Chapter 32 Hope
HOPE
“Are you sure?”
Marie nods. “Yes.”
“Maybe I should wear something else,” I glance at the outfits lying on her bed. Each one better than the other. They all belong to famous brands and look gorgeous.
“Nope. This looks beautiful on you.” She smiles. “Look in the mirror again.”
Turning my head, I stare at myself. The simple mauve dress loosely hugs my figure and reaches a little below my knees and strapped in white heels that are only an inch tall.
My hair looks shiny and is perfectly curled in soft waves that cascade down my back pinned back from the front with a few strands falling over my face.
I have very light makeup on but the dense mascara makes my eyes pop.
“This isn’t too much, right?” I ask hesitantly, even though I like how I look. I really like it.
Marie’s grin holds a sparkle. “No, this is just the perfect amount of too much to give Heath a heart attack.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks at the mention of his name.
“We don’t want that,” I speak lowly.
“We definitely want that,” Marie protests. “He better forgets how to speak when he sees you.”
I roll my eyes. “That won’t happen. Heath is the most confident guy ever.”
She hums in dismissal. “That was before he met you and fell in love.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I settle a hand over my stomach to calm down the butterflies that are fluttering around in excitement.
“You okay?” she asks.
I nod.
“C’mon, sit down.” Marie clears her bed — by that I mean she dumps all the clothes on the chair and it becomes a huge pile — and makes me sit down. “You look nervous.”
“I am,” I croak out. “I can hardly breathe.”
Grabbing my hand, she gives me a squeeze. “You’ll be fine. He’ll take care of you. Have fun today.”
“I don’t even know where he’s taking me.”
She presses her lips together as if trying to not say anything.
I playfully nudge her. “Give me a hint, at least.”
Marie shakes her head. “No, I made him a promise. I take my promises very seriously.”
“But you can nod as I make some guesses, right?”
That makes her pause. “That isn’t fair.”
“What isn’t fair is, I have no idea where we’re going. It’s 9 in the morning and nothing is open at this hour.”
“Well…” Marie clears her throat. “Nope. I can’t tell you. Just trust him, okay. You’re going to love it.”
Trust him. I can do that. So easily. I nod absentmindedly.
My mind starts spiraling as it finally sinks in.
I’m going on a date with Heath Travon.
The guy I’m hopelessly in love with.
No matter what happens today, I know I’ll be okay because I’ll be with him.
Just thinking about Heath washes me over in a wave of calmness.
Like the stunning blue in his eyes, I transport onto the shore of a peaceful, beautiful ocean where the water kisses my feet and I stand tall.
I’m not afraid of the waves taking me away with them or the storm drowning me.
I’m afraid of no one or nothing. And that braveness doesn’t feel foreign.
It feels like it was always there, buried deep inside me, but he helped me dig it out.
“Now let’s talk about something very important.” Marie reaches over and pulls something out of her nightstand. “Keep this.”
She offers me a small packet and my eyes widen.
It’s a condom.
“Marie!” I stand up, and throw it back at her.
“Keep it.” She pushes it in my direction.
“Oh my God!” I cover my face with both of my hands.
“It’s better to be safe.”
“Please stop talking.”
“I’m being a good friend.”
“We are not going to do it.”
“You never know. Your feelings are new. Sex can happen.”
“It won’t happen.”
“Just don’t do it in the backseat. It’s uncomfortable. And for your first time? Nope. Not the best place.”
My whole face is red. “It isn’t happening. He hasn’t even seen me naked.”
“He’s seen you half naked.” I can hear the smirk in her words.
I peek through my fingers and sure enough she looks smug. “That doesn’t count.”
“Oh, it does. Now you need to see the other half.”
I choke on my saliva.
Just thinking about seeing Heath beyond his perfect abs makes my pulse race.
Marie continues, “Tell him to go slow. And also, don’t forget foreplay.”
At this point, shutting her up is impossible.
Heath better be here in the next second —
The door bell rings and we both freeze.
It’s him. I can feel it.
“Let’s go.”
We leave her room and descend the long staircase. Each step causes my heart to drop a little lower and my breath gets stuck in my throat.
By the time I reach the floor, there’s a tight knot tied in my stomach that refuses to loosen. It tightens the closer I get to the door where he is standing on the other side of it.
Marie leans against the wall making herself hide from his view. She gestures to me to open the door.
Without letting myself think too much, I reach for the handle. And there he is.
The sight of him sends a jolt through me.
I watch as his eyes lock on me and make me forget how to breathe.
We stare at each other, holding our breaths and not uttering a single word.
For the first time, Heath appears speechless as he stares at me.
A smile touches my lips. “Hi.”
That one word breaks the spell, and he clears his throat, appearing flustered. “Hi.”
He quickly hands me something and I reluctantly look away from his blue gaze, to find that he got me flowers. Fresh, bright lavender bouquet that is small and fits perfectly in my arms. The sweet fragrance enters my nose and puts my nerves at ease.
“I love these flowers,” I murmur, staring down at them. “How did you know?”
“You told me once,” he says nonchalantly as if whatever I tell him, he tucks it away in a safe in his mind.
I hug the bouquet and keep it close to my chest. “Thank you—”
When I look at him, his gaze is slowly making its way down my body.
