Don’t. Panic.
How humiliating would it be if I freak out and he’s just locked the doors for safety? My mom does that. No one is going to carjack us because our car is old and there is never anything valuable inside, but she insists on having locked doors at all times.
He’s not your mom.
Hazel either hasn’t noticed or she’s not worried. Her eyes flit between Caleb and Owen like she’s not sure which one of them to crush on more.
I swallow. He hasn’t asked either of us where we live.
“So, my house is on Park Lane,” I say, tugging at the sleeve of my top.
Owen looks over his shoulder. “We’re going somewhere else first.”
“Yeah? Where?” Hazel asks. She sounds unconcerned and intrigued.
Why isn’t she concerned?
“Don’t worry, you’re going to love it.” He grins. “Where are my manners? I’m Owen. Caleb told me about meeting you, Piper, but he didn’t mention your friend.”
He told Owen about meeting me? Is that good or bad?
“I’m Hazel. Nice to meet you, Owen.” She’s all smiles and long, lingering looks. So, I guess Owen is the one she likes. I should be relieved, but I’m not sure how I feel about Caleb at the moment. I don’t know where he’s taking us, and he’s not exactly forthcoming with information.
“You look alarmed,” Caleb says. I glance up, and my heart jumps. He’s watching me in the mirror again. Gone is the dark expression from before. Was I reading too much into it?
Maybe I have watched too many horror movies.
I shake my head, but inside I’m screaming yes.
“Don’t be, Piper. I’d like to get to know you better, and I can’t do that if we never hang out. Was it the lock? It’s a habit I picked up from my mom.” He presses the button again, and the car unlocks.
My stomach settles, and I breathe. Also, I feel a bit stupid now, too.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “My mom does the same.”
“No need to apologize. I didn’t think how it would look to you.”
Owen watches our exchange with curiosity. Does Caleb not talk to girls much? That seems incredibly unlikely. With his movie-star good looks, charm, and charisma, I would have thought he had girls falling over themselves, eager to spend time with him.
I’m too young for him, and my ex will attest to the fact that I’m not very exciting.
Caleb could have his pick of girls, so why choose me, who he shouldn’t actually date? Unless that’s it. He likes that nothing can happen. Some people want something they can’t have purely because they can’t have it.
Okay, there’s a chance I’m overthinking the crap outta this.
Holding my hands up, I say, “I’m done being an idiot.”
Hazel arches her eyebrow, and I want to whack her. We both know I’ll never be done being an idiot. My mouth engages before my brain too often for that.
Caleb chuckles and shakes his head, but he watches the road. “You’re not an idiot, Piper.”
Hazel snorts, and this time I do whack her arm. “Violent much, Pipes!” She turns her attention back to Owen, who is still craning his neck to see into the back of the car. “Where is this place we’re going?”
Owen’s toothy grin widens. “A place that isn’t full of high schoolers.”
“We’re high schoolers,” I say, folding my arms.
“Yes, well, Caleb seems to have made an exception for you, so I will, too.”
All right, then.
We turn off the main road and head down a dirt road. I’ve never been this way before. It’s private property, according to the passive-aggressive signs pinned to a post at the entrance, and as far as I can tell, it’s just open fields and overgrown woods.
“Are we allowed down here?” I ask, adrenaline starting to tell me this is going to be exciting. I’ve gone from barely leaving my or Hazel’s house to trespassing in the space of twenty-four hours.
Owen laughs. “Caleb’s family owns it, so I would think so.”
Hazel’s wide eyes meet mine, and her expression is screaming marry him. She’s buzzing over this. I knew he had money; he drives around in expensive cars and wears nice clothes, but I didn’t realize he owned a lot of land.
Sure, Caleb is good-looking, duh, and knowing that he might like me back is making my heart leap with excitement and nerves. But I’m certainly not thinking about marrying him just because he’s rich.
Relaxing into the seat, I look out the window. We’re surrounded by acres and acres of cornfields. The light splattering of trees around start to get thicker just outside of town until it turns into forest.
I watch the clock on the dashboard. There’s plenty of time until I need to be home; my parents are just happy I’m getting out. But I don’t know how far we’re going and how long Caleb intends to stay there.
“Where do you hang out, then? You know, to avoid high schoolers?” I ask Owen, earning a chuckle from Caleb.
“There’s a place here that we’ve kind of fixed up a little.” He turns to Caleb. “I feel like we’re committing some sort of sin bringing them here.”
I roll my eyes.
“You’ll get over it, buddy,” Caleb replies flatly.
He turns around. “No offense. We just have rules.”
This should be good. “And what rules are they?”
“No outsiders.”
“Hazel and I are outsiders.”
“Caleb’s breaking the rules, not me.”
Caleb keeps his eyes on the bumpy road and shrugs.
Owen chuckles. “Right. You actually like her.”
“Can you shut up now, Owen?” Caleb growls.
I press my lips together because I can feel the strength of a smile fighting to come through.
We drive for a few more minutes in silence before pulling up at a decent-sized, single-story building made of brick and metal siding. It’s one level but easily bigger than my house.
“You built this?” I ask.
Caleb cuts the engine. “No, it’s been here for years. We renovated the inside a while ago, so we’d have somewhere to go. In case you haven’t noticed, there isn’t a lot to do around here.”
Oh, I’ve noticed.
Owen is out first, so I follow. Caleb smiles at me as he gets out and locks the door. Hazel is looking around, her eyes flicking back to Owen every few seconds.
“You brought me to the place you renovated so you wouldn’t get bored?” I ask.
Caleb takes a step closer to me but keeps a respectful distance. “It was this or turn to petty crime.”
“Good choice.”
“Do you want to come inside?”
Laughing, I reply, “You didn’t give me the option to come here, but you’re asking if I want to go in?”
Resting his arm on the car casually, he reaches for my hand. “You could have told me to take you straight home at any point, and I would have.”
“I’m kidding. And yes, I want to go inside.”
His Hollywood smile makes my stomach flutter. “You’re going to love it here.”