“Thanks.”
Not responding, he tosses me his signature wink. “We have reservations at eight.”
“Great.”
The awkwardness between us could be felt fifty miles away. Instead of actually dating, I think we should just sleep together to get rid of the sexual tension. The thought makes me inwardly cringe from how slutty it sounds, but maybe if the sex was over with, we’d be more at ease with one another.
Neither one of us says much as he guides me through the dark parking lot to his Jeep. I notice he put the top and doors on, and I laugh as I think about my dress flying up, revealing my sheer panties, and the hair I just styled becoming all windblown by the time we arrive at Carsen’s.
“What’s so funny?” He opens my door for me.
“Nothing. Thank you for closing up the truck.” I get my laughter under control.
“You thought I’d make you ride like we’re going four-wheeling or something? Give me a little credit, Piper.” He tosses my bag in the back before stepping out of the way for me to enter the truck. “Although, your dress mixed with the wind would make a nice view.” He chuckles, shutting my door.
From the easy jokes being thrown, I become more relaxed with Tanner on this new venture we’re on. Before I can fully prepare myself, he’s opening his door and climbing in.
When he starts the engine, the music blares out of the speakers. “Shit, sorry.” Tanner’s fingers quickly turn the knob on the stereo.
“That’s okay.”
It’s still weird between us. I’ve known this guy my whole life, and my voice picks now to go mute.
He pulls out of the parking lot, turns onto Route 31, and heads toward our hometown of Marlowe. The town is known to be quaint. A fancy word for small and nosy. Even though we had a graduating class of over two hundred, it seems as though everyone knows everyone in Marlowe. Growing up there must not have been too terrible since we decided to stay close—two hours from our childhood homes.
Since my meet was only half an hour away from Marlowe, the drive to the restaurant won’t be long—thankfully—but it will be a longer ride back to campus. If things continue to be so quiet, the drive will be excruciating.
“What’s Brad doing tonight?” I ask. I’m not sure that Tanner and I have ever had a conversation that didn’t include my brother in some form.
“I don’t know.” He shrugs his shoulders and peers over at me from the corner of his eye. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about him tonight?”
Swallowing a big gulp, I concentrate on the pitch-black darkness outside the window. The two lane roads with no street lights were the norm for me until we went to school. Now the drive is eerie on the rural roads with nothing but headlights leading your way. “No.”
“Good. Because I want to get to know you, Piper.”
I giggle, shaking my head. “You do know me, Tan. You’ve known me practically your whole life,” I argue.
Tanner drives the car, comfortable and relaxed. “I know the things everyone knows. You love to swim, and you’re a twin. You graduated from Georgetown Central High School where you won Best Smile—and let me add that I checked off that box.” He glances my way, his smirk in place. “But I want to find out what you keep to yourself.”
“There isn’t much more,” I counter, crossing my legs, while pulling the fabric of my dress toward my knees.
“I disagree.”
“What do you want to know?” I scoot my butt in the cloth seat to face him.
When he turns to me, he’s smiling, obviously enjoying that I’m intrigued.
“What’s your favorite class?”
“Sociology.”
He nods.
“What do you want to do when you graduate?”
“I’m not sure yet. I know I should, but I can’t decide.”
Tanner is asking the wrong questions because it forces my mind to flood with the dilemma of my future that my parents keep hounding me about.
What do you want to do after graduation? Swimming most likely isn’t an option. Maybe you should earn your master’s.
It’s enough to drown me, and the pressure of making the right decision has me believing that it’s easier not to choose.
“What about swimming? The Olympics are in three years.” He briefly looks over my way, raising his perfect eyebrows.
“I wish. You know as well as I do, that’s not an option.” A dream maybe.
“Piper, you’re good. I mean, you can’t compare yourself to me because . . . well, you’re a girl.” He laughs, lightening the mood.
Slapping him across the shoulder, I giggle. “Girls can do anything boys can do.” My whole life, I’ve heard that line from my parents, and it fed into my overzealous drive to beat my brother.
“Usually better,” he agrees.
I watch his long fingers turn down the volume knob further. My heart pitter-patters as I sense that he truly is intrigued to figure out what makes me tick.
“Seriously though, you should consider it.”
“It’d be a pipe dream, Tan. Look at what happened today. Fourth place isn’t going to claim me a spot to the Olympics.”
I’ve dreamed so many times of standing on the pedestal and dipping my head down for the person to place the medal on. I’d imagine the weight of it on my neck and the flag transcending down in slow motion while the national anthem played. Hell, I’ve even pretended with my medals I’d won from junior meets when I was younger.
“Come with me after graduation.”
He changes course so fast that my breathing halts.
Tanner received an invitation to be part of a preliminary group of swimmers this summer. Pretty much right after we graduate, he’ll hop on a flight to Colorado Springs to train in order to make the US Olympic Team. Only a handful of the top college swimmers are asked to attend the elite program. I wasn’t one of them and neither was Brad yet.
“No. They didn’t invite me.”
“I could talk to them, if it’s something you really want to pursue.”
Isn’t that the question of the year?
Once upon a time, swimming consumed everything I did. Eventually, I realized that I might not be good enough. I don’t have the same special something that Tanner does. The only problem is, I wish I’d figured it out sooner because I’m about to graduate with a degree in sociology and no clue as to what I’ll do with it.
I place my hand on his knee, and it twitches at first before relaxing under my palm.
“Thank you for the offer. Swimming isn’t my future. I just need to find out what is.”
I begin to reel my hand back when his hand moves off the steering wheel and covers mine—threading our fingers together.
“You will, Piper. I’m positive you’ll figure it out.”
I hope he’s right. I’ve always been so independent. My worst fear is that if I don’t realize my life’s plan, after graduation, I’ll wind up in my pink bedroom at my parents’ house.
Tanner doesn’t let go of my hand, and I don’t pull away. It’s nice and comfortable after such an awkward start to our night. Silence encompasses the car, but it’s not weird. It’s security.
Tanner pulls the Jeep into the angled parking spot in the downtown square of our hometown, Marlowe. Restaurants and local retail stores outline the small square that has a white gazebo placed in the middle. The fire station is on one side, and the library is right next door. It’s charming and endearing—not only to the residents, but also to the small amount of tourists who visit every year around Christmastime. Lucky for us, tonight’s a quiet spring night.
He turns off the ignition and releases my hand. We both sit for a second as though absorbing the comfort of the familiar surroundings. I think back to how many times I skipped along this sidewalk or got into a pushing fight with Brad until our mom yanked us aside, demanding we pull it together and behave like she’d raised us.
Not wasting much time down memory lane, Tanner climbs out and circles around the Jeep to open my door. He leads me up to the sidewalk and links our hands. The smell of the tulips and other newly planted flowers across the way focuses more memories—prom night when I longed for my hand to be in Tanner’s instead of my own date’s. How I admired his broad shoulders as he walked two steps in front of me with Keira, who looked gorgeous in her sequined dress.