Take Me Away (11 page)

“Sleep, beautiful.”

I wake up and see Treston watching me. He's playing with my hair and his other hand is resting on my body.

"Why are you still awake?"

At first he doesn't say anything. He looks at me, still playing with my hair, and I wait for him to answer. "I like watching you sleep. It calms me."

"Oh." I don't know what else to say.

Minutes pass and we're still in the same position. Neither of us saying anything. It’s nice being here with him like this. There’s no one around us and we’re not arguing. We’re just us.

"Can I spend the night with you?" He asks me, breaking the silence.

"Okay," I whisper, getting up from the couch and taking his hand. Our fingers entwine and we're inches apart. I want to kiss him and I slightly lean forward, but quickly change my mind. "Come on," I say to him and we head upstairs to my room.

Getting comfortable on the bed, we're both facing each other. My hand is tucked under my pillow and my other hand is in front of my face. Treston rests his arm on me and it feels good being close to him, like this is how we're supposed to be. "Tell me something about yourself, Treston. Something no one knows.

He pauses and blinks a few times before answering. "I'm afraid of the dark."

The vulnerability he's showing me means so much. I know it's hard for him to open himself up. "I'm glad you told me."

"What's your secret?"

I take a deep breath and tell myself I should come clean. Maybe once he knows how I feel and how regretful I am for saying we'll never be, it'll show him I want him. "I lied earlier. I do want to be with you. I'm falling for you. And it scares me."

His breath hitches and we're still staring at each other. His lips part and slowly closes again. Will he kiss me? I want him to. I think about taking the leap of faith and going in, but I hold back. Instead I touch his cheek and lean in to kiss his forehead.

I fell in love with the lacrosse player, but now I’m falling for the real Treston Parker, not
The King.

CHAPTER 12

TRESTON

"HI HONEY," MY MOM walks into the living room and sits down next to me. I'm supposed to be at the house now, but need to stay away from campus for a little longer. Since the night at Zara's, I haven't been returning her text messages. I don't blame her for giving up and avoiding me. I'm being a complete dick to her and I'm going to lose her before anything happens.

I woke up before her and left without saying a word. She deserves more than I could give. After hearing her admit her secret, it freaked me out a little. This is what I've been waiting to hear, but hearing it aloud did something to me.

"Is everything okay?" I look at her and shake my head. "You've been sad for so long. And then you bring over a beautiful girl, who by the way, I really like. She's so sweet, Treston."

"Yeah, she is."

"So what's wrong?"

"She told me she's falling for me, pretty much. It's what I wanted to hear. Then I hear it and freak out. Am I crazy?"

My mom brings me in for a hug and I let her. I don't give a shit how old you are, if your mom wants to hug you, then you let her hug you. Seriously, my mom gives the best hugs.

"You have to let go of Emily. I know it's hard and I know you blame yourself. The accident isn't your fault. Her cancer isn't your fault."

"I made her stop treatment." Closing my eyes, I hold in the tears. Emily didn't want to continue with chemo. She wanted to spend her last moments here with me and making memories that she could take to Heaven. "I never pushed her to continue. She would have listened to me."

"No, baby. She wouldn't have. Emily's decision to stop treatment is her decision alone. What you did for her, taking her away from here, and letting her be comfortable in the house the both of you fell in love at, that's something she has forever. But the accident is not your fault."

"It is." I get up from the couch and grab my keys, "I'm heading out to the party. I love you Mom, and thanks."

"I love you too, Treston. Call me later, okay?" I nod and walk out of the house.

I check my phone and there’s nothing from Peaches. Starting my car I zoom the streets to get back to the house. She has to be at the party and it irritates me that she's there without me. I miss her and want her near me. I realize that I need to show her that I can treat her right.

Parking my car, I head inside, hoping that she’s around. When I walk in, I see Henry with a group of guys. I turn and see Gavin with Katy on the couch. Before I could walk over to them to ask where Zara is, Ethan comes up to me and pushes me to the side.

“Can I help you?” I seethe, impatiently waiting for his answer.

“You need to hear me out and don’t freak out.” Which means I will. “Henry’s telling people that he slept with Zara. She left with him and they went to his car.”

Red. I see red. I fucking am going to kill Henry. Fucking asshole. Who the fuck does he think he is for touching my girl?

Pushing Ethan aside, I rush to Henry, pulling him around and gripping the collar of his pathetic looking polo, I pull my arm back, ready to punch his face.

“Parker! Yo! Stop!” Gavin and Ethan pull me away and I’m still fucking raging.

