love when it’s just the two of us like this.
I’ve had other girlfriends since Amber. I actually just broke up with one a few weeks ago. I recently made the decision that I won’t have a girlfriend when River is around. I want all my focus on her anyway. She deserves it.
“Hey, River!” Logan screams across the bonfire. River steps back, but she lets me continue to hold her. Logan walks towards us and wraps her in a big hug. I know Logan doesn’t like her that way. She’s more of a sister to him than I have ever thought of her, but I still feel a tinge of jealousy. I want to be the only person she’s hugging.
