Classics in Summertime

When I woke up the next morning, I half expected to find my dad hovering over me, ready to go at it again. I was surprised to find that the sun was still shining and the birds were still chirping outside my window like nothing had happened at all.

I wasn’t sure when my dad sent me to my room if that meant I wasn’t supposed to come down until he told me to, but I was twenty years old and a few years past the age where grounding me to my room seemed like a punishment.

After changing into my clothes for the day, I walked quietly down the stairs, hoping to make it through the kitchen and out the door before anyone could see me. There was a good chance that my dad would be waiting in the living room again, but that was a chance that I was willing to take.

I was almost certain that my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw Dylan sitting at my kitchen table, casually sipping his cup of coffee. His eyes were off somewhere in the distance, as I had been walking so quietly that he hadn’t heard me, and when I spoke, it nearly startled him.

“Dylan?” I asked, my voice both a shout and a whisper at the same time. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning,” Dylan said calmly, smiling while he looked at me. His lip was still puffy but the blood was wiped from it, and his knuckles were badly bruised. “Did you sleep well?”

“Fine, thanks,” I said quickly before I walked over to him, a look of confusion on my face. I couldn’t believe he was acting so calm while I was in a state of panic. “What are you doing here?”

“Your parents invited me over for breakfast. You just missed them, actually. They took Austin up to the store.”

I had a thousand questions racing through my mind all at once, and I wasn’t sure which of them I was most eager to have the answer to.

“They just invited you over?” I asked with my eyebrow furrowed, my lip lifted up curiously. “And my dad didn’t try to kill you?”

Dylan shook his head as he laughed, flashing me another smile before he spoke. “They just wanted to talk.”

“About what?”

“What do you think?” he asked with a playful grin on his face. When I rolled my eyes at him, he laughed before continuing. “It was fine, Ev, really. We just talked.”

“You just talked? What does that even mean?”

Dylan laughed again as he stood up from his seat. “So many questions for such a small girl.” I glared at him and he smiled, reaching out for my hand. “Just come with me.”

I pressed my lips together, looking at him curiously. I folded my free hand over my chest while the other still held onto his. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Dylan said, smiling as he began pulling me forward. He guided me out of the kitchen and across the lawn, heading straight for the barn. It was still early and the horses were quiet, but they’d be ready to go out and run.

“Will you tell me now?” I asked as he navigated us through the seemingly endless stalls until we had reached the opposite side of the barn. The back door was pulled wide open to lead out to the fenced pasture.

“Close your eyes,” Dylan said with his grip tightening on my hand. I shut them just a little, and Dylan chuckled. “All the way.”

I did as Dylan said and he guided me forward a bit more, until we were walking out the door and into the pasture. I could feel the cool breeze flow over me, and I smiled a bit as Dylan spoke.

“You can open them now.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing in front of me but the beautiful green pasture and bright blue sky. For it being so early in the morning, the sun was shining bright and it was a gorgeous day.

“Everly.”

I turned to Dylan as he spoke, and saw behind him two horses – one being Henry and another a beautiful, spotted mare I had never seen before. They were both saddled up and tied to the fence post, kicking their feet against the ground beneath them.

“Dylan, you –”

“This is Dakota,” Dylan interrupted, walking over to the horse and patting her on the nose. “I bought her from a farmer down the road. Said he was getting to old to take care of her, and I thought I knew the perfect place for her. I fixed up the barn out on my property and grabbed everything that had at the store.”

“Dylan, you – you can’t just buy a horse. They’re a lot of work. You can’t just leave her while you go to film.”

“I’m not leaving. Not for long, anyway.” Dylan looked at me with his lips pressed together while he paused, not continuing to speak until I finally blinked my eyes. “It’s a simple flight back to Cali and I can do my filming in spurts. I don’t want to leave here, Ev. I want to stay here where I can be as close to you as I can.” He paused again and his face turned to a large smile. “And I could always have the help of a beautiful girl to take care of Dakota while I’m away.”

Both of us stood frozen for a few long moments, just looking at each other, with the only sound being the horses stamping their feet next to us. Neither of us spoke for a long moment, until finally Dylan couldn’t take it anymore.

“What do you say, Ev?” Dylan asked with a smile slowly forming on his lips. He took another step towards Dakota and patted her again. “Will you go for a ride with me?”

Everything about Dylan was absolutely irresistible – even the insane promises he continually made me. He was still working towards each one, but he was definitely making progress. The least I could do was agree to this one, simple thing.

I nodded my head, smiling back at him. “Only if you pick the trail.”