Define Love

Chapter 8

~Ingrid~

“What makes you think I’m lying? I’m telling the truth!”

I shook my head, giggles erupting from my lips. I shook my head in disbelief.

“No one is dumb enough to swallow a bunch of pennies because they wanted to get sick!”

He shrugged, laughing with me.

“I know it sounds stupid, but you know what kids will do to miss school these days. Don’t tell me you’ve never faked being sick.”

I shrugged, feigning innocence.

“Maybe...”

He gave me a nudge, laughing at my expression. He knew I was just joking. I sat there grinning at him, enjoying our conversation.

It was a Saturday afternoon, a few days after the conversation with Noel. I hadn’t spoken to him yet, ignoring his constant calls and messages. If he wanted to apologize, he would have to say it to my face.

Josh had called me the next day, inviting me out to lunch. I had agreed, telling him to meet me at the café at noon. We had a great time, telling stories and laughing. I felt so normal around him, like I didn’t need to be anyone but myself.

But enough with the cliché.

I sighed, leaning back.

“So Josh, what’s next?”

He looked around, taking in his surroundings and shrugged.

“Show me your favorite place. Where do you run off to when you can’t take anymore drama?”

I sighed, thinking. I knew of one place, and I nodded slowly.

“Alright Josh, you’ve got yourself a destination.”

I giggled, jumping up and grabbing his hands.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

~

~Josh~

I looked over at Ingrid sitting at the steering wheel smiling calmly. We were driving along a dirt path, the car bouncing every now and then over a small ditch.

“Where are you taking us?”

The trees around us covered the sun’s rays from pooling on the ground. The shadows spread over the ground, creating a feeling of dusk. Ingrid stayed quiet, a smile on her lips and her eyes focused ahead of us.

I glanced back to the front, letting it go. She knew where she was going, she wouldn’t let us get lost.

We sat in silence for another few minutes, passing more trees and rocks, getting deeper and deeper into the forest.

Finally Ingrid pulled up on the side of the road in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

I stepped out of the car slowly, glancing around me, looking for a telltale sign of where we were or what we were doing here.

I only saw trees, trees and more trees.

I looked at Ingrid and raised my eyebrows.

“This is where you go when you are mad? Seems a little...random.”

Ingrid rolled her eyes at me, grabbing my hand and pulling me along a path.

“Relax jock, we’re not there yet.”

I stayed quiet, trusting Ingrid as she led us through a twisting path, losing sight of my car. I hoped Ingrid actually did know where she was going.

We reached a clearing, cut off quickly by a steep drop. The cliffs around us reflected the suns rays, sparkling off the clear water far below. Stumps of grass were growing around the rocky edges, creating a deep contrast. I breathed in, smelling the pines and the fresh water. It was so quiet, all I could hear where the occasional bird calls and the water lapping against the cliff far below.

I turned towards Ingrid, meeting her gaze. A small smile was lit on her face, the sun highlighting her hair. She walked over to my side, turning her eyes towards the sun set.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

I nodded, turning my eyes in the same direction. We stood silently for a few minutes, soaking in the hot rays. I glanced at Ingrid, watching her close her eyes and tilt her head back. The wind whipped her hair around, playing with it gently.

She opened her eyes and turned away, walking slowly to a flat part of the cliff and lay down, spreading her arms and legs out around her. I followed her, laying down beside her and staring at the sky.

We watched as the sky went from blue to purple to pink then dark blue as the sun set. We lay there for hours just listening.

~Ingrid~

I pushed open the doors to my house, waving goodbye to Josh as he pulled away. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, a sheepish smile spreading across my face. I stayed there for a few minutes, replaying the afternoon in my mind.

We had stayed at the cliff for a few hours, laying in silence, making quiet comments ever now and then. Eventually we reluctantly agreed we had to go home. We got up slowly, taking one last look around and made our way back to the car in silence.

When we had pulled up at my house, Josh turned towards me, a shine in his eyes.

“That was great Ingrid. I had so much fun.”

I had nodded, smiling with him before grabbing my bag and stepping out of the car.

I smiled, still leaning against the door. I reluctantly moved forward, dropping my bag on the kitchen table, eyeing the sloppy note my dad had left me on the table.

This was the fourth night in the last week he had gone out. Michelle had to be someone more than just a business partner. I sighed, letting it go for that night, not wanting to ruin the perfect day I had.

I walked up the stairs, planning to crash as soon as I had pulled my pajama’s on.

My plans were diminished abruptly when I saw the boy sitting on my bed waiting for me.

“Noel, what are you doing here?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey guys! 

So i made sure I had a better first date for Josh and Ingrid. Sorry if you thought it was a little corny, but every good first date has to be a little corny right? 

haha anywase, just for a reference to my friends who read this and start laughing at my pennies reference, yes I took that idea. I wanted Josh and Ingrid to be laughing about something and it was kind of the first thing that came into my mind =p

Thanks for reading! Vote and Comment!