Caring for Dakota Knox

9

Tatum Hayes

Two weeks had passed since I dropped the "friends" bomb right in front of Dakota's face. I had been irritated at myself, but I got nervous. She looked disappointed, but remained cool around me. We started hanging out often, twice a week to say the least. We rented bikes and played chess with my dad, cooked and burnt food like crazy. I could feel her eyes on me, but it wasn't the usual gaze I was used to receive from her. Every time I met her eyes straight on, I took my time to take her in. I didn't mind taking all the time I had looking at that face.

Maybe there were lots of people who looked like her, but there sure wasn't anyone in San Leandro that did. I still don't know how else to explain her beauty, but I had never laid my eyes on someone like her before, or until now. 

That one time, we were using my telescope upon a cliff outside town. My father had lend me the car for the day, first time after getting my license. Dakota's driving skills were better than mine, but her parents couldn't afford a car yet. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it. We tried to take a look at the people that walked around town, but couldn't see a face or anything detailed, so we had decided to try it another time when it was bright out. She looked at the stars for a long time, with concentration and intelligence. It's dangerous to be that beautiful, I thought. I was breathless once again. 

She had announced she had to head home before midnight. I could see her trying to hide her frantic feelings throughout the night. Was she late for something?

"I should get going too" I said to her, knowing my dad wasn't really expecting me back home "I'll take you home"

We packed my things and then put my jacket on while looking down at her

"Are you okay?" I asked her

She looked up at me with her big, hazel eyes, hesitant to say a word.

"Kotes? Are you alright?" I asked again, using the nickname I had given her after a long chat about  the worst nicknames we ever got.

"Do you want to stay at my place tonight?" she asked, looking at me patiently

"Yeah, sure. Just let me call my dad so he doesn't wait me up" I said. She said nothing.

While I was trying to text my dad, I tilted my head to look down at her again, glinting down her neck, and to her chest, and her stomach... it was covered by a baby blue oversize shirt she wore. I imagined what might be underneath it...

"Well?" she asked quietly "are you ready to go?" 

"Yeah, let's go" I replied smiling shortly, and without hesitation, turned to the car and drove out. When we reached the road, she slipped out a smoke from the pack in her pocket and lit it while humming to a song on the radio. I sighed - mostly because I wished she didn't do that - and looked up, entranced as always by the street lights, my concentration soon interrupted by a gentle hand caressing my hair and pulling it aside. Turning my head to face her with a blank expression on my face, she shook her head and chuckled, inhaling another deep drag from her cigarette.

When we got to her house, she reached out to grab my hand. I had ignored the gesture, because she clearly looked worried. I cleared my throat and nudged Dakota's elbow, "hey, maybe next time?"

"No!" she said bursting out "I want you to stay"

Her reaction was enough to reassure me that she needed my support, the cheery type. I took the first step and then she seemed confident enough to take the lead. Before walking inside, Dakota frowned in confusion, and gave me an uneasy smile before gesturing for me to take a step aside. Which I did. And once I did, she whispered "I guess my mom just got home, she is right there in the kitchen"