Now I understood the giggling. The cheering.
It appeared that what had made Junie happy was the same thing that would make me more than happy if the fates would allow it. Demi. There she was, spinning round and round with Junie until they both fell to the grass and gazed up at the dusky sky.
How I wanted to join them. But as it stood, Demi was currently driving me mad. Miserable, even. Thanks to her, I didn’t know what was up or down anymore. And don’t even get me going on Cassie and Jonas. What the hell had happened there? I had not seen that one coming. But they were hot and heavy. I couldn’t tell if the ordeal had upset Demi or if she’d just given up.
I felt like I was missing something. More like someone—her.
Demi would hardly even look at me when I interviewed her. And anytime I saw her, she made it a point to ignore me. Not that I blamed her. I’d begged her not to tempt me, and she’d done what I asked. Except she didn’t need to be near me to tempt me. She just needed to exist.
I would be tortured by her touch for the rest of my life. Always longing for it. Even now, I wanted to run to her. To fall beside her in the grass and let the world blur around us.
But I held back.
I just watched.
Watched the way she smiled at Junie and pointed to the sky, as if telling her a story that was so sacred that it could only be whispered.
Lady Goldy circled above them, a sentinel in flight.
My mom sat on the deck, quiet and still, something serene on her face—like she was trying to memorize the moment.
She knew.
We all did.
Soon, the memory might be all we had left of Demi.
And every time I thought about it, the void in me grew.
The longer Junie and Demi whispered between each other, the more Junie curled into her. The more the ache in me grew. To go to them. To know what secrets they shared. To belong in that moment.
Before I knew it, I was opening the door, unable to fight the pull.
Demi flinched the moment it creaked open, her head snapping toward me.
“I better go,” she said quickly, disentangling herself from Junie and springing to her feet. “I didn’t mean to stay so long this time.”
This time?
How many times had she been here? And why hadn’t anyone told me? More and more, I felt like I was missing something.
“You can stay,” I said, the words stumbling out. I didn’t want her to go.
She wouldn’t look at me.
“That’s okay,” she chirped, too bright, too fast.
Did she hate me? Blame me for going backon my promise?
Hell, I’d been trying. Every day I tested new men, put out feelers, chased leads. I’d even started doing the research myself, searching for only the best among our kind. But it had all led nowhere. And I’d lost sleep over it. Over her. Wishing she were lying next to me.
Demi bent to hug Junie.
“Don’t forget to practice those handstands and cartwheels. We’ll work on them more tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?
Had Junie been taking gymnastics lessons from Demi?
