August 1969

Chapter 4

The midsummer breeze flows freely through the warm car. My hair wraps around my face, covering my eyes. My disheveled mane finds its way into my mouth, preventing me from enjoying the bag of potato chips I got from the gas station.

With a huff, I look for something I can use to pull my hair up. When I find a pen on the floor of Bobby's car, I twist my hair away from my face and pin it in place with the handy writing tool.

As I am about to bite down on a salty crisp, Bobby says, "You never wear your hair up."

A playful smile pulls at my lips. "It's not down all the time."

"Then let me correct myself." Bobby briefly removes his eyes from the road, and his hazel gaze shines as bright as the sun. "You don't wear your hair up that often. It looks good."

His words send a fiery blaze across my skin, and my hands instinctively shield my cheeks.

My hair is usually down for only one reason, it covers my plump cheeks. I thought that once I hit puberty, I would have more defined facial features. The baby fat is long gone except from my face. I still look like a chipmunk whose mouth is filled with acorns.

Bobby swats at my hands. "Why are you covering your face like that?"

"I don't know."

A loud, boisterous laugh falls from Bobby's lips, causing my blush to deepen. "You have always been a horrible liar, Winnie."

Focusing on the beautiful, Appalachian mountains of Upstate New York, I say, "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Seriously?" Bobby turns down his car radio, leaving only the sound of cars driving down the road. "Your voice goes up about three octaves when you're not telling the truth. You have done this since we were kids."

He is not wrong. My inability to lie is both a blessing and a curse. It has definitely left me in many awkward situations, much like the one we are in now.

Trying to keep my tone as even as possible, I say. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

The highway weaves through the green treed mountain, and I admire its beauty in the distance. We left home two days before the first group was set to start, and thanks to one of Bobby's friends from college, Mike, we have a place to crash the next two nights. Mike's house is only a few miles away from the festival grounds, so we will be heading over there nice and early on Saturday morning. 

The radio is still off, and Bobby is drumming his hands against the steering wheel like he is playing along to his favorite song.

I turn around to check on Elaine and Rose. The two fell asleep as soon as we hit the highway and are currently cuddled up, using each other as a pillow.

Not liking the silence between Bobby and me, I take a deep breath before letting it go and saying, "I wear my hair down because it covers my face better."

Not noticing the forming traffic jam, Bobby slams on the brakes and almost hits the car in front of us. He looks over at me with small creases forming between his brows. "Why on earth would you do that?"

He looks back to the road, shaking his head from side to side. "You don't see it, do you?"

"See what?" I ask. My voice is strong and to the point. "My baby-looking cheeks? The ones that make me look like a ten-year-old with marshmallows stuffed in them? The ones that family members still pinch when they see me? Yes, Bobby, I see it."

Bobby blindly reaches for me and laces his fingers with mine. "You're beautiful, Winnie."

If my heart could pound out of my chest, I would be holding it in my hands. I begin to play with the fringe of my cut-off shorts with my free hand, unable to make eye contact with the man whose touch sends electric shocks across my body. "Why are you saying all of this?"

The tight white t-shirt hides nothing when it comes to Bobby's broad shoulders. I watch the muscles of his upper back shrug, and it only adds to the fire searing across my skin. "Because it's the truth, Winnie."

The way Bobby has been talking has a lot of questions speeding through my mind. I look down at our intertwined fingers, loving the way they look. "I don't know what to make of that comment."

"Take it as you want, but I still think you are beautiful. I always have." Bobby then squeezes my hand, and my stomach flips.

I don't even try to hide the broad smile on my face before I turn to look out the window. Our fingers are still entwined as I watch the scenic view of the mountains. When the pad of Bobby's thumb gently strokes the top of my hand, I nearly turn into a pile of goo.

The refreshing breeze from the opened window mixed with the tingling sensation of Bobby's hand in mine, euphoria takes over my body. It's nothing I have ever experienced before. With my eyes shut, I fill my lungs to capacity with the fresh wood smell from the wilderness around us.

A surge of energy erupts within when I hear the car's blinker clicking. My head snaps from its resting position to watch as we turn away from the bustling vehicles on the highway.

My hand rips from Bobby's, and I bounce in my seat. "Oh, my God. We're almost there."

"Easy there, Killer," Bobby starts. "We are still about ten miles away from Mike's house."

I shift in my seat and rest my folded arms on the dashboard, watching the evergreen and summer trees along the winding road. There isn't much to see, but the natural beauty of nature leaves me in awe.

It doesn't take long before the traffic begins to build up again. It's clear that we were not the only ones who decided to come early.

Minutes continue to pass without us moving an inch. I look over to Bobby, and he has his elbow perched up on the door with his cheek resting against his fist. His dirty blonde hair is an absolute mess but in a beautiful kind of way. Usually, it's styled and well-kept, but right now, it's wild and free.

The silence that has settled between us disappoints me. Bobby has been doing and saying all the right things the past few days, causing my mind to run crazy with untamed thoughts.

Could he be into me?

The idea popped into my mind after we said goodnight on my birthday. I felt like I was a kid again with a major crush.

If kissing his cheek felt that good, I wonder what it would feel like kissing his lips.

Don't get me started on how our hands fit perfectly together. Surely he must have felt something. If our skin touching didn't send jolts across his body, he must have noticed my quick pulse through my fingertips.

I may be overthinking it, or I may not. The idea goes back and forth in my head like a ball in a tennis match.

My heart pounds frantically, making each breath harder to take. Before I can talk myself out of it, I reach for Bobby's free hand, joining our fingers together once again.

As soon as our skin touches, Bobby slowly moves his gaze from the traffic jam to our locked embrace.

He didn't pull away. That's a good sign.

When he looks up at me, our eyes lock together like magnets.

The thing I love about Bobby's eyes is that they have the magical ability to change colors. Typically, they take on a light caramel tone with green and gold flecks. But right now, as he looks into my soul, they look like the purest jade.

His lips curl upwards in a smile as beautiful as the finest china.

Sunshine floods my heart, and I can't help but mirror his joyous grin. "So," I say with too much enthusiasm. "Who are you most excited to hear play this weekend?"