Gem City

Chapter 5-1

“Leave the Night On” – Sam Hunt

“Drunk on You” – Luke Bryan

“Free Fallin”" –Tom Petty

Performed By John Mayer

When Ethan arrived that night, Courtney was actually feeling pretty confident. Okay, that was a lie. She was doing a good job of pretending, though. Vanessa had done her hair in a loose French braid, despite Courtney"s initial objections to being made over. She was dressed in dark skinny jeans and brown leather sandals, topped off with a very snug fitting flannel shirt that, according to her friend, gave her “cleavage to die for.” Upon hearing the doorbell, she resisted the urge to run down the steps.

“Court, you ready to go?” Vanessa called. She made her way downstairs, trying to look calm and not at all afraid of giant river bugs. Or being alone with a boy she was certain had infinitely more experience than she did.

“Oh, as ready as I"m gonna be, I suppose.” She looked up to find Ethan staring at her. So maybe the shirt was a decent purchase. He looked seriously hot, wearing a black zip-up jacket and a silver necklace. She bit her lip as she took in the sight of him.

So maybe the shirt was a decent purchase“Jesus, could there be more tension in this room? We are here to CANOE, people. AT NIGHT. IN THE DARK. So get it together, will you?” Luke scolded. Courtney felt the urge to punch him, but imagined that he wouldn"t even notice if she did.

“We"re coming, we"re coming. Take a breath or something,” Ethan replied, and they all piled into Luke"s truck to drive to the river.

“All right, kids, are you ready?” Luke asked everyone as they pulled up next to the locked storage area for the local canoe company. Apparently he had worked there for several summers and had the forethought to copy their keys.

“Let"s do it,” Ethan responded, going to help Luke drag out the canoes.

“Do you need, like, water wings or something, Courtney? I don"t want to be responsible for your death on the river,” Luke prodded.

“Oh, shut up, I can swim just fine. It"s the creatures sharing the water that bother me. But can we please try to avoid the whole falling out of the canoe situation in the first place?”

“No way, I"m flipping you guys over every chance I get. Just wait for it.” Courtney couldn"t tell if he was joking or not, but she was relying on Vanessa to control her man-child. “Okay, listen up, campers. Ethan and I went down to the clearing earlier today where we will end our ride and put out some giant orange flags. We also tied orange markers to some tree limbs that you will see before you come up on the stopping point. I may or may not have left a cooler with some refreshments and stuff to make a fire. I know, I"m your hero, blah, blah, blah, I won"t let it go to my head. Ethan"s car is parked down there so we can drive back and pick up my truck. Now let"s get these things out on the water!”

Courtney was actually pretty impressed with Luke"s planning skills. Even in all of her worry, she hadn"t thought about what they would do when they got to the end. She started to relax a little, and just focused on not falling out of the boat. If you can even call it a boat. More like a water hazard disguised as a means of transportation. She helped Ethan push the canoe down to the bank and hopped in, letting him guide them into the chilly water. They sat facing each other, oars in hand, and awkwardly tried to find their rowing rhythm. Of course Luke and Vanessa were old pros and quickly pulled ahead. Well, at least from there Luke can"t tip us over, Courtney thought gratefully. Finding their pace, they started down the river. Courtney took a deep breath- partially because she was convinced bugs were going to attack her at any given moment, and partially because the air smelled almost sweet. There were so many things in bloom that time of year; she forgot how nice summer could feel when it wasn"t 115 degrees. She was fighting off a moderate concern about being able to hold a conversation with Ethan for the entire ride without letting something completely inarticulate slip out. Inner monologue, inner monologue, inner monologue, she repeated.

If you can even call it a boat. More like a water hazard disguised as a means of transportation.Well, at least from there Luke can"t tip us over,Inner monologue, inner monologue, inner monologue,“See? It"s nice out here. It makes you feel like Tom Sawyer, right?” Ethan almost looked unsure in the last sunrays of the day. Literature? Okay. He speaks more than one language, then. Hot guy with guitar and book nerd.

Literature? Okay. He speaks more than one language, then. Hot guy with guitar and book nerd.“You know what? It kind of does. All we need now is to get lost in a cave.” She smiled. “However, I"d prefer not to be chased by a homicidal maniac named Joe. Tom Sawyer was kind of a badass when you think about it.”

“You"re kind of an odd girl, you know that?” Ethan asked. She wasn"t sure if she should be offended yet, so she went along with it.

“Well, yes, in several ways, I"m sure. But how do you mean?”

“You just, I don"t know. You"re crazy hot, don"t get me wrong, but so are a lot of girls. You"re funny. Like right now, I threw out a Twain reference, definitely trying to sound smart, and you just went with it. And you kind of knew a lot about hobbits last night, in addition to literally talking about music for a half hour. These are not typical conversations I have with females, or anyone. Do you get that?”

