Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Zaiah
“One more step.”
Under the blindfold shielding her eyes, Lenore smiles. Her arms wander out aimlessly, a giggle falling from her lips.
“Okay, I lied.” I can barely keep the excitement out of my voice. “It’s more than one step. I only said what I’ve heard others say.”
“What others say when they blindfold their girlfriends and walk them out of their dorms?”
She always has a way of saying things that puts a grin on my face. Focus on the good things, my mindset coach had said. Feed the great. Starve the bad. I’ve only met with him once so far, but I already feel better.
When I listed out the positive things in my life, Lenore was at the top. The past few months would’ve been a disaster without her. Aimless and miserable. The best decision I ever had was asking if I could be her roommate, a fact I’m going to make sure she knows over the next couple of days.
She squeezes my hand, prompting me to talk. “There’s going to be a step up in two, one…” Her foot moves up, searching. “Bring it down.”
It lands on the first step, and I help guide her up the stairs of the Swaggin’ Wagon. When it jostles back and forth, I assume she knows exactly where we are. Her head tilts, like she’s trying to figure out what surprise this could be. She’s been in my parents’ RV before, but we haven’t done this.
She makes it up the rest of the steps without being prompted, and then I pull her into the small foyer, pushing her blindfold up. She peers around, gaze narrowed. “Okay, what’s up?”
“My dad drove The Wagon here for me. I told him I wanted to take you someplace special, just the two of us.”
“Really?”
I nod.
“You can drive this thing?”
Shrugging, I play it off, but internally, my nerves rear up. Dad offered to set us up at our destination, but that wouldn’t be very romantic, would it? “I got this.”
“I’m loving the confidence.”
“Then wait for what I have in store, Len. I’m about to blow your mind.”
I lead her to the front of the RV, and she situates herself in the passenger seat. “It’s so scary up here,” she squeals peeking over the hood.
I laugh, but I’m having the same thoughts. Dad took me to an abandoned parking lot nearby where I practiced. He gave me the good ol’ James thumbs up, so I must be good. He wouldn’t let his baby into my hands if he didn’t think I was ready, that’s for sure.
I start her up. She sounds like an angry dragon beneath us, vibrating with the need to take off. I ease off the curb, but instead of backing up like my father does, I take her around the whole campus to avoid reversing this hunk of steel.
“So, where are we going?”
“Someplace fun. Know that my dad is super jealous.”
“Oh Lord, that could be good or…plain weird.”
“It’s good. I promise.”
We get to the light at the end of campus, and I pull the rig out onto the road nice and steady. Len claps her hands and high-fives me. The next big test is maneuvering her onto the highway, which also goes as smooth as butter.
“You’re good at this. You better tell your dad you’ll be driving next time.”
I chuckle, still white-knuckling the wheel. “That would break his heart.”
The upscale RV resort we’re going to is about an hour down the highway, so we settle in. Len tells me she turned in the article she’s written about me. Or the team. Actually, I have no idea what it’s about because she doesn’t want me to read it until it comes out. That date draws nearer, so she’s buzzing. Afterward, we talk about my parents and her dad, who we saw last week in a much smoother meeting. No comments whatsoever about my hockey career, and to be truthful, I’m sorry I ever mentioned that to Lenore. I’m desperate.
Correction. I was desperate.
Everything is an opportunity. Everything is a stepping-stone.
Our easy chatter makes the time fly by, along with the fact that driving this thing hasn’t been an issue. Soon, we’re nearing our exit, and I put my blinker on.
Lenore sits straight up. “Are we close?”
“Yep.” My stomach squeezes. Partly in anticipation, partly because the narrower roads out here in the sticks freak me out, but I go slow, nearly crawling when we pass other vehicles. Within ten minutes, I’m pulling up to the main image I saw on their website. Serenity Ranch and Spa.
“What?” Lenore’s forehead wrinkles.
“We’re here.”
I roll down the window as a male gate attendant walks toward us dressed in a polo and cowboy hat. “James party?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nice rig.” He hands over some paperwork. “You got a premium spot, dinner, and hot springs reservations. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.”
I give him a nod. “Thank you, we will.”
He taps the RV twice, and I take that as the signal to roll on through.
As soon as I let my foot off the brake, Len starts asking questions. “Zaiah, seriously. This is like a camping spa?”
“Yeah, kinda. My dad found it. He’s been talking about taking Mom up here, but they haven’t done it yet, so I stole his idea.”
“This is so freaking cool.” She squeals, pointing out the windshield on my side. “There are horses!”
“They have trail rides. I just have to make a reservation.”
“Are you shitting me? This is the coolest place. I’m in love.”
“It has everything. We can go on nature hikes around the lake. There’s a pool, but Serenity’s claim to fame is the natural hot springs. You’ve got to see it. The pictures on the website are amazing.”
She gasps, and when I peer over to see what’s grabbed her attention now, she’s staring at her phone screen. I should’ve known she’d go straight to the website.
“That’s it,” I tell her. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“This is… Holy shit.”
“This is what we’ve needed.”
She reaches over to rub her hand up and down my arm. Ahead, I spot our site: number five. Luckily, it’s a pull-through, so there’s no reversing this baby, and we also have a prime location with a lake view. The sites are set up to give ample distance from one to the next, and each one has their own permanent stone structure that boasts a small kitchen, a fireplace, and a rooftop terrace, along with a working, plumbed bathroom.
Upscale.
Like I’ve done it a thousand times, I pull right in and park the rig in a good spot. When I get out to check, I’m amazed that it looks damn near perfect.
