“Very true.” I nod. “Well, so how are things with your grandpa? Do you guys get along?”
“He’s a good guy. Sweet. Old. He doesn’t even have internet in his house. So, that’s fun,” Wade chuckles under his breath.
“Oh my god, it’s like being plunged into the Dark Ages. How are you gonna survive?”
He shrugs. “I’ll probably just have to call the phone company and get it brought in. It was on my agenda for today, actually. But I got distracted by a beautiful woman and spent some time daydreaming about her.”
I stop walking to narrow my gaze at him. My cheeks flame, but I can’t help but smile.
“Well, you better get on it, Mr. Wade. If I do go to Windhaven, we need a way to stay in contact, don’t we?”
He places his eyes on me, his pupils widening until his irises are nothing more than a thin silver line around the edges. I suck in a deep, but jagged breath, trying to calm my sudden flare of nervous energy.
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Wade says. “Does this mean you’ve decided to go?”
I shift my gaze to my feet. “Yes? No? I don’t know. I want to go…but…”
“You have to think long-term, Autumn. What is it you really want?”
“But my mom…” I begin.
“Your mom will be fine. If you’ve got powers, ignoring them isn’t going to do you, or her, any good. You need to figure out what they are. Trust me. Living with the knowledge of latent potential kind of sucks.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just clamp my lips tight and nod.
He reaches out, grabbing hold of my arm. I stop walking and he lifts a hand, gently stroking the side of my cheek. The sensation of it catches me off guard, and makes my back go rigid.
“I’m really glad I bumped into you at the cemetery. I really am,” he whispers. “This might be kinda out of place, and honestly, I can’t believe how dorky I sound in my head, but would you mind if I come out to visit you?”
My eyebrows tug in.
“I mean, if it’s too forward…” he says, backpedaling.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I haven’t given much thought to where I would stay. I’ve never been much for crowds and I’m not a party girl. I don’t think I could stay on campus. So, the logical next step would be to stay at my dad’s.”
“Why does that sound like it’s a bad thing?”
“It’s not that. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think it could be a good thing. He’d probably love it. I just haven’t heard from him in a long time and to be honest, it’s been a while since I stayed out there. Plus, I’m not too sure my mom will be keen on it.”
“How long has it been?” Wade asks.
I make a face. “I guess the last time I was there was when I was seven.”
“Wow, that’s been a while, then. What, twelve years?” he says, wagering a guess the way I had.
I snicker. “Add a year and you’d be right on target.”
“So, twenty, huh?” Wade says, raising his eyebrows high.
I stop walking to place a hand on my hip. “Am I too young for you now?”
He snorts, taking my hands in his. “Actually, just right.”
“Hmmm…and when exactly is your birthday, might I ask?” I grin, poking him in the arm.
He watches me from the corner of his eye, but keeps his mouth pinned shut.
“Come on now, don’t hold out on me. When does the world celebrate the day Wade was born?”
“Sorry, I only share that kind of privileged information with people who stick around,” he says, smirking.
Holding up a pretend knife, I jab myself in the heart. “Oh, ouch. That was a brutal takedown, man. I mean, really. Right to the heart. I had just been leaning toward going and now this?”
Wade laughs. “I call it like it is, what can I say?”
“Hmph. Well, still unfair. You’re the one encouraging me to go.”
“Very true,” he concedes.
“So, you’ll tell me?” I say, my face brightening.
“Nope, not a chance.”
“Ugh. I’ll find out. So help me, if I have to stalk you on Insta, I’ll hunt down your besties and learn of your secrets.”
“Best of luck with that. I actually encourage you to try.”
“Really?” I say, surprised.
“Sure,” he shrugs.
I narrow my eyes and tease, “Why do you sound so glib about this endeavor?”
He rubs at the spot beneath his lip. “Well, for starters, what’s my last name?”
I open my mouth, only to close it again.
“Dammit.”
Wade grins broadly.
I wave a hand dismissively. “No matter. Where’s the fun in that?”
His eyebrows rise to his hairline. “Oh, it’s a challenge now, is it?”
“Why yes, yes, it is, Wade. I will learn of your last name and the date your mother pushed you out into this world.”
“Eeew. Now that’s taking things a step too far,” he says, shuddering and sticking out his tongue.
I chuckle. “What can I say? I call it like it is.”
“I don’t know about all that. I prefer to believe I had a Superhero birth. Made, not born.”
“Nice try, fair boy. Nice try,” I laugh.
We turn left, bringing us down a small footpath that leads us to the river. It’s not an open or heavily trafficked area, which is why I love it.
“It’s really pretty down this way,” Wade says, his gaze all over the wooded area.
I nod in agreement. “Yeah, this is another one of my favorite spots. I like to come down here when I want to be alone. Well, here and the cemetery, but that seems to be more crowded lately.”
“Oh? Did I ruin your sacred space?” he laughs.
“No numpty, you’re now invited,” I say, rolling my eyes. “But don’t get cocky about it.”
“Cocky? I wouldn’t dare,” he says with mock surprise.
I slowly raise an eyebrow. “Hmmm.”
We walk out into a small clearing before it transforms into the bank of the river and continue to walk the narrow trail. When we reach the edge where the rocks begin to jut out and the natural flowers spring up, I find a good place to take a seat.
“I didn’t even realize this river was down here. It’s not very big, is it?” he says, taking it in with wide eyes.
“No, it’s more of a creek, really. But I love its barely existedness. I found this spot when I was twelve or thirteen and I’ve been coming back ever since.”
Wade takes a seat opposite me, crossing his legs as he watches my every move. I can’t seem get enough of those big, silver eyes of his.
“What?” I ask after a few moments under his scrutiny.
“Nothing. I just—you have ridiculously amazing eyes,” he says, the corner of his lips twitching upward.
I squint at him. “They’re just green.”
“No, they aren’t. They’re way more than that. When the light hits them just right, they sparkle with hints of golds, browns, and even some blue in there. I’ve never seen anything like it.”