Perfection. That’s what Callie is.
Seth: So, are you coming then?
While practice is important, I haven’t missed one in forever. And cheering Callie up seems more important at the moment. After all, she’s always there to cheer me up.
Me: Yep, on my way.
After I text my coach that I’m not feeling well and I’m going to have to take the night off, I drop the phone into the cup holder, strap my seat belt on, and press on the gas to maneuver out of the parking space. As I’m steering the car toward the road, something strange catches my attention. A guy in his mid-twenties, wearing a button-down shirt, a pair of jeans, and a baseball cap is standing by a black SUV with extremely tinted windows. He has a strange look on his face as his gaze tracks my car. I don’t know what he’s looking at, since the vehicle I drive is nothing spectacular. He might be a fan, I guess. That happens sometimes. What really creeps me out, though, is that the moment my car passes him, he climbs into his SUV and backs out of the parking space. Then he pulls out onto the road behind me and follows me for a handful of blocks. Starting to get a bit uneasy, I take a detour into a random subdivision, figuring I’m just being paranoid. But he still follows me.
“Shit. Who the hell could this dude be?” I continue to drive around the streets that weave through the two-story homes, debating whether to just slam on my brakes and confront him.
Finally, after about fifteen minutes of him riding my tail, I pull over and park in front of the curb. I half expect him to stop, but instead, he drives by really slowly with his baseball cap pulled low. Then he punches the gas and peels off down the road.
I try to catch his license plate number, but it’s covered in grime, so all I can do is take a mental note of the make and model of the vehicle.
“Maybe I’m just overreacting,” I try to convince myself. “I mean, who in the hell would even be following me?”
I don’t have an answer, but as I pull back onto the road, I can’t shake the unsettling feeling stirring inside me that something isn’t quite right.
Three
Callie
“So you just told her your entire life story?” my best friend Seth gapes at me as he sticks a spoon into the tub of cookie dough ice cream that’s balanced on the couch cushion between us. In typical Seth fashion, he’s dressed to impress, wearing a stylish pair of jeans, a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, designer sneakers, and his highlighted hair is tousled in an intentionally messy way. “I can’t believe it. Usually, I have to pry words out of you.”
The moment I left the interview, I texted him, freaking out that I had ended up babbling my entire life story to Evie and he told me he’d meet me at my apartment ASAP.
It’s not like I mind telling people about my past. I’m just usually not that much of a talker, nor do I go around telling everyone every detail about me and my past. It’s not my style.
“See, this is why I think all interviews for writing jobs should be conducted through questionnaire forms.” I shovel up a glob of partially melted ice cream, debating whether or not to turn the heater up. While it’s only early October, winter comes early in Laramie. “I’m a writer, which means I’m good at expressing myself in writing, not verbalizing.” Sighing, I stuff the bite of ice cream into my mouth and let it melt on my tongue. “This stinks. I really wanted the job.”
He licks his spoon clean. “Don’t get too discouraged yet. You still might get it.”
I get up and turn on the heater. “I talked for over an hour straight and even told her how I chopped my hair off after Caleb raped me. How on earth is that going to get me the job?”
He pats my hand as I sit back down. “Because your story’s inspiring.”
“Yeah, but inspiring doesn’t scream: hire me for this job that requires a bunch of undercover work, some sketchy situations, and being creative and thinking outside of the box. It just says: hey, I have an inspiring story and some past issues.”
“Just because you had issues doesn’t make you any less qualified for a job. In fact, it shows that you’re motivated and understand things not every person can. And your inspiring story makes you stand out in the sea of journalists all trying to nab your job.”
“I don’t know about that.” I sigh, sinking back into the sofa. “Sadly, my story isn’t that unique. Stuff like that happens to girls and women all the time. And even guys. It’s horrible that things are that way. It really, really is.”
It’s something I’ve thought about a lot lately, all the news articles about rape victims and attacks. One of the worst parts is how often the attacker gets off easy. Like Caleb. While he was arrested for drug charges and sent to prison, he never actually was charged for the rapes he committed, for several different reasons. Because too much time had passed since he committed the crime. Because his victims were either too afraid to step forward or, like Luke’s sister, had passed away. Because there wasn’t enough evidence. The list goes on and on, and it drives me absolutely crazy when I think about it too much. It’s part of the reason why I really want the job at The Offbeat Go Daily. They’ve done many articles on those sorts of topics and have even aided in a couple of arrests of criminals.
“Yes, it is,” he agrees with a distant nod, his mind probably wandering back to his own sad story. Blinking a few times, he stabs the spoon into the tub of ice cream. “Still, I don’t think you should get upset just yet. Not until you know for sure if you got the job.”
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t. I mean, the last words she said to me were pretty ominous.” I fiddle with the four leaf clover pendant hanging on the chain of the necklace I’m wearing. A pendant Kayden, my fiancé, gave me because he thinks I’m lucky.
I sure wish it’d bring me some luck now.
His brow rises. “What’d she say?”
I shrug. “If she’s interested, she’ll be in touch.”
He winces, but then quickly shakes the look off. “That’s not too terrible.”
