It Starts With L (The Letters of Love Series Book 1)

  Blake smiled, pulling out of her driveway. “I’m sure I will.”

  She slapped his arm, but not hard enough to leave a mark. “Oh, you will. Trust me. With you, I don’t have to hold my tongue anymore.”

  He mimed locking his lips and throwing the key away. She shook her head and looked out the window. Small snowflakes spiraled through the sky. Arielle doubted the little flurries would stick to the ground because there weren’t enough of them, plus it hadn’t been snowing a lot yet.

  “It’s snowing,” she said.

  “I can kind of see it happening since I’m driving and all,” Blake replied.

  “Okay, smart butt…”

  “Ha. I just realized you never swear, do you?”

  “Not so much. I do sometimes, but mostly in my head.”

  “How come?”

  “Um…my dad would kill me…plus I don’t think it makes anyone sound any cooler. Quite the opposite actually.”

  “Yeah, I know you’re right, but most people think they’re cool for doing it anyway, which makes me sure there was a reason I fell for you. You march to your own beat and you aren’t afraid to be yourself. I wish I could say the same.”

  Arielle folded her hands in her lap. “Why can’t you? I think you’re different from most of the guys I know, so if you are trying to be the same, you aren’t doing a good job of it at all.”

  He reached over and folded his hand in hers, pulling it to hang over the center console. “Thanks. Sometimes I feel the same as everyone else, like nothing about me stands out against all the others, and I never hear any different from my parents. My dad has a problem with me and my mom is scared to ever go against him about anything.”

  Arielle sighed. “It doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship.”

  Blake shook his head. “It isn’t. At all. I don’t think they will be together much longer. If it wasn’t for me, they probably would have divorced already.”

  Arielle squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry, Blake. But maybe getting out of the house with me and seeing your friend will help you forget about it. At least for a little while.

  “Sounds like the best plan I’ve heard all day.”

  ***

  Blake pulled into a driveway filled with gravel. The tires crunched the rocks as they moved to the side of the brown house with white shutters.

  A guy came out the side door. He was tall with brown hair and a goofy smile. He had a little belly that jiggled when he walked, but Arielle would still call him lean for a guy.

  Blake hopped out and Arielle followed. She stuck her hand out to him. “You must be Jack.”

  He grinned, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips instead of shaking it. “And you must be Arielle. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “I’m pretty sure everyone in Blake’s life has…” Arielle mumbled.

  Blake chuckled, but more to stop the conversation than a need to laugh at something funny. His cheeks turned rosy. “All right, man. How about we kill the small talk and go in, maybe play some PlayStation?”

  “Yes! I thought you’d never ask.”

  Arielle followed the guys to a small upstairs bedroom with brown shaggy carpet and brown paneled walls, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. In fact, she could see why people stopped decorating with paneling. Ugly didn’t begin to cover it. And the smell…musty, like in a basement. She held her hands at her side to keep from pinching her nostrils closed. Must have been a pretty old house.

  She stepped inside the bedroom and sat at a small black desk chair. “Your parents aren’t going to be mad you have a girl in your room, are they?”

  Jack shrugged. “I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not like you’re my girlfriend…but as long as we keep the door open, I’m sure it will be fine.” He peeked at Blake, who had sat on the bed, finding his feet the most interesting thing to stare at in the whole room.

  “Oh, well, whose girlfriend am I, then?” Arielle asked, loving the experience of embarrassing Blake. It was fun teasing him. Last night, she thought he’d called her his girlfriend, but everything had happened so fast she couldn’t remember all the details.

  Blake met her eyes. “You’re my girlfriend.” He said it in a way nobody could argue with, making Arielle’s heart swell with happiness.

  She grinned. “Good to know.”

  For the next few hours Arielle watched the boys play some shooter game. They yelled and screamed and cheered and were…boys. She wasn’t bored though. She kind of enjoyed watching them, and even though she hadn’t ever wanted to play a game like this, she found she kind of liked watching it being played.

  When they were done, Blake grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the chair. “You ready to go?”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “Whenever you are.”

  He nodded, turned to Jack, and said, “All right, man. Catch you later.”

  Jack winked at him. “Mmm-hmm. Have fun.”

  Jack’s tone of voice indicated a hidden innuendo, one Arielle didn’t know a thing about, so she shrugged it off and followed Blake to his car, hopping in fast since it had turned even colder than when they’d left.

  “Feel better?” Arielle asked, touching his arm.

  He nodded. “Shooter games help get some of the anger out, at least for me.”

  “Good. I’m glad,” she said.

  “Thanks for coming tonight,” he said a few minutes later when they were on the road.

  “I was glad to come, Blake. Any excuse to spend time with you is perfect for me.”

  He glanced over at her, a twinkle lighting up his eyes. “Most girls would get mad watching their boyfriend and his friend playing a game for hours while they sat there, bored, but not you.”

  Arielle laughed. “I kind of liked watching you guys play, and I wasn’t bored at all.”

  He grabbed her hand, holding it close to him. “Thank you for being you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said with a questioning tone, not sure who else she would ever presume to be.

