I slid in without a word, and he closed the door. I knew Larissa wouldn’t tell me no about hanging out with Simon, but she might say no if she knew it was a party without adult supervision—a tiny detail I’d only recently found out about while listening to Olivia talk to her friends.
Simon got into the car and started the engine. “You’ve been weird the past few weeks. You okay?”
Other than the fact I can’t stop thinking about Trent? “Yeah, I’m fine. Just stressing over finals.”
“Hmm.” He drummed his hands on the steering wheel, then put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. “So, you still running back to New York as soon as you can?”
I sighed. How many times was he going to make me give him the same answer?
FOR THE NEXT WEEK, I spent my days at school taking final exams, my evenings studying, and my nights scanning pictures. The boxes were never-ending, and I was starting to think I needed to renegotiate my pay rate for this job.
Trent was still missing. I’d overheard Olivia say he hadn’t texted her, and he wasn’t answering her calls. That both thrilled and upset me. Where could he have gone? And why didn’t he bother to tell anyone he was leaving? But more than that, why on earth had he given his number to Olivia and not me?
Once again, I found myself fighting the urge to text Jaxon. But what would I say? I’d made it clear when I quit tutoring him that I no longer wanted to see him. Not having him and Trent around was both a relief and a constant source of angst. I missed seeing Trent, and I missed the ease of talking to Jaxon, but I didn’t miss the waves of déjà vu and confusion that came when I was in their presence.
By the time Friday rolled around, I was so ready for Simon’s party. I needed to celebrate the fact that I was going to be a senior, and I needed to unwind after a week of intense exams.
When I arrived at Simon’s house—twenty minutes late thanks to Little Frank spilling his drink down the front of my clothes right before I tried to leave—the party was going strong.
Loud, thumping music blared from the house. Dozens of people crowded the doorway and front yard. I squeezed through them and entered the house. Simon found me almost immediately and called my name. Smiling, I weaved around bodies to get to him.
He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. “I was beginning to think you ditched me.” Simon laughed.
“Nope. I’m here.”
“Well, now it’s a party.” He took my hand and led me outside.
The backyard had been decorated to look like a dance club, complete with a dance floor and disco ball. He dragged me toward a group of gyrating bodies.
For the next half an hour, we laughed at how badly we danced, but we had fun throwing ourselves around. Even Olivia joined in and laughed—not in her normal mean way, but in a we’re-friends-having-fun sort of way—until Nichole pulled her away.
“It’s so hot out here,” I shouted over the music, fanning my face with my hand.
Simon nodded in agreement. We made our way toward the pool, and I plopped down in the nearest empty chair.
“Stay here. I’ll get drinks.” He was gone before I could respond.
I swayed to the music and bounced my foot as I looked around. The pool was packed with people, just like the backyard. I hadn’t realized there were this many kids at our school, but I swore every single one of them was here. Excitement swelled in me. I’d never been to a party like this before, and I certainly hadn’t had this much fun before, either.
“Cannon ball!” a guy shouted a second before hurling himself into the pool.
There was a massive splash followed by screams and hoots. I laughed, thankful I was sitting far enough away not to get wet. But my laughter died when the memory of that pool hit me… the memory of a shirtless Trent. I cleared my throat and glanced around for Simon. What was taking him so long?
I stood, intent on finding him when my insides began to hum in that familiar way. My arms prickled with goose bumps, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on edge. There was no way Trent was here. It wasn’t possible. I swallowed hard and slowly turned around.
And there he was, just a few feet away, arms crossed. His heated gaze raised my temperature even more, and I cursed Simon for not being back with something cold to drink. But I couldn’t tear my gaze from Trent, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of me. I inhaled deeply, savoring his unique scent.
“You’re here,” I said like an idiot.
Until that moment, I hadn’t realized just how relieved I was to see him. It was like everything in my world shifted back into place.
The corner of his lip twitched with an almost smile. “I’m here,” he said as if I needed the confirmation. Maybe I did.
“Where have you been?”
“Around.”
I raised a brow. “Around? You’ve been gone for more than a week.”
“I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I had some things I needed to take care of.”
“Like what?” I crossed my arms, pinning him with a hard stare. I wasn’t going to let him get away with a bunch of non-answers, not anymore.
“Things.” He glanced around. “C’mon. We need to talk.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Sensory Overload
CLUTCHING MY ELBOW, TRENT LED ME inside, which was just as packed with bodies as the backyard. Seriously, where did all these people come from? He weaved through the throngs of people and into one of the dozen bedrooms on the bottom floor of the house.
He closed the door, and my heart rate sped up. What did he think was going to happen?
“I didn’t want to do it this way.” Trent shook his head. “I wanted to ease you into it, give you time to adjust to what I know is going to be a shock.” He rubbed the back of his neck again, his expression tormented. “You were starting to remember. I wanted you to remember, but it’s not happening fast enough.”
I stared at him, confused. He was fun to look at, but his conversational skills needed some serious work. “What on earth are you talking about?” I asked.
He took a cautious step toward me, and I remained in my spot, arms crossed. “I’ve been lying to you, Chloe.”
