Heart Waves (8 page)

I watched his face light up, “I realized last night when I came to help you,
you
were more than capable of handling yourself. And I knew if I did anything you weren’t okay with, you’d hurt me.”

“School gave us the opportunity to take self-defense as
Phys
Ed for a semester,” I explained.

“Bet you got an A.”

I laughed, not feeling at all like he was judging me.

“So if there are no traumatizing memories, and you could beat me into the ground, then I guess it’s my good looks that drive you crazy,” he sniggered.

“You’re not that good looking.” I felt certain my flaming hot checks were bright red, giving away my embarrassment.

“So how good looking am I?” he winked.

“Shut up and drive.”

He brought a hand up to his chest and feigned being insulted.

Sitting in the car, I couldn’t help but stare at Reece. There was an element of comfort with him that I never experienced with a guy before.
Never ever.
For the first time, I could relax and be myself.

The more I found myself in his company the more I enjoyed it. I looked forward to his lighthearted jabs, knowing he could take them as easily as he gave them. 

“Where are we going?” I finally asked when the car veered onto the highway.

“Wait and see.”

“I don’t like to wait.”

“Why not?
You have a hot date you need to rush home for?”

“As a matter of fact, I have an incredibly hot date,” my heart skipped a beat and I thought I was going to die leaving myself so vulnerable. “I’m just not so sure I want to share him with anyone else.”

For a change he had nothing to say. No witty come back, no towing the line to see what he could get away with, just silence. Reece took a deep breath and turned the air conditioning up.

He cleared his throat.

“What?” I asked uncertain I wanted to hear the answer.

“I think it’s a very good thing we’ll be in a public place!”

A light bulb went on. I realized I could make him as off kilter as he made me. I’d just have to step out of my comfort zone and flirt.
Shamelessly.
I could enjoy this. A little practice, that’s all I needed. I didn’t think he’d mind me flirting and cajoling him. I stared at Reece with a big smile on my face as the silence lingered.

I decided to take a page out of his book, “Everything okay?”

“Fantastic,” he said giving me a sideward glance and a big smile.
“Just surprised.”
It took him another minute to recoup. “I never know what to expect from you.”

“And that’s a good thing?” I couldn’t be certain.

“It’s a great thing.” He smiled and that was all he needed to do, to have me in his power. “Incredible,” I heard under his breath. He reached over and took my hand in his. We were in it together.

Partners.

We didn’t speak much for the next twenty minutes, just listened to the radio and watched the trees pass us by. As soon as he got off the parkway, I had a good idea we were going to Six Flags. There isn’t much else to do in that end of Jackson, especially on a first date.

It didn’t take long to park the car and walk past the decorative shrubbery and flowers. The lines at the entrance weren’t as long as I anticipated. Just to be sure we would get in without much
delay,
Reece purchased the tickets on line. A security check through the turnstile and metal detectors and we were officially in the park.   

We walked straight ahead and were quickly stopped by the park photographers offering to take our picture. Reece asked if we could have it taken with Daffy Duck who was being escorted to his next destination.

With a little help by our picture taker, we had Daffy before the line of impatient children waiting for him. Reece and I faced each other, his arms circling my waist, and Daffy on my other side.

“A keepsake to remember our first date,” he suggested.

“You say that like I’ll want to remember,” I teased.

“You will,” he smiled, and led me by the hand to the game area.

Reece looked around and stopped in front of a game with old fashioned Coke bottles and the biggest stuffed animal prizes in the area. He pulled out money and paid the attendant for three chances to get a ring around the neck of the bottle.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Winning a prize for you.”

“Oh please, you don’t really think you’ll win, do you? They rig these, make them impossible, or close to it.”

“You need to have more faith in me. Just wait and see.”

I watched with an “I told you so,” attitude and snickered when he overthrew the first ring. He wasn’t even close! It careened past the square of play all together, and hit the back wall.

“That’s okay, I’m just warming up.”

Again he tossed a ring, this one stayed in the general area he meant it for, but didn’t come near the top of any bottles. By the time he pitched the last one he’d gotten so close it circled the top just before falling to the ground.

“Three more.”
Once again he handed the attendant money, and then glanced at me. “Think I can do it?”

He won me over. How could I root against him?
In anything?
I wanted so much to be in his corner. “I know you can.”

I watched as he tossed the next circle out with quiet precision. My mouth hung open as the ring circled the top of a bottle and fell around its neck. He did it. I jumped up and clapped full of excitement. He looked at me, his eyes dancing.

“Which one would you like?” He gestured toward the array of three foot stuffed animals.

I chose an overstuffed brown and white patched dog. Without thinking, I stood on my toes and gave Reece a quick kiss on the cheek. He circled his arm around my waist and pulled me close, taking my breath away.

From there we went to see the live dolphin show, we raced go karts, took a ride on the cable cars with my large stuffed dog. We walked around the park, taking in the different sights, held hands and joked about men wearing tights after the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder charged passed us.

I continued to follow Reece’s lead. He’d done a great job so far. I didn’t know if he had everything planned out or if he just played it by ear, according to my reactions. It didn’t really matter. I couldn’t have imagined a better time.
Until he led me to a roller coaster.

