I’m caught between confusion and my unyielding need for her. The confusion stops me. I need more clarity from the conversation we had outside, and I would also want her to remember our kiss. I don’t know what she will remember from tonight. So, instead of pressing further, I kiss her on the forehead. She falls asleep almost instantly.
“Goodnight,” I whisper, seeing the necklace that rests against her clavicle. She’s wearing it.
I wonder if she noticed the two little letters I had engraved on it…
Blakely
A warm, inviting smell envelops me, wrapping around my senses like a comforting embrace and filling me with a deep sense of peace and nostalgia. But the further the shadow walks into the park, the less I feel that warm feeling that’s been comforting me. I speed my steps up to catch up to it. I feel it a little more. Up ahead, I see a dark figure standing under a tree. The night is dark, with the moon shining down on the cement path that leads to the man in the shadows. I don’t know who’s ahead, but for some reason, I’m not scared. Comfort outweighs my fear. I walk along the path, getting closer, but the shadow moves away the closer I get. Why are they walking away from me? I continue walking along the path, but it never ends. And what is this feeling? I’ve felt it before. I look around at my surroundings. There are trees everywhere and a pathway that runs along the trees. There is a swingset in the middle.Wait. I know this park. I’ve been to this park. I glance at the swingset—I remember swinging on it. Who did I swing on it with? Sadness constricts my chest. I feel empty. The warm, comforting feeling is gone. I look back over, and the man is gone, too. Where did he go?
I wakeup from my dream with a jolt. The morning sun shines through the curtains and brings me back to reality. I lie here, thinking back to the memories of that dream. It felt so familiar. I lean up from the bed, groaning from a pounding headache. Then, the conversation I had with Kai hits me. I’m in a fog, but most of it is coming back to me. Did I tell him I like him? Did I tell him I want to get back with him? Oh, my God, what did I actually say to him? I glance around, noticing I’m in my bed, but I remember Kai laid me on the couch. How the hell did I get here? Liam’s side of the bed is empty. Did he ever make it home? I reach out to my nightstand to grab my phone and look down at the black sleeve that is covering my arm. I glance over at my torso and realize I’m in Kai’s hoodie.
Holy shit.
Realization hits me. The warm, comforting feeling I had in my dream is the feeling I used to get from Kai when we were younger. It’s probably his hoodie that made me remember. I pull it off before Liam gets home and sees me in it. As I toss it to the floor, the bedroom door opens, and in walks Liam with coffee in hand.
“Oh good, you’re awake.” He sits next to me and hands me a coffee with a three-bean logo on it. He went to our local coffee shop. “I thought this might help your hangover.”
“How did you know I would be hungover?” I ask, taking the warm coffee in my hand.
“Because of how you were before I left you.”
I take a sip of the coffee, hoping this clears my head a little so I can remember what the hell happened. “How did you leave me?”
“You were drinking and having a good time. Do you not remember?” he asks, brows raised.
"Yes,” I say quickly. “I remember.” I don’t want him to think I don’t remember anything—especially since I was with Kai all night. Even though nothing happened. So why do I feel like I’ve done something wrong? But something is still lingering in the back of my mind. Something feels like it’s missing. Is it because of the dream?
“I’m assuming Amari is with Kai?” he asks.
“No. She slept over at my mom’s with Emma.”
“How was the rest of the party?”
I lean against the headboard. “Good.” Is he asking because he saw something? The look in his eyes doesn’t seem like he’s searching for an answer. I’m freaking myself out for nothing. “How was your surgery?”
He runs his hand over his mouth and down his chin. “It was a stressful one.”
“I’m sorry.” I know he doesn’t like to talk about his stressful surgeries until he’s ready. “When did you get home?”
“Two. When did you get home, and why were you on the couch?” He tilts his head and narrows his eyes at me.
“I don’t know. I was probably too drunk to walk up the stairs.”
“Did Kai bring you home?”
A sudden flash of clarity hits me as I remember something. The memory flooding back with vivid detail. Kai laid me down on the couch. Our lips were so close. One more move, and his lips would have landed on mine.
Wait!
Did they?
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Yeah,” I mumble.
“I guess that’s good he left you on the couch instead of coming to our room,” he says with a slight smile on his face. “Wouldn’t want him to see where our magic happens.” He raises his brows up and down.
Not everything happens in rooms. Some happen on couches. Oh, God. Did I do something? Even if it was a peck, it can’t be that bad…Right?
“What’s wrong?”
