Page 57 of Love Marks
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Ben calls after a few hours and says he can come and pick up Luna, so we go down to the beach and wait for him to arrive. We sit in the sand, Luna hardly able to stay still.
I excuse myself to run to the bathroom. Unfortunately, there’s a pretty long line and by the time I return to our spot on the beach, there’s nobody there. I glance around the beach. Maybe I’m in the wrong place?
They wouldn’t have just left, right? Wesley…he wouldn’t do that, would he?
I guess I can just take the train home. It’s not that far. And then…what? See Wesley at work? I don’t even know where we stand. Did he seriously just leave me here?
“Hey.”
I turn and let out a quick breath of relief at the sight of Wes illuminated in the golden light of the afternoon.
“Sorry. Ben was in a rush. I just brought her up to the parking lot. She was pretty upset she couldn’t say goodbye to you, but I promised you’d see each other again.”
“I thought…” I trail off, looking at him.
“You didn’t think I left, did you?”
“No. I don’t know. I wasn’t really sure.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” he says, his voice warm and firm. “I wouldn’t have just left without saying goodbye.”
I nod, suddenly feeling very aware that we are alone. No more Luna between us. I have to break eye contact to avoid this intensity rising within me, so I turn towards the water, inhaling.
I close my eyes, smelling in the salty air. It’s perfectly crisp as a breeze rustles across the crashing water. I’m trying to keep my hair from flying to no avail when Wesley steps up next to me, his arm too close to mine. I can feel the warmth radiating off his skin.
“Beautiful,” he says the word so softly I almost don’t hear it over the sound of the wind against my ears.
“Isn’t it?” I turn to him now, and his eyes are focused on me. He’s not looking at the beach in front of us and I suddenly get the feeling that he wasn’t talking about the landscape. I shift under the weight of his gaze.
“I should probably get going,” I say reluctantly. Wesley looks at me for a second longer like he might say something else, but then he nods and turns, walking ahead of me. When we get to the parking lot, he stops in front of a Tesla and opens the passenger door.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my eyes wide.
He raises his eyebrows. “Giving you a ride home?”
“Where did that thing come from?” I point to the shiny black Tesla.
“It’s mine,” he says simply.
“Oh-kay.” My mind is moving slowly. “How did it get here? Why did it get here?”
“I asked Pete to drop it off for me because I felt like driving home. Are you satisfied yet or should we continue the interrogation inside the car?”
I roll my eyes and slip into the front seat. He shuts the door behind me and goes around to the driver’s seat, sliding into the car.
“Of course it’s a Tesla,” I mutter.
“What’s wrong with a Tesla?” Wesley asks, fiddling with the touch screen in between us.
I roll my eyes. “It’s like, the ultimate rich person car.”
“It’s good for the environment,” he replies. “What’s your address?”
I tell him and he pulls out of the parking lot, his hand gripping the steering wheel. His very large hand. It suddenly feels very warm in here. Cramped. I stare down at my hands in my lap.
Don’t look at Wesley driving. Don’t think about Wesley’s hands. Think about his stupid Tesla and the likelihood that he evades taxes.