“Don’t fucking stand there and look at me you piece of shit. You know damn well Zara didn’t fucking sleep with you.” I pull away from them and look at Katy. “Where is she?”

“At the house. Treston, what the fuck is going on?”

Not wanting to talk more, I rush out of the house and run to the girls’ house. Opening the door, I close it and head upstairs. I need answers and she’s going to tell me the truth.

Opening her bedroom door, I’m about to yell and scream when I see her curled up on her bed, holding her phone. Fuck, I feel like an asshole. She’s been waiting for me and I’ve been avoiding her. But to be fair, she’s been avoiding me too.

Slowly walking over to her bed, I get on my knees and push her hair from her eyes. I touch my lips to hers, hoping to wake her up. Her eyes flutter open and she looks at me.

“Treston.”

“Hi, Peaches.” I stroke her face.

“I miss you,” she sighs, pushing up the covers to invite me in next to her. I do as she wants and pull her close to me.

“I miss you too. I’m sorry for leaving you alone. It won’t happen again. But can you open your eyes again and listen to me?”

“I’m already awake.”

“Did you and Henry do anything tonight?”

She shrugs and rearranges herself so that she’s sitting up, staring at me. In her eyes, I can tell if she's lying or telling me the truth. Even though deep down, I know the answer already.

“We talked and he walked me to the door. Why?”

I’m going to fucking kill him. Henry’s dead. “No, baby. It's nothing. I wanted to make sure." I need to change the topic and fast before she asks more questions. “Close your eyes, okay?”

“Okay. Don’t leave in the middle of the night please?” She begs me.

“I won’t. I promise.” I kiss her forehead and watch her eyes flutter shut. It'll be simple to ask her to be mine and make it official. She's waiting for me to ask and I'm waiting for a sign, something to tell me I can be good for her because I know she's good for me.

She sighs again, “Goodnight.”

The next day, Zara doesn’t have class and stays in bed while I finish some things up at school. I can’t take my mind off her and finish up early so I can see her. Hurrying home, I take a quick shower and get ready

Pulling out my phone, I send her a text.

Get ready...I want to take you out tonight

Peaches:
Okay...Give me 5 minutes...Where are we going

Me:
You'll see

I call and confirm the details. I'm not sure what tonight's going to bring, if anything. Grabbing my car keys and wallet, I take one last look in the mirror and head over to the girls’ house to get Zara.

My hands are over her eyes. I lead her down the path and when I lift my hands, I hear her gasp. I rented a section of the park with a gazebo and had dinner set up for us. I want to show her how much she means to me and hopefully she'll stick around. I'm not ready to make her mine.

"Treston," she softly says, "What's all this for?"

"For you." I tell her, "And a chance for us to talk. I know you want more," I pause, waiting to see if she'll correct me. Instead she looks my way and slightly nods her head. "I'm being honest, Peaches. I'm not ready yet. I have a lot going on in my head and I have to deal with that before I can make you mine, which I hope will be soon." I lean in closer, my lips to her ears, "Be patient with me. Please."

"Of course." She kisses my cheek and I lead her to the gazebo. Pulling the chair out she sits down and I follow.

The dinner is nice and for once I'm relaxing and holding her hand. The blush on her face is adorable. Damn, this girl is beautiful. Please, Peaches, be patient with me.

"Tell me something."

I think about what I want to say. "I'm a big mama's boy."

This makes her laugh and it rings through the park. Her laugh is contagious and soon I'm laughing too.

"That's too funny," she says, sipping on her water. "I've always wanted someone to play
Stay With Me
by Sam Smith on the piano. I have a slight obsession with him and I love the song."

"You do know it's about a guy falling for his one night stand, right?"

And there's the death look I love so much. "Stop, okay? The song is so much more than that. He's a lonely guy and wants to fall in love. He's trying hard and wants love. Everyone wants love and deserves that kind of happiness. Just the feels to the song."

"Right. But he had a one night stand and he loves her."

"You have no idea what you're saying," she says, "But yes, I would love someone to play that song for me on the piano. It's beautiful and I can listen to the song all the time." A blissful sigh leaves her lips and I make a mental note to learn how to play the damn piano for this song. How hard can it be?

CHAPTER 13

ZARA

AFTER THE WEEK FROM hell, it's Thursday and I'm loving Coach for giving us a day off tomorrow. The guy's are having a party tonight and all I want is to have fun and relax.

Rushing back home I jump in the shower and change into my yoga pants and a tank. I turn on my lap top and log into Skype waiting for my mom, Kasey, to come on. A few minutes pass and my Skype alerts me that she’s on.

"Hi babygirl!"

I wave, "Hi Mom! Wow I love your new hairstyle."

