by Box Set
She opened her mouth to respond but Bryson showed up and I would never get to hear what she was about to say. If he had been any closer to my fist, he'd be missing teeth. Or something less violent. "Navi, right?" he said like he hadn't been running this conversation through his head—and out loud—all day long. "I'm so glad you could make it." He slid his arm around her shoulders, taking the Pepsi I pushed across the counter and handing it to her. Like she couldn't pick it up herself.
"Yeah." She smirked, just a bit, and Bryson wouldn't catch it because he didn't know her well enough but I did and I caught it.
She didn't like him.
Suddenly, I didn't have quite the overwhelming urge to hit him.
"Let me introduce you to everyone. I take it you've met Alec." At my name, she raised those eyes again, and my heart stopped again, and I wanted to kick myself for feeling anything again, and I wanted to kick Bryson for taking her away from me—even if it was just across the room.
"Yeah. We've met," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "Josh, it's good to see you again, too."
"Finally. Someone acknowledges my presence." Josh threw up his hands. Navi grinned at him over her shoulder as Bryson led her away.
"So, you know Bryson?" Konstanz asked. Navi's eyes were dark, almost black. Konstanz had light, friendly brown eyes, but they were trying to read my soul right then, judging by the look she was giving me.
"He's my roommate."
"And...?" She propped her chin on her hand and kept watching me.
"And..." I shook my head, trying not to laugh. "He's a Pisces? What are you looking for here, K?"
She glanced over her shoulder to where Navi was now surrounded by people, looking awesomely uncomfortable. "I don't want her to get hurt again. What's he like? Is he a player? Is he a nice guy?"
"Again?" Josh asked innocently. "Who else has hurt her?" He was my best friend. And the second guy I'd wanted to punch in one day.
Konstanz gave him a Look, so we all clearly knew it was me. "She cheated on me, K. I didn't hurt her."
She rolled her eyes. "I've known Navi since we were three, Alec. She would never do something like that. And yes. You did hurt her. She left the entire state to try to get away from you."
I felt like someone had poured ice in my veins. "She went to Alaska to get away from me? Why? What'd I ever do to her?"
Konstanz sighed. Josh whistled low through his teeth and got off his stool. "This just got way more fun than I wanted to deal with tonight."
"You trashed her reputation. You have no idea what kind of comments she got after you were through with her." Konstanz's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe you do."
I tipped my head back, staring at the ceiling. "This is why you stopped talking to me." Holy shit. Could this be true? How could what Konstanz said have any truth if I had absolutely no idea it had happened? We went to the same school, right?
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me and suddenly, those light brown eyes weren't so friendly. From across the room, I felt Navi watching us. Somehow, I always knew when I had her attention. It was like some inner alarm woke up and started screaming the minute those eyes landed on me.
"Konstanz." I leaned over the counter so I was eye level with her, and lowered my voice. "I told one person why we broke up. Just one. I was hurt. I thought Navi was the love of my life. To find out she was spending every freaking night with who knows how many guys—it killed me. But I only told one person."
She couldn't argue with me about the cheating. She'd been with me the few times I'd followed Navi out at night. Because she didn't believe me, otherwise. So I dragged her on night stakeouts for over a week, and we saw Navi go to several different houses. No, Konstanz could hate me for ruining Navi's reputation, but she couldn't say Navi didn't deserve it.
She studied me for several long seconds, until someone who smelled like he'd had way too much to drink already broke between us, slurring while he tried to ask for another beer. I passed him his drink and shooed him on his way, trying to find Navi in the crowd again. Bryson I could see because he was loud and always the center of attention. But not Navi.
"I believe you." She shrugged. "Your breakup was pretty... public... though. But you were an ass for thinking for one second she would do that." I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she cut me off, this five foot nothing girl who looked like she spent her afternoons volunteering for who-knew-what local charity. ""Who'd you tell? Because I'm going to hunt him down and kill him."
"Who are we hunting down?" I jumped when Navi appeared at my shoulder. The smell of her lilac lotion hit me like some big sledgehammer. It was the same lotion she'd worn when we were together. Because I'd given it to her. Lilacs were her favorite flower.
