Rayston Point Road || Editing

Chapter Thirty

Isaac was leaning back into the headrest, his head turned towards me. Tired and glassy eyes searched my face, a quiet resolve in them as he waited for my answer. I chewed on the corner of my lower lip as I looked over at him, exhaling heavily through my nose before I said, "I don't think that's a good idea, Isaac. I need to get home, and you need some sleep." My eyes flashed between the front of his house, unlit except for two dim porch lamps casting an orange glow across the porch, and Isaac's eyes, still focused intently on my.

"Don't you want to know what's in the box?" He teased, shaking the take-out container in his hands. I laughed lightly, rolling my eyes at his attempt to convince me. When Isaac seemed to realize his first attempt wasn't working, his smile dropped as his expression grew serious again, a desperate look clouding his dark eyes. His eyebrows rose slightly in a pleading manner, the take-out box falling still in his lap.

"Please, Lor?" He asked, "There's something I need to talk to you about." I opened my mouth to say no again, until the comment Andie had made earlier that there was something else going on with Isaac flashed back into my mind, and I hesitated. The warning in the back of my mind was screaming at me that this was a bad idea, but Andie's warning combined with the begging look on his face caved me in.

"Alright," I whispered, reaching forward to turn the keys and pull them, turning away from the small, content smile that pulled Isaac's lips up briefly, dropping down from the Jeep. As I pushed the door shut, Isaac was pushing open his. He was stumbling out from the passenger seat, his take-out box still clutched in his hand as his feet shuffled over the ground beneath him as I rounded the front of his car. I tried not to laugh as he staggered forward, reaching behind him to push the door shut before trying to reach for the box in his hands.

"Let me take that," I said, stumbling forward slightly as my fingers closed around the edge of the box just as Isaac wrenched it away from me. He stepped to the side, holding the box high over box of our heads, staring down at me with a stubborn expression. I rolled my eyes at him again, stepping back and withdrawing my hands. Isaac look smug as he lowered the box and started up the path to the front door. I followed him, absentmindedly twirling my phone around in my hands as Isaac pushed the unlocked door open, and I stepped inside hesitantly.

The lights inside were off, but the two porch lights cast a glow through the windows that framed the door, revealing a massive foyer with half-paneled walls topped with an ornate looking wallpaper. The curved staircase started in front of us to the right, winding gradually up the wall in front of us, set over a large arched hallway that led to the back of the house. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling of the second story above us, and I found myself staring up at it as I felt Isaac reach for my hand, leading me up the staircase. I pulled my eyes away from the massive light fixture and to Isaac, then our entwined hands as he guided me upstairs. My stomach flipped as I began to question my decision even more.

Upstairs, Isaac led me down the hallway to the left. When we reached what appeared to be his room, I hesitated, pulling my hand away from his as I glanced up and down the dark hallway, multiple rooms hidden behind closed doors.

"Is anyone home?" I asked, grimacing at myself for asking before Isaac glanced back at me as he pushed his door open.

"My dad's working overnight," he answered quietly, reaching forward to flip on the lights inside his bedroom. My eyes flashed behind him, taking in light gray walls, queen-sized bed facing the door, and clean black furniture. "My mom is... not here." I frowned at the back of his head as he stepped inside his room, setting the take-out container on the dresser that against the wall to the side of his bed before he backed up to the mattress, lowering himself first so he was sitting and then falling onto his back. I watched as he reached up and crossed his arms over his head, his chest rising and falling heavily.