Chapter 33 – Vale
SURPRISE!
VALE
Oliver tells me to close my eyes when we get near the surprise.
I do, with a silly grin. Then I feel the car come to a stop, and he’s pulling the emergency brake.
That strange, hydraulic hissing sound letting me know it’s electric and not mechanical.
“Here’s the deal, I thought a lot about your birthday.
I thought about what I could get my girl, that’s super special.
Something she’ll remember, something she needs. Something she wants so badly—”
I interrupt him. “Are you going to give me your dick finally because it’s just about all I want these days.” The moment the smart-ass comment flies from my lips, he growls, and I get goosebumps.
I hear paper tearing. “Open your eyes,” he says.
I open my eyes and blink a few times. We’re parked in front of a familiar brick building. I know this place. I look at the glass doors and read, Georgia Department of Drivers Services.
“We’ve got an appointment in fifteen minutes for you to take your driver’s test. Nick filled out all the forms,” he says, then hands me the application.
“Here’s your proof of residence and your birth certificate.
Trust me when I say this is the easiest DDS visit you’ll ever go through.
Mayor Ingram pulled some strings, so no one’s here. Only you. No waiting for hours.”
I look at him for a moment, then I look at the door again. I look back at him and back at the door. What was he thinking?
“You’re very sweet for doing this. I appreciate it, but I wasn’t going to get my license this summer. I was going to wait till I got back.”
“Listen, when I asked Nick about it, he said I might get push back. I see it as a win, win situation. You’re a grown woman.
You need a license. You don’t have to tell your parents if you don’t want to.
You wouldn’t be doing this for them, or me, or your grandfather.
You would be getting your license for you. ”
Part of me wants to walk in that door and do exactly that.
If I do this, then it’s over. I don’t think I’ll be able to go back.
One last time, I’d told myself. I’d go back one last time to prove to them I’m good, that I’m not evil.
I’m still their daughter. I want them to accept me, who I’ve become, though I know they never will. I want them to love me. I swallow hard.
“Do I need to sweeten the deal?” he asks, and I look back at him, confused.
“Maybe,” I say, wondering what he’ll offer. Could it be worth disobeying them? I’m the one who’ll have to pay the price for it when they find out.
“I’ll make you dinner for a week.”
I wave my hand and shake my head. “I know how to cook.”
“Alright. How about I let you drive any of my cars, except the Ferrari.”
I smile as my confidence soars. I want to be devious. I want to push him. I want to drag his mind down into the gutter where mine tends to stay these days. “How about you let me drive us somewhere in that Ferrari, then you can take my virginity on top of the hood?”
“That’s a lovely picture. However, the paint job has seen enough of your ass. It might have scratches. I was too afraid to look.”
I pout at him.
“I’ll buy you a car, anything you want,” he spouts next. “I’ll fuck you on it, but I won’t take your virginity like that.”
I shake my head. “That’s ridiculous. You didn’t put a price tag on that offer. I could want a Ferrari for all you’d know. You’re a terrible negotiator, Oliver. Do you know that?”
“I’m not a terrible negotiator if you’re thinking about walking into that office and taking your driving test. I’d do almost anything for you. I want to see you succeed. You deserve that. If it takes a six or seven figure car, it’d be worth it because you’re worth it.”
Six or seven figures? What the fuck has gotten into him? My cheeks heat. He’s being so sweet today, even if he’s lost his damn mind. “Oliver, we’re not even together. You can’t offer to buy me a car. I’m not a good investment.”
He grabs my chin and forces me to look up into his serious eyes.
“Don’t you ever say that to me again. I think you’re a good investment.
I think you’re worth it. I want you to believe you’re worth it.
I want you to believe you’re worth walking through that door and getting your license.
I want you to know that I believe in you, your worth, your value which is exponentially more than all the money I could ever have. ”
His eyes are so intense. He seems upset at my lack of self-worth. It’s a surprise to be honest. He genuinely believes in me and that’s so hard to overcome when I don’t always believe in myself.
“Don’t make me cry,” I say with a sniffle.
“I’m not trying to. I need you to know I’m on your side. You have to know that. I want you in my life. We haven’t defined our relationship together, that’s true, but it isn’t because I don’t want to be with you.” His eyebrows pinch together; he’s worried about something.
