“Why are you crying?” His voice is gentle.
“I’m a mess,” I finally admit. “I can’t meet your parents looking like this. And I don’t want them to see this.” I point to my eye. “I don’t want them to tell my parents.”
“You don’t have to impress anyone, you know. They’ll like you and they won’t say a word. But if you really feel that way, we’ll go in the back door. You really need to put ice on your cheek.”
I consent and follow him on a path that leads to the garage. We enter the kitchen and he open a door that leads downstairs for me. “I’ll be down in a minute,” he says after turning on a light and closing the door. I feel awkward that he snuck me into his house. I guess that’s what he did. I walk down the stairs and gawk. Okay, so his entire basement is like the size of my house. There is a loveseat and a couch that faces a large HDTV. I peer into the room on the left. And gape. It’s a room with hardwood floors, a pool table, and a ping-pong table with a sink. On the other side of the room are two doors, one of which is closed, and the other that leads to a bathroom. I’m scared to see the bathroom. It’s probably the size of my room.
Casper clambers down the stairs and hands me a plastic bag. “Here’s some ice. Mom always says to put it on immediately, but she said this will also help the swelling.”
I take it. “Thanks. Did you tell her I was here?”
“No.” He smirks. “I’ve had a few black eyes in my lifetime. Is your hair naturally curly?”
“No, it gets out of hand in the rain.” I place the ice to my cheek hoping it will numb the pain.
“Have a seat.” He sweeps his hand inviting me to sit on the white plush couch. I sink into it. “Do you want some ibuprofen?”
“Yes, please.”
He walks into the bathroom and comes back with some medicine and a cup of water. He clicks on a couple of lamps then turns off the overhead light. He sits down on the couch and stretches his legs. I swallow the pills and drink the water.
“I can’t believe how big your basement is. It’s like three of my houses for your one.”
“It’s kinda too big for the three of us. My brother and sister moved out last year.”
“Are you close to them?” I guess I’m humoring him by carrying on a conversation. I don’t want to feed into his whatever he feels for me.
“Yeah.”
“That must be hard not seeing them every day.”
He shrugs. “It’s not that bad. They’re only half an hour away.”
My phone beeps and I reach in my bag to answer it. It is Cherry.
OMG! Amber’s a bitch! Are u ok?
Yeah. I’ll be fine.
I can’t believe she hit u! I’d stay far away from Casper. She’s crazy!
I know. Are they upset that I called in?
No. Diane asked about you. I’ll tell her ur puking. My break is almost over. I’ll call u when I get off work.
It’s ok. I’m kinda tired so I’m probably going to bed early but I’ll c u tomorrow.
K. U 2. Love u.
Love u 2.
“So, your parents won’t know you skipped work?” Casper asks.
“No. They never go out that far.”
“Aren’t they going to notice when I take you home? Or are you going to make me park down the street?”
It isn’t a bad idea actually. “They’ll be asleep by then. They’re really strict. And anything I do gets me grounded. It’s better that I don’t tell them anything. Where do I need to get my car tomorrow?”
“I can take you.” He turns on the TV and leaves it on the sports station. I welcome the distraction.
“Will they have it ready tomorrow morning?”
“No, but I thought I could take you after school.”
“Oh.”
“Do you wanna watch a movie?” he asks.
I shake my head. It’s strange having the man of your dreams sitting next to you. Literally. I think about how intimate and tender we are in the dreams. It’s a little unnerving.
“Do you know who the mysterious guy is in the dream?” he asks.
“No.” I focus on the TV instead of him. But I feel his eyes on me.
“I’m trying to wrap my head around this. The dreams started a few months ago. At first, they started out with me running and searching through the woods, looking for you. I’m tense and nervous but when I find you, it’s like, everything’s okay. Except that I have to fight with some guy. The dream where you fell off the cliff, I knew I had lost you. When I woke up, it got to me. Not to sound…whatever, but my heart literally ached for you. I can’t explain any of this.”
Speechless, I listen to Casper reveal his inner thoughts. Okay, if he is playing a trick on me, I’m sure he wouldn’t have told me that his heart ached for me. How am I to react to that? Somewhere inside of me wants to know how he feels.
“Does your heart ache for me now?” Bug-eyed, my hand flies to my mouth but not in time to stop the words from escaping. I don’t know what possessed me to even ask that. “Sorry. That was stupid. I shouldn’t have-I just-wow.”
“I’m afraid to tell you my answer, actually.”
“Yeah, no it’s cool. You don’t have to answer that. Pretend I never asked.”
We sit in awkward silence, watching TV, but I’m pretty sure neither one of us is paying attention
