Chapter Text
“Hey Cove, your package came today.”
Cove Holden instantly perked at the news. It was a Friday, and he’d just arrived home from school to find his father already there. He’d expected this, as his father had for once forewarned him of his plans to alter their usual day-to-day, but it still annoyed him that his usual routine had been snatched away. He dropped his backpack in the entryway and made haste for the kitchen.
His father, Cliff, was standing near the stove, spooning what looked like goulash into some tupperware. When his son entered the room, he paused and gestured at a shiny bubble-mailer sitting atop the counter of the bar with his spoon.
“You could have left it for me,” Cove complained as he reached for it.
“And risk porch-pirates? No way, Jose,” his father replied jovially, “Riley’d have my head if I let someone steal something you worked so hard for.”
Cove retreated to the living room and plopped cross-legged onto the floor in front of the coffee table. It would be his neighbor – and best friend’s – birthday soon, and the gift he’d so carefully chosen for her was finally in his hands, yet he was torn. Would she like it? The rhythm of his heart lurched as it always did when Riley Last entered his mind. She wasn’t like other girls, or other people really, and she was the only person on Earth who both thrilled and terrified him.
Ever since they were young, Riley had loved action flicks and acrobatics. She was active, energetic, and able to meet him on almost every physical benchmark for fitness. When they’d become teenagers, she’d managed to convince her mothers to enroll her in a martial arts class, and to their mild chagrin, her sport of choice had grown into a lifestyle in the ensuing years. The upcoming birthday would be her sixteenth, making her eligible to pursue her next belt rank in Brazilian jiu-jitsu – an achievement he knew firsthand Riley was keen to acquire. It was for that reason, and, perhaps, a smaller, more secret and more selfish one, that he’d settled on this particular present.
He took a deep breath and tore the perforated edge of the envelope and tipped it’s contents onto the glass top of the coffee table. A clear plastic bag housing a bit of folded blue cloth slid out. With careful movements, he inspected the packaging for damage before opening the taped end and spreading out the garment inside. His heartbeat raced at the sight of the huge blue wave rolled out in front of him.
It was Hokusai’s Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Cove had first seen it on surfing gear in a merchandizing magazine from his father’s store, and after learning more about the image and it’s origins, decided it was the perfect print for the new rashguard Riley was in need of. She’d hit her growth spurt, and the long-sleeved protective top she normally wore to train in had been recently ripped at the shoulder. He knew he couldn’t simply order the one in the magazine as it was made for surfing – not martial arts, which required a lighter material – but he was determined to find something suitable, and, with some help from his father, he’d finally found a vendor that could provide what he was looking for.
“Wow, bud...looks great. I think she’s gonna like it!”
Cove started at the sound. He’d been too busy reflecting on the reasoning behind his choice of gift to notice his father creep up on him. Annoyed by the intrusion and unwilling to let Cliff be too pleased with his role in the purchase, Cove voiced a very real concern. “If it fits, you mean.”
Cliff crossed to the opposite side of the coffee table and tugged at the rashguard’s wrists until the arms were fully extended. “Aww, I think it’ll be alright. Riley’s moms said she usually runs a large, and at the rate she’s growing it won’t hurt to have a little extra room.”
Cove took back the rashguard and did his best to ignore the inexplicable irritation he felt at his father’s assessment of his friend as he slid it back into it’s package for safekeeping. It had been an expensive gift for him, and he knew he’d be beyond pissed if she couldn’t wear it. After all, he’d ordered the surfer version for himself. It was stupid he knew, but he hadn’t been able to resist the notion that by matching their clothes he was conveying in deed a feeling he’d hitherto been unable to express to Riley in words – that he and she were two halves of a pair.
‘Where is she today, anyway?” Cliff continued, “I figured you two’d have all kinds of plans since you’re gonna have the house to yourself and all.”
“Wrestling team has a meet next week. Riley had to stay for practice.”