“Tell me,” I say, mimicking his past words. “Tell me your secrets.”
Oliver takes a deep breath, staring at the roof for moment. It’s like he needs to fortify himself before he explains. He looks back into my eyes for only a second, and I know what’s happening. I’ve been there. He can’t look at me when he tells me the truth.
“When you leave, you’re going to break my heart.” He’s sitting back, head tilted back, his eyes closed. Did he just admit he loves me? Did Oliver say I could break his heart, meaning his heart is already mine?
“I’ll be back,” I say, defending myself.
“It was always my plan to come back, Oliver. After meeting you, I’m not exactly sure I want to go anymore.
It’ll break my own heart to be so far away from you.
” I take a deep breath and watch him, but his eyes are still closed, his jaw tight.
“I’ll do it. I’ll go in there and get my license. You don’t have to sweeten the deal.”
I reach to open the car door, but he yanks me back. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me against him. I feel his lips at my right ear. He’s breathing hard, taking in my scent. “I want to sweeten it. Ask me for something, anything. I want to make you happy.”
I don’t know what to say at first. I don’t know what I want other than him. Then I remember our chat in the street when I was so mad at him. “I want to dance under the stars like no one's watching. I want to be free.” I turn back toward him. He looks so nervous. I’ve never seen him like this.
“Look at me.”
When he looks into my eyes, I cup his cheek. “Don’t buy me a car or let me use yours. Don’t offer me presents. I don’t want any of that. You already know what I want and that’s you. Make love to me, not to sweeten the deal, but because you want me.”
“I want to,” he says simply. “I will.” He grabs my face in his palms. “I promise you, I will.” The look in his eyes is all desperation. He kisses me softly, gently. It’s the sweetest kiss we’ve ever shared. We cling to each other, breath mingling, tongues tasting, hearts pounding.
“Right now, we have to get out of this car,” Oliver says against my lips, but he doesn’t pull away.
“I know,” I whisper back. I don’t want to let go. Will there ever be some moment in time when I’m not forced to let him go?
I don’t know if he hears something, but he points at the door.
I turn and see Kat’s father, Albert (Alan for short) Ingram Esq.
, in a soft-blue seersucker suit, checking his watch nervously.
Is everyone in town in on this scheme? I let Oliver go, though I don’t want to, and I get out of the car. I walk up to the entrance.
“Hey, Mr. Ingram. How’ve you been?” It's unusual that I haven’t seen him this summer. He’s a busy guy, but I used to eat dinner with his family at least once a week. Kat and I had slumber parties in his living room. He’s the man who taught me how to fish. He’s family.
“For goodness sake, Vale, call me Alan already. It’s been good, a little quiet around the house since Katherine and Raif have been away.
I hear she’s coming back early. Before you go in, I hope you file for your voter registration while you’re here.
I know I can count on you in the next election. You too, Oliver.”
“I can’t vote yet, Alan. I need the naturalization paperwork back before I can register. You’ll have my vote though, no worries on that,” Oliver says with a sincere smile.
I’d always assumed he wasn’t from the US.
He has an accent I can’t place, almost like his tongue tenses to pronounce certain sounds.
It’s a light accent though, barely there.
Sometimes it gets thicker when he gets angry, or when he’s turned on.
I don’t know where Oliver is from. I don’t know where he grew up.
I don’t know what his favorite color is or what his favorite food is.
I don’t know enough about him, but I want to.
We’ve never been on a date. I think that’s how you get to know someone.
That’s how you form an opinion on the person you like, you have to spend time with them.
That’s how they do it in the movies at least. That’s what happened with Kat and Brandon before she lost her virginity to the asshole.
They hung out every day. They went to dinner and to parties together.
They went to concerts and hung out long past curfew.
Oliver and I hang out, he asks a lot of questions about me, but I get so lost in him I don’t ask him very much in return. I have to start asking questions. I need to know things about him, even if I’ve already fallen hard.
“Alright, Alan, let's do this,” I say, and he beams when I use his name. Alan is a good guy, if not a little intense with his career. That’s where Kat gets her attitude from. If she sets her mind to something, nothing ever gets in her way. I hope I can be that way one day.