  When they arrived back at her house, Blake walked her in at nine o’clock. “Since we’re early, you think your parents will mind if I come in for a little while?”

  Arielle chuckled. “Of course they won’t. They love you, maybe more than they love me.”

  He wrapped his arm around her inside the front door. “I doubt it…because you are way too loveable.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and she swooned.

  A throat cleared and Arielle jumped away from him.

  “I don’t mind you comin’ in for a bit, Blake, but try to keep your hands off my girl, okay?” Dad said.

  Arielle sighed. “Hey, Dad. Nice to see you up this late.”

  “Arielle, it’s nine at night. I’m not that old yet.”

  Blake laughed. He moved toward the couch with her hand in his and they sat down together. The rest of the night they watched some old movie her dad put on until Blake went home.

  All in all, their first day back together had been pretty amazing.

  ***

  The next day, Arielle woke up to the most annoying high-pitched sound. It had to be her rooster crowing in the backyard. She’d been neglecting the chickens for a while since she’d been so busy, so she crawled out of bed and threw a pair of black sweats on with a hot pink fleece hoodie. When she walked downstairs, the TV was off and nobody sat in the living room, but she found her mom and dad at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of coffee.

  “Morning,” she said.

  Dad looked at her over the rim of his glasses. “Mornin’, sweetheart. What’re you doin’?”

  Arielle went to the kitchen door and pulled her black rubber boots on. “Heading out to collect the eggs and see what the chickens are up to.”

  Mom smiled. “Great. Can you feed the cat while you’re at it?”

  Arielle nodded. “Sure, anything else you need done?”

  Mom leaned back in her chair, but Dad laughed. “If you manage to find a tree out back growin’
money leaves, could ya pick some for me?”

  Arielle pressed her lips together, shaking her head as she walked out the side door. She went out front first and scooped out some Friskies cat food, plopping it into the dish on the porch. Then she made her way out back, grabbing a scoop of chicken feed and sprinkling it all along the ground. The chickens started pecking at the muddy ground as she made her way inside the coop, collecting about a dozen eggs.

  Of course she’d forgotten to grab a basket from the house, so she made a bowl with her hoodie and plopped the eggs inside, carrying them with extra care until she got them in the house and placed them in an egg carton, then tucked them in the fridge. After that, she grabbed the phone.

  She called Jess. “Hey. What are you doing?”

  “Nothing. Waiting for Damien to come over.”

  “Boo! I feel like I never see you anymore.”

  “Well, I’ve got Damien and you’ve got Blake, or do you?”

  “Yeah, we got back together last night.”

  “Good! It’s about time. Since we’ve both been pretty busy, maybe we should plan another double date soon?” Jess asked.

  “Yes! Let’s go see a movie over the weekend. I’ll run it by Blake and you run it by Damien, okay?”

  “Okay, I will! But trust me when I tell you he’ll say yes.”

  Arielle laughed. “I’m sure he will if you have anything to say about it. Call me later, after you talk to him.”

  “’Kay. Talk to you later, then.”

  She was sure Blake wouldn’t mind if Arielle made plans for him as long as she would be there with him. She also had a feeling he would understand her need to see Jess since she hadn’t in a while. Plus, she was sure Blake would love to go to a movie. The dark theater in the back row…oh yeah, Arielle would make sure he enjoyed the movie.

  As long as he said yes.

  Chapter 15

  It’s a Date

  Blake came over at five o’clock, on the dot. Arielle had been sitting on her floor, writing in her journal, when the sound of a car door closing drew her gaze outside. She saw his tall frame walking toward the house, so she hightailed it downstairs and answered the door before he even knocked.

  “What’s up?” She was a bit out of breath from running so fast, but she managed to guide Blake backward so she could step outside. “Do you have any plans Saturday?”

  He nodded. “I do. This cute girl is coming out with me. You might know her.”

  Arielle couldn’t help the smile spreading across her face. She grabbed his jacket on both sides and pulled him close. “Good answer.” She smashed her lips against his, pulling back fast. “But…would you mind if this cute girl asked her best friend and her best friend’s boyfriend to join us?”

  Blake turned away, then faced her again. “I don’t know, Ari. I don’t like the guy one bit.”

  “Why? He isn’t like he used to be.”

  “No, he’s worse. Didn’t you notice how he and Jess left and went to do their own thing last time?”

  Arielle pressed her lips together, thinking, then nodded.

  “He doesn’t like me any more than I like him. You already knew that, though, I’m sure.”

  “I don’t get why though.”

  “Because the dude is into drugs.”

  “No way.” Arielle folded her arms over her stomach. “There’s no way! Jess wouldn’t be with someone hooked on drugs.”

  Blake tilted his head, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry to tell you, but she is.” He paused, meeting her eyes. He grunted a few times, biting down on his lip. “Okay. If you really want to go, if it means that much to you, I’ll go. But if he brings anything drug related, we are leaving.”

  Arielle smiled. “I promise. It’s a deal.”

  “Now, can we go inside and get warm? Because it’s way too cold out here.”

  Arielle laughed as she walked in front of him back inside the house. “You know what’s kind of funny? How you never show up until it’s dinnertime.”

  He tickled her sides, causing her to shriek. “What can I say…I’m a growing boy.”

