Chapter 12 The Song of Three Hours
TWELVE
THE SONG OF THREE HOURS
SEBASTIAN
Ever since I was a kid, I’d wondered about the small parking lot in front of the Seastone town sign.
I knew national parks and forests had them so people could take pictures.
But Seastone was just a small town with a hotel that, in a desperate marketing ploy, branded itself as the heart of the Appalachians.
In the process, they built this parking lot, only to essentially destroy its tourism a few years later, making this abandoned patch of asphalt the epitome of this place’s hubris.
It wasn’t until Alex drove onto it that I realized its potential.
He stopped in the spot closest to the trees, where no one passing by could see into the car. Without even turning off the engine, he pulled me into a kiss. His hands moved up and down the back of my head, and finally, our tongues met—something we couldn’t do in the airport.
His cheeks turned red as he leaned back in his seat and tilted his head so some strands of hair could hide the blush.
“That’s what I call a warm welcome,” I joked. My thumbs ran over my knees, caressing them, when what I really wanted was to touch him.
“It was easy to wait while you were so far away,” he said. “But having to wait another day while you're within reach?” His hair swayed as he shook his head, parting just enough to reveal his gleaming eyes. “That’s just torture.”
“Now you understand why I couldn’t hold myself back at the airport.”
“Sorry about that again, by the way. My brain completely shut off when I saw you.”
“Good,” I replied, and it made him grin. I reached my left hand over and patted his thigh. “Only twenty-four more hours. No, less actually. They’ll leave after breakfast, right?”
“Probably.”
“I hope you don’t mind pretending until then.”
“Not at all. I prefer it this way, too. At least for now.” He leaned back in his seat and stared at the trees in front of us. “Is what we’re doing stupid?”
“It’s a little late to question it now, isn’t it?” I tilted my head so our eyes would meet. “I don’t think it is. If I thought it was, I wouldn’t be here.”
Would I call it love at first sight? No.
More like attraction at first sight. But it had been enough to make me want to get to know him.
The more we talked, the more we flirted.
And before long, I couldn’t deny that I truly had a crush on him.
Maybe it was a little unfortunate that he worked for my parents, but other than that…
I was going to finish my degree soon, and the physical distance between us could shrink in the foreseeable future if we both wanted it.
“Let’s not overthink this. If we both still like each other at the end of this week, then we can decide whether to tell them. For now, we’re allowed to be excited about spending spring break together.”
“I guess Las Vegas would’ve been a lot more fun.”
“And a lot more distracting. Not to mention, Nora would’ve been there the whole time and probably wouldn’t have left us alone. So, I prefer this solution. I guess my parents will love seeing me again so soon, too.”
“They definitely do. Your mom was beaming all week.”
We shared another smile. The trees swayed in the wind, parting enough for a sunbeam to glisten on Alex’s face and make his lips shine.
“One more kiss?” I asked.
His lips curled. “Just one?”
Before I could even get my second foot into the house, Mom shrieked and wrapped her arms around me.
“I’m so happy,” she yelled. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it in time, but now I did and…” She let go of me and studied my face as if she hadn’t seen me only a month ago. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“Thanks for letting me come here to study,” I said, trying to maintain appearances. I had brought some books with me, but I wouldn’t really need to look at them—except for an accounting assignment that shouldn’t take me more than two hours—thanks to actually sticking to my goal of studying ahead.
“You have to thank Alex,” Mom replied, looking at him over my shoulder.
“He’s your host for the week, after all.
” Before I could turn to Alex, she linked her arm through mine and guided me toward the kitchen.
“We set you up in Mila’s old room, because it still has a desk.
But no studying today. I actually booked us a table at the Mountain View Diner. ”
“Sounds good.”
“Oh, Alex,” she said, turning to him. “Before I forget, you’re coming too, right? I booked it for four without asking.”
“Okay…” He paused for a second, blinking a few times. “But why?”
“As a thank-you for agreeing to let Sebastian stay here. I also thought it might make it less awkward for the two of you if you could get to know each other a bit better before we leave.”
He glanced at me, then at her again. “Thanks. I appreciate the invitation.”
