Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
DUSTIN
A s soon as Echo’s mom shuts the front door, I run to the side of the house and open the wooden gate. I remember her complaining about how it can be a pain and get stuck, so I make sure to be swift and lift up as I push in.
I know Mrs. Price will walk straight to Echo’s room to give her the work I picked up. That gives me plenty of time to sneak into the backyard while she’s on the other side of the house. I also notice she’s dressed up, so I’m really hoping she’s about to leave. I need to talk to Echo. With her dad catching us the day before and then her not being at school today, I fear the worst. I wanted to leave at lunch when I knew without a doubt she wasn’t showing up. But then this brilliant idea hit me, and I knew I’d get farther with it than trying to sneak around midday.
Her blinds are shut, and I can barely hear talking. I pull out my pocketknife and start carving into her windowsill as I wait. I don’t make my masterpiece big; just big enough for her to notice it. I want it to be a reminder for her. I want the girl I love to never forget about me, no matter what happens with us. I want to make sure I implant every small thing I can to keep her mind on me. It’s the little things that count. Grand gestures are nice, but it’s all the small things that come around at the most unexpected times, taking your mind back to a moment, or a person. Those are the things I want to create between us—the small, meaningful things that will always keep us connected.
The old, heavy front door shuts, rattling all the windows. I hear the start of a car and know I’ll be seeing Echo any second. I blow at the pieces of wood and white paint and brush the remaining dust away with my hand. I watch with anticipation as the blinds slowly lift. Inch by inch, I begin seeing my girl. I want to break the window and jump in and tackle her, but I refrain. Barely.
She smiles as soon as she sees my face, making my heart skip a beat. I’m not going to lie; I was scared shitless of how she’d react. Not seeing her today put a whole new level of doubt in me I haven’t experienced before. I hate feeling her father has the power to instill doubt in both of us.
She kneels on her bed, places her hands on the glass, and pushes the window up. “Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, gorgeous,” I reply as I take her in. Her hair is extra messy from lying down, and I love it. I want to be the cause of the messiness. One day, I promise myself.
“Thanks for the delivery.”
“No biggie.” I shrug. “I had a hidden agenda.”
“Oh yeah?” She giggles. “And what’s that?”
I push up on the screen, releasing it, and then lower it to the ground. “Kissing my girl,” I say as I lean in to claim her lips. She returns the kiss but doesn’t fully give in. She’s reserved and hesitant. And I hate it.
She pulls away, looking down. “We’re going to get caught. Again.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth in a worrisome manner.
“No, we won’t.” I grab her hand that’s resting on the windowsill and pull it to my lips, placing a kiss on the soft skin.
She looks up at me, and it nearly breaks my heart. A few tears spill from her eyes and slowly roll down her face.
“We will. Somehow. Some way. It’ll happen. Someone will see us and tell my dad. Or, for all I know, God himself might do the snitching.” The funny thing about her last statement is I can see her father saying God revealed it to him.
“We’ll just be extra careful,” I assure. “We won’t make the same mistakes and be so careless.”
“I can’t lose you.” She begins to sob, making me realize just how hard this is on her and the extent that it’s gone. “Next time we won’t be so lucky. My father can be an extremist. I don’t even want to know what he’d do if he caught us together again.” She shudders at the thought.
I take her hand I’m still holding and lower it to the outside windowsill. I move it back and forth across the letters as if it’s Braille. “Do you feel this? Do you see what this says?”
She glances down and tries to smile, but more tears fall instead.
“Echo,” I say, urgency in my voice. She looks up at me. “This is my promise to you.” She glances back down and begins tracing the D+E 4ever. “Scooch back for a minute.” As soon as she moves, I hop in, landing on her bed. I don’t care if I’m going against everyone and their dog’s wishes—or commands. My girl needs me and I’m going to hold her. She doesn’t argue or urge me to get out like I half expect. I need to calm her down and reassure her everything will be okay…with time. Things might seem impossible at first, but if both people want them bad enough, anything is possible.
“It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it,” I say as I hold her against me.
“Promise?” she whispers.
“Hell yeah, I promise it’ll be worth it.”
“No, promise you won’t leave me.” Her voice cracks a bit.
“Never. I’m never leaving you,” I vow. The thought of losing her inflicts a palpable pain in my chest. The sensation brings tears to my eyes.
“I believe you.” She breathes against the crook of my neck.
We sit quietly, just taking each other in for what feels like forever. I don’t want to let her go, knowing she’s filled with such grief and doubt. I want to comfort her and erase all those feelings, but I know I can only do so much. She has to trust what I feel and have faith in us. However, I fear with her father hovering over her, those feelings might remain until we graduate.
Just seven more months to go.
“You better go,” Echo says, sitting up quickly. “My dad will be home soon.” She starts having a mini freak-out.
“Hey, hey.” I grab her hand. “You gotta stop. Freaking out won’t help anything. The only thing it’ll do is make you look guilty. Okay?”
She nods, breathing in and out, calming herself down.
“Okay. We got this.”
We stand together and I wrap my arms tightly around her. I want her to feel secure and to know she’s safe with me. She lets out a sigh, and her body relaxes against mine. I love it.
“How are you able to handle this so well? Why haven’t you run in the other direction?” she asks as we both look at each other.
“Because I don’t throw away something that’s valuable. And I see value in you and what we have together.” I give her the short answer. We don’t have enough time on this earth for me to list all the reasons.
She looks at me with such astonishment, like I hung the moon. I will hang the moon for her every night of my life if that’s what she wants.