Time-Lapse by J.B. Heller

Chapter Two

It’s him.

Huxley Haynes.

The boy who thinks he’s invisible, but I see him.

I didn’t know anyone else knew about this spot. I like to think of it as mine. I know I’m not the first person to ever find it, but I’ve never run into anybody else here.

The expression on his face is comical—something between terrified and caught out. I watch him as he watches me, and I wait for him to say something. But he doesn’t. He just stands there, gripping the camera in his hands like it’s a life raft.

“I won’t bite,” I say, attempting to break the ice.

He frowns for a moment then says, “I know.”

“So why haven’t you said anything?” I ask.

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “Uh, I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

I shrug. “I don’t mind. You could start with something like, ‘Hi, Eliza. Nice running into you.’” I do my best to imitate his deeper voice, and he cracks a small grin.

“Hi, Eliza. Nice running into you.”

It sounds so much better when he says it. His voice is a little rough and husky. It sends a shiver through my body, and I grin back. “Hey, Hux. What brings you to my little slice of paradise? I haven’t seen you here before.”

He scratches his temple before answering me. “You know who I am?”

“Of course I do. I haven’t been living under a rock for the last seventeen years,” I scoff, a little offended that he thinks I wouldn’t know his name. We’ve lived in the same town since we were born.

The corner of his lip curves slightly. “I know, but I’m not exactly your crowd.”

I raise a brow. “Are you trying to offend me?”

He shakes his head, just slightly. “No.”

“So, what’s with the questions?” I shoot back.

He scratches his temple again. “We don’t … I mean, I’m not … ” He sighs and looks away. “I guess I figured you didn’t know who I was.”

My hands move to my hips. “Why wouldn’t I?” Then, I realize what he means. “Oh, you think I’m one of those conceited bitches who refuses to acknowledge people below their spot on the social ladder. How nice of you to judge when you don’t even know me.”

His head shoots up, and there’s panic in his gray eyes. “What? No, I don’t think that.”

I snort. “Really? ’Cause that’s the vibe you’re throwing.”

He shifts his backpack around, puts his camera inside the open pocket, then zips it back up. “This is a really strange conversation.”

“You’re the one making it that way. I was being friendly,” I snap. I don’t know why I’m acting like this. I’m not normally so defensive. But his short answers and the fact that he clearly thinks I’m one of those girls irritates me. I don’t care if other people think I’m like that, but not him.

Swinging his pack over his shoulder, he scratches the side of his neck for a second then nods. “My bad. In case you didn’t notice, I’m not a great conversationalist.”

“Do-over?” I suggest, and when he nods, I continue, “Hey, Hux. Fancy seeing you here.”

He hooks his thumbs through the belt loops of his mud-covered jeans. “Hi, Eliza. Nice running into you.”

I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. “So, what are you doing here? And why are you so dirty?”

Looking down at his jeans, he gives me a shrug as a smirk curls his mouth. “I was de-rocking a garden bed this afternoon. It’s dirty work.”

I snicker, my mind going to places it shouldn’t at his words. And the twinkle in his eyes says he knows exactly what I’m thinking, so I don’t hold back. “Dirty work for a dirty boy?”

He chuckles. “Sounds about right.”

Oh my … I’ve never heard him laugh before. It sounds so good. But that’s when I notice a mottled yellow-brown bruise around his eye. “What’s with the bruise? Did the rocks object to being relocated?”

He grimaces then clears his throat. “Something like that.”

Okay, he doesn’t want to talk about the bruise. I change the subject. “Nice spot, huh?” I say, looking around at the moss-covered boulders and the crystal-clear water lapping at my ankles.

“Yeah, I take pictures here sometimes.”

I’m shocked he gave me that much of an answer. I open my mouth to respond, but he cuts me off.

“I, uh, I gotta go.”

My shoulders sag with disappointment. I’ve wanted to talk to him for ages. But he’s not exactly approachable.

“Oh, okay. It was nice to see you, Hux,” I say as he begins walking away from me.

He looks back at me over his shoulder. “Yeah, you too.”

Then, he disappears into the trees.

Thankfully,Dad had passed out by the time I got home last night, so I didn’t have to put up with his shit. Then, when I came out this morning, he’d already left. My father is a functioning alcoholic, so he goes to work every day—he just gets wasted every night when he gets home.

I’m still riding the high from seeing Eliza last night at the stream when I walk down the hall to my first class of the day. I catch a glimpse of her dropping the extra lunch bags beside Jason’s backpack as she walks by and smile to myself.

I’ve always known she wasn’t like the chicks she calls her friends. And I didn’t mean to treat her like one of them yesterday. She’d just startled me. I hadn’t expected to see anyone at the stream, let alone her.

Our eyes lock for the briefest of moments as I lean against the wall outside my class, waiting for the teacher to arrive, and she waves. I look around, thinking one of her crew must be close by, but none of her friends are here. I look back at her, and she’s grinning. At me.

I frown. Why is she smiling like that?

She doesn’t linger, though, and keeps on walking by as if she didn’t just bestow one of her smiles on me.

My lips quirk against my will.

Classes go by quickly today. I’ve already completed my assignments way ahead of time, so while the other students are working on theirs, I lean back in my seat, looking out the window.

Eliza is walking from one block of classes to another with Wayne on her heels. He’s talking to her, and she’s smiling politely at whatever he’s saying. I shift forward on my chair and lean my elbow on the desk as I watch their exchange.

Eventually, Eliza stops and turns to face him. He looks hopeful, but the look on her face tells me she’s about to shut down whatever he’s hoping for. And that makes me stupidly happy.

