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“He what?” she asks, clearly confused considering she doesn’t realize the degree of our relationship.
“Do you think it’s related?” I ask, without answering what I know she’s actually asking me.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, but…you said Robin Hood was the same actor and… It’s just a strange coincidence. Or maybe it’s not.”
Maybe I'm crazy. It’s highly possible. I could just be so desperate for answers, I’m seeing connections that aren’t even there. Yet another thing Jesse’s unlikely to give me a straight answer on.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say with a shrug before shifting the conversation away from my personal life and onto Pippa’s work. I’m too mentally drained to continue, and thankfully Pippa lets me move on. We finally start eating while we talk, and when we’re finished, I head off to bed.
My chest remains tight as I try to fall asleep, but I expect I’ll still be lying here staring at the ceiling in a few hours. Only when I still my mind and focus on the noise of the outside world—the traffic, the sirens, the wind—before I know it, I’m out. Not at all ready for the next day.
Chapter Ten
Willow
“Whatareyouthinkingover there?” Jesse asks as he takes a sip of his beer.
I eye him curiously, trying to decide whether I trust him or not, while Jade chats to Tate, not a care in the world.
Jesse smiles when I don’t immediately answer, and I hate to admit that he makes me feel giddy. His eyes do this thing where they look past the surface, seeing things I thought I’d kept hidden, seeing past my faults. And while it should make me feel uncomfortable, I like it. It makes me feel seen.
“I’m thinking about the weather,” I lie, causing Jesse to chuckle as he runs his fingers through his unkempt hair.
“Are you worried it’s going to turn?” he asks, playing along.
“Not really. I was just thinking it’s uncharacteristically warm for this time of day.”
“Is it the weather warming you up, or the heat radiating from these two?” He points toward Jade as she moves closer to Tate.
I can’t hold back my eye roll as I watch them.Do they even know each other? I didn’t think they did, but now I’m wondering.
Tate laughs at something Jade says before pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up, instantly ruining the moment.
In one swift movement, Jade jumps up and moves away, a look of disgust on her face.
She’s got a thing about smoking, so this is not going to end well.
Since I don’t really mind what someone does to their own body, I plan to stay quiet, but when his expression turns dark and he starts arguing with Jade, I change my mind.
And unfortunately for him, I’ve never been one to hold back.
“Hey!”
I startle awake, my pulse racing as I’m woken from my dream.God, that felt real. I’ve had nightmares before, but that was different. I’m sure of it. More than just the fact that I’ve never dreamed about Jesse or Tate before.
And with the way my stomach swirls with a nervous energy, I know I’m onto something. I just can’t figure out how I know that.
The words,“I’ve never been one to hold back,”pop into my mind and my breath hitches.Didn’t Jesse say something like that yesterday?
And if he did, am I just mirroring his words, morphing them into my dream? Or did he trigger a memory?
My eyes glaze over as I stare straight ahead, a chill running down my spine.
“Let’s just go?”I hear Jade say, clear as day, like she’s speaking directly into my mind.
Oh hell!It’s real. After all these years, I still remember her voice.
