Call Her Bluff

“So who is this boy you’re going out with?” my mom asked as she sat on my bed while I sifted through the clothes in my closet. I sighed after I flipped through some shirts.

“Just this guy I met the other day,” I said quietly. I tried to hide the smile in my voice but I knew how audible it was. My mom giggled like a little girl and bounced slightly. “Where did you meet him?”

I began debating with myself. Did I meet him at the concert? Is he our neighbor? Did I meet him at that party I went to? I settled on telling the truth, because she couldn’t piece the puzzle together. As long as she didn’t tell Mia, my little secret was safe. “Well I kind of met him at the concert I took Mia to. I didn’t really meet him per se, I just kind of found him. But it turns out he lives four houses down from us so we ran into each other outside. The party I went to the other night was his.”

She smiled when I stepped out of the closet. “What’s his name? How old is he?” Question after question poured out of her mouth and I held up my hands to stop her rambling. “I’ll talk to you about it later. I have to get ready.” She nodded and gave me a tight hug.

“Have fun,” she smiled. “Try to be back before too late.”

I nodded and watched as she walked out of my room. My stomach began to churn uneasily. I’d never thought about Alex’s age. He didn’t look that much older than me, but not many people appear to be as old as they are. I rubbed my hand across the back of my neck and hurried into Mia’s room.

“Hey Mia, I have a really weird question,” I began and she looked up at me expectedly. “Uh, how old is Alex Gaskarth?”

The mention of his name sent a smile across her pink little lips and she said, “He just turned twenty two a month ago.” A wave of relief washed over me and I nodded slowly. Twenty two wasn’t that old. I was okay with the age difference and I smiled in satisfaction. “Ok, thanks.”

After a few more minutes of picking and choosing, I finally came across my outfit. As soon as I changed my mom came into my room and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Dave and I are going out to dinner. Have fun, be safe, and make sure to tell Mia when you’re leaving.” I nodded as she rushed out of my room and into Mia’s.

After I curled my hair and applied my makeup, I took a few deep breaths as I made small improvements to my appearance. I had no idea why I was so nervous, since I was always so comfortable with Alex, but something about it made me feel weak in the knees (as cliché as that sounds). I picked up my bottle of perfume and applied one squirt to my wrist and spread it to my neck. When I was in the middle of putting my shoes on, the door bell rang and I felt the blood drain from my face when Mia yelled “I’ll get it!” and I saw her sprint from her room down the stairs. I tried to stop her, but before I could get a single sound out the front door was open and she froze in her place.

Alex stood on the other side of the door, a nervous expression on his face. He glanced up at me before swallowing hard and taking a step towards Mia. “Hi, I’m Alex,” he smiled slightly, offering his hand to her. Although this was the worst thing that could happen in that moment, I still smiled. He was wearing a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a black vest, black faded skinny jeans and grey vans. Mia seemed to have lost her place since she stood completely still except for her hand, which she placed carefully in Alex’s. “Nice to meet you,” she said quietly.

Alex let go of her hand very slowly as if he were afraid she would wake up from her trance and attack him. He took a cautious step back and looked up at me. “Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded and darted into my room to grab my stuff. As I slung my purse over my shoulder, I heard Mia running up the stairs and I got the feeling that I should hide. It was almost like a rabid dog was chasing after you, ready to attack. I flinched when she appeared in my doorway and pinned me against my wall.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going on a date with Alex fucking Gaskarth?!” she demanded.

I tried to back away although the wall behind me refused to let me go anywhere. “Because I didn’t want you to react like this!” I shouted at her as I continued to struggle out of her grasp.

Her expression changed from furious to dumbfounded. “Like what? Like the happiest girl in the world?!”

I stopped struggling and pried her grip off of my arms. “Wait, what? You’re happy?”

Mia nodded profusely. “Um, hello?! My sister is going on a date with Alex Gaskarth. Do you KNOW how fucking awesome that is? I mean, yeah I wish it was me, but that’s never going to happen.” She let go of my arms as her smile grew a mile long and she fell back on my bed. “This is so awesome!”

I scoffed and rubbed my arms where her grip surely left a mark. “And to think all this time I thought you would hate me forever or kill me.”

She sat up suddenly and gave me a threatening look. “What are you still doing here?! Go! Alex is waiting for you!”

I shook my head and chuckled at her rapid mood swings and left her to lie on my bed. I caught site of the smile on Alex’s lips and he came to the bottom of the steps, took my hand and helped me down the last couple. I thanked him and we walked out the front door. He let me in the car then rushed to the driver seat and sat for a second before starting up the car.

“You look amazing Camryn,” he whispered, his eyes connected to mine so I could feel the sincerity while he spoke. “Thank you,” I said just as quietly. His eyes showed the smile that was pulling on his lips and he looked away quickly, as if he’d been caught staring a little too long. He cleared his throat and started the car.

“So I decided that I would plan something out for tonight, but I thought I’d keep it a secret,” he grinned as he backed out of my driveway. I grinned back and took a deep breath. “I’m a little nervous,” I laughed.

