Page 42 of Come Back to Me

Before I knock on her door, I breathe into my hand.

Damn, that smell is rancid.

I run back downstairs into the kitchen and open the fridge, grabbing a couple cloves of raw garlic from the vegetable drawer.

Rushing into the bathroom across from her room, I slam the door and lock it. I spend a solid three minutes shoving raw garlic into my mouth from the sink to help get rid of the smell.

Ugh, this is disgusting.

I know a lot of the tricks to help get rid of alcohol breath because my father used them all the time.

When he first started drinking, he used the water trick a lot. Eventually, he transitioned to chewing on cloves of raw garlic. He’d always steal a couple that would be sitting on the counter while Mom was cooking dinner and not paying attention to him.

I hate that I know this shit.

I blow into my hand again, and I’m amazed. My breath doesn’t smell like ass.

Unlocking the bathroom door, I walk back over to Violet’s bedroom and knock lightly on the door.

There are people everywhere, but most of them are outside. I feel so ridiculous because I’m dressed up as a guy who can shoot spiderwebs out of his hands.

The group of guys that Blake introduced me to were dressed up as cowboys for Chrissake. Not that it actually matters since Blake is dressed up in a tight blue superhero suit with a big S on the front of his chest.

What a dumbass.

Violet’s door opens. She stands in the doorway with her arms crossed in front of her chest, tapping her foot. Peeking her head out and looking both ways, she pulls me into her room by my hand. She closes the door behind us and locks it.

“What was that?” I point to the door.

“I had to get you in here as quickly as possible, so Blake doesn’t catch us.”

“Your brother is outside with his other friends. You don’t need to worry about him right now.”

How could I forget she’s still in her goddamn costume? The thigh-high boots and tights are making me want to scream.

Her eyes wander all over my face, causing me to look away. She swerves her face, so it's in front of mine and puts her hand on my cheek. The goofiest smile spreads across her beautiful lips until I hear laughter escape.

She leans her head into my chest. I can feel her body vibrating because she’s laughing so damn hard.

Before I know it, I’m laughing, too. “What’s so funny, Angel?”

She looks up at me, and I’m losing my ability to breathe properly. “How is my brother?”

“Do youreallywant to talk about your brother?”

She stares at my lips, eyes bouncing back up to meet mine. “Not really.”

“Well, what do you want to talk about?”

Her arms end up around my neck. “What if Idon’twant to talk?”

Why would she not want to talk? What else would we do? Oh. Oh. Wow, why the hell did that take me so long to figure out?

I take a deep gulp. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, I want to.” She crashes her lips onto mine and pulls away. “I didn’t think I’d love the idea of us being a secret, butit’s kind of fun.”

“This is only the beginning, Angel. It’s about to get even better.”