“A-hah. So that’s why you’re in such a sour mood.”
Cove frowned. His argumentativeness hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“Staying late at school on a Friday...” Cliff mused as he returned to the kitchen, “They sure work you kids hard these days.”
“Riley always works hard,” Cove stated simply as he leaned across the top of the coffee table with a deflated air.
As his father suspected, Cove had been contemplating the best use of the upcoming weekend since his father had told him about his trip two weeks ago. There was a big trade show related to his business being held in Vegas, and he was flying out that evening to be there, with a planned return on the following Sunday afternoon. That meant Cove would be staying home alone, overnight, for the first time in his life. With the Lasts’ keeping an eye on things from next door, of course. Unfortunately for him, the timing was such that his favorite Last was going to be a little late to the party.
Cove sighed. He wasn’t upset, exactly; He knew full well how dedicated Riley was to her training – that steadfast reliability was one of the things he liked about her – but he was frustrated. Why did her schedule have to stray from his on that particular weekend? Was he jealous? Was it even possible to jealous of a situation? Or was that feeling just for people?
Life was complicated, and, deciding he had no answers for it at the moment, Cove reluctantly got up to retrieve his book bag from the foyer and head upstairs to finish his homework. He didn’t want his assignments cutting his time with Riley any shorter than it already was.
He’d just placed his foot on the first step when the phone rang. He paused a moment and listened to the conversation flowing from the kitchen.
“Holden residence,” Cliff answered. “Oh, Mrs. Last...”
Cove stiffened at the name and sharpened the focus of his hearing.
“Listen, I really appreciate you taking the time to help out with Cove this weekend.” His father laughed. “I know, right? But it can’t be helped I guess. Uh-huh. Sure.”
His father’s tone changed from something light-hearted to a little sheepish. “Well, I’m afraid my flight got pushed up – my cab’ll be here any minute, actually, but I’m sure Cove wouldn’t mind.”
Cliff’s voice picked up again. “He got his license recently and I’m comfortably certain in the quality of the breaks I had installed, so…”
With an inkling of what might be happening on the other end of the line, Cove abandoned his book bag and rushed to his father’s side. Cliff eyed him with an obnoxiously big grin from where he leaned against the bar, phone in hand. “No problem, Mrs. Last. Thanks again. Goodnight.”
Cliff ended the call and placed the handset back on it’s charger with deliberate, careful movements for which his son had no patience.
“So?” Cove blurted.
“Soo...” Cliff drawled smugly, “It seems you’ll be getting a bit more responsibility than originally planned today. The Lasts are a little tied up and they were hoping for some help in picking up Riley.”
“And?”
“Practice is over at six,” Cliff concluded. He reached across the kitchen counter and plucked his keys from a dish before holding them out to Cove. “Don’t keep her waiting.”
Cove stared at the dangling keys in disbelief. “Really? You’re gonna let me take the car?”
“Well, I’d have to pay to park it if I took it to the airport, and besides, you have to start sooner or later,” his father reasoned. “At least this way you have the chance the make a good impression with Riley’s moms, right?”
Cove’s distinctive eyebrows crinkled. He’d always suspected the Last mothers didn’t have the highest opinion of him, regardless of their willingness to allow him to spend time with their youngest daughter. As he’d grown older, he’d come to realize that their impression wasn’t entirely unjustified, and he should, perhaps, do better. He still wasn’t entirely sure what better was, but he no longer blamed the Lasts for their suspicions. Every time he remembered his attempt to flee home and Riley’s resulting pursuit of him to the edge of town he felt his face flush.
He reached for the keys and muttered. “Thanks, dad.”
“No problem, sport. Just be careful, yeah? Forecast says it might be raining later.”
