Because of Haven Beach

36 | redamancy

redamancy (n.)

a love returned in full; when you love someone who loves you an equal amount

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VALENTINE'S Day was usually a day I hated, but this year, I was looking forward to it. My mom made fun of the dopey smile on my face all day, but I didn't care. I finally had a reason to be happy on Valentine's Day and the boy I was in love with was taking me out on a date—my first date.

At seven on the dot, I saw Eli's Jeep pull into my driveway. I rushed out of my room, prepared to sneak out the backdoor.

My plan was foiled as the doorbell rang. Stupid, fucking, Elliot.

I froze in my spot at the top of the stairs, mentally cursing Eli out for not waiting in the car. He even promised to text me when he got here. That way, I could sneak out unnoticed and avoid being harassed. So much for that...

There wouldn't be the need to sneak out if my mom didn't have Uncle Ricky and Aunt Kelli over. Since it was her first Valentine's Day post-divorce, they decided to come over and keep her company. I thought it was ironic, but a sweet gesture nonetheless. Aunt Kelli and Uncle Ricky didn't know that my mom spent Valentine's Day alone every year.

Well, not totally alone; we would curl up on the couch and eat ice cream, but that didn't count as a Valentine's Day date. In fact, I couldn't even remember a year when my parents went out on the holiday. February fourteenth was just a regular old day when we lived in Chicago.

"Must be the pizza," Uncle Ricky mused. I cringed and braced myself as his feet marched toward the door. "Eli? What are you doing here?"

"Eli's here?" Aunt Kelli whisper-yelled to my mom.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I listened to them squeal and run to the door.

"Mr. Hanson. Hey," Eli's voice echoed through the house. "I'm here for Charlotte. Is she upstairs?"

"C-Charlotte?"

"Um, yeah. You know, your niece?"

"Eli, honey, come on in!" my mom exclaimed as she made her way to the door.

"We didn't know you were taking Charlotte out. What are you guys doing? Hanging out or..." Aunt Kelli asked, doing a bad job trying to disguise her prying. "Michelle, did you know she was going out tonight?"

"No, but I suspected she had something going on."

"It's a last-minute thing, so she probably didn't get the chance to tell you," he lied. I almost blew my cover and ran downstairs to give him a big kiss for the quick save. "Is she upstairs? I can go wait for her."

"Come wait in the kitchen," my mom said in her no-room-for-arguing tone.

After counting to twenty, I slowly made my way downstairs and entered the kitchen. I pretended to be surprised as I found Eli at our kitchen table, looking like a deer in headlights as he faced a brutal interrogation.

"Where are you going with my daughter?"

"What are your intentions with my niece?"