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know,” I said, failing to keep the sarcasm from my voice.
Was he finally going to tell me the truth about how we knew each other? Or why I couldn’t seem to remember him? But why now, and why here, at Simon’s party?
“I’m not who you think I am,” he said.
He took another step forward, and I was too confused—and curious—to move away from him. Truth be told, I didn’t want to. He’d intrigued me since the moment I’d met him. I was drawn to him in a way I couldn’t begin to comprehend, let alone explain. And if he was about to tell me the truth… no way was I leaving this room.
“You’re not?” I asked.
I mean, I’d guessed he wasn’t completely honest about who he was, but something in his tone made it sound like maybe he’d been lying about this version of him, too.
“No.” He closed the distance between us. “And I’m out of time, so please forgive me for what I’m about to do.”
He took my face into his hands, and I uncrossed my arms, letting them fall to my sides. His crystal blue eyes darkened a shade, making his intentions clear. My heart was in my throat as he lowered his head.
“Please let this work,” he muttered a second before his lips landed on mine.
He parted my lips, his tongue gliding expertly over mine. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him to me, a sudden, paralyzing fear taking root in my chest—the fear he’d pull away and disappear, the fear I’d lose him again.
I arched into him, and he slid his hands from my face, down my arms and around to settle on my lower back. And then he yanked me closer, our bodies pressed together in a way that was oddly familiar and wholly comforting. It was like we both knew exactly what the other wanted and expected, like we’d kissed a million times before.
<
br /> Pulling back just long enough to nip at my bottom lip, he groaned, the sound reverberating through my body, branding my soul. Kissing Trent was nothing like anything I’d ever experienced before—it was passionate, desperate almost, and so incredibly hot I worried I’d burst into flames at any moment.
His tongue swirled around mine, twisting and teasing, and it felt like he was trying to coax something out of me. I wasn’t sure what else he wanted from me, but I knew, instinctively, that I’d give it to him, whatever he wanted. I pressed even closer, moaning softly.
And then it happened.
An onslaught of emotion flooded my mind, overloading my senses. Love. Lust. Fear. Grief. Loneliness. Desire. Jealousy. I whimpered, but Trent didn’t release me. He deepened the kiss, pouring even more emotion into me, quickly followed by flashes of memories. Memories of me. Of him. Of us.
Me at my locker in Keene Valley. Punching Trent’s face. First shock, then amusement as he looked at me. Attraction. Curiosity. He wanted to get to know me.
Me on the side of the road, looking at the waterfall. Nervous energy and relief. More attraction. Pure joy. Desperation to spend more time with me, so he offered to show me the waterfall.
Me cowering in the hallway, scared and shaking. Trent’s immediate concern for my well-being. His awe at my offer to take detention so he wouldn’t have to. Him showing up and sitting beside me. He spent the entire time wondering why I was so kind to him, a stranger.
Trent flattened his hands on my back, holding me still as he continued to kiss me. The memories played out in my mind like a movie. I had no idea what I was seeing, if these were truly my memories or if they were nothing more than a twisted trick of the mind.
But as overwhelming as it was, I couldn’t stop. I needed to know how we ended up here, how I could have possibly forgotten so much of my life in Keene Valley, how I could have forgotten him. I was finally getting the answers I needed, and I couldn’t stop now. I threaded my fingers through his hair and kissed him deeper.
Skipping school and going to the falls. Eating lunch at his house. We sat on the couch, both of us pretending to be interested in research for a school project, but all he wanted to do was kiss me. I wanted to kiss him, too. We took a picture together—a picture he later stuck in my locker. Cute notes written on Post-its, and his concern for me thinking he was silly.
Rachel Wellington’s funeral. Trent’s face twisted into something nightmarish. Fangs. Him biting into Abby’s neck and drinking her blood. His confession: “I’m a vampire.”
Gasping, I jerked away from him, eyes wide. My mouth, numb from his kiss, tingled, and I absently ran my tongue over my bottom lip.
“What was that?” My heart was out of control, its thunderous beat drowning out the loud music and the sounds of the party. My chest heaved with hard, heavy breaths.
“Chloe?”
The sound of him saying my name like that, smooth as silk and self-assured, was like a switch in my brain. The rest of my forgotten memories flooded over me like a tidal wave—Trent’s deepest secret, the curse, getting kidnapped by Isach, being tortured by Hannah, Trent rescuing me, him telling me I was his soulmate and that he wanted to claim me…
I remembered everything. I knew Trent; he wasn’t just some sexy, mysterious stranger I’d encountered. He came here for me because he loved me. Because I loved him.
And I knew Jaxon, too.
All the weird instances of déjà vu, Jaxon admitting I knew him and Trent… some part of me had believed it was all just a lie, that they were playing some kind of joke on me, because how could I have forgotten so much. But now I knew the truth. I cupped my hand over my mouth to stifle my cry, but I was powerless against the tears pooling in my eyes. And then I smacked him hard on the chest. It didn’t faze him, though it made my hand sting.
“You erased my memories!” I hissed.
“You remember?” He sounded as shocked as I felt.