Cove glanced out the window thoughtfully as his father rolled his suitcase to the front door. He hadn’t noticed any clouds on his way home, but Sunset Bird was a sea town, and it wasn’t unheard of for bad weather to roll in off the coast without much warning. Hopefully, whatever it was would clear over the night, and he’d be able to hit the beach with Riley in the morning. In the past, they’d found neat things lodged in the sand after storms, including some sea glass that had been converted into decor for the fish tank in his room. He was pondering what they might discover this time when the sound of a car horn broke his concentration.
Cove followed his father outside, where a yellow taxi had pulled up to the curb alongside their house. As they made their way down the sidewalk, Cliff began going down his list of parental bullet points.
“Now, there’s goulash for dinner and I stuck the number of the hotel on a post-it on the fridge, okay? The spare house key is in it’s usual place and I left some cash on your nightstand in case of emergencies. If there is an emergency, call the Lasts first. I won’t be able to respond right away from the next state over, understand?”
“I get it, dad...”
“Good,” Cliff said briskly. He stopped at the mailbox and held his arms outstretched. “You gonna give your old man a hug or are you too old for that now?”
With a sigh and roll of his aqua eyes, Cove relented to the contact. He’d never admit it, but even at his age, there was some small comfort in the feel of his father’s tight embrace, and the rumble his chest made when he laughed.
“So, that’s it then,” Cliff concluded upon releasing his hold, “For the next day and a half, you are man of the house. Please don’t burn it down. And make sure Riley is home by ten. I know you’re best friends and all, but you have to remember-”
“She’s somebody’s daughter,” Cove interrupted. “I know, I know.”
Cliff grinned and ruffled his son’s hair. “I’m proud of you son. I’ll see you on Sunday.”
Cove waited on the sidewalk and watched his father load his suitcase into the back of the waiting car. When Cliff got into the cab, the door slammed shut with a sense of finality that gave Cove a shiver. His father was really leaving.
He recalled standing in the same spot, a short few summers prior, watching a similar scene unfold before him. It was had been his mother then; returning home after her surprise visit for a summer stay in Sunset Bird. The Last family had come to see her off, and it had been smiles all around save for himself. To him, it seemed that by allowing her to leave, he was tacitly approving of his mother’s absence in his life, when nothing could be further from the truth. Riley must have understood. She held his hand and assured him that his mother would return one day, and they would have further adventures together.
Cove smiled at the memory. Riley had been right of course; she was far more sensible than he.
He returned his father’s wave from behind the window glass and waited long enough for the taxi to disappear down the street before making his way back up the drive to his house. As he did so, he surveyed the house next door and noted the absence of the family vehicle. He wondered what it was that was preventing the Last couple from keeping their regular schedule. Something with Elizabeth, maybe? Whatever it was, it must have been important. The Last mothers were very diligent in the supervision of their daughters, despite both girls’ markedly independent natures.
The thought brought Cove back to his current circumstance. He had a whole weekend to do whatever he wanted, practically speaking, and with the keys to his father’s car in his pocket, his world was suddenly a lot bigger. He could go anywhere – even make good on his childhood fantasy and leave Sunset Bird forever if he wanted – but all he could think about was returning to the high school he’d just left an hour earlier and collecting someone he’d seen almost everyday for the past decade.
Of all the things in his life that had changed, his closeness with Riley had remained the same, and it was a comfort he hoped would never go away.
He lifted his gaze to the horizon and was surprised by the wall of gray in the distance. It appeared the weather forecast was correct. As such, he decided it would be a good idea to leave the house a little early, so he could take his time on the way. Though he’d passed his exam with flying colors, he was still an anxious driver, and he had to admit – his father had made a good point earlier. This was a good chance to impress upon Riley’s parents, and his own, that he could be both reliable and responsible. He wasn’t a kid anymore, and he didn’t want to be viewed as such. Not by the adults in life, and certainly not by Riley.
With an air of determination, he bounded up the short set of stairs to his front door and went inside, where he hid Riley’s birthday present and sat at his desk to attempt his homework until the clock told him it was time to leave.