  Arielle half turned, leaning back into him and stopping him in his tracks. “I don’t think I would call you a boy.”

  He leaned his head down to kiss her, but Arielle faced forward when she heard, “Eww. Get a room.”

  “Reed, quit being such a dweeb. Maybe if you weren’t jealous, you could keep your mouth shut.”

  Reed laughed, way too loud to not be sarcastic. “Okay. Yeah. I’m jealous…of you.” He went through the doorway and thumped up the stairs, his laughter following him.

  Blake had a smirk on his face, so Arielle smacked him. “You’re laughing at him? He’s so not funny!”

  “Come on, Ari. He’s your brother…so you don’t see it, but he’s pretty funny.”

  “Dinner,” Mom yelled from the kitchen.

  “Hope she remembered to set a place for you,” Arielle said to Blake as she stepped toward the dining room. Of course Mom hadn’t forgotten. She had gotten into the routine of expecting him every night, and it gave her an excuse to cook even more food. It wasn’t enough to make enough for an army. With Mom, it was go big or go home.

  ***

  On Saturday, Arielle woke up at eight in the morning, way too early for her. She hurried outside and took care of the chickens, pet her outdoor dog, and fed the cat. It was Reed’s job to feed the dog, so she was sure he would take care of that at four in the afternoon, the time Stubs ate every day.

  Gosh, even her head rambled today. Nervous energy flowed through her as she thought about going out with Jess and Damien that night. What Blake said might have truth to it, and she didn’t know what she would do if it did. If Damien did drugs, Jess could be doing them too. Jess had been staying away a lot since she started seeing Damien, so much that Arielle hadn’t seen much of her at all, which didn’t make sense since before they’d been inseparable. Sure, they both had boyfriends, but that shouldn’t have kept them apart all the time.

  Maybe she was overthinking everything. She needed to stop taking everyone else’s words as fact and learn how to judge things for herself.

  After she got all of her chores done, she went upstairs and picked a pair of faded blue jeans and a sparkly pink shirt to wear. Every way she turned, the light changed the color of the shirt so it was like a hologram, which she loved.

  She should have been born back in the hippy days since she loved bright, crazy colors. Tie-dying was her favorite thing to do, as well as the one artistic thing she could do without destroying it. At least so far.

  In art class, she passed, but with Cs. She had to do even better in her other classes to keep her GPA up so she made the honor roll every grading period all because of art.

  She sat down at the small desk in the corner of her room and pulled out her standing mirror. She applied a generous amount of pink eyeshadow and some glitter eyeliner, which made her eyes stand out.

  She’d never been a lipstick person and she didn’t need blush because she had a natural pink hue to her cheeks, so she skipped both of those and worked on her hair. The long, dark blond mop needed a lot of attention. Most days she brushed it once and left it alone, often pulling it up into a ponytail halfway through the day.

  For her date, she put ringlet curls throughout. When she finished, she looked amazing and so different. She hoped Blake would appreciate the time it took her to get ready.

  The clock read eleven. She had a big test in English on Monday, so she pulled her books out and stretched out on her floor.

  Her test was on vocabulary, so she opened a notebook and wrote each word and their meanings five times because she had a hard time if she only recited them over and over in her head. This way, she had to read them as she wrote so it stuck better.

  After she’d studied her vocab, she did her math worksheet, then went downstairs to veg out in front of the TV, but she couldn’t find anything good to watch so she sat there, alone, with the TV turned off.
>
  Her parents were out for the day, running their errands, which included grocery shopping and bill paying, things Arielle didn’t have to worry about for a few more years, although her parents had taught her all about it.

  By the time Blake came, it was two o’clock and she was about to go stir crazy. “Thank gosh you’re here. Let’s get out of here.”

  Blake laughed. “What’s the matter?”

  Arielle stood up, walking toward the front door. She grabbed her jacket, which she’d laid on the back of the couch, and pushed her arms through it, then strapped her purse over her shoulder. “Nothing, bored as can be. Reed spent the night with his football buddies last night and Mom and Dad went out for the day. I never realized how quiet this house could be without anyone in it.”

  Blake wrapped his arm around her, steering her out the door. “Well, it’s a good thing we have plans tonight, then.” He paused and turned her to face him before they walked out. “Ari, remember what I said…any funny business and we are out of there, okay?”

  Arielle didn’t have any problem agreeing, so she nodded. Blake had suspicions, but that was all they were. He didn’t know anything for sure and Arielle didn’t for one minute believe Damien, or Jess for that matter, could be into drugs. But if they found out he was using, she didn’t want to be around it anyway. “Sounds good. Now can we get out of here?”

  He chuckled, pushing her out the door. “Sure. Go faster. Hurry!”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay. I know I’m rushing you, but I haven’t had a soul to talk to all day, except my chickens.”

  “You talk to your chickens?”

  Arielle stopped on the porch, digging her keys out of her purse, then locked the door. “I do. They’re my buddies.” She spun around with her hands on her hips. “You got a problem with that?”

  He shook his head. “Not a single one. I think it’s cool. Chickens are pets too. People talk to their dogs and cats all the time.”