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.