“What’s wrong?” Lia asked groggily.
“Someone’s here,” He replied. “Get dressed while I see who it is and close the bedroom door. Be in the living room and act like we just got here.”
“Why?”
“Just do it, ok,” he grunted as he opened the outside door and stepped out.
Quickly she shot out of bed and put on her jeans. She looked at the bed and ripped the sleeping bags off and stuffed them under the bed. She slipped her shirt over her head at the same time slipping her feet into her shoes.
She shut the bedroom door as she heard yelling coming from outside. It was Seth’s Dad.
Chapter 5
“Thank God, it’s not my Dad,” Lia whispered to herself. Looking for a brush in her purse and ripped it through her hair before she went outside.
She heard his Dad yelling, “We had no idea where you were! You were gone all night! Thanks to Cris I knew where you were. Your Mother is worried sick!”
“Yeah, but you’re not,” Seth retaliated. “I told her I was staying at Zak’s house.”
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here!”
“You’re only here because of Mom, not that you really care,” Seth stated.
Lia was watching out the window for a few seconds before she opened the door, walking out she said, “Hi Mr. Rosetti.”
“Seth are you crazy having Lia up here with no supervision. Her father will have a fit,” Mr. Rosetti exploded.
“I called my Mom and left a message a little while ago to let her know we were coming up here this morning,” she said meekly knowing it wouldn’t make much of a difference to Seth’s dad.
“But you didn’t talk to her. Big difference there, Lia. I like you really I do and your good for Seth, but I don’t want him in anymore trouble with your Dad. If he knew you were here in a secluded area with no one else around, God I hate to think what he’d do,” Mr. Rosetti said one step down from yelling.
“Dad look we’re gonna spend the day here, hiking the trails, you know Lia loves doing that. Then I’m gonna take her out for dinner then we’ll be home. Just give us that since you’re making me move. By the way Dad, we’re going to spend the next two weeks together as much as we can. Mom knew where I was last night, and you could have called my cell phone,” Seth tried to reason.
“We did, but it’s off,” Mr. Rosetti stated.
“No it’s not,” Seth said reaching for it off his belt. Pulling it out he looked at it, “Shit I forgot to charge it, it’s dead.”
“Yeah real good way for us to get a hold of you,” Mr. Rosetti stated sarcastically.
“Dad, just go home. You know we’re here and I’m fine so you can report back to Mom, I’m alive and well.”
“Make sure you turn the water back off,” he said walking toward Seth he then whispered. “Make sure you use protection I don’t want any grandkids running around.”
“Yeah sure Dad,” he replied.
“Bye Lia, stay out of trouble on the trials. And Seth before you go hiking make sure that phone is charged, yours too Lia.”
“Ok, Mr. Rosetti, bye.” Lia mumbled.
After Seth’s Dad left Lia said, “We better go home, Seth. I don’t want trouble with you and your Dad too.”
“Naw, he’s just mad that my Mom made him come up here. He’s not really upset that we’re here. Just that I didn’t call last night, putting my Mom in one of her freak out episodes. You know how she gets.”
“How do you know he’s not upset? He sure seemed it to me.”
“If he was he would have went through the cabin and found the sleeping bags on the bed and knew we spent the night here. He doesn’t want to know.”
“What did he whisper to you?”
“Make sure we use protection he doesn’t want any grandkids running around,” he repeated what his Dad said.
“Oh.”
Seth came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck and ear, “Let’s go back to bed, Babe.”
Turning in his arms she kissed him with as much passion as she could. They stumbled into the cabin wrapped around each other. They stopped by the couch and he laid her on it with him coming down with her.
After about an hour later, “Seth, get dressed I want to go hike the trails.”
“Now, I’m exhausted. Why don’t we stay here all day, just like we are?”
“No, I want to go hiking, then we can come back and take care of your horny self,” she said and she slid her body up his.
“If you keep that up we’re going nowhere,” Seth groaned.
“I’m getting dressed and going outside, meet me there when you’re ready,” Lia said getting up off him.
As she shrugged into her jeans he laid there watching her, “You are so beautiful,” he said pulling her to him as she was only half dressed.
“So are you,” she mumbled as he kissed her.
Pushing herself up and away from him, “We should go hiking,” she said reluctantly pulling her shirt on.
She started towards the door when he pulled her back, “You’re sure you want to go?”
“I think we better, Seth.”
“Ok give me a sec to get dressed.”
She walked out the door and sat on the porch steps looking out over the yard. She started wondering how she was going to be able to live without seeing him every day. She was getting herself depressed. Seth stepped out the door and looked at Lia, he sensed something was wrong. He sat down next to her, “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t speak she couldn’t. Too afraid that the tears would start flowing and she didn’t want to make him feel worse.
“Babe, tell me what’s wrong.”
“I can’t,” she choked.
“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
“You can’t do anything about it anyway. Come on the trails are waiting.”
He got up reluctantly pulled her up and saw the tears in her eyes ready to spill over. “Ugh, Babe don’t cry, we’ll work it out somehow. I can come see you on the weekends. I know it’s not what we’re used to, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Why is he making you go?”
