Scarlett Bound

Chapter 17

Another Saturday off with no plans. What’s a girl to do with all this free time? I laugh at my own little joke and decide to start the day by getting out of bed. After a quick breakfast of yogurt with some granola thrown in, I take a shower.

I may not know what I’m doing for the rest of the day but I might as well get ready. When I’m all done in the shower I decide to do something with my hair. I search through my cabinets and drawers until I find everything I need. It’s been a while since I’ve styled my hair in a new look. I used to try new things all the time but recently I've been sticking to styles that I know are quick and cute. 

I put two half french braids on top of my head that transitions to two little buns. With the remaining lower half of my hair, I put in a few products to help define my curls and give them some shine. Then all I do is leave it down to air dry. Once my hair is done I begin my makeup. Of course, I use my newest Mixed pallet for this.

With so many color options available it’s hard to choose what I want to do but finally, I settle on a pink cut crease. On my lid, I use a light pink with lots of glitter in it. At the tear duct is a similar light pink without any glitter that blends into a dark raspberry pink at the edge of my lid. To bring it all together I give myself a long thin wing with eyeliner and some false magnetic crisscrossed lashes that also give me extra volume.

Taking in the whole look, I smile proudly. I for sure need to post this look. Maybe even do a tutorial on how I did my hair and makeup. Leaving the bathroom I go grab my phone from my nightstand. When I unlock it I notice I have a missed call and a text from Devon. All it says is to give him a call.

“You’re awake!” He yells into the phone when he picks up. I have to pull it away from my ear to prevent further damage to my hearing. “Have any plans for the day?”

“Does spoiling Oreo all day count?” I jokingly ask as I go to my closet to choose something to wear. Using my shoulder, I hold my phone to my head and search through my hangers of clothes.

“I do really like your dog but I'm going to have to say no. Get your ass ready to go to the fair. I’ll be at your place to pick you up in five minutes.”

“The fair?” The clothes I'm looking through will not work for that. I can imagine myself wearing one of those dresses and flashing the universe while I scream my head off on one of the rides. The mental image has me cringing in embarrassment even though it hasn't even happened. Dropping my towel, I grab underwear to throw on and shorts that I pair with a red spaghetti strap lace tank top.

“Yes, the fair. Got into town last week and their first day open is today. It’s the one that has come every summer since we were kids.”

“Oh yeah, I remember now. It’s been years since I've gone. I’ll be ready when you get here. See you soon.” 

When I hear him say goodbye, I hang up the phone and quickly throw on the clothes I’ve chosen. Searching through my shoes I go with a pair of strappy flats that go to my ankle and zip up in the back. They also have a lot of cushion which makes them comfortable to walk around in all day. 

“Phone, keys, wallet,” I mumble to myself as I list off things I need to take. “Don’t need a jacket. Don’t need food. I’ll ask to get coffee on the way.” Running down the stairs, I snatch my keys off their hanger and rush out the door. Devin is pulling up in his jeep as I lock up.

“You did all that in five minutes?” He looks me up and down with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. I chuckle as I fasten my seatbelt.

“No, luckily I had already gotten ready for the day when you called. If I hadn’t you would have had to wait at least an hour while I beautified myself.” I tell him with a big cheesy smile.

“You don't need all that to be beautiful. Personally I think you look best naked.” My jaw drops wide open. Without thinking about it, I smack him on the arm because what the hell? But all he does is grin at me. “It’s true.” He says under his breath.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Can we get coffee on the way there? I didn't have any this morning and fair coffee tastes like shit.” He nods in agreement and pulls into the street to start our little journey. The fair is toward the edge of town where there is plenty of space for them to set up and parking for visitors. It’s a little under an hour away from where we are now.

“Why can’t we talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” I ask him with a confused frown. He pulls into a drive-thru line at a random shop a few blocks away from my house. It’s a place I haven't been to before because it’s the opposite direction of the way I travel for work.

“About our past relationship.” He looks over at me and raises his sunglasses up so I'm able to look into his eyes. 

“I need coffee before we get into this.” I groan. “Why do you want to talk about it? Being reminded of how you broke my heart into a million tiny pieces isn’t exactly a topic I like bringing up. It’s in the past. No one even knew we were together. We might as well pretend it didn’t happen.” Sniffing, I wipe at my eyes and move around in my seat hoping to distract him from my eyes. 

He pulls up to the speaker box and orders our drinks. Of course, he knows exactly what I want. We sit in silence while we wait to move forward in line. I look out the window trying my best to pretend I'm not in the car next to Devon right now.

