15. Kayla
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
KAYLA
“ W ell, well, well, fancy meeting you here,” Chase says, slipping into my passenger seat. Hunter honks twice before leaving the Patti’s Place parking lot in Chase’s car.
Monday came in the blink of an eye. I yawn, hoping the steaming hot sips of coffee kick in before we hit the highway. The inky dawn looms around us as the dome light fades in my car. “Good morning,” I say, reaching for the second cup in the center console. “I got you some coffee…”
“You…did?” He looks surprised as he reaches for the cup and takes a swig. “You memorized my coffee order?”
“I mean, you come in several times a week for coffee, and you always make it the same way up at camp… It’s not that big of a deal.”
“If you say so.” He smirks, and the glowing console gives enough light for me to see his eyebrows raise as he takes another drink.
Okay, maybe I did memorize his coffee preferences, and maybe I’ve noticed he might really be a nice guy. We can be friendly. There’s nothing wrong with being friends with a cute tourist who’s good with kids and has told you, under no uncertain terms, that he will fall for you by the end of summer. Doesn’t mean I’ll fall for him. Just friends . No problem.
I turn the radio to a soft rock station and hum quietly to the melody as I pull out of the parking lot. With the soft glow of the lights from the dashboard, I notice Chase tapping his fingers on his knee as stares out the window. The sun will crest over the mountain by the time we reach the highway, but for now, the car is enshrouded in darkness.
“Do you like this kind of music?” I ask, breaking the silence. If we’re going to be friends, I better get used to initiating conversations with him.
“Yeah, it’s what I grew up on. But I’m okay with whatever. What kind of music do you like?”
“Everything.” I shrug.
“Country?”
“Yep.”
“Classical?”
“Mm-hmm. And opera…sometimes. I have to be in the mood for that.”
“Rap?”
“Seriously, Chase?” I laugh, wondering what about the word everything lends to his confusion.
“Hey, I don’t want to assume.” He chuckles, putting his hand up in defense. “My assumptions about you have been wrong so far. You’re an enigma.”
“Am I?” I challenge, knowing full well I’ve been giving him nothing to work with. I’ve purposely kept him at arm’s length so he couldn’t know more, but something about him calling me out on it makes me feel defensive.
“Kayla, most of what I know about you has been through watching you interact with everyone but me. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just—you’re a puzzle, and I want to learn how all the pieces fit together.”
His words hang in the air, leaving me speechless. He wants to learn how all of my pieces fit together? How do I even respond to that? What does it even mean? We’ve been in the car for less than five minutes, and my just friends mantra is disintegrating due to a cheesy metaphor.
“The music thing… You sure you like everything ?” he asks.
“Scan the radio, and I bet I can sing the words of 90 percent of what comes on.”
“If it’s a bet, what do I get when you lose?”
“What do you want to get?” I ask, not realizing how wide-open I just left that opportunity. My eyes flash in a panic as I look over at him, and he laughs.
“Hmm. Your number.”
“…That’s it?”
“Do you want there to be more?”
I shake my head.
“Okay, then. We’ll go through ten songs, and you can miss one. Any more than that and I get your number. Deal?”
“Deal.”
The first few songs are easy, as the radio cycles through the Top 40 and popular hip-hop stations. Chase keeps count of the songs on his fingers, nodding his head along to some of them. I hesitate slightly when we reach the oldies and hard rock stations, but I still manage to string the lyrics together before the radio switches. I’ve gotten all eight songs right so far, and I smirk over at Chase, meeting the amusement in his eyes.
We lose reception as we drive farther into the mountain, causing the radio to cycle back to the beginning. “I don’t know this one…” I say, shaking my head at the fuzzy Mariachi song crackling through the speakers. He smiles and I smile back, finding myself enjoying his company despite the silly bet we have going on.
“Okay. Last song, and then you get to hand over your number,” he teases, rubbing his hands together. The radio settles on the final station, and by some miracle, it’s landed back on R&B. I turn, animatedly serenading him in triumph as he strokes the hair on his face. “ Ugh , I was so close!” He hangs his head in defeat, shoulders shaking from his laugh.
“Told you.” I laugh back, turning off the highway onto the mountain road. The sun crests the horizon ahead of us, and I reach over to nudge his shoulder. “Look at the sunrise,” I say, pointing to the muted yellow-gold breaking through the pink and periwinkle tinted dawn. “The sunrise is another one of my favorites. Now you know two things about me…”
Chase looks from the sky to me and takes a deep breath. “Beautiful,” he says, looking right into my eyes. And as much as I want to believe he’s talking about the horizon, I know, deep down, he isn’t.