Rachel Dyken: The Dare

"Dad!" I ran into the house. "I need the cell phone, and I'm going to take the car."

"You're back already?" He straightened his tie. "You sure are in a hurry, son."

"I met her," I said, grinning like an idiot. "You and mom were right. It happened just like you said it would. It was like… it was magic!"

"What was?"

"The kiss!"

"You kissed your cousin? Son, sit down…"

"No!" I yelled. "I kissed Beth. She goes to Macy's school and was there with some other guy and... I want to catch her in time!"

"And what's your plan, once you catch her?"

"I haven't thought it out," I admitted. "But it's going to involve kissing."

"Keep your pants on son." Dad laughed. "And be careful."

"I will!" I promised and ran out the door yelling, "Dad, I met the girl I'm going to marry!"

I was driving too fast, not caring that I was breaking so many laws that my license could get revoked. I accelerated through a yellow light. And that's when I heard the screeching metal of steel on steel.

My world went completely black.

I woke up three months later from a coma. And the first word that trickled out of my mouth was, "Beth."

But she had already gone, already left for school. She hadn't cared enough to look into how I was. Hell, she probably hadn't even known who I was or that I was the same guy she'd kissed. The same guy who had almost died trying to see her again.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. All this time I thought I'd walked away from her, but I'd gone back. I'd gone back to make the big gesture because those few minutes were enough to make me believe in something I'd always told myself wasn't real.

Dad placed his hand on mine. "Love at first sight."

"Doesn't exist." I snapped, jerking my hand back.

"That experience changed you." He shook his head sadly. "You poured everything into the next two years of high school and then graduated early from college. You lived and breathed your job."

"Because my job won't ever let me down. It's consistent. The one time I took a chance in my life, and I almost died."

"You afraid of a little coma, son?"

"My brain was swollen for three months, Dad. I could have been a vegetable the rest of my life, all because I was careless."

"With a car. Not with your heart."

"Are we done?"

"Don't disappoint me." I froze.

"How the hell is me walking away from Beth disappointing you?"

"Because, I know you, son. You wear your heart on your sleeve. You want to take that leap for her, but you're too chicken shit to do it. Tell her the truth. Tell her what happened."

"And if she rejects me? Like I deserve?"

"Think of it this way." My dad took a long sip of coffee. "What if the car would have made it to prom? What if you would have walked into that gym and seen Beth, with those pretty green eyes, staring at you."

"I would have kissed her," I croaked. "And probably made an ass out of myself."

"You would have told her you were going to marry her someday."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. My chest felt so heavy with emotion that I wasn't able to take deep breaths. I wheezed, coughed, and took a few steps away from my dad before stopping and turning.

"Were you in on it?"

"On this?" Dad spread the napkin across his lap. "Why, son, it was my idea."

He said it so calm that I thought he had to be joking.

He took another sip of coffee and smiled.

Holy shit.

"Grandma?"

"Offered her expertise. How else do you think I was able to plant the media outside the hotel? Grandma can't be in two places at once. She slipped something in your drinks, made sure you made it safely to the hotel, and I took care of all the rest of the details. Right down to sending media to the airport."

"But—"

"Grandma was with you the whole time," Dad laughed, "texting me details."

"But the resort we're staying at? She's a therapist here."

Dad looked at me like I was stupid. I hated being looked at like that. "Titus Enterprises owns several hotel chains. You're staying in one. How else do you think Grandma could infiltrate the staff so effectively?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Good." Dad's eyebrows quirked. "At least you're finally feeling something."

"But…"

"Son... it's when you're at the end of your life that you start thinking about the beginning. Choices made, things you should have said, people you should have forgiven. I don't want that for you. I saw you going down a path that I knew would end in heartache. Travis and I went golfing soon after you confessed about second chances. That's when I put two and two together. It was easily done, and when I saw you at the wedding. I knew…"

"You mean when you drugged us at the wedding."

"My idea was to get you caught in a compromising situation on camera, not drug you, fly to you to Hawaii make you bleed your feelings all over a therapist, and get your first experience with Viagra."

I winced.

"But Grandma had a point. You two needed time to get to know one another, and she provided a safe media-free environment for exactly that to happen. My only question is… did it work?"

"Did what work?"

"Our plan?"

I was silent for a few seconds.

"Son, do you love her?"

"I do." I licked my lips, feeling like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off my shoulders. "I really do."

"Then chase her."

"What if she doesn't want me back? How do I even know that she would have dated me had my car made it back to the gym?"

Dad smirked., "Son, that's why they call love a leap. It's a bit like faith. You know it exists, though you can't feel it."

"I have no faith in myself."

"That's okay," Dad nodded, his eye welling with tears, "because I have enough faith in you for the both of us."

"Well," the agent scratched his chin, "you can keep a secret. I'll give you that."

"Thank you."

"But the senator is still missing, and by the looks of it," he checked his watch, "it's been over forty-eight hours."

"One more hour." Grandma smiled.

"One more?"

"And then I'll bring you the senator and his lovely wife."

"Wife?"

Grandma smiled. "Then again, I can't be in two places at once, or can I?"

"I may need more coffee."

"Trust me. The rest of the story is my favorite part."

Beth

Two weeks had gone by, and I hadn't heard anything from Jace. Though, lucky me, I kept getting really pathetic and sad looks from Jake and Char every single time I went over to their house.

We had dinner every Sunday.

They thought they were helping me get over my sadness by feeding me enormous amounts of wine and food. Jake, bless his heart, also felt the need every once in a while to pat my hand. You know, like I was a three year old. Other times, he'd just stare at me really hard as if by him staring and giving me one of those Aww –looks, I'd soldier on.

This Sunday I just wanted to forget everything that had happened. I expected to have a nice quiet meal, where Jake sent me concerned looks while filling my wine glass to the brim, and Char cursed men everywhere, except for her husband, who, since getting married, had earned saintdom in her eyes.

So when Grandma threw open the door to Jake's giant house on Lake Washington, I almost fell ass-backwards.

She pulled me in for a hug and squeezed so tight I think I felt a rib pop. "Oh, honey bug! How are you?"

"Great," I lied, forcing a smile. Emotionally I was feeling a bit wrecked, add that to the whole flu bug I'd somehow caught the day before last, and I was just one giant ball of fun.