Paper Stars Rewritten: Fallen Brook Series: Book 2
Page 6
“I was saying that’s a striped. The hermit crab,” he states pointing to it in my hand. I watch as the small crustacean pokes its head out of its shell before retreating back inside again.
“You know about hermit crabs?”
His smile widens. “Yeah. I’m a marine science major.”
I hand him the crab and he turns it over, the sun glistening off its pink and blue swirled shell, then places it back in the water.
“I’m Trevor. It’s nice to meet you…”
“Elizabeth. Nice to meet you too.” Okay, then. I start to walk off but he follows.
“Live around here?”
“Just moved here for college. You?”
“Ah, so you’re a CU Wildcat too.”
“Small world,” I reply, not wanting to be bitchy or rude but also wanting this guy to leave me alone. I came out here for some QT. I stop and bend over to pick up a shark’s tooth. It’s small but perfect. I place it in my short’s pocket.
Trevor picks up a shell in the shape of a butterfly and hands it to me. “This is a coquina.” I take it and notice that they are littered all over the beach. I am surrounded by multicolored butterflies, many of the shells broken. Broken butterflies.
My vision blurs.
She wanted to fly but her wings were broken.
Blond hair, hazel green eyes.
She dreamed dreams but they weren’t allowed to be spoken.
“I love you, Lizzie.”
“I love you too, Hales.”
Her feelings pushed down her throat left her choking.
Him.
“Don’t you see, Elizabeth?”
“Woah, there. Do you need to sit down?” Trevor’s hands are on my shoulders, steadying me.
“What?” I shake my head, blink, blink again.
“Here.” He shoves a water bottle into my hand. “It’s really hot today. Probably too much sun, yeah? Drink. It’ll help.”
He subtly pushes down on my shoulders so I’m sitting on the wet sand. I take three large gulps of water. “Thanks. You were right. I do feel better now,” I lie.
“Need me to get you anything else?”
“I’m good. I’ll just sit for a bit.”
“I’ll sit with you. Can’t have you keeling over. What would my scout troop leader think?”
I arch a brow at him. He so doesn’t look like a boy scout. Even with a shirt on, I can see intricate tattoos wrapping around both of his arms and up along his neck into his hairline. “You were in the boy scouts?”
“No,” he replies with a light chuckle, “but I do like rescuing damsels in distress.”
“Dream on. This damsel’s not in distress, and if she were, she knows how to handle herself.”
“I’m sure you’re right. Except all the color has drained from your face and you almost passed out right in front of me. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t stay to make sure you were ok?”
I snort. “You’re no gentleman either.”
“You’re right again,” he teases.
I take out my phone to look at the time. I need to head back to take a shower before l meet Julien. “Well, it was nice to meet you Trevor, but I have to go. Thanks for the water.” I begin to rise but he clasps my elbow. He helps me the rest of the way up but is slow to release his grip.
“Nice to meet you too, Elizabeth. Maybe we’ll run into each other on campus.”
“Maybe.”
I’m thankful he doesn’t try to get my number. It would have been very awkward when I said no. I walk back to the beach access to retrieve my flip-flops. When I reach the top step, I turn around. Trevor is still standing where I left him, watching me. He gives a wave when he sees me looking at him. I wave back. I doubt I’ll ever see him again.
Chapter 6
Julien
“I can take a personal day off work and come to lunch with you and Liz if you want.”
I finish draining the corkscrew pasta while holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder. One of Liz’s favorite dishes was gluten-free pesto pasta with pine nuts and black olives. So that’s what I’m making her for lunch.
“I hope you don’t mind E, but I really just want to spend some time with her alone. Last night was a bit crazy with all of us. I think we overwhelmed her.”
Elijah doesn’t know we jointly told our families about Liz over a video call this morning. We spent the first hour explaining everything we knew so far, the next thirty minutes crying together, and then another hour convincing them, Brea, and Jamie not to come yet. They are desperate to see Liz but understand our reasons for them to not all approach her yet. It took even more time after we ended the call for me to push Jay and Ryder out of the condo so Liz and I could spend time together. No distractions.
Elijah assures me, “I get it and I understand. See you tonight?”
I forgot we were going out to dinner and a movie. “Do you mind if I take a rain check? I just want to spend the day with Liz if that’s alright with you.”
“Lunch and dinner. Should I be jealous?”
I know he’s joking, but a part of me feels guilty as hell that I’m blowing him off. I can’t help myself, however. I have this craving need to be with Liz. After seeing her for the first time in a year, it hit me last night just how much I missed her. Life has been shit without her in it. I don’t want to miss a single second of being with her ever again. Everything’s more complicated because of her amnesia. We need to re-learn how to be with each other. It’s not going to be the easy, carefree existence we used to share. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and even more patience and understanding.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Want to come run with me?”
“Sure. Sounds good. Love you, J.”
“Ditto. See you tomorrow.” I hang up and open the pesto just as the doorbell sounds.
