Eve

7

I was brushing my hair the next morning, trying to pull all of its length into a bun, when I heard a someone ring the doorbell. I'm not sure why I hadn't become so much more excited knowing Eve was going to let me know when we were going to work on the house. Maybe it's just because I hadn't expected her this early. And I definitely hadn't expected my parents to allow her to come straight upstairs to my room.

She came in without knocking, walking straight in and plopping on the bed as if she had been in my bedroom a thousand times before. 

"E-Eve! Good morning..." I spun my chair to face her, letting my incomplete bun fall to my shoulders in surprise. My face was full of blush, flustered to see her sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of my bed. She was smiling, tilting her head slightly and attempting to brush back the bangs that framed her face perfectly.

"Sorry I came so early. I couldn't wait any longer to get started on the tree house," Eve said, admiring my room. She was already changing the subject, adding on under her breath, "Your room is so pretty."

I smiled, "I woke up today early anyway. I usually sleep in but I was excited too."

I watched as Eve suddenly approached my vanity where I sat. She turned my chair around so I faced the mirror. It was almost straight out of a dream as she begun running her fingers through my hair. Taking the hairbrush, she gently stroked it, letting it fall pin straight along my back. It was like I was suddenly on a cloud feeling the soft slow movements of the brush glide on my head. And in a mirror that showed everything, I could only stare at her.

"There's an old lumber yard that has a bunch of recycled planks of wood I thought he could use. They aren't the best quality, but if we find the right ones, they'll be sturdy enough to fill in for some planks in the treehouse," Eve told me, bringing me back to why she was here in the first place.

"Oh yeah?" I said, hoping Eve wouldn't notice how red my face was in the mirror as she began braiding my hair.

Eve hummed in response, "And one of my friend's has a toolkit I'm sure we can borrow."

I looked down, anxiously playing with my nails as I tried to calm all the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach, "Do you think we should paint it too?"

Eve finished off my braid, tying it with an elastic that was on the desk beside me. In the mirror, I watched her place her hands on my shoulders and grin, "Of course, its gotta' look awesome."

I smiled too at her response and felt my hair perfectly braided down my back. It was no surprise Eve could be good at everything, including doing hair.

She slapped my bare shoulders, making me jump, "You hungry? I know a place with the best breakfast burritos." Eve twirled around the room as she said so before dragging me out of the chair. 

"Are we able to walk there?" I asked, looking down at Eve's hand in mine. She was already pulling me ahead.

Eve looked back at me as we hopped down the stairs, "We can take my bike."

"The both of us?"

"Yep."

And there is was right outside my house. An adorable light blue beach cruiser with a basket at the front that contained Eve's small knapsack.

"So I just need to stand on the pegs right?" I looked to the two bike pegs sticking out from the second tire.

Eve nodded, adjusting the kickstand as she got onto the bike, looking to me expectantly, "Yep. There's no need to be scared, though. I'm a good driver."

"And you're sure I won't be too heavy?"

"Not at all. Just give me a bit of a push, then hop on," Eve told me.

I gaped at her, "You want me to get on while you're moving?"

She giggled and I suddenly became embarrassed for being so hesitant. "Don't worry, Lena. We'll take it slow."

My heart warmed at her words, and as much as I was scared to simply do this, the tone in Eve's voice made me trust her. It made me trust her with my life and I didn't exactly know how. And even though I felt so anxious for this, there was nothing more I wanted than to share this moment with Eve on the back of her bike.

"Okay," I told her, trying to exhale the rest of the nerves tangling with my head.

Eve nodded, "Hold onto my shoulders and once I peddle a bit, just step right on."

"Okay, I got it..." I told her, even though I was trying to convince myself more than her. It was just like riding a skateboard, right? Although I didn't really ever do so, I remember the motions from when I was younger. One boost, then hop on. I got it.

I put my hands on Eve's shoulder, feeling the warmth of her tan body under my palms. It calmed me, knowing she would be right there for me to lean on the whole time. 

"Here we goooooo!" Eve exclaimed, already beginning to move before I had intended her to. In an instant, I was stepping onto the pegs and gripping her shoulders until they turned pale.

There was a bit of wobble at first, but once Eve got a steady pace, the bike fell into a smooth movement, riding along the smooth part of the empty road.

"See Lena? I gotchu."

I loosened my grip on her shoulders, looking down to where her ponytail tip blew into my chest. She was so close. I was so close. That feeling could've been better than this feeling of the warm air blowing my loose hair out of my face and the smell of the fresh lagoon beside us. The view was beautiful overlooking the turquoise water and the forestry island edge. If I looked hard enough, I could probably see the tree house from this angle too. It was amazing. It felt like it was straight out of a dream.

"This is so fun!" I told her, talking loudly over the wind.

"Right?!" Eve told me back, "Watch this, Lena!"

I looked down at her, seeing her hands leave of the handle bars breifly. I almost shrieked as the bike started to wobble. "AH! Eve!" I yelled, but I found myself laughing at the same time, holding onto her tighter.

She laughed too, putting her hands back before the bike went out of control, "I haven't perfected it yet."

"I can tell!" I teased her.

Eve laughed, turned the corner onto the next street sharply before skidding to a halt. I hopped off quickly before the bike fell over without motion.

"Is this the place with the breakfast burritos?" I asked, looking up to the small food truck parked on the corner of the road.

"Yeah. I'll get you one," Eve told me, unbuttoning her bag to get money.

"Oh, thank you," I said. And when I watched her go up to order and pay, I couldn't help but feel so much joy. In my mind I wanted to call this a date. I wanted to pretend it was one. But just in my little world because I knew it was wrong. And I knew that sometimes dreams didn't come true.

Eating the burrito by her side made me feel sadness through all the happiness I had at the situation. I didn't really know why, but a part of the butterflies in my stomach made me sick. Not because I was with her, but because of the emotions I felt towards her. They weren't right. They never could be and I didn't know why it had to be that way. It wasn't fair. Or was I just selfish?