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Huh. Project Viper and ACD are intertwined a lot more than I thought. Jace has been rivals with Shane for ages, but Jelly dated Shane’s brother. At Briar’s party, they were polite with each other. There was some competitiveness, but they all played along. Jace may have a beef with Shane, but I believe the rivalry between the bands themselves is blown out of proportion by their fans and the media.
As soon as they leave, Mom hurries over to me. “You made some friends?”
“Not really. Jelly is Jace’s bandmate. She’s their drummer—”
“You made some friends!” She hugs me tight and rocks me from side to side.
Maybe she’s right, though, and that’s kind of crazy.
Another crazy thing is that as the evening progresses, no one I meet says a single word about my past. Someone chats me up about my favorite guitars. The staff members give me cursory glances and move on without any remarks. I just about squeal with glee that I’ve become no one special in the music circles at last.
Regardless of how well things seem to be going, I do miss Jace. He’s asked me to give him time to relax and recover, so I haven’t visited him much. I’ve sent Jonas with copious amounts of delicious goodies, but other than that, I’ve done my best to give him space to heal. Even though it’s approaching two weeks since we’ve last seen each other. Whoever thought there would come a day I’d participate in public eventsandlong for a guitarist?
Said guitarist visits me during breakfast the next morning, and I trip as I hurry to get out of the dining table.
Mom gives out a short laugh. “A little dignity, Laurel, okay?”
What for? It’s Jace. But still I say, “Okay.”
He waits for me in the entryway. As soon as I see him, whatever intentions I’ve had to behave more or less composed fly out the window. I’ve missed him too much, so I don’t waste any time draping myself over him and connecting my mouth with his lips. Jace’s hands fly to my waist. His fingers dig into my sides, and the contact aligns my whole being to his pulse. The taste of him hits me harder than ever before. Jace has this power that switches all control off in my mind, and within seconds, I’m lost without any regrets.
“How are you feeling?” I whisper, remembering that our separation had a serious reason behind it. He does look a lot better at least—his eyes are bright and focused, and he stands without any signs of vertigo. “Want some breakfast?”
Jace’s bashful smile suggests he’s quite pleased with my welcome. “I’m feeling much better, and no. No breakfast. I’d like to talk to you. Could we maybe go outside?”
“Of course.”
Sun warms my skin as I lead Jace through our back yard to a cozy pagoda, and a tame breeze carries the scents of early fall—yellowing leaves, wilting grass, sweetness and forewarning of natural decay that propagates life. It’s still the first half of September, but I’m looking forward to all the pumpkin-flavored festivities that will ensue soon. Reese has the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. He bakes them all October long despite Mom cursing him for ruining her figure. Dad, Hal, and I sing his praises. Three against one.
Inside the pagoda, I look around. Jonas’ security measures are tight, but people can be creative. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone from the crowd besieging our front gate has attempted to sneak in now that Jace is here, but all seems quiet.
I relax and wrap my arms around him. “You know, I thought I’d be a mess from all the media attention, but I’m okay. Drum Club was great too. I didn’t even know we had something like that going on in Portland. You’ll have to show me all the things I’ve been avoiding. Are you in any secret clubs like your drummer?”
“I’m glad you’re feeling safe again.” Gently, Jace removes my arms and steps away. He looks better, but he must still want some breathing room all the same. “You should enjoy it as much as you can. You’ve earned it.”
“That’s the funny thing. Iamenjoying it. A tiny little bit. I thought I never would.”
“You’re much more resilient than you think.” He looks to the side, appearing guilty, eyes downcast, eyebrows pinched together.
“Jace, seriously. If you believe that you somehow dragged me into something I hate, don’t worry about it. I got accosted by a reporter when I was all by myself and didn’t collapse. I think I could even handle being Shane’s ambassador, if you weren’t opposed, that is.”
“That’s great.” Jace shoots me what I’m sure is meant to be an encouraging smile, but it soon slides off his face.
I ruffle his already wild hair, what’s left of it after they buzzed him at the hospital. “Are you going to fix your hairstyle, or are you planning on strutting the rebel hair for a while?”
“I do need to get a haircut, don’t I?”
He hides his face behind his hands for a second. He always speaks with unabashed conviction. Right now, though, Jace hesitates, and that scares me.
“Is everything okay? Did you go for a checkup with the doctor and got some bad news?” Please no. Anything but that. But if it’s something to that extent, I’ll be there for him.
“No. Everything is good. Don’t worry about me.” Jace gives me a long, pondering look.
My insides clench. Then they twist. Then a subtle but nasty shudder rushes down my spine. His earlier hesitation…
I try harder than hard to not surrender to my growing fears, but they take over.
Because I’ve seen this look before.