"Thanks. I wanted to try something new and Joe thinks this is a good look." I nod, agreeing with her layered style with a mix of blonde highlights. "So how are you? How's Duke and practice?"

"Good. Great. Love my life."

She squints her eyes at me, "And Jackson?"

I knew I was forgetting something. I could have sworn she knew by now!

"I broke up with him a while ago. I'm sorry I didn't tell you when it happened. I thought Christina would have told you."

"She may have mentioned it," my mom says, "I don't know why you hid it from me."

"I wasn't trying to," I explain. "Honestly it wasn't working out. He's too perfect and he's with me because he thinks he has to be. Plus the excitement is gone. I don't want that kind of relationship. I want to feel butterflies and feel like I'm flying. Like how you and Daddy were." My voice trails off, thinking about my dad, and wondering if he's looking down at us.

Joe and my mom have been married for almost three years. He played lacrosse with Daddy at Duke as well, and was friends with my mom until they lost touch. He never married nor had kids. It was as if he was waiting for my mom to come back into his life. I love their story and I'm glad they're together, but I miss my dad every day

"Are you sure this is what you want? You and Jackson have been together for so long."

"I'm sure mom. We're still really good friends."

"I'm glad honey. All I want is for you to be happy," she smiles, touching the screen. I place my hand on hers. I miss her so much. "I miss you, Zara."

"Miss you too, mom."

We carry on with our talk for the next hour. It feels good talking to mom and getting her advice with school, lacrosse and life in general.

Later that night Treston and I are together in his room. My head’s on his chest and he’s playing with my hair.

“I love when you play with my hair,” I sigh.

“It’s soft,” he says and we fall into a peaceful silence once again. “Stay over again tonight?”

Without hesitation I nod my head. I like staying with him and falling asleep in his arms. I know he said he’s not ready for a relationship. In some ways I hope that spending this much time with him will help him change his mind.

Because I want him.

I want to be his girlfriend.

October comes and goes, leading into November. Treston and I are getting closer, still friends, even though every day I'm falling even harder for him. We spend a lot of time together and sometimes I spend the night at his house. Nothing’s happened between us and I’m really confused about what we are. He’s not hooking up with anyone, which is a good thing, but it doesn’t stop the skanks from pushing themselves onto you.

People around campus see us together and they whisper. Everyone’s talking about us and how I’m the girl who tamed Treston. It pisses me off that they all think this is a game and not something real. The skanks are the worse. They give me dirty looks and purposely make a scene when I’m around. Questions fly out of their mouths asking what he sees in me or what do I have over him. Are you fucking serious? It takes every ounce of me to not take my lacrosse stick and hit them over the head.

Besides the commotion around school it’s simply just Treston and I. He’s slowly letting me in and I love it. I love how he trusts me and I can trust him. The feelings I have for him is something I’ve never felt before. With Jackson, I knew I loved him, but this love I have for Treston is new. It’s deeper and pulls at my heart. Treston makes me weak in the knees and takes the breath out of me. He listens and holds me, while pushing me in my classes and on the field.

At the Fall Invitational, we both did well and it was amazing playing for Duke. Each goal I scored I saw Treston stand up and cheer for me. He made me a sign and it hangs in my room.

Go Peaches!

#25

I smile when I see it.

"Okay, so you and Treston are like some freaky couple."

I shake my head, "Katy, for the millionth time, we are
not
together. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. He's a friend and I'm his friend."

"Okay," she sits up on her bed, "Let me count all the unfriendly things the both of you do. Sleepovers, cuddle sessions, morning and sometimes nightly runs. He brings you breakfast and walks you to class. He has scared almost every guy at school and warned them to stay away. Side note, you allow it. So what gives?"

"I don't care what you're listing. I'm telling you, we're friends and that's it." I narrow my eyes at her and go back to doing my homework. Checking the time, I notice it's past six and Treston's still not back from his parents’ house.

My phone rings and I jump to get it.

"Mmmm hmmm just friends."

When I look to see who's calling, I frown. "Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, sweetie. I just wanted to see how you're doing. You've been so busy and it's making me nervous."

"Don't be nervous. I'm fine." She sighs into the phone and I know it's killing her to be far from me. "Want to come by tomorrow? We can do lunch and I'll even let you buy me clothes."

"Okay, sweetie. That sounds like a plan. Have you and that cute boy made it official yet?"

"Mom, Treston and I are just friends." I look at Katy and she covers her face with her pillow. Note to self, kill best friend.

"Oh, okay, right. I wasn't born yesterday. That boy likes you and you like him. I can see it."