Taking a hand towel with me to wipe my hands, I open the door. And there she fucking is. She’s braided her long multi-colored hair into two pigtails that hang down past her shoulders. Her face glows like she’s been out in the sun. She holds up a pink box that smells like vanilla.
“Hi. Hope you don’t mind that I brought dessert. I’m allergic to dairy but I found this local bakery that does dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free desserts.” She smiles and I’m entranced. “It may taste like shit.”
I stare at her like a creeper because I can’t help myself.
“Um, Julien?”
Get a grip, I chastise myself. “Shit, sorry. Please come in. I was just finishing making lunch.”
She sniffs the air and hums. “Smells delicious.”
“Something you used to like. Also dairy-free and gluten-free.” I stop. “I wonder if you’ll still like it. Does amnesia cause your taste buds to change?”
“You know what? That’s actually an interesting question. I guess we’re about to find out. It smells good, so I’m sure I’ll love it.”
I take the dessert box from her and pull out a bar stool for her to sit down. Liz asks me, “Can I help with anything?”
“Nope. I’m just about done. You can keep me company while I finish up. Want anything to drink?”
“Water would be nice.”
I grab a bottle from the fridge and open it for her. I watch as she pulls a drink from the bottle. Liz used to be beautiful, but my God, she’s absolutely stunning now even with braided pigtails. There’s just something different about her I can’t pin down. Perhaps it’s my imagination since I haven’t seen her in over a year, but still.
“You’re staring again.”
“Oh. Sorry. I was trying to figure out what’s different about you.”
“What? Like plastic surgery different? Weight loss different?”
“Neither of those. I can’t describe it. You do have more muscles though.”
Liz laughs and flexes her bicep. Damn, she really is packing some serious strength behind her girlie, curvy figure. “Months of PT and the gym. I like to run too. Did I used to do those things before?”
“Wow. So I am different than before. You look like you work out as well.”
“I run ten miles a day and play soccer. I’m actually on the CU soccer team. You’ll need to come watch a game sometime.”
“I would like that. Are you any good?”
“I’d like to think so.” I look at her. “You used to think so.”
I finish mixing the pasta and spoon some in a plate, then add the toasted pine nuts before placing it in front her.
“Dig in.”
She scoops up a large fork full. The moan she makes when she bites into the pasta sends my nerve endings haywire. “So good,” she murmurs between bites. “You’re a talented chef on top of being a self-proclaimed talented soccer player. Any other talents I should know about?”
“I’m good with my hands.”
Liz chokes a little on her food and takes a large swallow of water. “Good to know,” she replies, a rosy blush creeping up her neck and cheeks. This is getting interesting. Liz and I never flirted with each other like we’re doing now.
We finish eating and I suggest we go out on the balcony. I bring the dessert she brought and two forks. “Let me turn on the overhead fans outside. It’ll help cool things off so it’s not so hot out on the balcony.”
We have three Adirondack chairs on the balcony. I offer her one that is directly under a fan and slide mine close to hers.
“Your place is really nice. Ryder and Jay — I mean, Jayson — live here too, huh?”
“Yep. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. It can get messy and loud at times, but we need each other. Jay may be my twin, but Ryder’s also my brother in my heart. When you disappeared, we were lost...Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring any of that up today.”
I open the box. It’s a small Bundt cake. I take one of the forks and drag it down the side of the dessert and taste it. “Hey. This is pretty good. Here.” I get another fork full of cake and hold it out for her. She quirks her brow at me and opens her mouth, then grabs my wrist and directs my hand toward her pink-tinted lips.
“Mmm. You’re right. It’s really, really good. Where’s my fork?” I hand it to her and we both dig in until half of it is gone. “I think that’s enough,” she groans. “I’m stuffed.”
Liz settles back in the chair and kicks her feet up on the railing as we sit in easy silence. I’m happy that Liz feels comfortable enough around me to be able to relax.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell her, sliding the patio door back and entering the condo.
Last night I printed out a couple of photos for her. I go to retrieve the printed copies; one is our prom photo together where I dip her over my arm in front of the Eiffel Tower, and the second one is a group photo of all of us posing along a fake New York skyline. I don’t know why I printed them. I could’ve easily just texted them to her. I go back outside to find her with her eyes closed and head tipped back against the chair. She must have heard me come back out because one eye squints open.
“I printed these for you. I don’t know why, but I thought you might like them.” She sits up and takes the glossy photos from me. “That’s us at prom. I had never seen you more beautiful than you were that night.”
“Ryder and Jayson had some photos of prom on their phones that I saw. You were my prom date?”
“Not exactly. We all were. Me, Jay, and Ryder.” I tap the group picture of the four of us.
“I had three prom dates? Are you fucking with me right now?”
I think I can count on one hand the times I have ever heard Liz cuss. She has far surpassed that since last night. The changes in our girl may be subtle, but they’re there.
“It’s complicated.”
Liz huffs at me. “That’s what Ryder said last night. You guys are going to have to clue me in soon. Did I like have a harem of studly beefcakes catering to my every whim or something?”
“No. Nothing like that. It’s not what you’re probably thinking.”
