You Were Never Mine

Confessions - Chapter 08

// I normally don't incorporate songs in stories anymore unless I think they REALLY fit well to give the chapter or story a vibe. So, that's why I included this one and the one in the intro chapter. Listen to the song if you'd like. I think it goes well with the vibe of this chapter. // 

♦      ♦      ♦ 

Parker

I had been driving for a while now, probably about an hour and I knew Elle was intrigued by what was going on. I felt uneasy thinking about bringing her to this spot, but deep down, I wanted to share this with her. She sang along to the music as we continued to our drive in the moonlight. Elle glanced sideways at me when I turned onto a narrow dirt path.

"Are you bringing me out here to kill me?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm, but she tried to make it come out serious and scared.

I let out a deep chuckle and shook my head, "no. I've never murdered anyone before."

"Okay, good, because I was worried that's what was going to happen. I've never had a guy drive me down a dirt road in the dark before."

"I guess that's why they say there's a first time for everything, huh?" I glanced over at her, shooting her a wink and then turning back to face the road in front of me.

I pulled off into a small parking are and put my car in park. The area was secluded and covered in trees. The moon was shining through the leaves and the stars were so bright out here that you could barely tell we lived in California. I turned off my car and sat there in silence for a moment. Elle looked at me, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. I smiled and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"This may not seem like much, but I promise, there's more to it. Just trust me," I breathed, looking into her eyes. She stayed quiet, but nodded her head in response.

The two of us exited my car and I met her at the front of it, grabbing her hand in mine. I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight and started walking forward into the wooded area. Elle turned on her flashlight as well so we could see more clearly. It wasn't super dark out yet, but just dark enough that it was hard to see – especially in the woods.

I made my way down the dirt path and kept Elle close to my side, staying quiet. Elle was breathing heavier, which made me realize she was nervous and I had hoped she knew there was no reason to be.

"Here it is," I spoke out as the two of us pushed through the other end of the wooded path. There was a treehouse up high in the air, situated between a few of the trees. I smiled over at Elle and nodded my head up towards it. "That treehouse there. When I came out to California, I used to go on drives all the time. I eventually found this spot and went out for a walk. That's when I came across this."

I pulled her forward with me as I stepped towards the bottom of the ladder that lead up to it.

"I used to come by every day after that and I would sit up there and read. Basically, anything I did, I did it here. I'd come here and do homework, I'd draw, sometimes I would just sit up there and sleep. I'm not even sure who it belongs to or who built it." I shrugged my shoulders and looked back at Elle. "Do you want to go up there with me?"

She smiled and bit down on her lower lip, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. "What if there's a raccoon or something?"

I laughed and winked at her, "don't you worry, I'll fight it off for you."

The two of us shared a laugh before I stepped forward and started making my way up the ladder to the treehouse. Once I was inside, Elle came up through the hole in the floor of it too and sat down right next to me. The treehouse was a decent size, nothing too small or too big. There were pictures hanging up all around it, drawings and paintings made by people.