Perseids tonight, Caleb has Darkest Hour cued up in the new car for the late-night drive up into the mountains. Permission not granted, nothing cleared. No lyrics, no direction, with only the piano and guitar from which to take our emotional cues. Shooting stars isn't hard, not with the ammunition we've got these days, but then when everything is dark and we're trying to find our way by touch, well that's when everything goes wrong.
And everything is sometimes already wrong so while I have my sweater and my camera ready, I don't know if I'm actually going or staying home.
**
Caleb was thinking out loud while I read last night. I had a glass of wine at the island and I was trying to concentrate in spite of his fingers on my spine, on my ears, my lips, my hands, his eyes staring at me. His arms sliding around mine. Doing everything he could to distract.
One more chapter. I want to finish it this weekend so I can pass it on to PJ-
I'm not stopping you. He lifts his hands up in the universal message of surrender and I keep reading.
A kiss lands on my shoulder and I give it to him cold, turning it inward and then twisting it out. I see him smile slightly before I return to my book. He takes my hair, twisting it around his finger. This has grown.
Mmmmm, I say.
I miss your bob.
So cut it, I tease. I'm not paying attention. I play into it. I should KNOW BETTER.
Next thing I know, five inches of my hair lands on my book.
I look up into his face with wide eyes. What did you just do?
He shrugs. I think we should let a professional finish this.
I snatch the scissors out of his hands and leave. A flat run across the back yards finds me in Daniel's room.
Christ, Bridget.
Do you have a few minutes?
Caleb cut your fucking hair again didn't he? What is he, four? This is like kindergarten, he gets a pair of scissors and he can't-
Just please fix it. Spare me the lecture.
Twenty minutes and I have a perfect chin-length bob again. Which is actually far cuter than I remember because Daniel is a better barber than anyone else and does a good job.
But I'm afraid to go home so I kiss his cheek and run back to the boathouse.
Lochlan is going to kill you, I tell Caleb.
Lochlan will probably thank me. For the first time, this has had the opposite effect and now you look younger than ever. He looks alarmed.
You can call him and tell him what you did.
When he sees you he'll melt. I don't have to do anything.
Diabhal-
Neamhchiontach, you talk about taking bluffs, well, you know you're not the only one.
I'm not bluffing about him killing you.
Wait here.
He leaves me in his kitchen and heads across the drive. Fifteen minutes later he is back. With Lochlan.
He wants to make sure you weren't harmed.
I'm fine.
Jesus.
Daniel fixed it, I tell Lochlan.
Daniel's very good at it, Lochlan agrees.
I nod.
You look beautiful, Peanut.
Thank you. I just realized I'm shaking.
Let's go home?
Okay.
I stifle the urge to laugh out loud. In Caleb's attempt to be right he just fucked himself out of his night with me. He's good but Lochlan's better.
**
Ready, Peanut?
Lochlan has the telescope and the good camera and all of the lenses too. He has a stack of blankets and...CHILDREN!
The kids are coming. And a whole caravan of trucks, and boys and the Devil and the A5 too.
And we're off. I hope there's a million stars to shoot. I hope it's total carnage up there in the sky tonight. It will match what we have here on earth. Perfect.
