Six Days: Book One in the SIX Series (9 page)

           
“You look like you’re in deep thought,” he said quietly.

           
“Just thinking about the bakery and everything we’ve been
doing there. We’ve been working really hard on it,” I lied. I obviously
couldn’t tell him I was still thinking of his tattoo, or more specifically, his
chiseled shirtless chest. “Mallory is amazing. She was meant to do it, to bake,
own her own bakery.” My voice trailed off and I felt flustered.

           
“What about you, what were you meant to do?” he asked,
his eyes penetrating mine.

           
“That’s just it, I have no idea,” I responded, shaking my
head. “I feel like I’ve just been drifting through time. I thought one day I
would just wake up and realize that one single thing I was supposed to do the
rest of my life, you know?”

           
Griffin shook his head in agreement. “At least you have
the freedom to figure it out. My dad never gave me that option. I had to join
the family business. I tried to fight it once, actually.” He ran a hand through
his perfectly messy thick dark hair. “One summer when I was nineteen, it was my
dare to tell my father how I felt. I didn’t exactly use my words though, I just
left. I took off. I took my guitar, a few changes of clothes, and like a
thousand bucks. I went to L.A. and thought I could pick up a few music gigs and
that I could just play my guitar and be something on my own. It was pretty
terrible. That city swallowed me up. Within five weeks I came back, defeated,
having to face my father. That’s when I got the tattoo by the way, one night in
L.A., after one of my first shows.”

           
I nodded, listening intently.

           
“I still remember that night. I was on top of the world.
Somehow I stumbled into the right nightclub, even though I wasn’t even old
enough to be in there. An opening act didn’t show up, so they let me play a few
songs. Somehow in that moment, I thought it was
my
moment, you know?
Like all those people were there to see what I could do. But that was it, just
one good night. One night that makes you feel like you’re on top of the world,
like you did something so right, as if that single moment is enough to change
anything.” Griffin shrugged his shoulders. “Then the next morning you wake up
in your dingy, studio apartment with an infected tattoo on your side and not
enough money to even buy breakfast.” Griffin shook his head. “I’m so sorry,
Addie, I didn’t mean to keep rambling about all that.”

           
“I would have come to see you play a show,” I replied,
smiling.

           
“Yeah right, you’ve never even been to a concert before.
You never would have found me. Not in the places I was playing,” Griffin said,
placing a hand on top of mine on his center console in his car. “But you heard
Steve,
he’s going to force me to play. So it appears you’ll
get to hear me after all.”

           
My hand felt warm with his on top of it and I felt like I
couldn’t move. I felt like all the air was being sucked out of the car.

           
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to buzz kill our night with all of
that. It’s a melancholy story, I know. Can I walk you to your door?” Griffin
asked politely.

           
“Oh no, I mean, you could, but your pants are soaked,” I
replied, pointing to the water marks all the way down to his knees. We both
laughed. “I imagine I’ll see you tomorrow?”

           
Griffin nodded and removed his hand from on top of mine.
I hesitated, wanting to say something. I wanted to change my mind about the
walk to my door, but I couldn’t seem to retract it. My mind went blank. I
nodded and exited the car, making my way up to my apartment door.

           
As soon as I stepped inside, I cursed myself once again
for the awkward end to the evening. I just felt so conflicted about what was
happening. Griffin was so demonstrative with Megan and Mallory, always hugging
them and kissing them on the cheek. So the mere thought of him touching the top
of my hand, surely that was something insignificant, right? But the warmth of
even the slightest touch from him surged through me,
Somehow
my brain failed me in those moments, and I felt as though I never knew how to
react.

           
I tossed and turned all night, replaying the evening over
and over in my head. One minute he was so carefree, jumping into the freezing
pond with the joy of a little kid. Then later he’s having an emotional
conversation with me about his father and his failed attempt to make a choice
other than the life apparently laid out for him. I wished I had known him then,
back when he was trying to make that decision. But why, what would have been
different for him even if I had known him back then? Even his friends’
persuasion seemed to pale in comparison to the relationship Griffin had with
his dad.

           
I laid there wondering if I would like Griffin’s father.
Sure, he sounded intense, but he must care strongly for his son too. It sounded
like his dad genuinely wanted him to be involved with the family business. He
must care about his son a great deal to want to work with him day in and day
out. Controlling, yes, but I never had anyone who loved me enough to make any
decisions for me.

I
finally drifted off into a deep sleep, forcing all thoughts of Griffin as
anything other than a friend far out of my mind.

           
The next morning I felt hazy when my alarm went off,
despite the fact that I had gone to bed at a decent hour the night before. I
really hadn’t gotten home that late, although getting to sleep took longer than
usual for me since I couldn’t shut off my thoughts. I took a quick shower,
threw on some leggings and a short sleeved sweater dress, and tied my hair into
a loose chignon. As I walked into the kitchen to grab a banana for breakfast, I
noticed an envelope on the table.
Day 3
was written on the outside of
the envelope.
How did this get inside my apartment?
I looked around the
dimly lit room, suddenly feeling a little freaked out by the thought that
someone could have been in my apartment without me knowing. The only rational
thought I could formulate was that Griffin must have thrown it on my kitchen
table yesterday when I went to grab my swimsuit.

