Which was terrifying, honestly. The world should prepare you for this kind of stuff. Why isn’t there a class for this? Who cares about calculus and volleyball? Tell me how shocking a real kiss can be. That’s what matters.
As I peeled ribbons of orange from the carrots, I couldn’t stop thinking about his hands. Which was ridiculous. But I’d been thinking about them on my bare back since that night at the dam. Okay, yes, I suppose I’d been thinking about them a lot longer. I loved the way his fingers felt against my skin. Like they were discovering me.
I loved the way he said my name. It made me ache. Something hot and needy unwound inside me from my chest to the pit of my stomach. I felt bewitched.
And I shouldn’t. I was in no position to have any witchery cast on me. If Eddie would just answer his texts, then—what? I didn’t know. I ran through several scenarios in my mind, and then quickly shut them all down. The problem was, I knew in my heart that just because he wasn’t texting me back, that didn’t give me the right to go around kissing whoever I wanted.
Definitely not Eddie’s brother. Someone he hated.
I may not have been doing anything wrong before, but I was now. And I knew it.
I wasn’t built for this.
What was I going to do?
Norma stormed through the kitchen and gestured wildly at Exie, interrupting my thoughts. I turned down the music in myearbuds to make sure Norma wasn’t complaining about my not answering the walkie.
“… coming in at seven in the morning after being out all night. Kamal reviews a daily security file that contains the times we punch in our alarm codes, you know.”
“Maybe she’s walking the dog,” Exie argued.
Norma snorted. “Velvet’s never walked the dog in her life. She barely pets it.”
Uh-oh.
“What do you want me to do about it?” Exie said. “She’s a grown woman. And I’m not her keeper.”
Norma turned to look at me. “Next time she’s out partying with her trashy lake friends, you better tell your father or Kamal to come get her.”
“Me?” I said.
“Or the local police, your choice,” Norma said, shrugging. “But if she makes a scene in the press, Mad Dog will be furious.”
Norma left the kitchen without an answer from me. She just had an expectation that her wishes would be carried out. And honestly, they usually were. I just didn’t know how to handle this.
“Maybe things will calm down for the time being,” Exie said. “Velvet asked me for a heating pad a couple hours ago.”
Velvet had terrible periods—she didn’t leave the house for a couple of days. I felt bad for her, but at the same time, I was a little relieved. Maybe I could have a talk with her. And ask her nicely… not to make my life difficult? Ugh, no. This wasn’tabout my convenience. It was about Velvet’s safety. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure what Norma really expected me to do, ride around behind Velvet with binoculars? I didn’t get invited to these parties. Maybe I should mention something to Fen, since he knew about these people more than I did.
Or maybe I was just looking for another excuse to see him again. Best to resist.
Later that night, I didn’t have to. He un-resisted me.
Fen Sarafian:
Hey, you probably aren’t up, but I thought I’d check
Jane Marlow:
I’m up. Can’t sleep
Fen Sarafian:
In a bad way? Or a good way?
Jane Marlow:
In a “this is all new to me” way?