Later that afternoon, I’m walking home from work when a gunmetal-gray Land Rover Discovery pulls along the curb beside me. I glance at it from the corner of my eye and do a double take. The bombshell behind the wheel is none other than Eliza. She winds down the passenger-side window and grins.

I stop and face her fully.

She beams at me. “Hey, dirty boy, wanna ride?” she asks with a waggle of her brows.

I can’t hold in my snort of amusement. “Uh, I wouldn’t want to get you dirty.”

Her eyes light up. “I might like it.” Then, she winks.

My response gets lodged in my throat when her gaze fills with heat. What the fuck? “Have I missed something?” I eventually ask, and she frowns.

“No, why? What do you mean?”

I lick my lips. I don’t want to offend her again, but I don’t want there to be any miscommunication here either. “Why are you offering me a ride?”

She huffs out an annoyed breath. “Just get in, Hux. I was going to get some ice cream and saw you walking along the side of the road—which I’ve seen you do before but never had the lady balls to pull over and offer you a lift.” She shrugs. “But after yesterday, I figured, why not? It couldn’t possibly be that awkward again, right?”

Scratching my temple, I look down at my dirty clothes then the pristine cream leather interior of her car. “In all seriousness, I really don’t want to get you or your crazy-expensive car dirty.”

Eliza holds up a finger, instructing me to wait while she unfastens her seat belt and twists herself around to reach into the backseat. The move makes her sundress ride up her thighs so high I can nearly see her black underwear. I swallow and avert my gaze before she catches me staring.

“Here we go,” she chirps, throwing a beach towel over the front passenger seat for me.

Opening the door, I pause. “Where are your friends?”

“Don’t worry, I’m flying solo. Get in already,” she demands.

“Pushy,” I tease as I slide into the seat then drop my bag on the floor between my feet.

She laughs and pulls away from the curb. “So, what kind of ice cream do you like?”

“I’m not really an ice cream aficionado.”

Eliza slams on the brakes, and I jerk forward against the seatbelt and slam my palms against the dash. She gapes at me, her eyes full of alarm. “You don’t like ice cream? I don’t think we can be friends.”

I look behind us and thank God there are no other vehicles on the street at this very moment. “Are you crazy? What if there was a car behind you?”

She snorts. “I looked in my rearview first,” she says with a roll of her eyes then pins me with those incredible irises. “Now, back to the subject at hand, you don’t like ice cream?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t really had it much,” I lie. I don’t think I’ve ever had it. It’s a luxury I can’t afford, and God knows my dad has never bought me any.

Her soft palm lands on my thigh, and I jolt at her touch. She looks sad.

“What’s wrong?” I ask and wrack my brain for anything I could have said to upset her.

“You poor, deprived soul. If I knew things were this bad for you, I would have grown a pair of lady balls a long time ago and taken you under my wing.”

Now, I’m offended. “Excuse me?” I shift in my seat so my back is against the door, and I level her with a hard glare.

She doesn’t back down. “How have you survived this long without the smooth, creamy, cold goodness of ice cream being a prominent part of your life?”

I blink and tilt my head. “You feel sorry for me because I don’t eat ice cream?”

Her hand is still on my thigh, and she gives it a little squeeze. “Of course I do. What kind of heartless cow do you think I am?”

“You’re really strange, you know that?”

She shrugs, turns her focus back to the road, and returns her hand to the wheel. “Yeah, but don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to maintain.”

“Your secret’s safe with me. Who am I going to tell anyway?”

“I don’t know, your imaginary friend, maybe. They’re gossipy little bitches.”

“Who?” I ask because she’s completely lost me.

“Imaginary friends. You tell yours, then he’ll tell someone else’s, and next thing you know, it’s spread like wildfire.” She grins at me for a split second as she slows for a roundabout.

She’s nuts. And I think I like it.

When she pulls up in front of The Ice Cream Shack, she slips out of the car then turns, leveling me with an expectant look. I gesture to my filthy clothes. “I don’t think I should go inside. You go get yours, and I’ll wait out here.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in a sec,” she says. Then, she practically skips through the entrance.

I’ve never seen this side of her before. She’s always been a nice girl, but I never picked up on the crazy vibe until today. Well, maybe a little yesterday too. But in general, she comes across as an average seventeen-year-old.

I like this quirky side she’s showing me, though. It’s fucking weird, and I dig it.

A couple of minutes later, she slides in behind the wheel, holding one small tub and a rectangular box the size of a box of chocolates.

“I couldn’t live knowing you didn’t know what your favorite flavor was, so I got you a sample pack. I picked all my favorites, so you’re sure to find your flavor in there,” she says, handing me the box.

I accept it but have no idea what to say. It was sweet of her, but totally unnecessary. “Uh, you didn’t have to.”

“Just say thank you, Hux,” she sighs.

“Thank you,” I say, and she rewards me with one of those amazing smiles.

She reverses out of the parking spot and pauses before turning back onto the road. “Where to?”

I give her directions back to my house, and we drive in mostly companionable silence for the few minutes it takes to get to my street.

“Okay, what number?” she asks as we get nearer.

I don’t want her to know where I live. She’d probably turn up unannounced one day, and I can’t let that happen. “You can just stop here, thanks,” I tell her.

She side-eyes me as she slows the car and pulls to the curb. “Okaaay,” she drawls. “Still working the Mr. Mysterious angle I see. But that’s cool. I’ll crack through that hard exterior of yours soon enough.”

I smirk. “Good luck with that,” I tell her, slipping from the passenger seat then closing the door and giving her a curt wave.

She lowers the window and shoots me a flirty wink. “I won’t need it. I mean, look at us, we’re practically best friends already.”

Arching a brow, I shake my head. “Sure we are, El.”

Despite my best efforts, I smile as I walk the half block home.