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I stand, weaving through the crowded living room and into the kitchen. Two girls are standing in the arched opening separating the spaces. Both of them smile at me. I smile back but keep moving, not recognizing either of them.
The kitchen is a little less crowded. I beeline for the fridge, swinging open the door and scanning the contents. I grab a bottle of water. Even one beer seemed like a bad idea, seeing as I’m leaving for Arlington early in the morning.
Plus, I want to appear in total control. Like I have full autonomy over my choices, even if the reality is I feel the exact opposite.
“Can I get one of those?”
I glance over a shoulder at Becca. She’s smiling at me, hand outstretched.
“Sure.” I hand her the plastic bottle I’m holding and grab a second for myself, shutting the fridge door and turning to face her. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. I’m heading back to school tomorrow. You?”
“Yeah, same. On both.”
Becca nods as she twists the cap on the water. Her eyes keep darting to my neck.
I have a hickey. One there was no chance of hiding. My short hair is no help, and it’s summer. I spend most of the time in t-shirts or shirtless. It’s faded some, but it still stands out against my skin.
There’s a vague memory—sandwiched between the amazing sex and the tense goodbye—of Natalie sucking on my neck. But it didn’t occur to me that she might leave a mark until I woke up the following morning and spotted it in the bathroom mirror.
If we were still on speaking terms, I’d ask if she meant to. If it was an intentional choice or heat of the moment, some power move or some signal.
I’m stuck speculating instead.
It could have been a finalfuck you. Seeing your parents exchange knowing looks isn’t fun. Neither is getting teased by your sister or ribbed by your friends.
She wanted to leave me with a reminder, make it hard for me to forget. I’m not sure if doing so was ever an easy possibility. But the fact she purposefully tried to make it hard hovers in my subconscious like an alarm that’s only been snoozed, never shut off.
Maeve appears, slinging an arm around Becca’s shoulder and glancing between the two of us. “Whatcha guys talking about?”
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out as the reflex, glancing at the screen and expecting to immediately stow it away. Instead, I freeze.
Natalie:Can you come pick me up?
Below it is an Alleghany address.
I set the unopened bottle on the counter. “I have to go.”
“Go?” Maeve laughs. “Liam, we’ve only been here an hour. Matt was saying he’s going to—”
“I’ll be back to pick you up. After I—”
“After you what?” Both of Maeve’s brows rise.
“There’s just something I have to take care of.”
I walk toward the front door before she has a chance to answer. I’m worried why Natalie would be texting me to come to Alleghany at this hour. The address she sent me isn’t her house. She has tons of friends. If she wants to leave a party, she should have options other than me.
The drive to the address Natalie sent takes me fifteen minutes. As soon as I turn onto the street, I know which house I’m headed toward. It’s huge, almost as large as Natalie’s. Trash litters the lawn. Cars pack the driveway. Music is audible as soon as I park and step out of the car.
I walk toward the front of the house slowly, wary of my surroundings. Me and a bunch of drunk Alleghany guys is not a situation I want to walk into.
There’s a massive tree in the middle of the front lawn. I pause and lean against it, pulling out my phone. I don’t have any new messages from Natalie. Just ones from Maeve and the guys, wondering where I am.
Liam:I’m here.
I wait a couple of minutes, but she doesn’t appear and there’s no response to my text. I’m about to try calling her when I see a figure walk around the edge of the house. It draws closer, and I realize it’s her.
