“I’ll be here.” I reconfirm what was already discussed and agreed around the dinner table.
“Are you sure you had a good time?” Keanu asks when we’re in the car on our way back to Cambridge.
“I really did. The cabin was perfect, and your family was so welcoming.”
He takes my hand, linking our fingers. “I always knew they’d love you. Well, Mom already did. You’ll meet the others at the party next month, and they are going to love you too. Thank you for agreeing to come with me.”
I tuck my hair behind my ears as I face him. “I told you. I’m with you all the way now.”
* * *
Kent isn’tat the condo when we arrive, so we have the place to ourselves. My anxiety levels increased the closer we got to Boston, and now I’m back here, I’m remembering all the stuff I’d successfully blocked this weekend.
“You look tense. What’s going on?” Keanu asks, a frown appearing on his handsome face.
I rub the back of my neck. “It was nice to escape reality for a while, but now, I have to face up to it, and I’m already on edge.”
“That’s a normal reaction, babe.” He holds my hips, pulling me toward him. “But we’re being proactive, and this time next week, you’ll feel much better with the new security system and the extra precautions at your mom’s place. Plus, hopefully, Kev’s boss will have agreed to help us and we’ll have the FBI on board.” He kisses my forehead. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I’ve been thinking about something,” I say, hauling him over to the couch with me. We sit down, and he waits for me to speak. “You know how I recalled that memory of Juanita from the picture?” He nods. “Well, I’ve been wondering what else I might be blanking and if there is something I can do about it, like, maybe, undergo hypnosis.”
“Is that something you’ve tried before?”
I shake my head. “Denise has mentioned it in the past, but I can’t remember exactly what she said. I’m going to talk to her about it on Wednesday, and I’m going to do some research of my own.”
“Maybe, if your brain has subconsciously hidden stuff, it might return naturally anyway?”
“I’d rather tackle it head-on than risk a memory coming back to me unexpectedly and me freaking out again.”
“There’s no harm in exploring options. Let’s find out more, and we can take it from there,” he says, and I love how he sayswe, confirming he’s fully in this with me.
I leave Keanu downstairs for a while to do some yoga and deep breathing in his bedroom, and I’m surprised when I hear Kelly shouting up the stairs for me. The urgent quality to her tone has me jumping up and racing down the stairs in my sports bra and yoga pants. I slam to a halt in the living room, my mouth gaping open at the sight of Keanu with his hands around Todd’s throat as he shoves him up against a wall.
“Do something!” Kelly pleads, her eyes beseeching me, and I snap out of it, rushing over to the guys.
“K!” I tug on his arm, trying to pry him away from Todd. “Let Todd go.”
“What the hell ishedoing here, Selena?” Keanu grits out, still holding Todd in his tight grip.
“He’s Kelly’s boyfriend! And he’s turning blue. Let him down!”
“What?” Keanu lets go of him immediately, turning to face me. Todd slumps to the floor with a thud, and Kelly dashes to his side.
“Todd is Kelly’s boyfriend.” I know why Keanu has reacted like this. Clearly, he thought we were together at some point. I may have perpetuated that idea by not confirming Todd was only a friend. But last year, at the club, when we bumped into one another, I was in a panic, terrified I wouldn’t be strong enough to stay away from him, so I used his confusion to my advantage. “Kelly was with us that night in Torment, but she was in the bathroom when you and Kent approached us.”
“So, you didn’t date him?”
“No. I haven’t ever dated anyone but you.”
“Aw, shit.” Keanu scrubs his hands down the front of his face before extending his arm to Todd. “Man, I’m sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
Kelly glares at Keanu, and I don’t blame her. Todd takes Keanu’s hand, letting him pull him to his feet. “It’s all good, man.”
“This is my fault,” I explain to Kelly and Todd. “I should have told Keanu, but I wasn’t aware Todd was stopping by too.”
“We were late leaving Vermont,” Kelly explains, “and I thought I’d drop by now rather than going back to the dorms and having to come out again later.”
“Makes sense.” I look at Todd, grimacing as he rubs his sore neck. “Are you okay?”