The day was off to such a great start. Then you had to go and bring up that subject as if we were talking about the weather. As if the three months we spent together meant nothing. That they weren't special. Does he even remember how in love with him I was? Or does he think of me as one of many silly little girls who fell for him back in the day?

Shaking my head, I angrily wipe away the tears from my face. As Devin pays for my drink I make sure to keep my face hidden. It’s embarrassing enough to get all teary-eyed in front of Devin but doing it in front of a stranger is even more mortifying.

When he has both drinks he pulls around to park in the lot. I hear him put the emergency brake but I can't bring myself to look over at him. Devin holds my drink out to me. From the corner of my eye, I see him shaking the iced drink at me. My resolve is weak and I quickly snatch the drink from him. Taking a sip of the peppermint drink helps calm me.

“I’m sorry Letty. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He says softly. Taking a deep breath, I build up the courage to look over at him.

“I know you didn't. It’s just hard for me to talk about it. When we decided to keep our relationship a secret it was for the best. My brothers would have killed you and I couldn't stand the thought of ruining the friendship you all have. You’re like another brother to them! Keeping it secret meant I had no one to talk to about any of what was going on. Not during the summer when we were together and not after the breakup. I guess I got used to keeping it all bottled up.” I explain weakly.

Devin reaches out and takes hold of my hand that I was using to fiddle with my cup. He gives it a firm reassuring squeeze. When I look into his eyes I see my own pain reflected in them. A few tears roll free at the emotion he’s letting me see. 

All these years I wondered how he had felt. If it was easy for him to end our relationship and leave. Had it hurt him as much as it hurt me? After all this time I've finally been given the answer. I'm glad to know that it wasn't just a summer of forgetful fun. That it meant more to him than he ever let on back then. It settles a piece of my heart that I didn't even realize had been aching.

“I shouldn’t have put you through that.” He looks down shamefully. Nibbling on his lip, he looks up at me with a frown on his full lips. He brings his free hand up to cup cheek and uses his thumb to gently wipe away some of my tears. I give him a small smile in thanks. “We should have been open about the fact we were together. Even if it would have upset your brothers. You would have been worth it but I was to dumb to realize that.” 

“It’s too late to change it all now. What happened, happened. We can’t go back in time to alter what we went through. It may not have ended well but I don't regret it. That was the best summer I ever had.” I tell him with a chuckle and a fond smile. Without thinking I start sweeping my thumb back and forth against his silky skin. 

The two of us sit back for a while with our heads resting against the chair. Sounds of street traffic are the only thing that interrupts our thoughts. Looking into his deep brown eyes on a warm summer day as we plan to go on an adventure brings back memories of that summer. We tried to spend every second we could together. Back when we started dating and agreed on keeping it between the two of us it added a bit of excitement to the relationship. I guess it made us feel a little rebellious.

By the end of the summer though I couldn't stand that no one knew that I was his and he was mine. What I told him is true though. I don't regret our summer and I treasure all the memories we made. It truly was the best summer of my life. Not only did I finally have the guy I was pining after since I had hit puberty but it was as if he became my other half. With him, I had finally felt complete.

“Alright, enough with the serious talk. Let’s go have some fun at the fair.” He kisses the back of my hand before letting go. Once he’s gotten out of the parking lot, to my surprise he grabs my hand again. I look down at our clasped fingers but don't say anything about it. It’s nice having someone simply hold my hand. I can’t remember the last time I did this with someone.

“I’m going to eat enough churros and cotton candy to give me a potential heart attack.” I laugh.

“Don’t forget about the deep-fried twinkies.”

“And the giant turkey legs!” I add excitedly. “This is going to be such a fun day. It feels like we are kids again with nothing to worry about. I miss that carefree feeling. It’s nice to have it back.” The corners of my lips tilt up gently. Looking to the side, I take in Devin’s profile. His eyes are on the road as he takes us to the freeway.

“I know exactly what you're talking about. It feels like all I've been doing is working the last few years. I haven't spent much time doing anything else. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. Getting to travel is an added bonus but it’s nice to get away from it all.” As he talks I admire his bright white teeth and full pink lips. The bottom one is bigger than his upper lip. I notice the way the sunlight shines on his hair making it look an even lighter blond than normal.

“I imagine it's hard to leave work behind when you carry your camera around with you everywhere you go.”

“That’s a good point.” He says after thinking about it for a few seconds. The two of us laugh and I get my phone out to take a picture of the two of us.

“Say cheese!” Devin glances my way with a big smile on his face. I quickly snap a photo of the two of us smiling and upload it to i********: with a caption describing my makeup and hair. I list the products that I used and ask my followers if they would be interested in seeing a tutorial. After it’s posted I put my phone away. Devin and I enjoy the drive to the fair with our hands clasped together the whole way.