Chapter Thirty-Three
Raven
I feel like the Tin Man.
Seriously, I’m so sore. My friends and I have been crying since we got back and had dinner about how many aches and pains we feel. I don’t know how we’ll participate in the other activities tomorrow if we can barely move without feeling like our limbs will fall off.
Grabbing my phone, I send a text to Kylen.
Raven: How are your muscles doing? You can call me Mrs. Tin Man.
I smile when he responds right away.
Kylen: My muscles are doing pretty good.
Raven: You’re telling me you’re not sore at all?
Kylen: I work out every night, so not really.
Raven: Show off again.
Kylen: Hey, it’s not my fault you don’t move your muscles. I saw how you are at PE. You’re like a statue. That’s why I was surprised at how good you were at skiing. I thought you would for sure quit after five minutes.
Raven: Thanks for thinking so highly of me. And PE is nothing like skiing or even ice skating. Coach just likes to torture us for no reason at all.
Kylen: Lol. I agree. How about I make you some hot chocolate? Maybe that will heal your muscles.
Raven: Oh my gosh, hot chocolate sounds sooo good! Yes, please.
Kylen: Great! Meet me in the foyer?
Raven: Okay.
I drop my phone on my bed and announce to my friends, “Anyone want hot chocolate? Kylen and I are going to make some.”
Sophie looks up from where she’s reading on her bed. “Did he invite you to go?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Like…a date?” Addie asks.
“What? No, I don’t think so.” I grab my phone and look over the text. “I don’t think it sounds like a date. You think it’s a date?”
“Why are you getting so bent out of shape?” Carly reaches over from her side of the bed and sweeps my phone out of my hand. “Let’s see…oh, wow. You guys are totally flirting with each other.”
“No we’re not!”
“Let me see!” Addie rushes over and bounces on the bed, snatching my phone out of Carly’s hand. “It seems like a normal conversation on the outside, but I can see the little messages behind your words. You two are definitely in Flirt City.”
I scowl at them. “Once again, you’re conjuring things that aren’t there.”
“Would it be the end of the world if you guys were flirting?” Sophie asks as she turns a page. “I mean, you’ve been really good friends for a while now. Maybe you’re ready to go further than that.”
With a groan, I fall down on my bed and cover my face.
“I don’t know. I feel like we get closer and closer as the days pass, and he’s so amazing.
I spent a whole year and a half convincing myself he was a monster because I thought it would help me forget about him, but I haven’t forgotten about him.
He’s the same guy he was back then. The same guy I fell in love with. Actually, he’s even better.”
“So what’s the problem?” Addie asks.
I sit up. “There’s no problem. I’m happy where we are. If things move past that, I’ll deal with it when it happens. Right now, I just want to have hot chocolate with him. Are any of you guys coming?”
“And ruin your date?” Carly says. “Heck no.”
“It’s not a date, Carly.”
“It might be.”
“It is in my eyes,” Addie says.
I shake my head with a smile because my friends are still so impossible. “Believe whatever you want. I’m heading down.”
The hallway is full of girls walking back and forth between the rooms or just hanging out outside. There are a handful in the foyer, too, but it’s mostly empty. I spot Kylen sitting at the counter with the ingredients to make hot chocolate. When he sees me, he waves me over.
“Hey,” I say as I climb onto a stool. “Have you ever made hot chocolate before?”
“Sure. My grandma makes the best hot chocolate in the world. It doesn’t get super cold in Seattle like in New York or Boston, but I loved the cold days where I could snuggle up with a yummy cup of my grandma’s awesome hot chocolate. And today, you get to learn how to make it.”
“I’ll have to make it for Robin when I get home. She loves hot chocolate, and she’ll probably love it even more if it’s your recipe.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I playfully shove his shoulder. “Every time I call her, she asks about you. I don’t know what you said to her at Parents’ Day, but she worships you like you’re the best older brother in the world.”
His face lights up and softens at the same time. “That means a lot to me. I’ve always wanted a younger sibling. I’d love to be her older brother. Maybe I can check on her when we get back to school? I’d like to see how she’s doing.”
“Sure. I know she’d love that. Now, tell me how to make this yummy hot chocolate. My mouth is already watering.”
He does as I ask, showing me step-by-step how to do it. It’s not a difficult recipe at all, and I find myself creating my own in a matter of minutes.
“Awesome,” Kylen says as he holds out his mug.
I clink it with mine and then take a sip. Then I almost drop it and gasp. “Oh my gosh! This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my life.” I proceed to chug more of it down, but I have to be careful because it’s hot.
Kylen grins as he takes another sip of his. “Told you. Nothing beats my grandma’s.”
“Thanks so much for sharing it with me. I don’t think I can ever have any other hot chocolate as long as I live.”
