Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty-One

Alec

She wasn't answering her phone.

It had been three hours since she left the school parking lot—since I watched her drive away directly into the storm clouds.

Three hours where my mind went places it hadn't gone for over a year. A place where death existed—where my heart used to exist.

“Damn it!” I tried her phone again. Straight to voicemail.

I called Demetri.

Straight to voicemail.

Why the hell did people have cell phones if they weren't going to keep them on!

Another hour went by.

I was about five minutes away from calling the hospital. My clothes from school were still on—I hadn't even changed into my workout clothes. Hell, I'd forgotten to work out completely.

Cursing, I jerked off my jeans and put on sweats, then pulled my shirt off and threw it against the wall. My eyes flickered to the window just as Nat's truck pulled up into her driveway.

The headlights went off. And I was absolutely seething. I was beyond pissed, beyond terrified, hell I was ready to fall onto my knees and weep at that point.

She jumped out of her truck and looked up.

Directly at me.

I stared at her, taking in my fill; she was okay. She was totally fine. I was being ridiculous. It was just rain.

But no matter how many times I told myself that—I was still frustrated as hell.

Without thinking—I put on my flip-flops, ran down the stairs into then outside and then used the trash can on the side of her house to launch myself onto her low roof and go over to Nat's window.

I was going to wait for her when I noticed it was open a crack. Are you freaking kidding me? Did I need to give her a bodyguard twenty-four-seven?

What if someone would have crawled through her room—someone who wasn't me? Someone who wanted to hurt her?

Damn it. I was going to get gray hair; I just knew it.

With a grunt, I pushed the window open and stepped inside the room, shutting the window behind me. Grimacing, I looked down at my naked torso as water dripped off my body and onto the floor.

Yeah, she deserved a wet floor after what she put me through.

“Holy crap, what are you doing here?” Nat gasped and dropped a bag onto the ground. What am I doing here?

“What am I doing here?” I repeated, running my hands through my damp hair.

“In my room,” she clarified, eying me up and down.

I seriously had to take a minute so my voice wouldn't shake, “Do you realize how worried I've been about you?”

“Worried?” Her face softened. “Why?”

“You disappeared, Nat! When I came back to the house your truck was gone. You weren't at work. You weren't downtown… I waited for hours!” Yelling. I was full-on yelling at her. Shirtless.

“I don't understand?” Her voice was small as she hugged her arms to her chest.

“Haven't you seen the weather report?”

She shook her head.

“A huge storm is coming in tonight, they're telling people to stay inside, and here you are driving around as if the damn sun is shining!” Calm down, calm down.

Nat sighed. “I'm sorry. I didn't know.”

“Where'd you go?” I demanded, pacing in front of her like I was more a forty-year-old dad than a teenager.

Jaw clenched, she answered, “Not that it's any of your business, but Lincoln City.”

I cursed and turned away from her, stretching my arms behind my head to keep myself from putting a hole through the wall. I whipped back around. “Listen, Nat. I'm only nineteen.

“It's just rain.” She took a tentative step towards me.

I fought to keep my face from paling. “No, it's not. Things happen, you can lose control, your car can slip, people die.” I closed my eyes and cursed.

“Was it raining when—”

“Yes.” I said, voice hoarse. Demetri's girlfriend, Benjamin's mom, the accident, the storm. I shuddered.

“I'm sorry.”

“You should be.” I snapped, not really meaning it but feeling so damn angry that I wanted her to know it. I never understood why people got into fights, why people yelled. Now I knew.

You yelled, not because you actually thought it would solve anything, but because you were terrified and wanted the other person to know that their behavior affected you in such a way that you couldn't be silent.

Nat's eyes flashed. “I was getting a dress.”

For a moment I was confused, and then I hung my head. Damn it. “For Homecoming.”

“Yes.”

Anger cooling, I asked, “May I see it?”

“No.”

I scowled. “Next time, will you just tell me where you're going? So I don't have a heart attack before twenty?”

She sighed. “Yes, but why didn't you just text me?”

“I think your phone died.” Please let it have died because if she was just ignoring me, I was going to freak out.

Nat pursed her lips together and dug her cell phone out of her purse; she stuck the charger in one end and sauntered back over to me. “Satisfied?”

My lips curved into a smile. “Sure.”

Her eyes darted back to my chest before looking away again. “Put on a shirt or something, you're making me nervous, and I'm already edgy enough what with having to drive two hours through the rain.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, then looked around the room. What did she want me to do? Cover myself with her pink blanket?

Nat rolled her eyes and tossed me a shirt from the corner. It was the one she'd worn when she was sick.

Suddenly self-conscious, I turned around and put the shirt on. I don't know why the hell I turned around. It felt stupid, but whatever.

“Hey.” Nat called as I had the shirt half on.

“Does Demetri have any tattoos like that?”

Shit. I finished putting on the shirt and turned. “Yup. You should take a shower, Nat. Warm up a bit.”

She shuffled her feet. “And what are you going to do?”

Oh, you know, leave the room so I don't tempt myself to join you and scare the hell out of you with my nakedness. I settled with, “Make you dinner.”

Nat's eyes went wide, “My mom will freak if she sees you downstairs.”

“Nat, your mom won't even know I'm here.”

Nat didn't look convinced.

“Nat. Shower. Now,” I ordered.

Cute as hell, she rolled her eyes and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Chuckling to myself, I ran downstairs and checked her fridge. Leftover chicken from the night before. Hmm, I opened the freezer. Veggies. Perfect.