“I guess I do, yeah. There are very few people I can be real with. I have even, on occasion, had to pretend I care what is going on with the Kardashians in order to participate at cheer practice. But I much prefer this. I feel like I can be myself here. You are easy to talk to. And not so hard to look at either,” she finished hesitantly, hoping this was how people were supposed to flirt. I"m crazy hot? Is he for real right now?

I"m crazy hot? Is he for real right now?“Fair enough,” he agreed with a laugh. “I"m glad this is the real you.”

“So, what else do you like read?”

“Um, well. That"s sort of classified information.”

“Because…?” she continued, confused.

“Because it makes me look uncool, soooo I don"t want to tell you.”

“Oh come on! I"m a total book nerd; I promise I won"t make fun of you. Unless it"s about sparkling vampires. Then I will, without apology,” she said seriously. “I also have a hard time believing there is anything that would make you look uncool. You"re sort of that guy, you know?”

that“I could say that I didn"t know, but I"d sort of be lying. I"m kind of awesome. So fine. You"re very persuasive for such a small girl,” he commented. “My little sister is in middle school, and she"s kind of, well, she doesn"t have a lot of friends, but she loves to read. My mom works all the time, so since she"s been little I have been the one to read with her. It"s just kind of a thing. So besides books for school, I"m usually reading stuff like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter so we can talk about them,” he finished reluctantly.

Percy JacksonHarry Potter“Seriously? That"s what you were worried about telling me? That"s freaking adorable. And Harry Potter? If you think I have strong feelings about music, don"t even get me started on wizards. I have a wand at home… or three,” she confessed. Too much? With the wands? Please don"t let that be what freaks him out. I could have owned up to my literary candle collection too.

Harry PotterstartedToo much? With the wands? Please don"t let that be what freaks him out. I could have owned up to my literary candle collection too.“I love that you think it"s "adorable," but if we could sort of keep that information between us, that would be awesome. And by that I mean that I will call you a liar in public if you tell people I want to be a boy wizard,” he threatened playfully.

“Does it make you feel better if I tell you it"s kind of really sexy that you like Harry Potter and are an awesome brother?” This is definitely what flirting is supposed to feel like. Her heart was thrumming in her chest, and she became very glad this little river adventure was at night, because her cheeks were on fire.

Harry PotterThis is definitely what flirting is supposed to feel like.“Yes.” He grinned at her, amused. “Still a secret, though.” He put his finger to his lips in a hushed motion. “But speaking of wizardry, put your oar down and come here for a minute.” Wondering if he could see the look of are you insane on her face in the light of their lantern, she carefully did as he asked, willing the universe to keep her on the boat. He motioned for her to sit down in front of him. Although she was feeling her stomach contract from being that close to him, she was also curious as to where this was headed. “Let me see your hand,” he commanded as he readjusted their light so he could see her better. She held up her palm and he put it in his hands. “I"m going to read your palm,” he stated matter-of-factly.

are you insane“Really? You know how to do that?”

“I do. My aunt is into all kinds of mystical things- palm reading, crystals, whatever. I had her teach me how to do this so I could impress girls. You let me know if it works.” He laughed. She liked hearing it. He had an easy manner about him, and it made her feel relaxed- like, actually relaxed, not the kind she had to convince herself of after frantically meditating. The oxymoron of frantically meditating was also not lost on her.

“Okay, then, let"s hear it.” Courtney didn"t even care if he knew how to read palms or not, the sensation of his fingertips running over her hand was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

“Okay, this line here? This is your heart line, and it curves up, which means you share your emotions and thoughts freely with those you trust. And this line here,” he traced the line with his thumb, “means you are full of life and energy. And this part? Means you are very interested in guys who play guitar and sing 90s songs to you at bonfires.” She could practically hear the smile coming through his voice, and he picked up her hand and kissed her wrist softly. She held her breath, still having a difficult time coming to terms that this was happening.

He planted several more small kisses up the length of her forearm until she couldn"t take the anticipation anymore. She came up on her knees, forgetting to be careful, and tipped the boat dangerously low, the cool water threatening to impose on their moment. It hardly registered as his lips met hers. They were actually closer to the same height with him sitting and her kneeling, and she liked the feeling of his chest pressed against hers. Ethan ran his hands lightly up the back of her shirt as she played with his hair. The kiss went even deeper, and she felt her herself melt into him. He broke their connection and his lips traveled down her neck, making her dizzy- this time without the influence of anything but his presence. Her breath hitched in her throat. He returned to kiss her several times with his perfectly curved lips and then leaned back for a moment.