“I’m not eighteen yet, so he won’t leave me here. He thinks I’ll get into too much trouble, besides there’s nowhere for me to live here. Let’s take these last two weeks and spend as much time as we can together. I promise you we’ll stay together forever.”
Depression descended on her like a dark gray fog, “You’ll meet someone else at your new school, and you’ll forget about me,” she whined.
“I’ll never forget about you, just like you’ll never forget about me. Come on the trails await us,” he said, trying to get her out of the mood she was in.
They took off down the trail walking hand in hand. Lia didn’t see much around her for at least fifteen minutes. She wallowed in her sorrow and pain. Once Seth started pointing out all the plants and trees she slowly got out of her funk.
“Look I don’t think you have this for your plant collection,” Seth said.
She looked down at the plant Seth was referring to and then back up to his face. “That’s because it’s poison ivy,” Lia retorted with a snicker.
Smiling with a mischievous grin he said, “Yeah, I know just checking to see if you came back to me, and not still in your own world of misery.”
“You make it seem like I shouldn’t be miserable, because the guy I love is leaving me.”
“I’m not saying that. I just want the last two weeks to be happy and not miserable,” he declared.
Trying to smile, she said, “You’re right, sorry.” Changing the subject she said, “I need to bring back more ferns for the back yard.”
“Lia, I didn’t bring a shovel with us,” Seth laughed and groaned at the same time.
“I know that. I have plastic bags and we can just pull out some of the baby ones and I’ll grow them inside till they get bigger.”
>
“Ok they grow over there a little way,” he said pulling her in the direction of the fern patch he remembered growing not too far from where they were.
“It rained not too long ago so it shouldn’t be too hard for us to pull a few out. Remember to keep some of the dirt around them.”
“Babe, I know, you have me do this every time where here,” Seth groaned.
Two hours later they were back at the cabin with overflowing bags of ferns. Looking at them he laughed, “I thought you said a few, thirty some plants don’t equal up to a few.”
“Yeah got carried away here,” she laughed. “I’m gonna take a shower I have mud all over me.”
“Can I take it with you?” he teased.
“No.”
“Not fair, I had to look at you all day and now you won’t let me take a shower with you,” he kept teasing her.
She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. She turned on the hot water right away to warm up. The cold and dampness settled in her and she didn’t think she would even get warm. Stepping into the shower, it felt like heaven. As she stood with the water running down her she gave in, and her tears ran with the water.
The agony she felt hit her so hard and fast she sunk to her knees on the shower floor. “Seth how am I going to live without you?” she cried.
He heard the water finally shut off and yelled through the door, “I have your clothes out here. Babe how are you gonna get them?”
She didn’t think of that before she ran into the bathroom. “Give them to me Seth.”
“Nope, you’ll just have to come out in your towel to get them.”
She put her dirty clothes on to go out and get them. If she went out in her towel they would never get ready to go out to eat and she was starving.
When she came out in her dirty clothes he was disappointed, “I was hoping the towel look would be in fashion here.” He took one look at her and knew she had been crying. Feeling the same agony she did he wrapped his arms around her and holding her tight. “Were you crying the whole time you were in there?”
“No,” she lied, holding on to him as tightly as he was holding her. “Go take your shower, Seth,” she said. Just then her cell phone rang. Sighing, she picked it up; seeing it was her Mom.
Dreading the call she told him, “It’s my Mom; go take your shower, Babe.”
“No I want to hear what she says,” hoping she wasn’t in trouble over him again.
“Be quiet then,” she whispered and answered the phone. “Hi Mom, what’s up?” she answered with a false cheer in her voice.
“When are you coming home? Your Dad’s having a fit here knowing you’re up there with Seth alone.”
Exasperatedly she said, “Mom we went hiking, I got a bunch of ferns to grow in doors over the winter. We’re going out to eat in a little bit, then we’ll be home. Ok?”
“Yes, but not too late.”
“Ok Mom,” she said listlessly as she hung up the phone.
“What did she want?” Seth asked concern in his voice.
“When I’m coming home, Dad’s having a fit. I told her after we eat.”
“I’ll go get a shower then we can leave,” Seth said.
“Ok”
While Seth was in the shower she went to change into her clean clothes, but she didn’t make it there, she took another shower.
~~*~~
They finally left to go to the restaurant two hours later. In the car on the way there, they were both silent, until she broke it, “Seth we have to use protection every time. It really wasn’t smart of either of us to not use something.”
“I know, you’re right,” he said pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. “We’re here and I’m starving.”
“So am I, but I mean it, Seth. We have to be careful from now on.”
“You’re right,” he replied grabbing her hand as they walked to the front door. Part of him wanted her to get pregnant then his parents couldn’t separate them, but he knew at their age it was a stupid idea.