“Perfect. We’ll leave shortly before six. Now…”
Without further ado, she led me into the kitchen. The coffee machine was steaming, and a variety of homemade pastries waited for us on the table.
While Alex excused himself to finish some unspecified chores, Mom took the opportunity to pin me down and chat.
She did most of the talking—complaining about work, about how Mila also didn’t show up as often as she should, despite living so much closer than I did, and how she wished my grandfather would take it a little slower.
She didn’t pressure me to talk about myself, but she beamed when I showed her pictures of my life in Las Vegas.
The afternoon flew by, and when Dad came home from work, he greeted me just as warmly as she had.
There were no accusations this time, only a pat on the shoulder and a “Glad to see you again.” I wondered if Mom had a heart-to-heart with him, but it didn’t matter.
It was nice to be welcomed like this for once.
He quickly excused himself to get ready for our dinner, and Mom and I went upstairs to change, too.
As I walked past Alex’s room, I noticed that the door was slightly open. I couldn’t resist peeking inside, but he wasn’t there. So I went into Mila’s room and changed into the button-up shirt I had brought for tonight.
I didn’t see Alex again until we all gathered in the foyer.
He, too, had changed into a dark blue button-up shirt, tucked into black pants, and was even wearing dress shoes.
His hair was combed back, making his face look more open—almost as if this were the moment he was being introduced to his future in-laws and he was trying to dress the part.
It was a stupid thought, because we weren’t even boyfriends; we were just two guys who liked each other enough to meet up again. Still, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“You look fancy,” Mom commented. Not that her black dress with a white floral print on the left shoulder stood out any less.
“Who do you mean? Me or Alex?” I asked.
“Well, both of you.” She stepped in front of me and adjusted my collar. “This is so nice. I can’t remember the last time we did this.”
The sound of footsteps on the staircase made all of us look up. Dad glanced at everyone as he walked to the front door. Like us, he had put on a dress shirt and suit jacket, but stuck to his usual blue jeans.
“Are we all ready?” he asked. “Let’s take your car, Laura.”
The four of us headed down to the driveway. It all felt strangely official, making me wonder if it would be the same if they knew the real reason I came here—not that I was going to tell them tonight.
We all got into Mom’s Ford Escape. Dad and Mom sat in the front, leaving Alex and me in the backseat.
After buckling up, he and I shared a glance that made it clear how awkward this whole thing was.
He rested his hand on the spot between us the entire drive, making me want nothing more than to grab his fingers, but Mom kept turning around to talk to us, leaving no chance to do it without risking getting caught.
Only five minutes later, we pulled into an almost empty parking lot.
The diner was on our side of the valley.
The only difference between the mountain view from the diner and the view from our house was that you could see the old hotel a little better, but that was it.
The old, rustic sign I remembered had been replaced by a glowing neon one, giving the place an unexpectedly fresh look.
A fresh flower bed surrounded the building, filled with blossoming daffodils in all colors of the rainbow.
The sun had already begun to set, painting long streaks of orange across the valley. Scattered patches of clouds dotted the sky.
We made our way past five other cars. I stayed a step behind Dad, with Mom hooked under my arm, while Alex followed another step behind us. Dad held the door open, letting the three of us walk in first.
A boisterous woman with a blonde updo rummaged through some menus at the host stand. A broad smile broke out on her face when she noticed us.
“Laura,” she cheered, stepping out to hug my mom.
“So glad to see you again so soon.” She set her eyes on me, tipping her head back as if she needed space to take me in.
“Well, look at you, Laura. You brought some fine company.” Her gaze shifted to Alex, then to Dad, who nodded at her.
“Three men, each more handsome than the last. You’re a lucky lady. ”
“Stop it, Sienna!” Mom chuckled as if she couldn’t believe how lucky she was indeed.
“I’ve already set up your table. Follow me!” Sienna turned around, grabbed four menus, and led us into the restaurant.
The last time I was here, the floors were covered in black-and-white tiles that always looked dirty, even if they were clean.
Rusty silver tables and the typical booth seating gave off that small-town diner vibe that made me want to scream from the top of my lungs.
But now, the place looked completely different.