“They’re going for a walk to cool off,” she informs us with a tight smile. “As for you two boys, time to get to school before you’re missed.” Walking into the kitchen, she starts to fill the kettle with water. “Callie dear, if you’d like, you can stay home. Perhaps we could get your permit today? Get something good out of this blasted, ugly morning.”
Nolan and Kaleb trade nervous looks and Felix offers, “I’ll stay with her today and let you know if anything happens.”
I get up from Nolan’s lap, his hands slipping away, and though my body trembles with the aftershock of extreme emotions, I do my best to stand tall.
“It’s alright,” I say, doing my best to seem normal. “I’m really tired, so I think… I think I’d like to take a nap or something. Could you guys get my homework and everything?”
Asking for help was the right thing to do because both Kaleb and Nolan walk their chairs back to the kitchen table.
“I can get your homework and books,” Kaleb announces, retrieving the chair Donovan kicked over.
“Do you need my locker combination?” I ask, pulling my sleeves over my hands and chewing on my lip.
Kaleb looks mildly embarrassed and murmurs, “No, I already know it.” Then taps the side of his head to explain.
Near perfect memory.
Nolan approaches me, his ice blue eyes still damp despite his normal smile pasted across his lips. With both hands, he cups my face, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest when he kisses the top of my head.
“If you need anything, call me,” he murmurs into my hair, then turns, and with swagger, walks out the front door calling over his shoulder, “You’re with me, angel boy.”
“Who do I pray to to save me from Nolan’s driving?” Kaleb laments, squeezing my shoulder. “And it goes without saying…”
“I know,” I murmur. “We’ll talk more later.”
He dips his head in acknowledgment, his eyes communicating his never-ending steadfastness, and follows Nolan out the door.
“Was all this about the fire earlier?” my aunt asks tactfully as possible, while she adjusts the heat under the kettle.
“And some other stuff,” I answer meekly, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to say it over again. “Can I go back to bed for a little while? Maybe leave for the DMV in an hour or two?”
Her brown eyes sweep my face and posture, taking in the way I’m fidgeting with my sleeves, chewing on my lip, trembling, and answers, “Of course, darling. Get some rest.”
My shoulders relax, then I see the stairs.
“The couch is pretty comfortable,” Felix comments casually, standing beside me. “And Aunt Gertie made that blanket. I happen to have first-hand experience with how soft and warm it is.”
Another batch of tears well up in my eyes, and I droop with relief that I don’t have to face the stairs. I’d reached my maximum threshold two or three crying fits ago.
I grab the throw that’s knitted to match the colors of the maple trees outside, and curl into a ball on the shorter side of the L-shaped couch, using a throw pillow to cushion my head. I’m so drained, that despite my fears of what I might see, I’m fighting to keep my eyes open.
“Felix,” I murmur, “Would you…?”
“I’ll be there as soon as you fall asleep,” he promises, his gaze soft as he perches next to me on the couch.
“Thank you,” I breathe and let myself drift into my exhaustion.
Chapter 12
Felix
The first thing I feel is the sun, the heat blanketing my skin, and there’s a brilliant orange behind my eyelids. The wind is gentle and holds the scent of the sea mixed with lush tropical flowers. I absorb the sweet sensations, overwhelmed and grateful for this moment, before I open my eyes.
And there she is. Callie.
The most beautiful, amazing girl I’ve ever seen. I know it’s ridiculous to feel this way about her. To be in love with her, when we only met a couple of weeks ago. But what does it matter, really? I’m too dead to do anything about it. Only in her mind am I real.
Callie smiles up at me, relief in her clear-water grey eyes, as we once again stand on the soft white sands of a distant beach neither of us has been to. Her hair hangs in thick waves down her back, some of the strands riding the soft breeze. She’s wearing a blue sundress with a bold Hawaiian print over a one-piece swimsuit because I didn’t have the guts to put her in a bikini.