I nearly drowned in memories. That smell. Her hands on my face, running through my hair. Pulling me closer.
"No one," Konstanz said, plastering a sweet smile across her scowl while I struggled for air. "How's the party?"
"Fine." Navi eyed us before holding out her empty Pepsi can. "Recycle bin?"
How could one girl be so damn adorable? I motioned with my head. "Under the sink." Yeah, I'd purposely not taken it from her so she had to slide past me to throw it away herself. So I could feel her skin brushing mine. And so I could protect her from Bryson.
He showed up seconds later. "Damn, Navi, I’m so sorry. I didn't realize you needed a refill." He rubbed the back of his neck like he’d made some huge mistake that she would never get over.
She shook her head, big eyes wide. "No, you're fine. I just needed a breather. Too many people over there."
"Right. You need somewhere quieter? We can head to my room." He grinned, like a cat. I looked, panicked, from Bryson to Navi and back again.
"No. Thanks though. I'm fine." She leaned back against the sink and crossed her arms, planting those six inch heels in my laminate flooring. Feisty little thing. That, I hadn't forgotten, and I fought to hide a grin.
Bryson looked crushed.
"I think they're ready for a genre change." I motioned toward his stereo and the eight gazillion CDs that were currently on display. People were touching them. Touching his precious music. Josh, actually, led them. Which didn't surprise me and made me forgive him for his earlier attempt to cause me problems. As Bryson yelped and hurried across the room, Josh met my eye and I nodded my thanks.
"So my roommate has a thing for you." I turned on her, wanting to see her reaction.
"Your roommate is a player. He has a thing for a lot of girls."
I shook my head, "No he doesn't. It's an act." There ya go, Bryson. Don't say I never gave you anything.
Navi watched Bryson wander through the room, being a good little host, and I wanted her to watch me. I wanted those dark eyes on me, not him. She raised a hand to tuck her silky hair behind her ear and for the first time, I noticed the tattoo on her wrist. I caught her arm, tugging her toward me. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath, but she took baby steps closer. "This is new," I said.
Her smile shook. "If by new, you mean two years old, then yes. Yes it is."
I twisted her hand around, trying to see it clearly and pretended that the mere touch of her skin didn't send hot waves of electricity pounding through my blood. Some things never change. "What is it?"
She pulled her hand out of my grasp, studying her own tattoo like she'd never seen it before. "It's a phoenix."
I nodded. "Fitting."
She smiled faintly but didn't answer.
"Navi, we can't decide on our next playlist. We need your opinion," Bryson reappeared and I resisted the urge to hit him. Again. I hate her. Remember what she did. Remember how bad she hurt me. But as Navi slid past me, peeking at me through her lashes, I knew I didn't hate her. Not even close. Despite what she'd done to me, it didn't matter now. Maybe it never had. And watching her walk away, even if it was just across the room, felt like someone had punched me in the stomach with a unicorn.
"K? Need your help here." She grabbed Konstanz's w
rist with grip of iron Konstanz apparently couldn't escape from. They both disappeared into the crowd.
Josh reappeared at the bar, settling onto a stool. "You're watching her like we don't want her to die anymore."
I grimaced. "We don't."
"She cheated. Remember?"
"She never admitted it." In fact, she adamantly denied it. But she would never tell me what she had been doing. That little seed of doubt was what had sent me up to Alaska to find her. Doubt and hope. Hope that I had been wrong and hope that she would forgive me if I had.
He rolled his eyes. "You saw her, bro. Her best friend saw her. Konstanz couldn't even defend her." He smacked his fist onto the counter like he was karate chopping it. "She went into that house. And ten thousand other houses. In the middle of the night." He gave me a pointed look.
"Yeah... but even when I met her at the back door as she snuck out, she still denied it. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe..." I scrubbed my hand over my face and watched her trying to escape as Bryson urged her to dance with him. She smiled, laughed, and tugged her hand away, hugging herself. And then she looked away from him, and her eyes found me. She flushed and ducked her head, the dark waves falling across her face. "I just want to talk to her. People change, you know. There's no reason we can't be friends."
