Don't Wander

Surprise Visit

Later in the afternoon, my mom surprised me by coming into my room and telling me she was needed unexpectedly at the hospital. She handed me my phone and said, “I’ll call you if I need to. I’ll be checking the call history so don’t get any ideas. Be good. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

It wasn’t long after my mom had left that I heard a sound downstairs. I opened my door and called out, “Mom?” Silence. I crept down the stairs and started toward the kitchen. I called again, “Mom, is that you?”

From behind me, a voice said, “Not quite.” I whirled.

“Eden?” I gasped. He stood there in my living room looking completely at ease. And completely gorgeous. He wore another black t-shirt that hugged his muscular arms and chest. I wondered what he would feel like underneath. I shook the thought from my head and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“What? You’re not the only one who can break and enter,” he said casually.

Appalled, I demanded, “What did you break?” I looked around anxiously.

“Relax, it’s only a figure of speech. The patio doors were unlocked,” he said.

I asked, “Why aren’t you in school?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I could ask you the same thing. Oh wait, I already know,” he said sarcastically. “Suspended for peeking at my file.”

“What makes you think I was the one looking at your file?” My face flamed red. I inwardly cursed my fair complexion, as it made the redness so much more obvious. He gave me a withering glare.

“Oh please. You both looked at your own files, naturally. And I’m sure the temptation to check up on the new kid was irresistible. I could tell from Monday that you’re nosey.”

I crossed my arms and said, “Fine, you caught me. If you hadn’t been such a jerk the other day, maybe I wouldn’t have felt the need to spy in your file. It’s only fair.” Eden smiled at this and took a few steps forward to close the gap between us.

“Haven’t you ever heard that life isn’t fair?" He teased. His scent hit me then. It was oddly familiar now, like I had smelled it somewhere before.

I looked up at him and said stubbornly, “I guess not.” His smile grew wider.

“Then maybe I should teach you.” My heart started beating faster, and I was breathing in short bursts.

“You got lucky that my mom wasn’t home before you so blithely intruded,” I managed to say. Eden’s smile disappeared.

He said, “You think that was mere coincidence? You’re more naive than I thought.”

I furrowed my brows, placed my hands on my hips and demanded, “What do you mean?”

“May I speak to Holly Williams?” He said in a deep, concerned voice. “’This is Dr. Long. You’re needed in the south wing urgently. There is a shortage of nurses this morning, and I understand you’re on call?’ It’s as simple as that.” I looked at him in complete astonishment, my mouth agape.

“How did you know Dr. Long is my mom’s boss? And how did you know she was on call? And where did you get her number? And how did you know where I live?”

“Slow down there energizer bunny. It only takes a short visit to your pathetic little hospital to figure out that Dr. Long pretty much runs the place, and I merely asked over the phone if your mother was on call. It was the staff who supplied me with the answer. As for your number and address, you’re not the only one who can do a little investigating.”

“Okay, so you went through all this trouble just to tell me you know I looked at your school record? That’s a little unnecessary, don’t you think?” I smiled sweetly.

The gold in Eden’s eyes burned with irritation, and he snapped, “Don’t get mouthy with me. If you learned anything from looking in my file, it should be that I won’t hesitate to hurt you if need be. I came here to tell you to mind your own f*****g business. Understand?” I was taken aback by his words, and had automatically backed away a few steps.

I said quietly, “Yeah I got it.” Eden relaxed and didn’t look as if he had just threatened me.

“Good,” he said. “Now, I should get back to school. I don’t feel so sick anymore.” He gave me a sly smile and turned to leave.

“Hey, um, since you’re here, do you mind taking my homework with you and turning it in for me?” Eden froze and turned slowly to face me. He looked as if he couldn’t believe I had just asked him that. “Please?” I added. Eden laughed genuinely. It felt good to make him laugh. What was wrong with me?

He said, “Let me see if I got this right. I skip school and lure your mother away so I can sneak into your house to warn you not to be so nosey, and you ask me to turn in your homework for you?” I nodded and he looked at me like I was crazy. “Why?”

“Well I was at school yesterday and I got homework. I’m a good student, so I did it last night, but since I’m suspended and don’t have a ride to school, I can’t turn it in today. I don’t want to get any more zeros than I can help. Since you happen to be here and are planning on going back to school, I figured it was a logical thing to ask.”

He shook his head in disbelief and said, “You’re an odd one. No, I won’t take your homework. You made your bed, and now you have to lay in it, as the saying goes. I would tell you that I’m sorry, but I shouldn’t tell lies.” He turned away again and this time I didn’t stop him from leaving. As soon as Eden shut the patio doors, I locked them. Then I checked all of the windows and the front door to make sure they were locked too. I peeked out a window, but Eden was already gone.

I went up to my room and noticed my soiled clothes from the day I fell in the dirt and leaves were laying on my floor. At that moment, I realized where I recognized Eden’s scent. It was the smell of the forest. How bizarre. I turned on my computer and tapped my foot on the floor impatiently while it booted up. I still remembered the address listed in Eden’s file, and I searched it on Google Earth. After jotting down quick directions, I boldly made plans to pay a visit to his residence that night.

When my mom returned home, she told me, “The strangest thing happened. When I got to the hospital and spoke to Dr. Long, he said that he never called me. It must have been a prank or something, but who on earth would want to prank me into going to work?”

“Not a clue. It does make you wonder though…” From the corner of my eye, I spotted the edge of my crude directions sticking out from a stack of text books, and added, “Maybe someone will figure it out.”