Masked Risks

Chapter 8

“You’re late,” a deep voice greeted me as I tip-toed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. It was about 1:30 in the morning and I had just dropped off Avery and Pepper at their houses. I didn’t have a curfew, but I didn’t like to push my unspoken limits.

My heart skipped a beat and I stopped in my tracks as the lights in the kitchen turned on, blinding me for a second before I saw who was standing before me.

“Owen!” I ran over to hug him.

I’m not a very touchy person, only hugging when the moment called for it and avoiding an unnecessary hugging to keep my personal space just that- personal. However, seeing my brother after months of him living away was reason enough to hug him.

He released me from his arms. “What are you doing here?” I asked, excited.

He smiled at my excitement as I sort of hopped up and down like an eager puppy. “I found out that my one class on Monday got cancelled, so I figured it was a good time to come home for the weekend. I got in earlier this afternoon, but you weren’t here,” he explained, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“I’m so excited you’re here!” I exclaimed. Mom and Dad were too far away to woken up by my shrieks, so I didn’t care. “I missed you so much!” I hugged him tight again.

I felt his body rocking with laughter as I hugged him. “So, did you have a good night?”

A blush crept up my neck as I pulled away and looked up at him. “Yeah,” I answered, turning back to the cabinet where we kept the glasses. “Except, I didn’t really do anything because of my ankle. I basically just sat around.” I turned the faucet on to fill the glass in my hand, my back facing Owen.

“Why did you go, then?” I shrugged, taking a sip of my water.

I thought back to the end of the night. Erik and I basically talked for the rest of the night, until Pepper and Kevin came outside to tell us what time it was and that we should probably head out. She went back inside to get Avery and Chad. Erik and I stood up.

I handed him back his blanket, immediately feeling the cold air hit my warm legs. “Thanks for the blanket,” I said lamely.

He smiled as he took it back. “No problem.” He hesitated, looking nervous. “Can we go out sometime, maybe?”

Butterflies were having a field day in my stomach. “Yeah.” I nodded my head rapidly, feeling like an idiot because I probably looked desperate.

He looked back up at the house. We were the only two people outside. Once the keg on the patio was empty, the drunkenness of the people outside seemed to fade a bit, so they headed inside in search of more alcohol.

Taking a small step towards me, he closed the space between us and reached his hand out to interlace our fingers.

My breath caught again as he leaned forward and kissed me, one last time. It was slow and sweet and left me feeling warm all over.

He pulled away, breaking the kiss. “We should meet them out front,” he suggested, smiling down at me.

I returned the smile. “Probably.” Our eyes broke contact when we heard a loud crash come from inside. The music lowered for a second before the volume was raised higher than before.

I turned to grab my crutches, tucking them under my arms. “I can’t wait to be done with these. One more week.” I sighed.

“What a shame, they really suit you,” Erik commented sarcastically as we walked around the side of the house to meet everyone else in the front.