Alex smiled over at me as he drove and turned the radio up. “Don’t be. I’m going to do whatever I can to make you have a good time.” I nodded and pulled my seat belt over me and buckled it. “Besides,” he added, “If anyone should be nervous, it’s me. I’m afraid I’m gonna mess up.”

“Mess what up?” I asked.

He shrugged as he pulled onto the main road. “Anything.”

I tilted my head and decided the nervousness between us was unnecessary and didn’t need to be there. I didn’t want to be uptight the whole night, and I didn’t want Alex to be either. “Let’s just be chill tonight. No fancy shit. Let’s have fun, and if we mess something up, we’ll laugh about it. Sound good?”

Alex spread the detonator across his lips, making my mind explode when he slipped his hand under mine and pressed his fingers against my skin. I had to bite the corner of my lip to keep my smile from getting too big.

“You’re my kind of girl,” he said in a deep voice.

The drive was quiet except for the soft melody of Mayday Parade coming from the speakers. Alex would occasionally run his thumb across the top of my hand, making my heart rate speed up dangerously. I would steal glances at him a few times and each time my heart’s smile grew. It kind of took my breath right out of my lungs and I felt myself choking on the swelling happiness.

After a few minutes we pulled off the main road into a small parking lot with palm trees lining the asphalt. It didn’t take long for the salt to waft past my nose, reminding me of the familiar feeling of home. I rolled the windows down and turned the radio off and felt tears come to my eyes at the sound of waves crashing against each other and racing to shore. Alex parked the car and his headlights helped me see the sand.

“I figured you would like to come see the beach. Maybe it would remind you of California?” he whispered.

It took all I had to restrain myself from kissing him right then and there. Instead I took a deep breath and tried to steady my voice as I spoke. “Alex, you have without a doubt just won my heart.” I laughed shakily.

His eyebrows shot up. “That was easier than I thought.”

I leaned against his car, taking in the site of my long lost love while he gathered stuff from his trunk. My heart felt weightless as it chirped around my ribcage. Alex joined me and held all of his belongings in one arm, placing the other around my waist and leading me onto the beach.

“Here, can you hold this a second?” he asked and handed me a plastic bag with Chinese take out boxes in them. I took it and watched as spread a blanket down on the soft sand. After placing a rock on one of the corners to keep the blanket from blowing away in the sea breeze, he took the bag from me and set it down in the middle. “I’ll be right back,” he smiled and sprinted to his car, returning a few seconds later with two candles. He placed them in the sand beside the blanket and smiled in satisfaction at the area.

“Have a seat,” he offered, plopping down on blanket and I followed suit. I watched as he dug around inside the bag and pulled the cartons out, along with chopsticks. He offered me one of the cartons and I took it, giving him my thanks. Inside the carton was orange chicken with fried rice and I felt myself smile.

“How did you know this was my favorite?” I asked as I pulled the chopsticks out of the plastic rapper. Alex smiled as he opened his own carton and stuck his chopsticks inside. “I just took a wild guess,” he replied, his smile turning into a smirk.

“So I’m that readable, huh?” I asked.

“Not at all. Reading you is actually the most difficult task in the world.”

“How so?” I watched him shove a piece of chicken in his mouth, chew quickly and swallow before he shrugged. “It just is. I had no idea if you would like this. I just kind of got a gut feeling and went with it.”

I chuckled briefly and shook my head. “Well you should go with your gut feeling from now on, because I absolutely love this. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

He nodded with a brief smile and dug around his carton for more chicken. After we’d eaten, the sun was already beneath the water and the moon came out to take its place. The stars helped light up the sky and I couldn’t help but look at Alex as he smiled contently at the waves. I was beginning to feel something for him, and I couldn’t deny the rapid growth of it. We talked for hours upon hours about everything and anything that came to mind. I was enjoying my time with him more than I thought I would. I glanced up at the stars and sighed before lying on my back. I could see Alex smile down at me from the corner of my eye and he was soon lying beside me.

“I used to go to the beach at night all the time in California. My friends and I would just lie down and stare at the stars in complete silence and listen to the waves. It was pure heaven,” I whispered the last part.

Alex turned his head to me. “You really miss California, huh?”

I nodded slowly. The thought of it triggered tears to collect in my eyes. I thought about my old school. I thought about my friends. The more thought I put into the memories, the more tears built up. None of them spilled over as I fought them back, but I couldn’t contain myself when I thought about my dad. I didn’t feel the tears falling down my face but I could tell they were there by the painful silence coming from Alex.

“I guess I just really miss my dad,” I sighed. “I haven’t talked to him since the day I left.” My heart, the same one that was just shining with happiness, sunk down to my stomach and shattered on impact. Alex rolled over on his side and propped his head in his hand, rubbing my arm with the other. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I shuddered and sat up, wiping the wetness away from my eyes. I laughed nervously and sniffed. “Sorry I’m such a basket case.”

Alex sat up and moved closer to me, placing his arm around my waist. “You’re not a basket case. You’re a human. This kind of stuff happens to everyone. Don’t put yourself down for having feelings.”

