Classics in Summertime

I didn’t see Dylan again until a day later. Truthfully, the day that passed was the first day since I met him that I hadn’t seen him, and a part of me worried that something was wrong. Even after the conversation we had at the barn dance, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had said or done something to make him leave. Both his car and truck were still at his house – I checked multiple times throughout the day – but that didn’t stop me from tormenting myself.

When he finally did show up at my house, it was nearing dark and he had driven his truck the short distance of the driveway. The sound of the old engine was the first thing I recognized from up in my bedroom, and I immediately raced to my window and looked out, finding Dylan stepping out of the truck and towards the front door.

Both of my parents were in the kitchen, so if he knocked, either one of them would be the one to answer. I knew I had to get down there before they could, so I raced down the stairs and nearly tripped over my feet. I was lucky enough to make it before Dylan did, and I called to my parents that I would be back. My father may have asked where I was going, but the door was shut before I had a chance to hear him.

When I opened the door and stepped out, Dylan’s eyes popped open and he had a faint smile on his face.

“You weren’t about to leave, were you?” He asked immediately as he shoved his hands in his pockets. I shook my head quickly, giving him the same small smile back. This caused him to nod, and his smile widened. “Good. Now, hop into the truck and don’t ask any questions.”

“Dyl –”

“I said no questions,” Dylan interrupted quickly, raising his eyebrows up at me.

“I wasn’t going to ask a question.”

Dylan chuckled as he shook his head playfully. “What is it then?”

“I have to be back by midnight.”

“That can be arranged,” Dylan said before moving over to the passenger’s side. He opened up the door for me and held out his hand. “Hop in.”

I took Dylan’s hand and stepped into the truck, while Dylan quickly closed the door behind me. He practically jogged over to the driver’s side, and when he got in, he looked over at me with a smile. “Remember, no questions.”

I laughed at him, nodding my head. “Got it, captain.”

It seemed like Dylan had taken a driving lesson of his own as he didn’t nearly kill us trying to back out of the driveway this time. He took me for a short drive to the edge of town, and when we had reached the point where we wouldn’t see another living person for several miles, he turned off the road and into a field. I nearly yelled and asked what on earth he thought he was doing before I remembered the no questions rule. Instead I grabbed onto the door handle and my seatbelt for dear life while the truck bounced through the field.

He drove until we reached the place where the field met the forest, and when he turned the car off and the headlights with it, we were in total darkness save for the moon and the lighted butts of the fireflies.

Dylan hopped out of the truck and came around to my side, opening the door and holding out his hand so I could hold onto it. I jumped out of the truck, but Dylan still didn’t let go of my hand.

Pulling me gently, he guided me to the back of the truck where he pulled down the bed with a loud creak. It needed oil badly, but Dylan probably didn’t know that.

“Hop up,” Dylan said, patting the bed of the truck.

I turned around to have my back facing the bed so I could use my legs to hop onto it, but before I could, Dylan’s hands wrapped around my waist and he lifted me easily up onto it. My cheeks were bright red when I looked back at him and he was just smiling.

He hopped up next to me and crawled to the back of the truck bed, reaching into a large crate. From it, he pulled out a large blanket, which he spread along the back, and two pillows, which were then placed against the back of the truck.

Once he had everything laid out the way he wanted it, he motioned for me to crawl back to him, and he sat with his back against one pillow while I sat with my back against the other.

“I missed you a lot, Everly,” Dylan said, twisting his head to look at me while he bit his lips. Our eyes met and I could feel my cheeks getting warmer by the second. “I came out here yesterday and just sat and looked at the stars. I tried to think about home and my friends, but all I could think about was you. It was only a day and I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I wondered where you were.”

“You didn’t think I left, did you?” I nodded and he shook his head, his arm easily wrapping around my shoulder. It was the closest I had felt to him in a long time, and he used his arm to pull me against his chest. My head rested on his shoulder and I realized just how right it felt to be next to him. He pressed his chin on top of my head and let out a long breath. “I promised I wouldn’t leave, Ev, especially not now.”

“What’s so special about now?”

Dylan chuckled, wrapping his arm more tightly around my shoulder. “You don’t know? I’ve finally gotten you to like me, Ev. Really like me. There’s no way I’m going to leave and risk messing that up.”

There was nothing about Dylan that didn’t feel completely like home. He may have been from a different state, which might as well have been an entirely different world, but being next to him sure felt a hell of a lot like home.