“Well, then what was it like because between these pictures and what Elijah said, it sounds exactly like that.”
“I think that’s something best left to when the guys are here too.” She huffs again. It’s adorable. “I’ll give you this much. We all loved you and you loved us.”
Liz points her finger at me. “See, that right there makes it sound really scandalous. Was I a prize of some sort between the three of you?”
“Liz, you weren’t a prize, but you were our princess. Jay and I always called you our princess and you said we were your princess. It’s complicated and a story that needs the three of us to tell you. It’ll make more sense once you hear the whole story. I promise it’s not as debauched as you think it is.”
“I feel it, you know,” she confesses. “I feel the pull. I feel it strongly when I’m with Ryder. I also feel it with you. But you’re clearly with Elijah. And Jayson, well, he scares the crap out of me. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that he and I were together. It’s very confusing.”
“I know you don’t remember, but I’m bi. You’re the only girl I’ve ever loved. I was always attracted to you. But you and Jay started dating, and Ryder and I stepped aside. Then I met and fell in love with Elijah. Never doubt for a second my love for you, Liz. I’m in love with Elijah and have been for years, but I will always love you, Liz. You’re my best friend. This past year has been hell without you.”
She places the photos down on the patio table and stands up to face me. Her light green eyes scan my face, down my chest, past my hips until they get to my bare feet, before slowly coming back up. She steps closer and my heart begins a rapid beat. Reaching up, Liz skims her fingertips down both my arms until she reaches my hands. I bend my hands back and open them. She twines her fingers with mine and lets them hang clasped together between us.
“Julien, I have an odd request. I need to kiss you now, and you need to let me.”
I swallow, my throat suddenly feeling like it’s stuffed with cotton. “Liz, I’m with Elijah.”
She scans my face again before focusing on my mouth. “I know you are. I feel safe with you Julien. I need to see what this pull is. I need to understand it. Does that make sense? I need to start making sense of all this confusion. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not anymore. I just need to know. Will you help me?”
Her pained voice is a breath of a whisper, and it breaks my heart. I didn’t protect her. I didn’t stop her from leaving that night. She’s hurt because of me. Because of my failure. I’ll do anything to make up for it.
I utter the only word I’m capable of. “Yes.”
Using the strength of our hands which are grasped tightly together, she pushes down while rising up on her toes. I close my eyes, the expectation of her is devastating. I wait a beat and when nothing happens, I open my eyes. She’s right in front of me, mere millimeters separating us.
“That’s better,” she says before closing the miniscule gap that brings her lips to mine. No wonder my brother was so obsessed with kissing her. If she was within reaching distance of him, he was always touching her and kissing her, never able to get enough. I understand why now. Her lips are so fucking soft.
She keeps her lips pressed together and touches them to mine. Her kiss is sweet and gentle. The last girl I kissed was Liz’s ex-best friend Maria when we were in fifth grade, way before I started dating Elijah. I haven’t kissed another girl since.
Liz pulls back and we gradually break apart. Instant guilt consumes me. Did I just cheat on my boyfriend? Does a somewhat innocent kiss between friends count as being unfaithful? Liz lays her forehead against my chest and sighs. My heart constricts painfully. Jay would kill my ass if he found out I kissed her, innocent or not.
We say nothing for a while. She slowly lowers back down to stand flat on her feet, her head resting against my chest,
then she clears her throat. “That was nice.”
“Yes, it was.” More guilt.
“You know,” she voices aloud, “you’re my first kiss. The first I remember anyway.”
I laugh, allowing the tension to drain from my body. “I hope it didn’t suck too bad.”
She tips her head up at me and slays me with a sexy smile. “I’ll need another one to compare it to.”
Holy hell. Who is this girl? This Liz is potent and sexy and dangerous, and if I’m not careful, I realize, I could be in a hell of a lot of trouble.
I pick up the dessert box and grab her hand. “Come on. I’m taking you out.”
“What if I already have plans?”
“Do you?”
“No.”
“Good. You’re mine for tonight.” Jay has the truck, so I open my app to hail an Uber.
It’s after midnight when I slam the front door open and stumble backward to close it. It may have taken me about ten tries with the key to unlock it. I am so drunk right now. I never drink. When Liz and I happened upon a local bar doing a karaoke night, her face lit up like Christmas. Of course, I insisted we go in if it kept that happy expression on her face the rest of the night. We danced, she sang, she forced me on stage to do a duet with her. I used my fake ID at the bar to get us alcohol. I would buy it and bring it back to the corner table we had chosen because it was quiet and didn’t attract the attention of waitresses. We drank. A lot. Liz outdrank me, which is shockingly surprising because Liz never used to drink. By the time we did our sixth shot of tequila, I was wasted and she was only tipsy. Does having memory loss also make your body not remember to get drunk after three beers and six shots of hard liquor?
“Jules, is that you?” Ryder calls from his open bedroom door.
“Yuup!” I weave to the living room sofa and collapse face down. I hear footsteps coming down the hall and wince when a light comes on. “Fuck, man. Turn it off. That shit hurts.”