(Evening of day two)
"Promise me that this isn't going to be super cheesy." Andrew smirked as he gripped the wheel tighter.
"No promises." I stared straight ahead, trying not to make it too obvious that I was secretly drinking in every aspect of him. The way that his dark brown hair slightly hung in his eyes, how his eyes literally twinkled when the setting sun hit them just right, how slight muscles were visible through the stretch of his thin gray V-neck.
"Tell me where we're going," I commanded.
"Nope. It'll ruin the surprise."
"I don't like surprises."
"What? Who doesn't like surprises?"
"Me."
"That's stupid."
"No, it's not!" I defended. Andrew laughed, a sound that I was finding myself growing quite fond of. It rang through the car and disappeared into the air that was tinted with the scent of salt water.
Andrew's car was one that I had always dreamed of having. It was a light blue, the color of the sky on a gorgeous spring morning. It was slightly clunky and dirt crusted the sides, proof of the long drive that Andrew and his friends had taken in order to get down here. It was a convertible. The top was down and the wind was whipping my hair into a salty frenzy.
The sun was setting and one by one people were beginning to retreat from the beach and into the city for dinner and drinks. But, unlike all those people, Andrew was driving us towards the beach. He hadn't told me anything about what we were doing, where we were going, what he was bringing. Nothing. I was completey in the dark.
"You're planning to kidnap me, aren't you?" I challenged.
"Yes, Charlie. I'm planning to kidnap you."
"Well I don't know anything about you! Hell, I don't even know your real name."
"That was entirely your idea. So you can just continue to anticipate this lovely evening and be excited. Because you're going to love it."
"You know nothing about me. How can you possibly know that I'm going to love this?" Andrew rolled his eyes and bit his bottom lip to prevent a smile at my stubborness.
"Just shut up. Play some music. Plug in your phone if you want." I jumped at the chance to play my own music. That way at least something would be familiar about this.
Mayday Parade blasted through the rusty blue car. I leaned my head back and threw my hands up into the air, pretending to catch the wind.
"I love this song!" I screamed over the lyrics. "Don't you just love this song?" Andrew laughed loudly.
"I love this song!" We sang along to the thumping music, not caring that neither of us were good singers.
Secret love, my escape
Take me far far away
Secret love, are you there
Will you answer my prayer
Please take me anywhere but here
Anywhere but here
We earned multiple strange glances from passers by. But as the guitar continued to wail, so did we.
~~~
"A picnic. You've got to be kidding me."
"Oh come on. Lighten up a bit," Andrew teased. He draped a blanket across the rocky earth, smoothing it with his right foot.
YOU ARE READING
Let's Play Pretend
Teen Fiction/priˈtend/ verb 1. to speak and act so as to make it appear that something is the case when in fact it is not. Which is exactly what Hayden and Matt do after they meet on spring break of their senior year using fake names.
