Lover's Journey Series Books 1-3

Dawn-4

“I can’t, we’re punished.”

I laughed and had to duck as Traian tried to hit my head. “What did you do this time?”

“We broke a vase,” he said and shrugged. They’d broken a lot of stuff since they’d arrived for the summer. It was usually because they wrestled or chased each other inside the house. Each time that happened, they were supposed to stay inside for the rest of the day.

“Fine, we’ll come over.”

“Cool!” Traian’s face immediately lit up and he thanked me a few times. I wasn’t doing him any favors. His house was big and cool, and whenever I came over, his grandma gave me cookies.

“Let’s go to their place,” I told Robert when I arrived back where we’d set the blanket.

“No, let’s say here.” He turned his back to me, and folded his right arm under his head, like a pillow.

“They can’t come outside. Let’s just go. We’ll get super good cookies.”

“No, we’re staying here.”

The sharpness of his tone annoyed me. I was tired of his behavior around the siblings.

“I am going. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

Robert sat up lazily and stared at me. “If you go, we’re done.”

“What do you mean, we’re done?” I gawked at him, not really sure what was happening.

“I will never talk to you again.” He sounded cool and collected and for a second I thought he was joking. But he wasn’t smiling at all, his shoulders were all tense and his eyes never left mine.

“C’mon, Robert, don’t be like that! I play all day with you. Is it so hard for you to spend one afternoon inside?”

He smirked at my pleading tone and shook his head. “I don’t want to go to their house.”

“Why not?”

“They’re annoying, and you’re not allowed to go.”

That did it. Red hot anger took over and I was breathing as hard as a bull before it attacked. “Who the f**k are you to tell me what to do?”

“Do what I say, or I won’t talk to you again.” His calmness was back and it only made me angrier. He really expected me to ditch friends I’d known better and longer than him just because he thought they were annoying.

“Fine, Robert. I’m going. Do whatever you want.” I ran all the way to the siblings’ house, fighting back angry tears. Who the hell was this Capital brat to blackmail me like that? I’d show him! He’d get bored and be sorry for treating me like that.

As the afternoon turned to evening, my mood continued to plummet. Traian and David tried to cheer me up. They stuffed me with cookies and homemade cherry syrup mixed with sparkling water. They showed me all their toys and games, and tried to find out what had happened.

I had this sinking feeling Robert would really stop talking to me. I didn’t want to take back what I’d done, I knew it had been the right thing. But it felt like I’d lost something and it hurt.

***

The next day Robert didn’t even come out of the house and over the next week, he kept his promise. He never talked to me, never even approached me. He just ignored me and refused to respond to anything I said when he was outside with his cousins.

On the surface, I was angry because it was all so unfair. I hadn’t done anything wrong, he’d been the one in the wrong for telling me what to do. What was I? His pet, his servant? Just because he was older, he couldn’t boss me around like he owned me.

Under the fury lurked the sadness, the hurt, and the dread he’d really never talk to me again. It turned me into a quiet, melancholic, and sometimes very annoying kid that everyone walked on egg shells around. I knew I was being ridiculous and I should just get over it, but I couldn’t. I missed hanging out with him. It hurt to see him look right through me, act like I was invisible, like my voice was mute. Like I was a ghost.

After about a week, it started to rain, and it went on for a few days. It actually made me feel better, because it suited my mood. It allowed me to stay close to the house, brooding in peace.

I was sprawled on the porch, reading a book and getting lost in the adventures it revealed. It was a perfect way to forget my own sad little problem with Robert. Slowly, almost unnoticeable at first, something pulled me out of my deep immersion. Someone was watching me. I looked up, expecting to see a passer-by and my heart jumped all the way up to my throat. Robert was leaning over my gate, his arms crossed over it, as if he was hugging it. The drizzle hit his hair, making it even curlier than usual.

“What are you reading, squirt?” he asked smiling, as if nothing had ever happened.

I shrugged and forced myself to look at the book. I couldn’t read a word of it, but I sure as hell tried.

“Is it fairy tales? That why you won’t tell me?”

I bent over the book, my nose almost pressed to it in an attempt to ignore Robert. He was relentless though. “That’s it! You’re reading children’s books and don’t want to admit it!”

“It’s science fiction, you dumb ass!”

His soft chuckle made me hate myself. I’d given in and replied, when all I wanted was to ignore him. He’d ignored me, it had been so easy for him to do it too! Why couldn’t I be as determined? Not like he didn’t deserve it.

The screech of the gate stopped my train of thought and I turned to see him step through it, close it, and climb the two narrow stairs to the porch. He walked to where I was sat and joined me on the blanket I’d spread over the wooden boards.

Robert pushed his shoulder into mine, trying to get my attention. I pushed back, harder than him, and continued to ignore him.

“Oh, get over it, squirt. I know you’ve learned your lesson, don’t make me angry again.”

“Shut up, Robert. Go back home and leave me alone.”

He laughed and put his hand around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. “You’re a spirited one, aren’t you?”

“If you want a servant to boss around, go play with Nicu. He always does everything you say.”

“Yeah, that’s boring,” he said and sighed. “I need a challenge. Like you.”

I pushed his hand away and glared at him. “If that’s how you want to treat me, no thanks. I am not your puppy, following you around, and wagging my tail for you.”

Robert titled his head and stared at me for what felt like the rest of the day. He said nothing and I started to fuss around, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.

“Okay,” he said in the end. “Friends again?”

“Whatever.” I turned to my book and he half hugged me again, pulling me closer. It felt good. Great even! His body pressed to mine, heat seeping in, I felt settled for the first time since that dreaded afternoon when he’d told me what to do and I’d rebelled.

All the worry vanished, I felt light, happy, and exhausted. I hadn’t realized just how much this fight with him had weighed me down. Before I knew it, I had drifted off and when I opened my eyes again, the rain had stopped.

Robert and I stayed there, on my porch, until dinner time. We then went inside to eat, and he joined me for dinner. It was the first time any of my friends had done that, we usually all ran home to eat and change, then returned to play some more. Grandma was happy whenever she had guests. I knew from the few times my cousins had visited she liked to tend to a kitchen full of children and to listen to us bicker and laugh.

When we were done, we returned to the porch, and stayed there until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. It was cold and I was frozen, despite the thin blanket now wrapped around us, but I didn’t want to go to sleep.

“C’mon, get up so I can go home,” Robert said, and my heart sank. “Don’t cry, squirt.”

The mocking tone was like a switch. I went from bummed over his leaving to angry in a split second. “Who would cry? Go and sleep, you baby, it’s past your bed time.”

Instead of an equally cutting retort, Robert laughed and pulled me into an awkward hug. We were still sat down, half-turned to face each other, his hands around me, and our chests pressed together. If felt good, warm, like home. Almost as good as Mom’s hugs.

***

The next day, Robert was gone. I woke up happy and eager to see him again, but instead only found Tatiana and Nicu. He’d had to go back to Bucharest, he’d been on the first train that morning. And he’d never told me. I was too upset to be angry with him. By the time my mom came to pick me up and take me home, I believed Robert had left like that because a goodbye had been hard for him. I had this fuzzy memory of our last hug, which now seemed longer, tighter, and perfect.