I was just setting everything on the bed when the bathroom door opened, and Nat stepped out. In nothing but a towel.

Sweet. Lord.

She gasped and clenched the towel. Damn, I was hoping for the opposite.

My gaze met hers briefly before I mumbled, “Sorry, I thought you brought your clothes into the bathroom.”

“Nope.”

Her angry expression was priceless. I smirked. “I'll turn around.”

“Yes, you will,” she said tightly.

I waited while she ran over to the dresser I was standing next to and started picking through her clothes. She paused and then opened a top drawer filled with underwear. I watched her like a hawk.

Her hand floated over a pair of black panties. I coughed.

“Do you mind?” she said tersely.

“I like the pink better.” Hey, at least I was honest!

She snatched the black pair. Of course she did.

“Girls take forever to get dressed,” I grumbled, still looking away from her.

“Not usually, I'm just doing it for your benefit,” she sang.

“You're crabby when you don't eat,” I teased.

She huffed behind me. “Okay, done.”

I turned around, my gaze hungrily taking in her leggings, imagining that black underwear as it kissed her skin. Agh… death by imagination.

“Smells good.” Her stomach grumbled on cue as she walked over to the bed and sat down. “Aren't you going to eat?”

“Nat, I don't think I'll have an appetite for a week. I was too worried to do anything except call you and stare out the window.”

“I was fine.” She shoveled more food in my mouth.

“I promised Demetri.”

The fork dropped onto the plate. “You promised Demetri? What exactly did you promise him?”

I shrugged and looked away. “I promised him I'd take care of you. Then on my first day of babysitting you disappear.”

“So I'm a toddler?”

“No, you're just very important.” Though I may as well be explaining it to a toddler for all she understood.

“Important or irritating?”

“I'll tell you when I know.” I chuckled and pointed to the food. “All of it, Nat. Eat all of it.”

“I swear you're trying to fatten me up.” She took another huge bite. I looked away as her lips formed around the fork. Yeahhhhh… my thoughts were nowhere near wholesome.

“Maybe.” I sat on the bed.

Nat ate in silence. I watched her take each bite. For some reason I found satisfaction in taking care of her.

“Done,” she announced, wiping her mouth with the napkin.

“Good girl.” I pushed the tray away. “Now, how about a rematch?”

“Rematch?”

“Last I remember…” I stretched out across her bed. “You cheated during our final round of Go Fish. I think I deserve a rematch, don't you?”

“Fine,” she grumbled. “But I don't know how I'm going to manage to eat candy after all that food.”

“I'll be easy on you.” Yeah, right. Hard. I would be so hard on her.

“Right, you and easy don't really fit in the same sentence, Alec.”

My lips twitched with a smile. “My place or yours?”

“Your place doesn't have crazy people coming in and out all hours of the night to talk about their feelings with my mom, so I choose yours.”

I nodded and bounced off the bed. “You know just because they're seeking help from your mom doesn't make them crazy.”

“I know. Otherwise I'd be putting you and your brother in that very same boat.” If she only knew how far the crazy went.

“I thought we were captains of the crazy boat. My mistake.” I opened the bedroom door and led her down the creaking stairs.

“Why do you see her?”

I paused, my entire body tensing. How the hell was I supposed to answer that question? Without telling her everything. “We're just dealing with some stuff, that's all.

“Your mom's good at what she does. She wouldn't be one of the most renowned psychiatrists on the West Coast if she wasn't.”

“Pardon? What did you just say?”

Didn't she know how popular her own mother was? “Your mom, she comes very highly recommended.”

“By who?” she yelled.

“Everyone.” I shrugged. “Look, I thought you knew. Your mom's like a genius, she's written articles on grief, loss, depression, and addiction.

“Oh.” Nat's lower lip trembled as she slowly fell to a sitting position on the stairs and started crying. What did I say?

“Nat, don't cry. I'm so sorry.” I pulled Nat into my arms. “Let's go to my house, okay? I'll make you hot chocolate and even let you win.”

I rubbed her arms so she'd calm down,

“I just don't get how I don't even know my own family. I mean, am I that invisible?”

I tensed, my hands moving to her face. “Nat, look at me.”

Her lower lip quivered as she locked eyes with me.

“You are anything but invisible. You are a treasure. I know your mom knows that. She loves you. Sometimes parents just suck at connecting with their kids.”

“She sucks big time.”

I laughed and kissed her cheek. “Yes, she does, but communication works both ways. Have you ever even asked her about work?”

Nat shifted uncomfortably. “No, but…”

“Sorry to say, but that's how relationships work. One of you has to take the first step.”

She sighed and nodded her head.

The office door closed behind Mrs. Murray, Nat's mouth dropped open in shock. “Did you just ask my mom if we could have a sleepover?”

“Of course not.” I laughed.

Her shoulders slumped in relief.

“I asked her if you could come play at my house and if you were really good, could you stay the night in my bed.”

“You've got to be kidding me.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Only slightly. I did tell her we were going to hang out and not to wait up for you.”

“Oh.” So, that made her blush? Interesting.

“But if you want to spend the night, I wouldn't be opposed to it.”

Nat's head jerked to attention as she stared me down as if enamored with the idea. Shit, make it better!

“You can have Demetri's room. He'd love nothing more than to come home and have your scent all over his sheets.”

“Right.” Nat's eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip and looked down at the floor. “So, Go Fish?”

“Absolutely.