I woke up early the next morning. Whitney slept in the bedroom, Jesse & Steven on the couches, & I opted for the couch on the sun porch. Being the first one up, I opened the windows & breathed in the crisp morning air. It was maybe 6:30 or so & the sky was beginning to light up over the lake that our cottage overlooked.
Our group was now down to the four of us. The shooting at the beach was still fresh in my mind. Three people died because of what my brother & his friend got involved in. I paced back & forth, trying to come up with a plausible explanation as to where Leesa was & why she couldn't answer her phone. Frustrated, I sat back down on the couch & put my head in my hands. I wouldn't let myself cry. I would find Leesa. Finally, I left the sun porch & tiptoed as not to wake up the guys.
"Marley?" I heard Jesse whisper in his raspy morning voice. I guess he was awake after all.
"Yeah" I responded after a long silence. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him after yesterday. We shouldn't have hooked up; we just got wrapped up in the moment & needed to get our mind off of things. That's what I told myself anyway.
He got up from the couch & gestured for me to follow him. We went outside & walked to the edge of the dock, neither of us saying anything. We sat down, our legs dangling above the cold water. As always, he had a cigarette hanging from his lips. He handed it over to me & I took a puff. I needed a morning buzz before I was going to talk to him.
"About yesterday," I started.
"I know"
"Can we just forget it happened?"
He nodded looking out into the distance. There weren't any other houses around. No people. Birds & crickets chirping filled up the silence. It was peaceful, serene.
"We'll find her" he said as if he could read my mind.
"Yeah, I know. I can't leave here until we do"
He paused, looking down at his hands.
"You have to leave with us"
"Seeing as I don't answer to you, I'm going to need a better reason"
"If you stay... they'll come after you. It's not safe here"
"So? I don't care, what's the issue?"
"I care" he said firmly.
"You don't mean that..."
"I do. Besides, your brother would kill me if I let you stay behind"
I sighed. I knew he was right. Steven would drag me out of here if need be.
"You know, that weed isn't gonna smoke itself" I said looking at his pocket.
He pulled out a bag with bud & a tiny bowl, confirming my assumption. I could smell it from a mile away. I took the bag from him & started packing the bowl. I could feel his dark brown eyes on me the whole time. I brought it to my lips & he lit it up for me. I brought the smoke deep into my lungs & coughed a bit. He took a few rips as well.
"I'm sorry you got brought into this" Jesse said.
"I know. It's not your fault, shit happens"
He looked so guilty, avoiding eye contact.
"Hey, really it's okay" I said taking his hand in mine instinctively. I looked deep into his eyes, reassuring him that everything was going to be fine. His freckles were more prominent on his tanned skin that day. His hair was rugged too in a really hot way that made it hard for me to concentrate. Finally, the effects of the marijuana started to kick in & I laid back unable to sit up straight. It hit me hard. Jesse laid down beside me. We just smoked and laid there, neither of us wanting to move. It was a moment of bliss that I wasn't going to take for granted.