They walked into the Hi-Way Restaurant it was like any other road side restaurant. A counter ran the length of it with stools in front. On the other side of the room were booths and in the other room was the dining room with tables. That’s where Seth and Lia sat at the table in the back to have some privacy. Every time they come up here they eat at the Hi-Way it has the best food.
The waitress came to take their order, Seth got the NY strip steak, and Lia got broiled haddock, both ordered salads and baked potatoes. Once the waitress left he took her hand in his and rested it on the table. Absently he rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand.
“What’s going on in that mind of yours?” she asked.
“Our future,” he mumbled.
“What about it?” she asked shakily.
“Trying to figure out how we can see each other more often than just the weekends. The trip will take an hour and half each way, that’s just too long to make after school, but I can probably do it on days off, and holidays. If you get a car you can make the trip up to New York. Maybe you should tell your Dad you broke up with me so he’ll buy you a car.”
“Yeah that’ll work, telling him I broke up with you so he gets me a car and then using it to go see you. Sometimes you don’t use your head,” she laughed. “Besides I’ll never break up with you.”
“I was just joking,” he said as the waitress brought their food.
Lia took a bite of her food, “Hmm, this is so good.”
“How can you eat that? I can’t stand fish.”
“Just because you don’t like doesn’t mean I can’t eat it. I love fish, besides it won’t clog my arteries like your steak.”
“My arteries are fine and steak is so much better tasting,” he teased her.
They finished their meal and started home, “I don’t want to go home, Seth. I want to stay with you.”
“I know, Babe, it won’t be that long that I’m away. We’ll spend the rest of our lives together.”
“What do you mean?” she asked snapping her head in his direction.
“When we’re ready, Babe I want to marry you.”
“You really mean that this time don’t you.”
“Yeah I do, I always did,” he said smiling at her.
She sat back in the seat of the car and the rest of the way home she daydreamed about their wedding.
Chapter 6
They pulled up outside her house. Seth parked on the street; he didn’t dare pull into the driveway. Every time he did Lia’s Dad came out screaming at him to leave. He put the car in park and pulled Lia close and whispered in her ear, “I had the best day ever.”
“Same here. I’ll remember it always, especially when were apart. It’ll keep me going till I see you again,” she replied.
Seeing her Dad at the window, “You better go in we’re being glared at,” Seth grumbled. He was sick and tired of her Dad’s attitude toward him. He could never tell Lia how he felt, but it was a big problem for him.
Snuggling closer to him, “I don’t care. We’re not doing anything wrong, we’re just talking.”
“Hmmm, Babe I can’t keep this to just talking you feel so good to me. Maybe you should go in and take a shower. Or maybe I should go home and take a cold shower and come back,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to go anywhere the rest of the day since I was gone with you for most of it.”
“It’s only 6:30 and we’re not going anywhere, we’ll just hang out here.”
“Seth you never want to hang out here because of my Dad. Why now?”
“You want us to spend as much time together the next two weeks, and if that means I have to come here I will.” He wasn’t real thrilled with hanging out here; he was doing it to make her happy. He hoped she realizes what lengths he would go to, to make her happy.
As he was thinking it she said, “I don’t want you to be miserable sitting here.”
> “I won’t be, don’t worry about it. Let’s get these plants out of my car. I’m gonna have to clean it out. You got dirt all over it.”
“I’m not the one who dumped the bags putting them into the car, and I’m not the one who drove like a maniac making them fall over.”
“I don’t drive like a manic.”
“Yeah you do bro,” Cris said walking up behind them.
Seth turned to Cris and clasped his hand and pulled him toward him giving him a hug and said, “You’re to stick up for me, not agree with her.”
“I call it like I see it,” Cris said grinning.
“Yeah well Cris you don’t drive much better,” Lia teased back. She was always on the defensive when it came to Seth, no matter who it is.
“Then don’t ask me to take you anywhere once Seth’s gone if I drive so bad,” Cris teased back. He regretted saying it once it left his mouth. Especially when he saw his sister’s face
Seth winced and so did Lia, “Just shut up and take these in the house,” Lia retorted.
~~*~~
“See, they really did go to the cabin to walk the trails,” Mrs. Lombardi said glaring at her husband. “You always blow everything out of proportion.
“Yeah I guess you’re right,” Mr. Lombardi said grumpily as he kept watching them thru the window.
“Leave them be. They’re not doing anything.”
“I don’t trust him with her. He already got her in enough trouble already. And if I ever find out he’s drinking again she’ll never see him. I’ll make sure of that!” he bellowed.
“Stop it; you’re just making your blood pressure go up. There’s no way you’ll ever break those two up. The more you try to make her the more she’ll stay with him. Deep down you know he’s not a bad kid really. I don’t think he’s bad for her. He made a mistake and so did she, you’ve made plenty in your own time,” she stated.
“It’s not the same,” he retorted.
“Yeah it’s not, because it’s your daughter now. Right? Just give them a break, he’s leaving soon and it’ll be hard enough on her without you harassing her all the time. And you know you should give her a car like you did Cristofer. It’s not right giving him one and not her, just because she won’t stop seeing Seth.”