“And?” Jaxon’s voice was calm and soothing.
“Nothing. I completely blanked, and then he got mad and walked away.” I frowned.
Guilt gnawed at me. I really should have given him an answer, even if it was to say no. But that was my problem—I didn’t want to tell Trent no.
“To make it worse, he knows Simon asked me to hang out on Saturday.” I groaned and hung my head.
“Tell me more about Trent.”
That was an odd thing for him to say, but then again, Jaxon was always saying things that surprised me. “Why?” I asked, quickly tiring of his questions. “He’s your brother. I’m guessing you know a lot more about him than I do.”
Jaxon chuckled. “You’re probably right about that, but I need to know how you feel about him.”
I narrowed my eyes. He needed to know? I’d go along with this for a little bit longer, but then I was going to make him tell me what he knew.
“I like him, which is weird because I barely know him, but remember when I told you Simon didn’t give me that spark?” I asked.
Jaxon nodded.
“Trent does. Big time.” I laughed with disbelief. “It’s like I just know when he’s close. I don’t even need to see him to know he’s there, and whenever he is nearby, my body reacts in ways I can’t even begin to describe.”
Thinking about it now caused a shiver to wiggle down my back.
“And no one else has made you feel that spark?” Jaxon asked.
“No.”
Jaxon was unnaturally silent, and I risked a glance at him. He once again had his arms braced on the railing, his gaze trained on the ocean. Why wasn’t he saying anything? He always had something to say, some advice to give or some snarky comment to make.
“Want my advice?” he said after what felt like hours. Though he still didn’t look at me.
“Yes, please,” I said a little too eagerly.
“I think you need to give Trent a chance.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
I had to have misheard him. Why on earth would he tell me to give Trent a chance? Was this why Jaxon responded to my ad—so he could encourage me to go out with his brother? But… Jaxon had contacted me before I ever saw Trent.
“You said you wanted to kiss him, and he gives you that spark. You obviously like him, right?” he asked.
I had a feeling he wasn’t really expecting an answer, but I gave him one anyway. “Yeah, I do,” I said.
Though I couldn’t explain why. Other than an intense physical attraction to him, there wasn’t really anything between us. I had more of a personal connection with Jaxon than I did with Trent right now.
“Then give him a chance. Hang out with him this weekend. See what happens,” Jaxon said.
We fell silent, and I contemplated his advice. The thought of hanging out with Trent this weekend—uninterrupted—was exciting. It was also terrifying. What if, despite the insane pull I felt toward him, we had nothing in common? What if we didn’t actually like each other? Or what if we liked each other a lot and things went too far?
No matter what, I knew if I spent more time with him, I was going to be hit with more déjà vu, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with that. I was always left feeling disoriented and exhausted.
Maybe that’s exactly why I should see Trent this weekend, if for no other reason than to get some answers. Was he experiencing the same things I was? Did he have the same reactions to me that I had to him?
“Do you believe in déjà vu?” I asked.
Finally, Jaxon looked at me. “Déjà vu?”
I nodded. “Every time I’m near Trent, I have these… episodes.” I turned so my back was to the ocean, and I leaned against the railing. “They’re like memories, but I don’t actually remember the things that are happening.”
Jaxon remained stoic. Then, he shook his head and glanced away, resuming his position against the railing. “So, these episodes you have… what kinds of things are you remembering?”
“Small stuff. Being at the waterfall back home with a guy. Holding hands. Riding in a truck.” I squinted, trying to recall more of the things I’d seen, but my thoughts were fuzzy. “It’s more feelings than actual events.”
Jaxon fell silent again. He wasn’t acting like his normal self today, and that had unease curling in my stomach. It was time to stop avoiding it.
“Enough about me. It’s your turn,” I said. “So, start talking.” I stared at him, unflinching, but he stood frozen, barely acknowledging me. Impatience burned through me, shredding my ability to keep quiet. I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it.
“Do you truly believe you know Trent?” he asked, turning slowly to face me. “Deep down. Do you think you have some type of connection with him?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
My quick answer surprised me. I’d been trying so hard to make sense of it all, and with a couple simple questions, Jaxon managed to pull the truth from me. I didn’t know how, but I knew clear to the depths of my soul that Trent wasn’t just some stranger.
“Do I know him?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Jaxon’s nod was infinitesimal, but I hadn’t missed it. All the air was sucked from my lungs, and I slouched against the railing. My mind raced, but my thoughts were an incoherent mess.
“How?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you that,” Jaxon said.
“Do I know you, too?” I forced myself to meet his gaze, and I wished I hadn’t.
His blue eyes were dark and stormy, as if having this conversation was the most painful thing he’d ever had to do.
“Not as well as you know Trent,” he said after a moment.
I nodded even though I didn’t really understand a word he
