"Hey, hey, hey,"
I paused halfway up the stairs.
"Excuse me little kid, but you don't appear to see me walking down the stairs." Devyn said from four steps bellow me. "You seem quite excited. What's the occasion?"
I turned to him. "I'm going to Eve's Garden."
"Eve's Garden..." By the time the words made sense to him, I was already up the stairs and pushing open the door to my room. "I thought we agreed I'd take you there to show you the other side of it." He stood in my door.
"We did." I replied as I dropped my school bag and packed my shoes in the cupboard.
"Not today, I've somewhere to be later."
"Don't worry," I told him tying up my hair. "Dave will show me."
"Dave?" He lifted his eyebrows. "You dont know whether..."
"His shift ends in less than an hour." I was done and ready to enter the bathroom for a shower so I turned to him. "Then I'll have him to myself all night." I eyed the clock. Five fifty-six. Dave had told me he would be knocking off at six thirty, half an hour earlier and he had no plans for the rest of the day.
"How'd you know that?" He shifted his weight on the other leg. "How did you have each others numbers?"
I raised my eyebrows at him and pressed my lips into a thin line. There was definitely no way I was going to tell my brother that Dave had attached a slip of paper written his contact details to the sides of the drink he had served me when we were there. And most importantly, no way was I going to tell Devyn that Dave had actually asked me to a party at a friend's place which would start at seven.
Devyn tilted his head, his eyes narrowed in some sort of thinking he always did when he wanted to stop me but had to let me proceed. "Okay," he nodded. "Okay, go ahead."
"Sure." I beamed at him. I loved my brother; he was the best human to ever exist.
"Have fun." He shrugged eyeing me one more time.
"I will." I promised him, as I intended to. Afterall, the company was going to be different, so the fun would be different too.
Devyn started to walk out the door but turned back suddenly. "Be back before ten."
"What, am I getting curfew now?" I asked surprised. For all I knew, my brother never cared whether I came home at midnight or returned from school three hours late. As long as I slept home.
"No, I..." He grinned at me. "Well, if you want curfew, I can grant you the wish. What I meant was ten in the morning. Your first lesson will be at ten thirty in the morning, won't it?"
I narrowed my eyes at him but I couldn't see any trails of strain on his face from trying to fake anything. I smiled at him. "Alright."
*********************************
"I didn't think you were really coming."
"And why would that be so?" I asked as I walked up to him.
Without stepping away from his jeep, he reached for my hand and kissed the palm. "You look just as stunning as I thought you would."
"I was simply trying to match your look." I gave a light, single shoulder shrug as he took in my oversized midcalf boots, cotton skirt that barely covered my bum and oversized shirt that ended a couple of inches above my belly button.
"God, you look like a little kid."
He looked away from me as though he was suddenly shy of looking at me. I took his words as a compliment. Being a kid is all I'd like to be and more.
"A damn hot kid." He added facing me again.
I lowered my face and gave him my side, shy look. "That's what I am."
Dave stared at me in awed astonishment before he shook his head. "Hop in, we shouldn't keep our kid out in the dark now, should we?" He held open the door.
"Thank you gentleman." I told him and he grinned smugly.
"What'd Devyn say?" Dave asked when we were speeding on a road full of speeding cars.
His question actually made me feel bad for suspecting my brother would call to threaten Dave earlier. It appeared my brother didn't do such a thing.
A good thing but also saddening, I almost believed I was too precious anyone that had me would want to keep me on a leash.
"He said I can crash at your place if I will so." I told him and he laughed. I looked at him, loving how the dimples formed dark spots high up his cheeks and at the center of his chin. Something about him made me feel at ease and I found myself smiling in the dark.
"Why the sudden silence?" He asked.
"I'm wondering what type of guy would drive a jeep in an era of smart cars and a town full of hot chicks and competition."
"The guy that is probably running short on cash and needs daily transport to and from work and is aiming at down to earth chicks that attract less competition because he needs to keep a low profile to escape prying eyes."
I was amazed. That sounded like a whole description of my kind of dream guy. Well, one of my kinds of dream guys. I twisted my body to face him. "Really?"
He glanced at me and burst out laughing again. "Hell no. I got this from my grandfather."
"Well... definitely grand." I turned away.
"We went places in this, had more rides in it that were so fun you can never imagine." I looked at him and he was sadly smiling. I knew where this was going. "When he left, he left the car and house to me. The house feels empty and the car is the closest I get to him."
"I'm sorry... if I knew I wouldn't have asked." I was feeling terrible for picking at his wounds.
"It's alright, he assured me I could visit any time I want. Also, he's only a call away." When he sensed my confusion, he added. "He just moved to Wales."
I sighed in relief.
"The cheapest of your brothers cars can get him about three jeeps. But the type of girls I'd like to attract are those that can't get their eyes of my jeep and I." He eyed me. "Like you."
"Huh?" I looked away when I realized I had been staring. "Come on." He laughed.