I let Rob kiss me on my grandparents’ doorstep. I keep it short, but not because I’m not enjoying it. He’s a good kisser. Practiced. But for some strange reason, I’m thinking about the wild boy and how his bare chest felt under my hand. How he shook when he realized I was touching him.
I say goodnight to Rob and go to bed, thinking about Wildboy chasing deer.
July 17
I go there again the next afternoon.
I lay out my blanket and wait, although I tell myself I’m not waiting. I’m just here to read and enjoy the sound of falling water. It rains. I pretend that sitting in the rain was part of my plan all along. I’m not waiting for Wildboy.
Wildboy doesn’t show.
I’m not disappointed, I tell myself. And why would he come back on the off chance that I would, too, anyway? It’s not like I impressed him with my philosophy-lite reading choices or my pretentious poetry. We didn’t even tell each other our names.
When I get back to my grandparents’ house, there are two cars in the driveway. One is Rob’s and the other is a black Mercedes coupe I don’t recognize, but that just screams Liam to me.
I’m not wrong. I go inside and find Rob, Liam, Taylor, Mila, and Aura-Blue chatting with Grandma and Grandpa and drinking lemonade. Apparently, showing up at my house is now a thing.
“Hi,” I say, waving a desultory hand. “Did we make plans?”
“We just stopped by to see if you wanted to come out with us,” Mila says. She’s got such a sweet smile, I find myself smiling back at her.
“I didn’t hear from you all day,” Rob says, annoyed.
“I was just hiking,” I reply.
“I love to hike,” Mila croons. “We should go together someday.”
I pretend I didn’t hear her while I say, “I’m all sweaty. I’d have to clean up.”
“We’ll wait,” Liam says.
I look around for a way out and see Grandma’s eyes flash with worry that I’ll turn them down. I have no choice but to say, “Great! I’ll be right down.”
Another rushed shower, another sundress, a swipe of lipstick, and I hurry to join my uninvited guests. “Have fun,” Grandma and Grandpa call out from the doorstep as Rob holds open the passenger door for me.
Rob gets in the car to avoid the faint drizzle that is left after the rain, but he doesn’t start the engine right away. He waits for my grandparents to go back inside and for Liam, Mila, Taylor, and Aura-Blue to pull out before he turns to face me.
“Not even one text?” he asks. He looks hurt.
“I…” I stammer, but he’s not done.
“I thought after that kiss last night, you’d at least answer the phone and talk to me, but I would have settled for a text.” He sits back and runs his hands through his hair. “There are a lot of girls who actually take my calls, you know.”
“Rob, you’re a catch. I can see that. I’m a mess. Save yourself,” I say through a laugh. Despite himself, Rob laughs with me.
“Are you this hard on every guy who’s into you?” He taps the steering wheel in agitation. “I promised you I’d talk with you when something bothered me, rather than play head games, but are you just playing with me? You saw that I called, didn’t you?”
“No. I usually switch off my phone unless I’m going to use it. Half the time, I don’t take it with me at all when I go hiking.”
He looks utterly baffled. The thought of being separated from technology is unthinkable. “Why?”
I don’t have to give him an explanation, but I decide he deserves one anyway. He’s really trying to be straight with me. I respect that. I respect him, I realize, because he’s earning it.
“A year ago, I was getting a lot of nasty phone calls, and I had to change the way I live. It has nothing to do with you. And I apologize that I left you hanging. I’m not playing with you.”
“Why were you getting a lot of nasty calls?” he asks. All his frustration is gone now, and he looks concerned.
I shake my head, refusing to answer.
He sighs and stares at me for a long time. “God, you’re beautiful,” he says quietly.
I smile. “You realize that’s the worst reason to be interested in someone, right?”
He starts the car. “So I’m learning,” he says ruefully as he pulls out.
The rain stops, so we play mini golf. It’s silly and fun and it works great because there are three guys and three girls, and everyone can pair up. We joke around for a while, taking selfies and saying ridiculous stuff, but it’s clear this is an intelligent group of people. The conversation inevitably turns to more serious things.
“Did you hear about the woman who was mauled?” Mila says.
“No. Where?” I ask.
“The woods,” Rob says with a shrug, stepping up to the tee. “You know, where you love to read or write or hike or whatever it is you’re doing.”
I’m stunned. “But I’ve never seen a bear.”
“Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there,” Rob says, putting his ball between the whirling blades of a windmill. “You all tease me for never going into the woods, but there are no bears in the ocean. No Lyme disease, either.”
“What happened?” I ask. I turn to Aura-Blue, who seems to know what’s going on. “Who was she?”
“Some hunter from out of state,” Aura-Blue says sadly. “They found her rifle first by the side of the river. She’d discharged it a few times, and the authorities think she must have made a bear angry. I mean, what did she think was going to happen? Bears have a right to defend themselves. They live in the woods; we don’t. We’re the intruders.”
Liam, Taylor, and Mila share a knowing look. They’re obviously used to Aura-Blue’s earthy-crunchy indignation. “You know, she was found partially eaten,” Taylor says, reveling in that gory detail.
The thought makes me sick. “No way,” I reply, covering my mouth.
“Taylor,” Mila chides. She turns to me. “She was found in the river.”
“Yeah. Partially eaten,” Taylor insists, and both Aura-Blue and Mila smack one of his arms. “Ow!” he says, rubbing his big bicep.
Everyone is ready to change the subject at this point, but I can’t let it go. “When did she die?” I ask.
“Yesterday, they think,” Rob answers. “They found her this morning.”