           
I tore open the envelope. Inside was a note with a ticket
attached to it, which read
Admit One
,
County Fair
. I read the
note.
Day Three:
It’s not bungee jumping if you’re in a metal cart.
See you at 6:00 p.m. - G.
The county fair?
I’m
pretty sure I went to those when I was younger, I must have. Corn dogs, funnel
cakes, and of course teenagers puking in trash cans either from alcohol or
upside down roller coasters.
 

           
As usual, Mallory was already at the bakery when I
arrived. “So, the fair tonight,” she said excitedly as we began to work.

           
“So you
do
know about the messages I get?” I
remarked, looking for more information.

           
“Honestly, not really.
I just
knew we were all going tonight, so I guess I knew about that part,” she said,
clasping her hands together. “So, what’s going on with you guys? It’s not
getting weird or
anything,
is it?”

           
Well, a moment ago I
was
excited to be spending
another night with Griffin. I hated that my mood changed when I found out we
wouldn’t be alone.

           
“Oh no, we’re just friends. Obviously,” I said, sounding
a bit too cavalier. “I mean, it’s not like these are dates or anything. He’s
just showing me around, taking me new places. It’ll be even more fun tonight
with the whole group,” I sputtered, trying to sound more convincing.

           
“Then where were you last night?” Mallory asked,
insinuating I had a juicy story for her.

           
“He took me to the hot springs up in Loganville. It was
really nice. We only spent a few hours together. Like, three hours to be exact,
so it’s not like it was some drawn out thing, Mal,” I said, trying to quell her
thoughts about why these adventures weren’t what she thought they were. “He’s
really nice, as you know, and we’re just hanging out. It’s no big deal.”

           
“Hey, I’m just saying this is a little unusual, that’s
all. Griffin doesn’t just ‘hang out’ really, not alone with people. Lately
Steve can barely even get him to do anything. He’s either working or we have to
coax him out just to spend a few hours with us,
that’s
all I’m getting at. It’s just really nice that it seems like he’s slowing down
a little,” Mallory said, pulling out the order sheet for what we would be
working on today.

           
“Hey, it’s just a dare. Maybe he is just making his best
effort so I can get my name out of the box so he can be done with it, who
knows,” I replied, reaching for one of the mixers.

           
“We’ll see about that, Addie,” Mallory responded, shaking
her head as if she didn’t believe me.

           
Work went by quickly since we only had a few desserts to
make for one of the retirement homes in the area. It was a simple job. After we
dropped off the order, we went out to lunch and did a little accessory shopping.
We each got a few new pairs of earrings and a couple bracelets. Mallory was
obsessed with having pieces of jewelry to go with everything she wore. It
amazed me how she could pull off any outfit from top to bottom, all coordinated
to a tee. When we were finished we went back to my place that evening to get
ready for the night. Mallory had brought over another bag of clothes for me to
try on.

           
“Skinny jeans, really?”
I
grimaced. “What about this body makes you think these would be flattering for
me? I’m not sure they should make them in all sizes,” I said, looking down at
my hips. I was relatively in shape, sure, but my bone structure in general did
not seem to coincide with smaller-than-normal pants. I just didn’t get the
obsession. I was only five-foot-six, not short by any means, but I didn’t see
the need to emphasize that my legs weren’t nearly as long as
all
the
trendy model type girls who wore them.

           
“Well at least put on these black ones, they’ll feel more
like leggings to you,” Mallory said, holding up some black semi-stretchy pants.
“Besides, Steve will be there tonight, as you know, and I’m wondering if he has
some kind of crush on you,” Mallory said, handing over the pants. I almost
choked on my own spit.

           
“Steve? Why on earth would you say that?” I asked,
sounding quite surprised.

           
“I don’t know. I mean, obviously he thinks you’re pretty.
I’m sure all the guys do. But he’s just been a little weird lately now that
you’re spending so much time with Griffin, even though I pointed out it’s only
been two days,” Mallory said casually. “Don’t you think he seems more attentive
to you when you’re around? I don’t know, just something I noticed. I just
thought maybe he kind of liked you, and if you’re not into Griffin…” Mallory
paused as if she was setting me up to have a rebuttal for the Griffin comment.

           
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting
Mallory.

           
“Damn, Mal, I’m not even dressed yet. Can you grab that?”
I asked, happy our conversation was cut short. I finished putting on her tight
black ankle pants and one of her white chiffon tops that had a little black
belt around it.
Too nice for a fair?
The door
burst open and Mallory grabbed my arm, leading me out to the living room.

           
“Wow, Addie. You look really nice,” Griffin remarked, standing
near the door with his hands in his pockets. “You too, Mal,” Griffin said
winking. Griffin wore dark jeans and a black button down shirt, looking as sexy
as usual with little effort.

           
“Steve, Meg, and Johnny are going to meet us all there.
Let’s go,” Mallory said, shoving us both out the door.