As we continue sipping our drinks and exchanging a few words, the foyer starts emptying out. It’s getting pretty late and most of the kids are tired from today’s activities. I’m not tired at all. This hot chocolate has zapped me with newfound energy. I bet I can stay up for another four hours.
Kylen tilts his head toward the fireplace. “Want to sit there? The spot’s empty.”
“Sure.”
We get up and lower ourselves on the cushions some other kids left behind. The warmth feels so good on my body. Even though the fireplace does a good job of heating the whole place up, it feels so much better right in front of it.
“Are you still Mrs. Tin Man or is it time to have a divorce?” he asks with a crooked smile.
“It’s a little better,” I admit as I take another sip of the delicious hot chocolate. “This definitely helped.”
“I knew it would. Beck is a little sore, even with working out every night. I guess I’m just amazing.”
“Oh, you definitely are. Did you invite Beck for hot chocolate, too?”
He’s quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I just wanted to invite you.”
Now there’s added heat to my face due to my blush. “It is nice, isn’t it? Just the two of us?”
“I’d like to think so.”
“How were you so good on the slopes?” I ask. “It’s obvious you’re not a beginner.”
“Jasper’s parents take the family every year over winter break.
I’ve always gone with them because they knew my grandparents were too elderly to do it.
It was so awesome of them, and I’ve always been grateful.
I guess I never took those trips for granted and put everything I had into having a great time. ”
“And the result is you being a pro.”
He laughs softly. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I try to be the best so I can have the best time, if that makes sense.”
“Don’t worry, it does.”
He takes another sip as he contemplates something.
Feeling bold, I ask, “What are you thinking?”
“How much my grandparents miss me. I called them before we came down here and they were so happy to hear how much fun I’m having. Despite how excited my grandma was, I could see in her eyes how much they miss me. I guess I feel a little guilty for leaving them all alone.”
He shifts in his place and then says, “But at the same time, I know they want me to be here. They want me to have every opportunity. They want me to experience everything life has to offer. I know I might sound like a son instead of a grandson, but I wonder what will happen once I leave for college, and then when I have my first job, and then if I get married. What will happen to them?” He moves his eyes to me and shakes his head with a laugh.
“Sorry for unloading all that onto you. I feel like this is a conversation for an older person.”
I rest my hand on his arm. “You’re a great grandson, Kylen. There are so many kids out there who don’t care about their grandparents. They see them as the old people their parents force them to visit at a nursing home. But you care so much about yours. That’s very honorable.”
He lowers his eyes to his mug. “Thanks. It means a lot.”
“I know you’re constantly worrying about them, but they’ll be okay. I only met them once and I know that they are strong people. The love they have for you and for each other will get them through anything.”
He smiles. “I’ve always felt that, too. That as long as they hold onto the love they have for one another, they can get through the hardest obstacle.”
I return the smile.
“I don’t remember my other grandparents that much,” he says as he takes a long sip of his mug. “They died when I was little. They tried to tell me as much about my mom as they could so I could hold onto her memory, but unfortunately, I don’t remember a lot.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head with a reassuring smile. “That’s okay. They gave me a lot of her things that she loved growing up, so I’ll always have some of her with me. And they loved taking pictures of her.”
“That’s wonderful.”
He nods. “Did I tell you that they spent a romantic getaway here?”
My eyes widen. “What? No, you didn’t tell me.”
He drains his mug and places it on the coffee table behind us.
“My grandmother reminded me about it when I called her. I didn’t realize it was this exact location.
They had just graduated high school and were set to go to different colleges.
My grandfather wanted to quit college and follow my grandmother wherever she went, but of course his parents were very against it.
So they decided to have a romantic trip before they separated for four years.
They lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn, so they didn’t have to travel too far, and the lodge wasn’t as expensive as it is now.
I remember they told me how they carved their names into one of the trees. ”
“That’s so romantic. Do you think it’s still here?”
“Doubt it. I’m sure they cut it down years ago.”
“Too bad. It would have been awesome to see it.”
“Yeah.”
I place my mug on the coffee table and then scoot closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Thanks so much for sharing so much of yourself with me. I thought I knew you inside out at camp, but there’s still so much more to you that I didn’t know.
That I still don’t know. I love learning every little detail and sharing in your memories. ”
“Thanks. The same with you.”
“I don’t have as many things to share with you like you have with me. My life is pretty boring.”
“You’re not boring at all! I love that you’re more open with your music now. You were so closed off and private about it only a few days ago.”
“I guess you’re right.”
The fact that I felt comfortable writing a love song for the band shows how much I’ve grown in only a short while.
I think that has a lot to do with Kylen.
He’s helped me come out of my shell. He’s helped me realize that the world isn’t such a scary place, not if you have people in your life who care about you.
He rests his head on mine. “I know I’ve said this many times, but I’m so happy we’re friends again.” His lips gently sweep across my temple. “I hope we never lose what we have.”
“I hope so, too.”