Ricochet

Stolen Nights

In life, there are always loopholes. Thankfully, Aeron and I found one.

Dad gave my phone back to me before school that Monday, reminding me that if he found out I'd been talking to Aeron that it'd be his until I could afford to get my own. One upside to his warning was that it was a great incentive to work harder. If I wanted to try to make money with my designs, I had to take it seriously. Thankfully, with my dad being a lawyer, he was able to help.

"Fashion isn't an easy path to take, especially in this area," Dad said. "If that's what you want to do, though, there are steps that need to be taken, such as labeling. You need to come up with a name and logo and register it with the Patent and Trademark Office." He seemed happy that I was motivated, but that's only because he had no idea why.

Until I could get my own phone, Aeron changed his number. That way, if Dad is somehow tracking my calls, it wouldn't raise any flags. Aeron is now Allie in my contacts, which is another good friend I go to school with. I know if dad sees a message from her, he won't think anything about it. I made sure to fill her in, just in case.

"You're still Allie, I just added your last name, so I'd know which one was which. I hate doing that, but...."

"Girl, I don't blame you," she said. "A guy like that would make me sin, too."

I laughed, even though I didn't like how that sounded. The reason I didn't like it was because it was true. Since meeting Aeron, I'd fornicated, lied to my parents multiple times, and been deceitful. That wasn't Aeron's fault, though; he just happened to be the guy that brought that out in me.

We've figured out a way to talk every day, but it's still difficult trying to find a way to see each other. Of course, like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, love finds a way; or maybe it was life. Whichever one it is, we found a way.

It's harder to steal moments during the week, but the weekends are a little easier. I continue to spend the night with Haley, sometimes, like I always have, but will sneak out and spend a few hours with Aeron. All I have to do is leave my phone at her house and make sure she answers it if my mom calls so she can tell her I'm in the shower. Haley has Aeron's number if she needs to message me but, so far, hasn't had to.

Something else I learned to do is sneak him into our house. Yeah, it sounds extremely risky, and I guess it kind of is, but those nights are my favorite. Having him lie beside me in my bed, leaving his scent behind after he leaves, is perfect. And since I've always shut and locked my door at night, there's no reason for my dad to question it.

We have an alarm, but I'm the one who sets it on the weekends, since Mom is at work. She's a nurse and has always kept a weekend shift so she can be home with me during the week. That's another reason I don't worry too much, because she is the light sleeper. The only way Dad would know Aeron is in our house would be if he happened to walk out of his room for some reason in the middle of the night as we're walking by.

At first, I thought the alarm would be an issue, but it isn't. When I go to set it, I press some buttons so he thinks I set it but won't really set it until Aeron leaves. If he ever happens to wake up, I'll just tell him I had a bad dream about an intruder and wanted to double check it. It's too easy, really.

Tonight is one of those perfect nights. Dad called and said he won't be home for supper, that he has to work late. Mom is at work, too, since it's Friday, so I told Aeron to come over early. I know when Dad comes home that he'll check on me once and then go straight to his room, so I'm not worried about him thinking anything is up.

Coming earlier means he'll get here while it's still daylight. Usually, he parks his car on the back road that runs behind our house and will walk through the woods and across our back yard. He can't do that this time, though, so Garrett had to pick him up at his truck and drop him off here so it wouldn't look suspicious to anyone. That way, his truck will be there when he leaves.