Careless Memories

Chapter 3 -James POV

I drove her to her apartment. The car was silent the whole way there. I wish I knew you hurt her so I could beat the crap out of them. f**k, I hate seeing her cry. But I don't push her, she'll tell me if she wants to. I'm losing my mind right now trying to guess what could have possibly happened. I finally pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. I turned to face her, hoping to get something out of her. She put her elbow on the car's window, looking outside.

“Hey, we're here”, I said softly. She didn't move, just continued staring out the window into space. I placed my hand on the small of her back, trying to find a means of consoling my girlfriend.

“I don't wanna come home now. The neighbours next door know my parents and are pretty nosy. They'll call them to say that I was skipping school, for the third time in a row.” She still didn't turn to look at me.

“So what do you want to do now?”

“Take me somewhere else”, she cleared her throat, sat up straight, locking her eyes on the road up ahead. I started the car again, but didn't move. She sensed something was wrong, and finally slowly looked in my direction. I immediately brought my left hand to her cheek and wiped the stray tear that fell.

“You know you can tell me anything, Bri. But no pressure,”

She leaned into my touch, and my heart just melted. I wish I knew what this is all about, so she wouldn't have to carry the weight of the situation on her own. I want to share her problems too. After a few minutes, I figured she wasn't ready to tell me anything just yet. I put the car in drive and pulled out of the building's driveway.

We went to a coffee shop, movie theatre, bookstore, everywhere but her apartment. Most of the day was gone already, and the sun was already setting when we ran out of options.

I drove aimlessly for a short time, the city lights blurring past as I tried to think of somewhere quiet, somewhere she could breathe and think without worrying about anything else. Bri just stayed silent beside me, her gaze fixed on the passing buildings, but I could feel the tension in her like a coiled spring. She was playing with her fingers, something she only did when she was particularly scared or extra nervous. My mind raced through all the possibilities. What could she not be telling me? Maybe her parents were fighting again, or something at school had gone south. She'd mentioned skipping three times in a row; that wasn't like her. She was the one who always dragged me to class, teasing me about my rebellious phase.

After about ten minutes, I spotted a familiar turn and took it without rethinking. The old park by the river. The one with the overgrown paths and that worn-off bridge where we'd spent half our summer last year. I parked in a space.

"How about here?" I said, turning to her. "No nosy neighbours, just us and some ducks."

She finally looked at me, her eyes a little red but a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Ducks, huh? Romantic." Her voice was hoarse, but there was a hint of her usual sarcasm.

We got out, and I grabbed a blanket from the trunk. That one blanket we kept for impromptu picnics that never quite happened. She didn't protest as I led her down the path to our spot by the water. The air smelled like damp earth and leaves, and the river murmured softly, drowning out the distant noise of the highway traffic. We spread the blanket under a big oak tree, and she sat down, pulling her knees to her chest.

I sat next to her, close but not choking. "Remember that time we tried to skip stones and you accidentally hit that goose?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She huffed a small laugh. "It was a duck, and it deserved it for stealing my sandwich."

We sat like that for a while, the silence less tense now. I didn't push; I just waited. Waiting to speak. Something, anything. Eventually, she rested her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped an arm around her. Whatever it was, I determined there and then that we'd face it together. But damn, I hoped she'd open up soon. Seeing her like this was killing me.

It was getting dark. We remained in that spot, neither of us moving much. The way she looked at the sky, was so mesmerising. I leaned closer and kissed her cheek. She looked at me, half surprised, half blushing. “Why did you do that?”

“Nothing, I just felt like”, giving her a cocky smile. “Want me to do it again?” She nodded shyly.

This girl is so cute. Despite being my girlfriend for four months, she still blushed at the slightest gestures. I guess she still has a crush on me. I chuckled lightly and gave her another peck on the cheek.

“Did you like that?”, I teased. She nodded again. What's it with her today? I put my hand under her chin and turned her face towards mine.

“I don't want you to nod your head, Bri. I want to hear you say it. Say you like it” I smiled as she blushed even harder.

“No”, she said.

“No? What do you mean no?”

I inched my face closer to hers, our nose centimeters apart. She remained quiet, staring at my lips, while biting hers slightly.

Fuck, that looks so hot.

She has no idea. I couldn't help it. I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips on hers. She kissed me back and our lips were moving in sync. Then it turned more passionate. I grabbed her waist and lifted her on top of me, making her straddle me.

“This is for giving me the cold shoulder”, I said, pulling away from the kiss.

I'm going to make you forget your worries.

At least for tonight.