“Then why’d you just wince?”
He itches his eye. “I didn’t. My eye’s been spasming all day.”
I almost smile for the first time since I left the interview. “You’re such a little liar.”
“And you’re such a little ice cream hog.” He grabs the tub of ice cream and hugs it against his chest. “This thing was half full when I brought it over.”
“Yeah and it was only half full because you ate half of it in the car.” My smile breaks through. But I’m not surprised. Seth has always been talented at making me smile when I’m feeling gloomy.
He presses his hand to his chest, faking aghast. “I so did not. I’d never eat ice cream and drive.”
“Then why were your hands all sticky when you showed up here?”
“How do you know my hands were sticky?”
“Because the fridge handle was sticky after you opened the fridge.”
“Are you sure that wasn’t from Kayden? I heard he likes to raid the freezer after you guys get your freak on.”
“Ew, no.” I playfully swat his arm, and he laughs. “And how would that even make the handle sticky?”
The wicked glint in his eyes makes me instantly regret asking the question.
“Never mind.” I hold up my hand, my cheeks warming. “Forget I asked.”
He chuckles, digging into the ice cream again. “You know, even after knowing you for three years, it’s still amusing as fuck to make you blush.”
“And even after knowing you for three years, it’s still as amusing as… fuck to steal your ice cream.” Then I steal his tub of ice cream and run out the front door, laughing my butt off.
“Hey!” he shouts, racing down the stairway after me. “Don’t you dare eat any of that. I just got to a section that had a shit ton of cookie dough.”
“I’m so going to!” I shout through my laughter as I reach the bottom of the stairway. Then I take off toward the carport, unsure where I’m going, but it’s one of those moments where you don’t really need
a plan or direction. Or shoes, apparently, since I ran out barefoot. “Dang it.” I hop around as the soles of my feet touch the freezing cold sidewalk. “That’s freezing.”
“It’s going to be a lot colder when I dump that ice cream on your head!” Seth yells as he comes barreling down the stairway.
I reel around as I reach the curb. “Take one step closer, and the ice cream is going to become friends with the sidewalk.”
He doesn’t slow down. “Like you would dare waste a perfectly good tub of ice cream.”
“Half of a tub,” I correct. “And I would if it meant it’d stop you from dumping it on my head.” Then, just to mess with him, I start to tip the tub of ice cream to the side.
He slows from a jog to a walk. “Callie Lawrence, don’t you dare waste that.”
Sometimes it’s really fun teasing him. “What? This?” I angle it more to the side, not really planning on dumping any out. But then I jump as the icy concrete starts to burn against my feet and the movement sends a glob of ice cream out of the tub and to the ground.
Seth overdramatically gasps as he stares down at the splattered glob. “Oh my God, there was like three pieces of cookie dough in that.”
I press my lips together, stifling a laugh. Deep down I know he’s only partially kidding—Seth really loves his ice cream. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to actually spill it. I was just pretending, but then my feet got cold, and I jumped and… Well, yeah.”
“Pretending or not, that still happened,” he gestures at the ice cream on the ground.
“I know, but it was completely by accident. I swear.” I draw an x over my heart with my finger.
“I’m not sure if I really believe you. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ve secretly held a food vendetta against me ever since I accidentally ate all of your peppermint bark. And you threatened to get me back for that.”
“That’s because it’s only available around Christmastime. And I was just kidding about getting you back.” Sort of.
He crosses his arms and sticks his nose up in the air. “I don’t believe you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Fine, if it’s that big of a deal, I’ll give you your ice cream back.” I step forward and offer him the tub.
The moment he takes it, a Cheshire grin takes over his face. “I’m so the best friend ever. I mean, I got you to smile and relax and not think about that job. I think I should get like the best friend ever award or something.”
I give him a hug. “Thank you for being the best friend in the whole wide world.”
He chuckles, giving me a one-armed hug. “And thank you for being you, baby girl. And I have a feeling you might get the job. And even if you don’t, I know you’ll be hired for another one that’s equally as great.”
“Because you’re psychic?” I ask through a laugh.
“You know it.” He pulls back, grinning. “And I’m the smartest person ever.”
“Yes, you are—” I squeal like a wild banshee as a pair of arms loop around my waist and lift me up from the ground. The next thing I know I’m being slung over a broad shoulder and my pulse speeds up in a panic.
But my heart settles as the scent of Kayden’s cologne touches my nostrils.
Seth busts up laughing as he walks around and tips his head to the side, looking at me hanging upside down. “Holy shit, that noise you made was classic.” He digs into the ice cream with his fingers, picks out a chunk of cookie dough, and pops it into his mouth. “Seriously, I think you could give me a run for my money with that squeal of terror.”
I narrow my eyes at him as Kayden chuckles and lightly pinches me on the butt. “The next time we’re watching a scary movie, I’m going to record you screaming at every scary part and then make the video go viral.”
Seth’s eyes widen. “Now that’s just plain cruel.”
“Okay, maybe it is a little bit,” I admit. “But still… You could’ve at least warned me that Kayden was sneaking up on me.”
He shrugs. “Now where’s the fun in that?”