           
Griffin looked at me with surprise, seemingly taken aback
by Mallory’s presence. I guess she just assumed we were all going together, and
since I didn’t exactly know the plan, I never said otherwise. As we walked out
to Griffin’s car Mallory immediately climbed into the front seat. I slipped in
the back, noticing a conflicted look on Griffin’s face.

           
The drive to the fair wasn’t long, and the place was
pretty busy despite it being a week night. There were families, teenagers, and
4-H kids everywhere. Within minutes of our arrival, Steve wrapped a fuchsia
wristband around my wrist.

           
“What’s this for?” I asked curiously.

           
“So we can go on as many rides as we want,” Johnny chimed
in, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “We haven’t done this since we were
kids. Our moms used to drop us off here and we’d get the armbands and we would
literally ride every ride, until at least half of us puked,” Johnny added,
beaming at the memory. “Oh Steve, you remember that one time you dared me to
drink that half gallon of milk and then ride the Vortex?” Johnny said, pointing
at one of the rides.

           
Megan covered her face. “That was one of the grossest
nights of my life, Johnny, don’t remind me!” she said, punching him in the
shoulder.

           
The six of us walked through the sea of people and the
guys exchanged stories of their roller coaster days as kids. The first few
rides we went on were mild, which I was thankful for. Then I was forced on the
Elevator Drop, which I quickly determined I wasn’t a fan of. We filed into a
small metal box and strapped on some harnesses. The ride then slowly lifted us
up into the air then plunged back down to the bottom. My stomach didn’t
appreciate the rapid free fall motion, and I secretly hoped this was the worst
ride I would have to go on tonight.
 

We
finally took a quick break from the rides to eat some fair food. We snacked on
pork sandwiches, fried vegetables, and split a couple of funnel cakes. It
wasn’t long after eating that we realized heavy food while trying to defy
gravity was a terrible idea.

           
“
You doing
okay Addie?” Griffin
asked politely. “You look a little pale.”

           
“I’ll sit out the next few rides with you if you want,”
Steve chimed in.

           
“Oh no, I’m fine.
Really.
It’s
just been awhile since I’ve been flipped upside down this much,” I replied.

           
Johnny raised his eyebrows and Megan quickly covered his
mouth with her hand.
“Oh no, no comment on that one, Johnny.
Give the girl a break,” Megan pleaded sarcastically. I blushed.

           
“Well the fireworks start in about a half hour. Maybe we
can just do the Ferris
Wheel
or something light and
then set up our spot on the lawn,” Mallory suggested, looking at each of us for
agreement.

           
As we waited in line for the Ferris
Wheel
,
Griffin stood beside me. He leaned down and whispered in my ear.

           
“Sorry Addie, I originally had something else in mind,”
Griffin said with a sly smile. We were pushed onto the ride and I was happy
when Griffin slid into the seat next to me.

           
“I was going to take you to a concert in Sacramento
tonight since you said you’d never been to one before,” Griffin said, staring
at me with gentle eyes. “I forgot I had already promised the group awhile back
that we would all go to the fair together. I knew Mallory and Meg were really
excited about it. I couldn’t let them
down,
I just
didn’t have it in me.”

           
“Oh Griffin, that’s okay. This is great, really. I
haven’t been on a roller coaster in ages, I think tonight has really been fun.
I mean I haven’t felt this dizzy and terrible in forever, but somehow it’s
still been great,” I replied with a big smile.

           
“Well, I promise you a concert Addie,” Griffin said. He
sat back into the seat and the ride picked up the pace since everyone had
loaded.

           
We sat in silence for a moment and I stared up at the
clear night sky. As a kid, I didn’t star gaze very often. The thought of it
back then made me feel so alone, like just a mere speck in this vast universe.
But tonight, well, tonight I liked the stars. In fact, it took me back to the
first night I met Griffin, looking up at the stars on the stone patio. They
felt striking then too. Somehow, surrounded by this good group of friends, I
felt comforted by the twinkling overhead.

           
“Pretty night, huh?” Griffin asked, staring directly at
me.

           
I nodded my head, smiling back at him.

           
“So what exactly do you do for work, Griffin? That has
been nagging at me for
awhile
. I know your work
frustrates you, but I guess I don’t really know what you do,” I asked. I just
couldn’t take the not knowing any more, and since his friends never really
explained it to me, I figured it was about time I asked him directly. It seemed
so much easier to inquire about that type of thing on a night we were all
hanging out together, just as a group of friends, rather than one of the
evenings where it was just the two of us.

           
“Well, I’ll give you the fancy answer first. I oversee
three different departments for my dad’s company; accounting, reporting, and a
property design team which handles any type of structural renovations we make.
Those all fit well enough within the qualifications of what my dad thinks my
business degree covers, so it sounds like I am qualified enough to head up
those positions. But the honest
truth,
and I know I
should be embarrassed to say this but I just don’t care anymore, I really don’t
do anything nearly that important. My dad actually has people who are really in
charge of those departments, and I am just supposed to sign off on the
decisions they make,” he explained.

           
“So what do you do day to day then? Like what type of a
business is it? I’m not sure I really understand,” I asked, trying to clarify
what he was saying.