I turned my head to him slowly and smiled a crooked smile. He smiled back and rested his forehead against mine. All I needed to do was lean in and I could taste him on my lips, but instead I pulled my face away and rested my head on his shoulder. I felt him feel around in his pocket and he pulled out his phone. “Jesus Christ,” he laughed and put his phone back in his pocket. “It’s 2:30.”

“Oh man,” I sighed. “My mom’s probably going to be waiting for me when I get home,” I said and leaned up. Alex sat a little straighter and said, “Wait, do you have time for one more thing?” I nodded slowly and he stood up. “Close your eyes. No peaking!” he said before he ran back to his car and I covered my eyes with my hands.

When he came back, I heard the clutter of plastic coming in contact with hollow wood. He situated himself and cleared his throat. “Okay, open.”

I moved my hands and saw Alex sitting in front of me, a guitar in his lap. I could feel the smile on my lips growing as he got ready to play.

“I just want to let you know I’m not doing this because I think I’m good. I mean, I’m not bad, but I’m not conceited either,” he mumbled. I nodded for him to continue and he took a deep breath. “This is a pretty old song, but I kind of thought about it while I was getting ready.” Once again I nodded and he started to strum. “Sorry if I-“

“Alex, just play it,” I giggled and turned myself so I was facing him. He took another deep breath and strummed a chord. He opened his mouth and the voice of an angel tumbled out.

“Time to lay claim to the evidence. Fingerprints sold me out, but our foot prints washed away from the docks downtown. It’s been getting late for days and I think myself deserving of a little time off. We can kick it here for hours and just mouth off about the world and how we know it’s going straight to hell. Pass me another bottle honey. The Jaeger’s so sweet but if it keeps you around, then I’m down. Meet me on Thames Street,” he sang with so much emotion it caused me to lose myself in his voice. I knew that the whole time he was singing I had the most ridiculous grin plastered on my face, but I was enjoying the sound so much I simply didn’t care. By the time he was finished, I was one-hundred percent smitten.

“Six feet under the stars,” he belted and the ringing of the guitar strings filled the air. He offered a slanted smile and set his guitar down to the side. “So?” he asked.

“You have the most amazing voice I’ve ever heard. And I’m not just saying that to be nice.”

“Well thank you. That really does mean something to me, coming from you. I’ve found myself trying so damn hard to impress you. I’m assuming it worked?” he asked as he pushed himself up and offered his hand to me. I took his hand and he hoisted me off of the ground. “Indeed it has.”

We gathered up all of the stuff and walked back to his car, throwing everything in the trunk. The drive back to my house was just like the one on the way to the beach: silent, except for the melodic composure of Mayday Parade. When Alex pulled in my driveway, I searched inside my purse for my house key before the image of it lying on my dresser flashed into my mind. I cursed and let my head fall back against the seat.

“What?” Alex asked.

I turned my head and flashed a sarcastic smile. “I left my key in my room. I can’t call Mia to let me in because she never wakes up to her phone, and I don’t want my mom to know how late I stayed out.”

Alex pursed his lips together. “What are you going to do?”

With a sigh, I looked up at my bedroom window, then at the tall tree beside the house. I knew what I had to do, but I was not looking forward to it. “I guess I’m climbing in through the window. I may need some help though,” I winced and opened the car door. Alex followed me to the trunk of the tree and made a step with his hands for my feet. Once again I winced. “Please don’t drop me,” I begged.

Alex hoisted me up with ease and followed me up the branches. Each time we went higher, he managed to hold on to me and keep himself balanced at the same time. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but I was more than happy when my feet hit the roof. Alex followed me to my window and motioned for me to stand back. I watched as he pulled out a pocket knife and slid it under the window, unlocking it and pushing it up. He stepped aside and took my hand as he helped me inside. A wave of relief washed over me when I was safe in my room.

“Safe and sound,” Alex smiled from outside the window.

“Thank you so much Alex. This has been one of the best nights in a while,” I smiled as I leaned out the window.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for accompanying me.”

“Anytime.”

Alex pulled out his phone and motioned to my pocket where mine was tucked safely away. I handed it to him and he did the usual number swap, sending himself a text from my phone and saving his number to my address book. I watched as he shut my phone and placed it on the bay of the window with a simple smile.

When Alex pressed his hand against my cheek, it felt like I’d run into a brick wall and all the breath was knocked out of me. I got lost in the chocolate brown orbs bearing into my own and my eyes fluttered closed when his lips rested against mine. It was unlike anything I’d ever encountered. It was innocent, yet dangerous. Passionate, yet casual. Simple, yet complex. Perfect, yet flawed. He pulled away and rubbed his nose against mine. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked in a quiet whisper.

“Of course,” I giggled childishly.

My brain wanted to explode when he smiled at me and moved in for another quick kiss. He pulled away and planted his lips on my forehead before walking towards the edge of the roof. “G’night Camryn,” he said over his shoulder.

“Good night,” I replied and shut my window when he was out my site. After changing into my pajamas, I got into my bed with a content smile. I didn’t want to think about how wrong it was that I was falling for him. I just wanted everything to be right.