Heat sears through me as I watch him let his eyes wander over my figure and linger on places that makes sparks burst inside of me.
I try my best to not shift on my feet or fidget with my fingers and stay completely still — it’s a nearly impossible task.
Heath openly and hungrily checks me out but in a way that isn’t strange or creepy.
I quickly peruse him and notice the one change.
Usually he’s dressed in all black, but today he’s wearing a white t-shirt that grips his muscles tightly.
His silver chain sits on top of it but looking at it after last night all I can remember is how it felt against my skin when he kissed — not the time for those thoughts.
I see the rest of him and find a shiny, new watch on his wrist. There’s also the bracelet that I made for his birthday.
It’s always there. He never takes it off.
The rest of him looks the same. Black jeans and converse.
But he looks insanely attractive and handsome.
By the time I look back at him, he’s already staring at me. Air whoosh's out of my lungs and a smirk tugs on his lips. He takes a step forward and closes the distance between us. Air crackles and I can’t find oxygen to breathe.
Raising his hand, he runs his fingers across my jaw, then my cheek. His touch is soft and light like a feather, but it permeates tingles.
The morning air breezes past us, and I shiver and he steps even closer.
Leaning his head down, he stares deeply into my eyes. “You look perfect, Rose.”
My pulse quickens.
“So beautiful, it took my breath away,” he adds softly.
“Thank you,” I say. Averting my gaze from his eyes — because they are staring at me with so much love — I stare at his chest. “You look great.”
“Just great?” He teases.
“Uh, no, not just great. Handsome, too.”
“Great and handsome,” he chuckles. “That sounds like a fucking compliment, baby.”
Baby. I melt hearing that nickname.
“We should get going,” he says, reaching for my hand. “Do you have everything you need?”
I nod, holding the shoulder bag that Marie gave me. She filled it with a few cosmetic products, tissues and money — I tried to fight her over it but she said it’s important that I’m not empty handed.
Before I can say goodbye to Marie, she pops up beside us.
“Okay, off you go now.” Then, turning to Heath she says, “Take care of her or else I will kill you.”
He arches an eyebrow. “With what, exactly?”
“My car.”
He scoffs. “Not possible. You love it.”
“I love Hope more.”
I shoot her a smile and she envelopes me in a hug. “Call me if you need me.”
“She’ll be fine with me.” Heath rolls his eyes.
Marie doesn’t let go of me and turns her head to say to him, “I know.”
Heath tugs me and we get down the porch stairs to where his car is parked in the driveway. Like always, he opens the door for me and I slide in.
Once inside, I set the bouquet in my lap and gently touch the petals of the flowers. I love that he bought me flowers. It’s something I only read in books.
“Rose,” Heath gets inside. “Put on your seatbelt.”
As soon as I’m done, he starts the car, turns on the heat, making sure all the fans are directed my way. Then he looks over at me, and offers me his open palm. It takes me a second to realize that he wants to hold my hand.
With a giddy smile, I put my hand in his. Quickly, he laces our fingers together and sets our hands on my thigh and gives it a squeezes.
Then he hits the road.
___________________
It takes me ten minutes to figure out that he isn’t taking me anywhere here.
We are going out of town.
I’ve never been out of this place, so the nerves hit me when I see the unfamiliar road that stretches long and wide with acres of fields on either side of it.
We cross a few cars and trucks in speed as Heath drives with complete control with one hand on the steering wheel.
He is at complete ease and makes it look so effortless.
He spares me a glance as if he can feel my gaze. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I rush out.
“You’re squeezing my hand a little too tight.”
With a gasp, I loosen up my hold on him, but he only tightens his hold on me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice on alert.
“I’ve never been out of town,” I say.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why not?”
“My parents couldn’t afford it.” Just saying that word turns my mood sour. A lump gathers in my throat like a rock.
As if he can sense my emotions, he starts drawing circles on the back of my hand. The action is soothing and calms my quivering nerves that can’t help but think about being homeless. I’ve been trying to shove back that thought as far away as I can, but it keeps coming back.
“Did you want to go?” Heath asks, diverting my mind.
“Yes, especially when people went on school trips and came back with things that looked so special.” I smile, remembering those times.
Every time the school trips happened, I’d be hit with a pang in the chest knowing I couldn’t go because my parents wouldn’t allow it.
My mother wanted me to study all the time.
The only other thing that I did besides studying was reading.
I didn’t fall in love with reading because it was something different than studying.
No, I fell in love with it because it let me travel worlds and understand emotions, all the while I was sitting in my small room. Through words and characters I got to experience happiness, sadness, adventure and so much more. Even though it was all fictional, it felt so real.
“I never went on school trips,” he confesses. “I hated everyone.”
I laugh a little. “You still do.”
With a smirk, he looks over at me. “Yes, but not you. You are someone I love.”
“I love you too,” I say.
His head faces the road, but a tiny smile hangs on his lips. “If you went to the city, what would you buy?”
“Is that where we’re going?”
He nods.
I cup my mouth with my other hand to hide my shock, but I know it’s apparent on me.
Heath has no idea how long I’ve waited to go there. To see the world that exists outside Bellmare.
“I’d buy books,” I say, replying to his question.
He chuckles. “Besides books.”
“I don’t want anything else.”
A smile lingers on his face as if he truly understands me.
Which he does.