Kayden chuckles. “Glad to see Seth got you out of your funk.”
“I wasn’t in a funk… Was I?” I lift my head and look questioningly at Seth.
He offers me an apologetic look as he nods. “Sorry, but you were. That’s okay, though. We’re all allowed to have our grumpy days. Just know, though, that you only get one a week.”
I nod, sweeping my hair out of my face. “Yes, sir.”
He chuckles as he backs away. “I’m going to head home now since your prince charming is here. Call me if you need anything.” He turns on his heels, calling over his shoulder, “Have fun making sticky, refrigerator handle messes, you two.”
“Sticky refrigerator handle messes… What does that…” Kayden shakes his head. “Nope, never mind. With you two it’s usually better not to ask.” He starts for the stairway with me still draped over his shoulder.
“Are you going to carry me all the way up?” I ask through a giggle.
“All the way into our bedroom where I’ll spend all night cheering you up.” He pinches my butt again, and I laugh.
But then something dawns on me.
“Wait. I thought you had practice tonight?”
“I did, but I messaged Coach and told him I was sick.”
“But there’s a game tomorrow.”
“Yeah, so. I can miss one practice every once in a while, especially when my fiancé needs cheering up.” He holds onto the back of my thighs as he ascends up the stairway.
“I don’t want you missing practice just because I’m having a bad day.” I clutch onto the back of his jacket as I start to slip off his shoulder. “And the draft’s coming up...”
He tightens his grip on me. “Yeah, so? I’m not worried and neither should you be. I kick ass.”
“I know you kick ass,” I say, and he chuckles at my use of a swear word, something he usually does. “I just don’t want to mess anything up for you.”
“You never mess up anything for me.” He pushes open the door to our apartment. “You always bring me good luck. And you should know that by now.” He gently lowers me off his shoulder and releases me when my feet touch the carpet. Then his hands instantly find my cheeks and he cups my face between his palms. “Now, are you going to explain what got you upset to begin with, why you and Seth were running around outside with a tub of ice cream, and why on earth you aren’t wearing any shoes when it’s forty degrees outside?”
I sneak a quick look and take him all in; his sturdy body, the way his brown hair falls into his green, loving eyes that light up every time he sees me. Even after three years of being together, I sometimes still can’t believe I’m with him, that I was able to get past the darkness of my past enough to trust him to bring me into the light.
“We were fighting over his ice cream, so I took off outside with it. Forgot to put on my shoes. As for being upset, it was mostly because I’m pretty sure I messed up the job interview.” I sigh. “Honestly, I feel like sort of a baby. I mean, it’s just a job, right?”
He skims his thumb along the bottom of my eye. “You have every right to be upset. I know how much you wanted that job. But…” He removes his hands from my face and threads his fingers through mine. “I don’t think you should get upset until you know for sure you didn’t get it.”
“I’ll try, but I’m about ninety-nine percent sure I didn’t get it.”
His brow curves upward. “That still leaves one percent. And I think when it comes to odds and percentages, you and I can beat just about anything.”
“I see your point.”
“Good, because my points are usually awesome.” His lips quirk. “Now, how about I make you dinner and you tell me about your day.”
Deciding there’s no use sulking over something that hasn’t happened yet, I stand on my tiptoes and loop my arms around the back of his neck. “Actually, I spent the last hour talking about my day to Seth and I’m feeling pretty talked out.”
“Oh yeah?”
> “Yeah.”
A naughty glint twinkles in his eyes. “So what do you suggest we do then?”
Instead of answering him with words, I seal my lips to his. His hands slide down and cup my butt. Then he pushes me closer and parts my lips with his tongue, devouring me with a kiss.
“God, I miss this,” he murmurs between kisses. “Kissing you at five o’clock in the afternoon when I’m still wide awake and not about to pass out.”
“If you want, I can start stopping by before practice to give you a kiss,” I tease, threading my fingers through his hair.
“I might take you up on that offer.” He kisses me deeply then pulls back a sliver of an inch. “Now, no more talking.”
Before I can ask why, he scoops me up and urges my legs around his waist. Then he kisses me again as he carries me to the sofa and sits down with me straddling his waist. I pull back, but only long enough to peel his shirt off and quickly trace my fingers along the scars covering his chest. Scars that remind me of his horrible past and how far he’s come since the day he and I first connected.
“My turn,” he whispers when my fingers reach his collarbone.
I lean back and raise my arms above my head so he can pull off my shirt. Then he unclasps my bra and begins to explore my body like I just did with him. Once he’s felt almost every inch of me, we peel off the rest of our clothes and reunite our lips as he slips inside me.
He groans as he grips my hips. “God, I’ll never get tired of this.”
“Me either,” I agree, clutching onto his shoulders.
He rocks his hips against mine, and my eyes roll into the back of my head as I move with him, both of us pushing each other toward bliss. Away from reality. Away from the everyday worries of life. Because that’s what Kayden and I do for each other. We make things better when we’re together. We make chaos easier to deal with when we’re together.
And I truly believe that together, there isn’t anything we can’t take on.
Secrets We Buried Page 2