Climbing back in, I shut the engine off and push the auto-level button. I’ve seen my dad do this a thousand times, so I tell Len to go out and start enjoying the site while I hook up the electric and plumbing.
It’s too bad we can only stay one night, but Lenore and I can’t spend too much time away with our senior year dwindling down.
After I set everything up, I find Len standing at the front of our site, gazing out over the lake. I place my arm around her shoulders, and she immediately leans into me. “This is so pretty.”
To the west, a stunning view of the acres of horse pastures greets us. Pressure releases from my shoulders nearly on cue. Here, I can’t obsess over hockey. My mindset coach told me to set the intention and let it go, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m freeing up space to enjoy life.
“You’ve changed,” Len says, turning into me and reaching up to place her palm on my chest.
“I’ve changed a lot.”
“I know we said it before, but this mindset coaching is going to do wonders for you. I can already tell.”
Her gaze staring into mine anchors me in place. “I feel like a different person,” I tell her honestly. I’d been living in so much negativity. No one’s watching my video. The scouts don’t come to see me. I’m not playing well. Those thoughts kept me prisoner, but when the coach told me to turn everything into an opportunity, my mind shifted.
I pull Len in for a hug. “Selfie for the fam? We need to take a lot of pictures to make them jealous.”
She laughs. “I think even my dad would get a kick out of a place like this.”
“You told me he wouldn’t set foot in an RV.”
“But look at this,” she says, but before I can view the scenery once more, she jets off toward the stone structure.
She passes two wooden swings that face the lake and a circular stone fireplace. Inside the half-open structure is a gas fireplace with a cozy seating area. Then there’s a small kitchenette with a sink, a fridge, and the door to the bathroom. I snap a couple of pictures until Lenore finds the staircase to the roof.
She peers over her shoulder. “You’re kidding.”
Before I can answer, she’s running up the steps. I follow after and emerge to a breathtaking 360-degree view. Black handrails surround the space on all four sides, and the comfiest-looking half-moon chair sits smack in the middle. Len crawls right onto it, spreading out with the myriad of pillows.
“I’m in love.”
“Oh, you’re in love?” I tease.
She grins, then sits up to pull me down with her. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“That’s my new middle name. It used to be pessimistic asshole, but I’ve had it legally changed.”
She giggles, and the sound is like a tinkling bell. I lie next to her, peering out over the lake. “This is the perfect selfie.” I pull out my phone and snap a picture of the two of us cozied up on the half-moon chair. I send it off to my family group chat along with another snap of the view before us.
Dad’s going to go ballistic.
After a few minutes of contented silence, Len asks, “I heard mention of dinner and possibly spa reservations. When are we doing that?”
“Dinner reservation is tonight. We still have a couple of hours. Spa reservation is tomorrow. We can get tickets into the hot springs or a trail ride whenever we want. We just arrange it through this nifty app they had me download onto my phone.”
She grimaces. “I’m kind of hungry.”
“Then you’ll love the room service feature.” I pull out my phone again, tapping on the app. “They’ll bring it right to us. We should order some snacks. Oh, and my mom made us some stuff, but I haven’t had a chance to look yet.”
We look at the options, settling on a fruit and cheese tray. It’s delivered within fifteen minutes and brought right up to the rooftop terrace for us, splayed out onto the half-moon bed. I tip the delivery girl and watch her drive away in a golf cart.
Len’s eating a piece of cheese when I turn. She talks around a mouthful. “I think your dad’s got the right idea about this RV-life thing.”
“You mean now that there are horses and room service involved?”
She shrugs. “I liked it before, the tranquility of it all, but you can’t say horses and room service don’t make everything better.”
I sit next to her, eyeing up the tray before deciding on a few grapes.
Soon, we’re cuddled up next to each other again, Lenore pulled into my lap while we watch a pink sunset over the lake. Len takes a few pictures, then sets her phone aside. Neither of us have much signal up here. I had to tie into the Wi-Fi to get the room service, but I disconnected right after.
It’s perfect like this. Just the two of us.
My stomach flips as I hold her. I planned a lot of speeches for today. I’ve fucked up a lot recently, and for whatever reason, she understands, but I don’t want to be like her father. I don’t want to be someone who constantly disappoints her. Someone who she’s guarded with. I want Len to be her whole self around me.
“I need to thank you, Lenore.”
“Hmm?” she says, squeezing my forearms that are crossed in front of her.
“For believing in me. For sticking with me.”
“Of course I believe in you, Zaiah.”
I press a kiss to her temple. My stomach clenches. Nerves tightening. We’ve been together a few months, and there were so many times that these words almost sprang from my lips, but I held them back in fear. I don’t want to live like that anymore.
“I love you,” I tell her, my voice raspy, my words barely audible. For a second, I wonder if she’s even heard me and if I should attempt to say it again.
Slowly, she turns in my arms. “I love you, too.”
My heart takes off like a stampeding horse in one of the pastures. “You’re everything I could’ve ever asked to be brought into my life when I needed it the most. You’re my North Star. All I have to do is look to you, and I know what direction I should be going in.”
She inches forward, making me spread my legs to accommodate her as she leans in to kiss me. I maneuver my palms to the side of her face and seal the kiss, infusing every bit of emotion that’s been building up inside these last few months into this; into making sure she knows exactly how I feel.
I’m a flawed man. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve Len, but as long as she’ll keep by my side, I’ll try for her. I’ll attempt to be everything she wants me to be and more.