"There is too a reason. It's the way you're looking at her right now." Josh leaned back on the barstool and nearly fell off. He righted himself as he looked around to see who noticed. "That is not how one friend looks at another friend."
"I don't know what you're talking about. But that girl needs saving." I refilled one last drink and slipped out of the kitchen, working my way through the crowd. To Navi. To the girl who broke my heart and haunted my dreams.
Chapter 7
Navi
"Bryson, really, I don't dance!" I laughed as I backed away, bumping into other sweaty, pulsing bodies.
"You can't sing like you do and not dance." He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him, into his arms, against his chest, and I wanted to like it. I knew other girls watched him and practically drooled. But I hadn't gotten over the shock of seeing Alec. Of Alec's hand on my wrist. His eyes watching me across the room.
If I was anything except vulnerable, I would have played it up. I would have thrown myself all over Bryson and tried my best to make Alec jealous. That's what I was supposed to do in situations such as these, right? But I couldn't do it. All I wanted to do was leave, to run all the way back to Alaska, or failing that, at least to the coast with my swords so I could kill things.
Actually, if we're being honest, all I really wanted to do was throw myself all over Alec.
He hates you. He hates you. He ruined your reputation. I tried really hard to remember all the guys who followed me around school, thinking I was easy because of Alec's rumors. I tried to remember how I wanted to hit him with my truck or tear him apart with Kali and Golly. Of all the nights I cried while my mom stroked my head and told me it would get better. Of the strict rules I made with myself not to look at him, not to even think his name.
"Hey. I think one of your roommates is passed out in the corner."
I jumped, knowing the second he touched my arm that it was Alec and not anyone else in the room. There was heat there, something that made me instantly want to curl myself against his chest and stay there. I looked up, got caught in his blue eyes. Swallowing hard, I tried to tear myself out of his gaze as his lips curved in a slow smile.
"She's over there." He motioned with a slight tilt of his head and I nodded quickly, finally free.
"Terrie. Of course she's already passed out in the corner." I stumbled past him, my hand brushing his hand, and I was assaulted by ten thousand memories of my fingers twined through his. I yelped and escaped into the crowd, grabbing Konstanz as I went by.
"Seriously, what are we gonna do with her? She can't hold her liquor and she passes out every time we take her anywhere." Konstanz groaned as we knelt next to Terrie.
I tugged her skirt down so she wasn't showing the whole party way too much skin. "We'll just take her home."
Konstanz looked disappointed and I realized that maybe I was the only one who desperately wanted to escape. Where was an asuwang attack when I needed one? I sent all kinds of internal, desperate vibes to Elizabeth, hoping she’d show up and tell me it was time to go. "I'll just take her—"
"No, you can't lift her by yourself. I'll help you."
"Or," Alec said, kneeling next to me, "I can carry her to my room and she can sleep it off until you guys are ready to go." The entire side of my body seemed to vibrate with an electrical energy at his nearness. I swallowed hard and tried to hide my suddenly shaking fingers.
Konstanz beamed at him like he'd just saved the world. I wanted to bury my head in my hands and cry. But I refrained. Because I'm super tough like that. "That works, too."
"Navi, there you are. Is there a problem?" Bryson asked, his shadow looming over us.
I looked up and plastered on my best apologetic smile. "Just a passed out friend. Sorry to desert you."
He opened his mouth to respond, already holding out a hand to help me up or point at Terrie or something else my poor, frazzled mind couldn't process with Alec so close, those dark blue eyes watching me, and I couldn't breathe, couldn't think—
"Bryson, we're out of beer!"
Bryson turned away and Alec blew out a breath. "I got this. You just make sure she's not showing... anything she might regret later." He scooped Terrie up like she weighed as much as a bag of cotton balls. I scurried around him, tugging her clothes into place and cursing the fact that she liked her skirts so short. People barely noticed as he carried her across the room. "Can you get the door?" he grunted.