“No way.”
I shook my head and dug
my heals
into the ground once I realized we were headed onto the line.

He laughed at my reaction which wasn’t about to win him any points.
“Why not?”

“I don’t do roller coasters.”

“Everyone does roller coasters. It’s just a matter of figuring out which ones they do.”

“Not this one.” I insisted.

“Jenna, how bad could it be? There are five-year-olds on the line.” He wore a smirk on his face which made me want to kick him hard in the shin. When he put his arms around my waist and attempted to pull me close, I got angry. He knew how he affected me and he wanted to use his perverse power to get me to do something I was absolutely against. That wasn’t okay.

“I know you’re afraid,” he crooned, brushing my hair away from my face. “I am too.”  

“How?
How do you know?” I asked with alarm bells ringing in my ears, more like an accusation than a question.

He had a sheepish look about him. His eyes fell to the ground, but only for a second. Once he lifted his eyes back to my face, he appeared just as cool and confident as ever. 

“Grace told me.”

I took in a long deep breath, feeling every muscle in my body stiffen. And then I remembered I refused to speak to her since the previous evening when she left me to go hang out with Mike.
S
ome best friend. I wished she were in front of me so I could tell her what a traitorous harpy she was.

I looked back at him with suspicion in my eyes. When had he spoken to Grace? Why? Insecurity flooded my mind and pulsated through my veins. I didn’t like feeling this out of control. 

He sensed something was wrong and pulled me over to a nearby bench. He sat down and waited for me to join him, never breaking contact with my hand. Feeling totally awkward I followed suit, and put Patches down on the other side of me. 

“Grace came home with Mike last night,” he explained.  “They must have gotten back after we did. She wanted to be sure you got home safe and sound, since you didn’t bother to answer her calls or texts.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever talk to her again.” I knew I didn’t mean it, but I was furious with her!

“I saw her for a minute when I got home, and asked if you liked amusement parks. That’s all. She said you do but you weren’t fond of roller coasters.”

I noticed again how he spun the true sentiment of what was said to dilute the impact. I hate roller
coasters,
Grace would’ve put it plain and simple. And then I felt a pang of envy stab deep into my chest. She went back to Mike’s, she spent time with Reece, and I wasn’t there. And it wasn’t the first time either. Jealousy I’ve never felt before filled my gut.

He cupped my chin between his forefinger and thumb and tilted my head up so that I would look into his eyes. “I just wanted today to be special, to blow away all expectations and preconceived notions. We were having such a wonderful time. What happened?”

I shrugged, disappointed, disenchanted. “None of this is real. You’ve been playing me the whole time.”

“What part of this don’t you think is real?”

I pulled my hand from his, needing space to think clearly. “All of this!” I stood too agitated to sit and discuss it calmly. “You’ve been searching for my weaknesses. Finding things you can use to manipulate me.”

I could see in his eyes my words stung, but he managed to keep his voice smooth and even. “Jenna, you might feel better when you understand we’re on equal ground.”

“Meaning?”

He reached for my hand again, and I hated that I let him take hold of me so easily. I found it hard to be angry with him, or think of him as the despicable villain I feared him to be, when he touched me. 

“I’m scared, too.” He spoke in a soft voice. “I’m not used to feeling like this, wanting to spend every waking minute with someone. Or having a girl
keep
pushing me away, knowing she has feelings she’s petrified to admit.”

I wanted to protest and insist I didn’t have feelings for him, but I’ve always been a terrible liar. I looked away and he stopped speaking until I made eye contact once again.

“I’m walking on eggshells so I don’t say or do something to upset you. I’m not used to any of this. The way I feel about you frightens me. And heights terrify me.” He looked earnest.

“Then why are you so hell-bent on getting me to go on?”

“It’s symbolic, that together we can overcome the fear. The way I’m hoping we’ll do with each other. In the end I thought this,” he gestured to the loathsome ride before us, “might actually be fun for both of us.”

“What do you mean you’re not used to feeling like this?”

He looked mildly amused. “That’s what you heard? I just poured my heart out to you and that’s all you heard?”

“No. I just . . . I’m trying to understand. You don’t feel like this often, or you’ve never felt like this?”

“Never,” he answered, seeming off his game for a change. “But I’d rather talk about it somewhere more private.”

“Do you promise to tell me the truth?”

He nodded and
stood
.“
C’mon
, let’s go.”

I didn’t move. Instead I narrowed my eyes trying to assess the truthfulness of his words. He looked like something was squirming in his stomach, like he was about to be sick. He looked like I felt. If he had told me the truth, this was the best time to get him on a roller coaster.   

I turned to take in the long train and the track. It really wasn’t as horrifying as most of the other roller coasters the park boasted. If anything this was a step above the one at the boardwalk. Only one little baby step above my comfort level. I could handle that.

“Are you really afraid?” I asked.

“Deathly,” he smiled looking cocky again, knowing he won the battle. “But
it’s
worth having my heart pound through my chest if I get to hold on tight to you.”

I let out a long, defeated sigh. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this.”

The line moved quickly. The only advantage I could see in that, it meant the ride ended fast. At least I hoped so. While waiting, Reece put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. I rested my head against his chest and found we fit together perfectly.