I close my eyes and remember a few weeks ago when Treston and I went out to dinner with my mom and Joe. We went to a seafood restaurant and Treston got dressed up in a button down shirt and fitted dark jeans. He looked so sexy and when he came to pick me up, I saw something in his eyes. I've seen it a few times before. I'm not sure what it really means. I don't care, though. When he has that look in his eyes, I feel beautiful and wanted.

It felt good having him with me and we acted like a couple – holding hands, he kissed my cheek a few times and was a complete gentleman.

When I asked him what we were, he froze and didn’t answer me. And in true Treston fashion, he avoided me the rest of the week and it killed me. I texted him and asked what was wrong and if he was okay. Each message went unanswered.

These lines he’s drawn between us every time we get close isn’t going to hold me back. I’m not giving up on him, no matter how shitty I feel about being ignored. He’s going through a lot and he’s trying to let me in. I see that and I know we’ll be together soon.

"Trust me, Mom. We're friends.”

"Have you told him how you feel?" I freeze when she asks me that question. Before I can say anything, there's a knock on the bedroom door and Treston comes in. Our eyes meet and everything freezes, except us.

"Of course I have. Mom, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Treston's there, huh?" There's a smile on her face, I know it.

"Uh huh," I answer her.

"Okay, sweetie. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you, too." I disconnect the call and watch him walk over to my bed and sit down.

"Hi, Peaches."

The nickname he has for me still makes my heart thump in my chest. I love it, even if I pretend to hate it. "Hi, Cheese."

"Sorry I haven't been around," he plays with my toes and it makes me laugh. All the anger and confusion I have toward him diminishes.

"Oh, you two are so cute. Please tell each other how you feel, so we can all be happy!" Katy smiles, getting up from her bed and walking out. "I'll leave you alone. I have a sexy boy waiting for me."

When she walks out of the room, I look at Treston, as he's staring at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I realized something tonight." His voice is husky and needy.

"What?" I'm nervous. I have no idea what he's going to do or say.

His hand touches my cheek and brings his lips to mine. This is the kiss I've been waiting for and I don't want him to stop. My heart pounds in my chest. I wrap my arms around his neck and lay down, bringing him down with me. The slow kiss, the taste of his tongue dancing with mine, this is what I've been waiting for.

I place the flowers on her grave and sit down, playing with the necklace she got me when I got into Duke.

"Hey baby," I whisper, touching her tombstone. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a few months. Things are weird and confusing. I've been working hard at school and lacrosse like I've promised you." I laugh, holding the necklace tighter in my hand. "I think I'm finally going to make your last request come true. There's this girl I met and she's my best friend. I don't know how you knew to send her to me, but Emily, she's amazing. She makes me laugh and I feel alive with her again. I know it's crazy and I know I shouldn't be telling you this. But then again, I know you know this already."

My heart hurts thinking about the last time we talked. "When I came back to the lake house and forgot to pick up your meds, I should have listened to you. But I had to leave and get it for you. You were in so much pain. I didn't expect my car to break down and I didn't expect you to come out and get me. You should've stayed at the lake house," I cried, letting the tears fall. "You shouldn't have come to get me, Em. I don't know why you decided to leave and get in the car." I close my eyes and remember seeing her car coming toward me. The storm was hitting hard and the lightning and thunder rattled the road. Everything slowed down and it was slow motion in front of me. I saw the tree fall in the middle of the road. I screamed for Emily, but it was too late. The crunching metal was heard and I ran down as fast as I could. When I got down to the car, her head was resting on the steering wheel. There was so much blood. I cried, doing everything I could to open the door to get her out. Nothing was working.

"I tried saving you, Em. When the ambulance came, they got you out and your body was limp. They tried to save you. But I knew. I knew you were gone. It hurt every day knowing you weren't here with me. I didn't think I'd be okay and then one day, I woke up and didn't' give a shit anymore. You weren't here, so life didn't matter. Then," I take a breath, pausing to collect my thoughts. This is harder than I imagined. "I met her, Em. She's incredible and beautiful inside and out. She's feisty," I laugh, "And puts me in my place." Saying all of this out loud makes me realize how much I've fallen for her. Since meeting her in August, and now we're in the middle of November, being closer to her, annoying her and seeing her for who she is, I can't deny my feelings for her.

"I'm going to make her mine today. I wanted to stop by and tell you. Next time I come back, she'll be with me and I'll tell her about you and us. You gave me the best years of my life, and now I'm going to give Zara the best of hers. Thank you for showing me love, Em and for believing in me. I think I'm going to be okay." I lean over and kiss her tombstone, resting my forehead against the front of it, feeling her near me. "I love you."