I nodded. "This one?" I reached for the first door but he shook his head, motioning to the next one over.
I got the door open, and there was no one inside, thankfully. I hurried to the bed and pulled the covers back, then got myself out of the way. He laid her down and I helped pull the comforter back over her. And then I realized I was in his bedroom. With him. My cheeks flamed and I was infinitely grateful I hadn't turned the light on. At least he couldn't see me blush like I was some hormone-driven teenager.
"There. Now let's hope she doesn't puke in my bed. That would suck." He stood back and watched her suspiciously.
"She doesn't usually do that 'til the next day." I started to leave but he grabbed my wrist, and my blood pressure rocketed through the roof.
"You okay? You seem... nervous."
I could lie. I could tell him I was fine. Or I could half-lie and tell him that I was uncomfortable in crowds. But I hung my head in defeat, staring at the floor and our feet so close together. "Honestly? It's nerve-wracking being here with you."
He chuckled, low in his throat. I'd forgotten how completely, devastatingly sexy he was. "I'm right there with you, Navi."
Ouch. I brushed my hair out of my face and nodded, too quickly, like a rag doll with a loose neck. "I'll leave. I don't want to—"
"Don't go."
My heart stopped.
"But I thought—"
He ran a hand over his face and peered at me through his fingers. "Stay. Talk to me. Tell me what you've been doing since graduation. I don't know anything about you anymore." He dropped his hand and he looked so vulnerable, like asking me to stay was baring his soul.
And I nodded. "Okay."
He sat down on the carpet I’d just been staring at, leaning his back against the bed, and I sank to the floor next to him. He took my hand, his finger idly tracing the tattoo on my wrist, and I thought this couldn't possibly be happening. This boy, this boy I had hated and loved, whose memory had absolutely driven me insane for the past four years, was holding my hand like we hadn't had the most infamous breakup in our entire high school.
"What do you do now?" he asked, glancing up briefly to meet my eyes before he went back to the tattoo.
"I'm... a probation officer. Sort of."
That caught
his attention and he looked up again, eyebrow raised. "You're a probation officer."
"Sort of." I changed the subject. "Still doing the electrician thing?" Like I didn't already know.
He smiled, acknowledging my subject change and raising me another. "Yes. Is this the only one you have?" He held up my wrist, and I shook my head.
"No. Three more. One on my back and one on my rib cage. One on my foot."
His eyes skimmed from my wrist to my rib cage and I sucked in a breath. He wasn’t actually touching me but it was so intimate. Like he could see through my soft pink sweater to my very soul... or at least to the tattoos underneath.
And I was blushing again.
"You've changed." It was a statement, not a question, and I didn't know how to answer that.
"I had to. Life changes us."
He inclined his head. "How's your family?"
It was such a different path than I'd been expecting that I could only blink at him for several seconds. "That good, huh?" He winked.
The world stopped moving.
Catch up, brain! "Yeah." I smiled, struggling to keep my thoughts from racing all over the room. "They're good. My mom is... retired." Yes, she'd hung up her swords and bid her army goodbye a few years ago. "My dad is still taking over the world, one tactical training center at a time." It had been a few weeks since I'd seen them. Too long. When I could die on an almost nightly basis, I really should make more of an effort to see them regularly.
"What made you follow your mom's line of work? She was always so stressed out she wouldn't even talk about it. I figured you'd go into something more low key."
Ah. I'd forgotten my mom had fed him the probation officer line, too. But this one, at least, I could answer honestly. "It is hard to talk about it. People don't understand. It's scary. But the way it changes lives, the way it saves souls... there's nothing like it."
He tipped his head to the side, studying me. His eyes were dark, dark blue, the irises rimmed with black. They looked like colored contacts, but I knew they weren't. And those eyelashes—so thick and so long and so black I was jealous. He kept his hair much shorter than he had when we were together. I used to love to tangle my fingers in the blond streaks, but now it was close cropped. Not finger-tangling material. "How are your parents?" I asked, trying to tug my thoughts away from the way I'd catch my hands in his hair and pull his head down toward me—
