Don't Say You Love Me

Chapter NINETEEN

Teegan

"How was the party?" my mom asks me, that evening at dinner.

She made macaroni and cheese and garlic bread and we're all sitting together, even Francis. I love the sense of family I feel when we are all together, even though I'm just a visiting family member. I don't feel at all how I've felt here, other summers.

But I'm just unsure how to answer that question.

"It was good. More fireworks. I walked back here a bit after midnight," I tell her, after collecting my thoughts.

"More fireworks? Lucky!" Oscar yells, his mouth full of bread.

"That's good," my mom says, but I can tell by the look on her face she either doesn't believe me or knows I'm leaving somethings out.

"Did you hang out with Lola and her friends?" Francis asks me, looking hopeful. He's so clueless.

I really hate to lie to them but I also don't want to start any drama between anyone.

"Yeah. I was with them for a bit."

I was with her friends, but not her. Lola was off with her boyfriend, Josh. I only saw her during the fireworks and that was it. I don't want my mom and Francis to know about how drunk I was or that I almost let some guy I didn't know walk me home.

"Lola comes to Avila and I don't even get to see her," Francis says and then lets out a laugh. "She's coming on Thursday to spend the day with the kids, maybe you can spend some time with them, too?"

I continue eating dinner after nodding at Francis, because I don't know how to answer. I don't want to intrude on Lola's time with Oscar and Josie, I don't know what I'll be doing on Thursday.

"Oh, Teeg, can you close the hut on Wednesday? I just remembered I have to go out of town for the evening. The kids will be at Kelly's, you could pick them up after you close down the hut?" my mom says, sounding a bit frantic.

I'm almost done with dinner. I want to go upstairs and call Kiara, so I just nod and agree to her request.

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks, Teeg," my mom finishes, tossing me a smile.

Now I feel like a horrible best friend for not updating Kiara on everything already, but she doesn't answer when I call that evening. I leave her a message telling her to call me tomorrow, cause I have somethings to talk about. I'm half expecting a call back right away, but it doesn't come.

I fall asleep feeling all sorts of emotions. I am curious to find out more about Cohen. I am looking forward to us being friends, I guess. But I'm also missing Kiara and my dad and I feel like I'm going to become some new person over the next six weeks. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, though. Maybe this is sort of what I needed.

The morning goes by so slowly. Mom leaves early with the kids to take them to daycare. She says she has some meetings and will be working at the hut later. I think nothing of this and I tell her I have no plans and that I can pick the kids up from daycare at 4P.M. Once the house is quiet, it feels so strange, waiting for time to pass. I check my phone. I watch some TV. I even clean up my room a bit. It takes forever but when it's finally 1P.M., I get dressed, brush my hair, add some light make up and then head out the back door. I don't know why I want to impress Cohen, but I do.

I try to walk slow, but it only takes fifteen minutes to get down to the hut. I pass the spot where Raff and Cohen fought. I look up at Isaac's house, which looks perfectly normal once again. Everything feels so different in the day time. And then I approach the hut, like a customer would, my toes in the warm sand.