Back to December

Twenty-Two

December 28th, 2022

    "Alright, everyone," Dad calls from down the stairs, "let's head out."

     We're spending our afternoon at a ski lodge a little over an hour away. Mom, dad, and Nikki decided to go last night while talking, informing the rest of us via group text later on.

    I barely ate my breakfast this morning, so lost in a train of thought. I like Wyatt, and not in a friendly, I forgive him, and we're best friends again kind of way, but in an, I can't stop thinking about him, I want to kiss him and run my fingers through his hair, kind of way. I'm completely and utterly screwed. Somehow everything and nothing changed in no time at all.

    Mom and dad are rushing as I emerge down the stairs, making sure they have everything they need, "Marley, do you mind driving? We won't have enough room in our car."

     "That's fine." I shrug. Living in the city, I rarely drive, so it's something I don't mind doing whenever I'm home.

    "Perfect," Mom sighs. She held Skye's helmet in her hand, "Wyatt, you can drive down with Marley."

    Wyatt walks out of the living room at the mention of his name, steaming cup of coffee in hand. He seems much more chill than me, most likely because I'm the only one having a major revelation about my feelings. Wyatt's wearing a grey hoodie and black jeans; his hair a mess of curls that he didn't bother fixing. Part of me wants to just reach over and fix it, "Cool, is Harper joining us too?" I ask, crossing my fingers behind my back.

    If Harper joins, there's no way Wyatt and I can have any conversation that'd make my feelings grow stronger. She makes everything less awkward. "No, Charlie is picking her up. Then they're going to some party afterwards."

   "Oh, okay," I nod, pushing away the giddy feeling in my stomach. It's just a car ride, Marley. Calm down.

    Dad enters the foyer, with Skye's ski equipment tucked under his arm, "we all ready to go?" He asks, tossing me the keys to his car. I catch them before they can hit the ground. Everyone makes their way outside. Lizzie and James are taking their car, buckling the twins in their car seats. Harper and Charlie both sit in the front seats of his car. The boy waves to me, a smile on his face. His hair had grown since I'd last been home. His blonde hair now ended at his neck. He and Harper were both the coolest looking high school seniors I've ever seen. They make high school Marley and Wyatt look even more awkward.

    Speaking of Wyatt, he's slid into the passenger seat of dad's car, sorting through the miscellaneous CDs. He looks so focused, his eyes squinting slightly as he reads all the titles, "anything good?" I ask him, putting the key in the ignition and starting the car.

    "Not really," He chuckles, putting the case of CDs back, "your dad has weird music taste."

    "I'm shocked he still has all of those in here," I admit, adjusting my mirrors slightly with the automated button, "then again, I don't think he knows how to connect his phone to the Bluetooth feature yet."

    "There's Bluetooth?" Wyatt asks, sighing slightly. I can see him pull his phone out of his pocket out of the corner of my eye, already getting to work on connecting his phone. Music starts playing a minute or so later.

    Silence falls over us, and all of the sudden, I have no idea what to say to Wyatt. The other day, I never overthought about what to say to him. Conversations just flowed between us so naturally. I don't know how to talk to a guy I like. I've actively avoided dating for this exact reason, I'm not the kind of girl who flirts and knows what to say to make guys like them.