Blackmailing The Untouched

A Knight In A Shining Suburu

After he leaves, it feels as though I've been released by some invisible force, and I can finally breathe again.

With my mind no longer cloudy, my heartbeat slowly returns to normal.

What in the hell just happened?!

Part of me wonders if he will come back out, but the smarter part knows that I won't be seeing him again tonight, and my stomach drops at that realization.

A few minutes later, all the lights inside the house go off, dousing me in pure darkness. There's nothing but black; I can't even make out the outline of my hands when I raise them in front of my face. Taking that obvious hint, I carefully make my way back down to the main road to wait for Toby.

His red Subaru pulls up fifteen minutes later, "Need a ride, Pretty girl?" He asks with a cute, flirty grin through the now rolled-down window. I bend down and peer inside the car with a sigh of relief and a dramatic pout.

"I can't thank you enough, Tobe," I say as I pull the door shut and buckle the seatbelt. Toby watches me carefully from the rear-view mirror as I settle in the seat beside him.

"Yeah, I saw the Jeep. Yikes." His voice trails off slightly when he glances behind him to turn the car around. "What are you going to do about that?"

"Not much I can do." I scrunch my nose, "I'm going to have to leave it for the night and call a tow truck in the morning."

"Oh, before I forget, I let your father know what was going on because I figured you wouldn't be making his nightly call tonight, and I know how he can be." He flicks the right turn signal and pulls the car onto River Rd.

The shops are all closed as we drive through downtown; looking like a deserted town from one of those horror movies Toby likes to watch.

The Subaru blends in with the evening traffic, which at nine at night is a handful of cars making their late-night trips to numerous fast food restaurants. The radio is playing very softly in the background; I can make out the words to Luke Bryan's Crash My Party when the car comes to a stop.

Ugh, country. But I guess it could be worse than Luke Bryan.

"If you need a ride anywhere before you get the Jeep back, just give me a ring." Since the street is deserted, Toby takes a quick second to focus on me with soft hazel eyes, his dark brown hair caramelized by a nearby street light. I've always been a sucker for Toby's perfect smiles, so when he flashes another one, I swoon a bit.

"Yeah? You'll be my personal Jeeves?" I tease him playfully with a twirl of my hair.

He takes a little bit longer to respond to me than he should, which rewards him with an angry, loud horn that blares at us from a white Toyota behind us. I can't help but laugh as he releases the brake pedal to make the car jerk forward. "Oops." His toothy grin widens as he chuckles.

"So, I was thinking -" I start to say after the laughter dies down.

"That's never good." He interjects with a satisfied belly laugh, which wins him a slap on the shoulder.

"I'm kidding." He winks. And the smile on his face can only be described as one of those giant Cheshire cats which makes me giggle.

"Would you want to stay and watch a movie with me tonight?" I ask.

"Hell yes!" He replies, the grin growing bigger, the deep dimple on his chin indenting.

"Great." I nod my head and look out the window at the passing houses and the rare street lamps on the sidewalks. It's not long before the Subaru turns onto my long drive, making the tight curve at the top of the huge grass hill that our log cabin shares with three other lots in the neighborhood.

The tall structure of the log cabin slowly comes into view as we near the winding drive. Toby parks in the abandoned driveway right next to the sad excuse of a garden that I'd attempted to create last summer. All that is left now is the weeds that suffocated the flowers and the makeshift fence that I'd crafted out of old wooden boards.

Toby shuts off the engine and starts to follow me to the front steps when his phone goes off from the pocket of his jacket. Pausing at the door, I wait to see what's keeping him, watching as his smile quickly fades and is replaced by irritation.

It looks like there won't be a movie tonight after all.

My thoughts are confirmed once he pockets his cell phone. Placing a hand on the back of his neck, he gives me the news, "That was the station." He says, "I have to go in because some idiot misplaced some of my papers." I can see the frustration on his face, so I don't make a fuss. "I wish I didn't have to. I'll make it up to you." He promises and then pulls me into a strong hug that warms me up. Before parting, he presses his lips to my forehead and whispers, "Good night, pretty girl."

I smile and wave goodbye from the porch as he gets back into his car and then drives away.

When I'm finally within the walls of my house, I walk across the plush, white carpet in search of a cold drink of water, stopping against the doorway to the kitchen for stability as I unzip my black riding boots and stow them in a pile just inside the hardwood room.

Crossing the large threshold, I search the overhead cupboard made of frosted glass, pulling down a drinking glass, and taking it to the refrigerator to get some ice from the dispenser. The motor inside roars to life and crushed ice comes shooting out into the glass.

After filling the glass with water, I make my way to the marble two-tiered island and sit down on a black stool. The Hollywood magazine that I'd left here earlier in the morning is still lying open, so I begin reading the article while sipping my drink.

The phone rings from the living room, so I hop off from the stool to retrieve it. I connect the call, and my father's voice is stern when he asks, "Sweetie, is everything alright?" He sounds concerned and is upset.

"I'm fine, dad. Toby picked me up." I explain calmly, even though I want to let him have it for once again treating me like a child, like some innocent little girl who can't take care of herself. I am twenty-one years old, and I don't need my daddy to be so overprotective. It comes with the job, I know, but it's also overwhelming, and tonight has taken its toll.

"Yes, I received his phone call just before he picked you up, I suppose. You know how I worry, and I know that you are more than old enough to make your own choices and your own mistakes, but I worry." He says with a plea in his gravelly tone, and I roll my eyes because I've heard it all before.

So, I tell him what I always tell him when his job makes him act crazy, "Daddy, most people my age don't even come home from school on their breaks so just keep that in mind next time you decide to have another one of your attitudes." I'm not trying to sound cruel to him when I say it, but I also can't help the bite that accompanies my tone. My lecture seems to be enough for now because he bids me farewell and then hangs up.

Arguing with Dad always leaves me in a foul mood, so after turning off all the lights, I take myself upstairs and get ready to call it a night, and the blue comforter is so soft and warm on my bed that I quickly drift off into a deep sleep almost instantly.