Maggie peeked her head out from behind the magazine she was reading. “Henri I assume.”

Maven ignored her.

***

He was lying in the grass, hands behind his head just enjoying the roll of thunder that echoed every minute or so. The rain made the warmth turn into an oppressive fog. She was soaked by the time she plopped down beside him.

“Lie down and watch the sky, it’s great.” Henri told her from his spot in the grass.

Maven dropped down, rubbing the rainwater from her forehead. She looked up at the dreary skies.

“Now just listen,” Henri said. He took hold of her hand squeezing it. “Close your eyes and listen, its heaven.” A loud snap of thunder sounded in the distance sounding more like danger than heaven to her, but she did as he said, closing her eyes, the coolness in the air making her unpleasantly cold underneath her damp sundress.

“I’ve always liked listening to thunderstorms. I saw the tree out in our front yard get struck by lightning, talk about a rush.” He was his usual self while Maven felt a bit dark and depressed and it was hard to hide it. “Seeing nature so up close and personal, it’s exciting.”

Maven sat up. She pushed her wet hair behind her ear. Henri sat up too.

“Most people don’t compare thunderstorms to heaven.” She said out loud, watching the sky erupt in flashes of illumination, the wind an incessant brush across her face.

“The ones that enjoy thunderstorms do.” He looked at her, her expression blank. She was far away, lost in thought. He just didn’t know what of.

“You said you were a bit down today, why’s that?”

Maven finally looked at him. He looked anxious suddenly. Not his usual self. And this made her feel bad.

“Is it me?” Henri searched her eyes. “Or is it Jake Summit?”

She dropped her gaze at the sound of Jake’s name. “I don’t know.”

“Sure you do.”

Maven shook her head.

“You’re confused and that’s perfectly understandable.”

“I’m not confused, Henri.” She insisted. She dropped back into the grass letting out a sigh. She wondered if now was the time to tell him just how much she liked him, or if it was better to keep that to herself.

“You and Jake have a history. A long one.” He told her. “You and I both have a right to know if you still have feelings for Jake now that he is single.”

Maven shot up again from the grass. Henri was taking it all the wrong way. This had nothing to do with Jake. She didn’t want to figure anything out. She wanted to tell Henri just how much she cared about him and how sad she was at the thought of losing him now that she was so attached to him. That it hurt to wake up every day wondering if he was still going to be around and if so, how long.

Or how every night before she went to bed she wished she could just pick up the phone and speak the words her heart wanted to shout from the rooftops, that he was the most amazing boy she ever met. But she was afraid to burden him with that.

Henri expected her to say something. To tell him he wasn’t right in saying what he said. To confirm that Jake was the last thing on her mind and that the idea of ever feeling anything for that guy would never happen. She deserved better than Jake.

He wanted her to look at him with those big blue eyes and tell him she only thought about him anymore, to say anything.

“That’s not it,” Maven said. She frowned, biting at her nails.

Henri stood. Maven stared up at him. “What are you doing, Henri?”

“I’m going to head home.” He offered her his hand to help her up.

“But I don’t understand. Are you upset with me?”

Henri laughed. But it wasn’t because he was amused. He was far from it. He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring down at the ground. It was hard to look at her in a time like this. “Maven go figure out what you want.”

“Henri.”

“You’re having a bad day. You weren’t having one until the other day when Jake showed up.” He touched her face and finally looked at her. “I’m not angry with you. You have every right to see if there are still feelings there. Call me later ok?”

She watched him walk off. Another crash of lighting sounded in the distance, rain drops splattering all around her. She dropped back down in the grass, drawing her knees to her chest. She didn’t have it in her to chase after Henri and own up to how she was feeling. It would just hurt him. And she didn’t want to do that.

 

GIFT

MAVEN PLAYED THE VIDEO of Henri again in her bedroom. She watched Henri’s eyes, enjoying how when he smiled they lit up, turning his brown eyes into nothing more than a tight squint. The way he looked at her, if she hadn’t seen it for herself she would have never realized that the way Henri looked at her was magical. A different way than you normally looked at others.

“Or maybe I’m just stupid.” She sat her phone down.

She turned the video off and picked it back up. And with no difficulty at all she punched a number in her phone, one that was unknown because she had deliberately deleted it. At one time it was number one on her speed dial. The only number she knew how to dial most days.

The phone rang several times before he picked up.

“Hi,” she said, she pressed her chin to her knee staring at her purple toenail polish.

“Wow. This is a number I haven’t seen in a long time,” Jake said.

“We need to talk.”

“Okay. So talk. I really don’t want to be thrown down a flight of stairs by your dad again.”

Maven rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a flight of stairs. And you deserved it, Jake.” She couldn’t believe she was talking to Jake. She needed answers and this was the only way to get them. “I’ll meet you at your parent’s house.”

She listened for Jake to agree or say anything at all.

“I’ll be here.”

She knew meeting up with Jake Summit was probably the worst thing she could do. But what if deep down a piece of her really did still care about Jake, she thought, on her way to his parent’s home.

She hurried along the cobblestone street, her feet in a rush to get it done and over with. Suddenly she was in a full-on sprint to get there quicker. Her hair fluttering behind her through the breeze, she was almost panicking.

So many times before she had made this exact trip, past the park, the museum, and the old town hall that wasn’t housing anything at the moment, but this time it wasn’t for the same reason.

She was on her way to Jake’s house to prove for once and for all that there was nothing between them anymore. So she could move on. She didn’t need hope anymore because she knew the things you wanted weren’t necessarily the things that you needed. She knew that the things that were meant to be just happened. You couldn’t control them like she once thought.

She stopped walking once she realized she was already standing in front of Jake’s home, her feet reluctant to climb the steps she had climbed so many times before. She spotted the familiar potted plants that lined the steps with petunias. The American flag that swayed in front of the brick home at all times, all year long, because his father was so patriotic.

Her eyes raised to find Jake’s bedroom window above her. She took a deep breath, climbing the stairs. Before she had to force herself to knock, the door opened and out walked Jake. He was dressed in dark cargo shorts and a red t-shirt one size too small. He liked to showcase his strongly built figure.

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his shorts, and looked at her. “That was fast.”

Maven nodded. “I wanted to get this over with.”

Jake sat down on his porch steps. Maven looked past, searching for his parents. It didn’t look as if anyone was home. She took a seat. The last thing she wanted was his parents talking and informing her father she had been sighted at their home.