Solstice

any plants.

He smiles when he reaches the counter, sets his elbows down, and leans toward me, swiping some dead leaves out of the way. “Hey, Piper.”

I’ve never seen him before, but when Chloe talked about him nonstop during our tattoo sessions, she swore he’d been here all year. I decide to pretend I’ve known him all along because I don’t want him to think I’m crazy. “Reese, right?”

He nods, and his arm muscles flex as he pushes against the counter. “I saw you and your friend talking in the library.”

I hold my hands at my side and attempt to remain composed. “Chloe was talking about you earlier today.” And Chloe had been the one going on and on about how awesome he was. But I don’t think he’s here to talk about Chloe either.

“Yeah, we have some class together.” His response totally matches his attitude.

“Physics,” I suggest.

Reese nods. “Physics.”

I dare myself to meet his eyes, and when I do, I find I can’t read anything about him. His irises are like ice; all I see in them is myself reflected back.

I inhale, and even above the fragrance of the entire Botanical Haven surrounding us, I can smell Reese. It reminds me of the thick, red wine I drink with my mom, dry with just a hint of sweetness, and it’s so strong I can just about taste it.

“Is your mom here?” Reese doesn’t bother looking around.

I shake my head, but at the same time realize maybe I shouldn’t admit to being alone. Reese looks like he could devour me. “She’ll be back any time.”

He seems to let his guard down. With his fresh smile, his scent fades until the plants in the Botanical Haven take over again. “She’s pretty controlling, isn’t she?”

“Maybe a little.” I manage a nervous laugh. When I hear it come out, I realize I’m kind of shaking, so I sit down in the chair behind the counter and try to get ahold of myself.

“My mom used to be like that,” Reese says. He pulls a stool up to the counter and sits on it, facing me.

Everyone always tells me this, but no one really understands. “I doubt it.”

Reese crosses his arms over his chest. “Seriously. There was this one time I was out with some friends, and when I got home, she grounded me for like ten years.”

His voice is helping settle my nerves, even if he is exaggerating. But I can’t get over the fact that we’re actually having a conversation. That for the second time in one day, a gorgeous guy has shown interest in me. A gorgeous guy that everyone else seems to know except me.

“Ten years?” I give him the obligatory eye roll which makes him laugh.

“Fine. Not quite ten years. But she flew off the deep end. Told me never to see those friends again. She threatened to have them impaled if they ever showed back up.”

It’s like he’s telling me the male version of my own life, and, for a second, I think he might actually be able to relate. “So what’d you do?” I ask.

Reese uncrosses his arms and sets his hands down on the counter, and he leans closer which makes my nerves start up again. “I ignored her. Snuck out behind her back.”

“I’ve never been quite that brave,” I admit, though the word quite doesn’t seem adequate.

“You should try it sometime.”

I shake my head. “You don’t understand—”

“With me.”

My breath catches at his words. With him. He’s suggesting sneaking out with him. And I’m the worst friend in the world because even though Chloe told me she likes him, a horrible part of me deep inside wants to do it.

Reese hops off the stool and walks around the counter so he’s right next to me. The rest of the Botanical Haven seems to vanish around us until there’s only me and him and an intense silence, which increases with each passing moment. Yet I don’t pull away, even when his arm brushes up against mine and I feel the slick sweat on his skin. I don’t want to move.

“I’m not sure,” I say. There are a million automatic excuses running through my mind.

“We’re perfect for each other. I knew it the day we met.” He points at me. “You and me…we’re the same. Misunderstood. We’re like soulmates.”

Soulmates. The word hangs there in the hot air between us. I laugh at the thought, and Reese smiles in response. But I wonder if somewhere out there I do have a soulmate. Is it really Reese? Or could it be Shayne? Will I ever be able to find out with my mom controlling my every move?

“What do you have to lose?”

“My mom—” I start.

Reese makes a dismissive gesture with his hands. “Sneak out. Come on.” And when he says it, his eyes fill with an excitement that makes me think it might actually be possible. Like I could have a shred of adventure. With Reese.

I open my mouth, but I’m not sure what to say. Reese is still right next to me with our arms pressed together. I guess my body tenses up, because the next thing I know, he backs up and walks to the other side of the counter. I can almost see the gears turning in his mind.

“I never let being grounded get in the way,” he says.

I let out a breath now that the distance between us has grown. I think about Chloe—how she suggested double dating—her with Reese and me with Shayne. I try to bring Shayne to my mind, but it’s futile. All that my mind seems to be willing to focus on is Reese and the thought of disobeying my mom. It’s a kind of freedom that tempts me every time I hear about other kids going to parties and hooking up and staying out all night. “My mom doesn’t let me date.”

“Who cares? What time does your mom go to bed?”

“Nine o’clock,” I say before I can stop myself.

“Perfect. Friday night. Sneak out once she’s asleep.” Then he gives me a final look, but instead of conveying adventure, his eyes are peeling me apart layer by layer starting with my clothes. I shift under his gaze, but don’t turn away. And then he turns and leaves, slamming the door behind him.

It takes me a good five minutes to be able to think about anything else. Reese is gone, and all that’s left are dead leaves scattered around my feet. I play the conversation over again in my mind, thinking I’ve missed some vital part of it. But it’s all there. Reese wants me to hang out with him—alone. And without even really meaning to, I think I’ve agreed. Which just can’t be. Chloe wants to date him.

I rub my hand over my arm again, feeling each Greek letter of the tattoo underneath, until Reese’s presence is gone. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and rub it on my shirt, and I grab a broom and a dustpan and start cleaning up the mess.

Chapter 6 Hallway

When my mom finally comes home, I start for the stairs. I want her take on the news conference from this afternoon. But I stop when I see her sniff the air and look around. Can she smell Reese? Just thinking about him draws the intoxicating scent back into my nostrils though I try to ignore it. She starts toward the counter, taking one slow step after another, eyes alert. Past where she walks, fresh dead leaves drop to the ground. Maybe it’s the news conference that’s got her upset. Or maybe it’s my tattoo. Or maybe she somehow knows a guy’s come over to visit.

After what seems like an eternity, she moves away from the counter and starts back to her work. I watch for a few minutes as she begins her routine, spraying leaves and packing in dirt. But she doesn’t say anything and