Page 33 of Wasted On Us

“You know, I think Mateo’s offer is really sweet.” Elowyn grins, teasingly nudging me. “He’s definitely growing on me. So much better than Rick.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t get too attached. You know it could implode at any minute if and when Dad finds out.”

Ensley jumps in, “Oh, come on, Eden. If he’s willing to put his neck out on the line like this, he might be a keeper.”

I fiddle with my cocktail napkin. “Figures. Guess I’ll have to stick to putting tiny bows on chihuahuas for the time being.”

“Just be careful,” Elowyn adds, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Dad’s like a bloodhound…”

I don’t need my sisters to remind me of the potential consequences. I’m well aware. But I think I have things pretty under control.

At least, I hope.

Chapter Fourteen

Mateo

I couldn’t sleep a wink last night. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, too excited about the thought of Santa and my potential presents to close my eyes long enough to pass out. I packed all of my things already—as best as I could without knowing exactly where we’re going, at least. All Eden would tell me was to bring things that were comfortable to walk around outdoors in and a change of clothes for dinner. I raced home from work, ready to grab my duffel bag and jet over to the doggie daycare to pick her up. She decided to leave her car at work for the weekend, both of us telling our parents that we’re staying with an old friend from high school.

I wasn’t able to bring myself to lie to Abuelita. Not entirely.

“Finally tell me the name of this girl that makes you smile?” She leans in the doorway while I double and triple-check that I’ve packed my phone charger and all my necessary toiletries. I broke down and told her I was going away with a girl. I just never specified who.

“You know… just a friend.” I have to look away from her when I talk, or I’m afraid I’m going to tell her more than I want to. I’ve never been able to keep secrets from her, not with those big, kind eyes of hers.

One eyebrow raises. “You might get away with that if you were talking to your father, but I know better. You’re going away withher. I know you have a special someone. Your amour. Your secret love. This one is serious.”

There’s a genuine excitement in her voice, and I wish I could share that excitement with her. As much as I know that Eden and I can’t have a future together, I can’t stop myself from idly hoping for one. This feels different. She feels different. I used to spend so much time putting up walls and playing games. When I’m around Eden, she makes me want to just be myself.

“I don’t do serious, Abuelita,” I remind her as much as I’m reminding myself. Maybe if I say it out loud enough times, I’ll start to believe it. “How could I? No one can compete with you, my best girl.”

“Remember, your best girl wants to relinquish that spot. Maybe this girl is the one to do it.” Looking at my unzipped bag, she takes one of my shirts out and sighs, obviously dismayed with the way I’ve chosen to fold it. She removes the rest of them and sets about refolding them for me, just the way she likes them. “You spend too much time with me. You worry about me too much. Your heart needs to spread its wings and fly…”

I take the last shirt from her hands, setting it down on my bed and taking her hands in mine. “It’s just a trip. Nothing serious yet. I’ll tell you more when we get back.”

“If you say so,mijo,” she acquiesces with a shrug and a small kiss on my cheek, and I find myself as unconvinced as she is. “Take care of yourself. And open your heart up for a change.”

I try to keep my heart firmly closed on the way to the pet daycare to pick Eden up, but she looks so happy, holding a cartoonishly droopy bloodhound puppy at the counter, that I can’t help but feel a swell of emotion for her. She doesn’t see me through the window at first, so I take a moment to myself, watching the kindness in her eyes as she cuddles the small animal before handing it back to its owner. I don’t know how far she wants our secrecy to extend, so I don’t come inside, instead sending her a text to let her know I’ve arrived. I watch as she checks the notification and smiles to herself at the message. Seeing how excited she is to hear from me is a confidence boost I never knew I needed.

I follow her to her car when she enters the parking lot and help her grab her bags—just one rolling suitcase and that ever-present, overstuffed tote bag she carries around. The lack of luggage tells me that I packed just enough but doesn’t give me any more clues as to where we’re headed off to this weekend. It takes her a minute to get settled into my car, pulling a neck pillow, sunglasses, three different kinds of Twizzlers, and a large bottle of water out of her bag. She is nothing if not prepared, like a modern-day Mary Poppins.

“You look pretty proud of yourself,” I tease, and she hands me a licorice rope in response. Pulling out my phone, I open my GPS and realize that I still don’t know what address I’m inputting. Eden has kept the entire trip well and truly a surprise. “Where are we going?

“Sunset Bluffs,” she answers, reaching over and taking the phone from my hand, entering the location herself. I’ve had friends go down there before, but I’ve never been myself. It’s supposed to be beautiful this time of year. There’s boating and fishing, sure, but there’s also a whole town attached. “There’s a resort there called Go Jump in the Lake. Everything looked so… welcoming.”

I know just what she means. Every photo or advertisement I’ve ever seen makes the place look like something from a chick flick. One of those small towns where a rich girl moves in and learns the true meaning of Christmas from a fisherman, or a guy falls for a rival business owner or something. It’s not the sort of thing I usually go for, but I can see it making Eden very happy. And it’s less than three hours away, so we can get back in a hurry if we need to but guaranteed that none of our family members will be there. She’s got excellent planning skills. I think I’ll let her be in charge as much as I can from now on.

However long things last.

The thought stings, a cold thorn lodged deep in my chest. An expiration date hangs over us like an unwelcome cloud. A small pang of sorrow echoes through me at the idea of this beautiful, chaotic whirlwind with Eden coming to an end. She deserves all the happiness in the world, and the thought that I might not be the one to give it to her is something I don’t even want to entertain right now. Pushing the bitter thought aside, I focus on her vibrant energy, her infectious laugh—the here and now. Yet, in the silence that follows, that ‘however long things last’ continues to echo, an unwelcome ghost of impending pain haunting the back of my mind.

“There’s so much for us to do. There’s a concert this weekend, a bunch of local musicians doing a charity fundraiser. There’s shopping, if you’re into that. We could rent a paddleboat, go cycling. I’m willing to try fishing, even, if that’s your thing. And as much as we’ve gone out to eat together, there’s definitely food there, too. I don’t know… I feel like I tried too hard, you know? I don’t want you to feel like youhaveto do all of this stuff. I don’t want this to be stressful, like, at all.”

“Eden, the only way this would be stressful is if you keep being hard on yourself. This place sounds perfect. We could be driving to go sit in a cardboard box under an overpass for the weekend, and I’d be just as excited. Whatever we do or don’t do this weekend, I’m just happy doing it with you. Away from our dads.”

“I know, but it still feels strange spending this much of someone else’s money. Even if it is for a weekend away with you,” Eden admits, a hint of guilt in her voice.

“Don’t worry about that. I want you to enjoy yourself. This is for both of us, after all,” I reassure her, putting my hand on hers.

---