“I do now.” My chest ached with each sharp breath, but that was the least of my issues at the moment. I paced, trying to get my thoughts to slow down long enough for me to make sense of what was happening.
“Oh, thank God that worked. I don’t know what I would’ve done if it hadn’t.” He laughed and reached for me, but I moved away from him. Hurt flashed across his face, and a pang of guilt landed in my gut.
“I just… this is a lot,” I said, trying to ease his pain. “I need some time to deal.”
His lips twitched with an almost smile. And then I realized I’d said the same thing to him once before, after I’d found out he was a vampire.
Nodding, he shoved his hands into his pockets. Seeing him standing there like that brought on a new wave of emotional memories that were so incredibly vivid and gut wrenching I closed my eyes to shut them out, but it was useless.
We were standing outside Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean’s house. I’m a sobbing mess, and Trent is in front of me, hands in his pockets. He’s as heartbroken as I am, but he’s trying to be strong for me. He tells me he wants me to be happy. I know I can’t be, though, not when I have to leave him behind.
The images hit me, one after another with no reprieve, like waves crashing on the shore without mercy, disrupting everything in its path. The things he’d said to me… It was like I was back there, reliving that moment with perfect clarity.
“I won’t steal the life I know you want. The life you deserve. I can’t be that selfish,” he said.
“You have no idea what I want.”
“I know you want to go to college and travel and have kids… You want to grow old with the love of your life by your side. And one day, when you’re old and gray, when you’ve lived your life and have grandkids and great-grandkids who all love you, only then will you be ready to leave this world behind and see your mom again.”
He was right. About all of it.
“We both know I want to be the guy to give you those things, but I can’t. I’m just the guy who has to let you go so you can find someone who can.”
Too much silence as we faced off, both of us knowing where the conversation was headed but neither of us wanting to say it aloud. But then he did.
“Please let me do this for you, Chloe. Let me give you the freedom to have the life you deserve.”
My eyes snapped open. “No,” I whispered, horrified. No way I’d asked him to do this to me. I couldn’t have.
“Chloe?” Trent stepped closer, his expression full of concern. “Are you okay? Please, talk to me.”
Make me forget.
The words I’d uttered that night slammed into me with the force of a wrecking ball, and all the breath rushed from my lungs. I looked up at him just as the first, fat tear ran down my cheek.
“I did this.” It wasn’t a question—we both already knew the truth. “Oh, God. I did this. This is my fault.”
But I couldn’t deny it any longer. I had asked him to erase my memories. It had been selfish, but it’s what I had needed to be able to move on.
Leaving Keene Valley, leaving my family and my friends, had been hard, but I’d done it because I had to. And I’d been miserable here—I hated school, hated living with my father, hated how people treated me—until Simon spoke to me.
Then everything changed. I had a friend now. I was getting along with Larissa, and I adored Little Frank. I was finally starting to fit in around here, and now that would be ruined.
“Why are you here, Trent?”
My tone was sharper than necessary, but now that I understood who he was and what he’d meant to me, my sadness was morphing into anger. He’d given me a fresh start, and now he was here to take it all away. Why would he do that?
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s complicated and not something we should discuss here.”
Beyond the walls of the room, the party raged, unaffected by what was happening to me. People shouted and laughed. Dance music pulsed in an opposite rhythm of my heart, mocking my pain.
Unease coiled in my stomach. “Maybe
it’s not something we need to discuss at all.”
“What?”
“I said, maybe it’s not—”
“I heard what you said.” In a blur, he’d closed the distance between us, his eyes dark and heated as he stared down at me.
A fleeting shiver of fear raced up my spine.
“And now you’re going to hear what I have to say,” he said.
“No, I’m not.” I shook my head.
After so much upheaval—losing my mom, moving to Keene Valley, getting tortured by a sadistic vampire, having my heart broken, moving to Malibu, forced to constantly start over—I was not going to do this again. I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, but we said goodbye already. This is over,” I said.
I jerked open the door and raced out of the room, pushing my way through the party, knowing the only reason I wasn’t still in that bedroom with him was because he’d let me leave. I needed to find Simon and ask him to take me home so I could have time to process everything I now knew about myself and my past.
“Chloe. Stop.”
I froze, goose bumps erupting on my arms. With those two words, Trent silenced the party. His tone was commanding, borderline menacing, but still seductive, and rather than run for my life like I knew I should, I slowly turned to face him.
People were quick to move out of his way as he strode toward me, each step simultaneously graceful and predatory. His gaze was trained on me, oblivious to anyone else around him, and his eyes were a shade away from black. My heart lodged in my throat, but I couldn’t look away.
He stopped in front of me, every muscle in his body tense as if he were prepared to fight anyone who got in our way. I should’ve stayed in the room with him because I suddenly realized he wasn’t worried about making a scene.
“Clearly, you haven’t remembered the most important part of this whole situation,” he said.
Before I could reply, he swept his hands along either side of my neck and pulled me to him. The instant his lips landed on mine, a collective gasp echoed through the room, followed by shocked whispers.
Eternal Choice: (The Cursed Series, Book 2) Page 15
