Page 11

11

My new friends dropped me off at Professor Hamway’s after lunch, and I worked hard to finish my chores in the conservatory before Julian was set to arrive. Damen told me to prepare for our slumber party, while Miles added, sighing, that they planned to stay over to witness any paranormal activity after it got dark. However, they had a few things to take care of first.

Knowing that help was on the way made the knot in my stomach dissipate. But, Julian…

I was more nervous about his impending arrival than the mysterious ghost. I’d only met Julian once. But he’d seemed gentle, and as Damen’s friend, I supposed I could trust him.

Still, their absence gave me a little while to decompress. Being forced to focus on the conversation was exhausting. Taking this moment to surround myself with nature—even within the glass-walled confines of the square nursery—had calmed me.

It was always this way, and after my last foster home… the woods became a place of escape.

A chill shot up my spine, and not from a ghost this time. But I refused to let my thoughts drift into that space. I had enough to worry about at the moment.

In any other situation, it would have been a bad night. Being around a lot of people tended to trigger an aftermath of memories, and somehow Titus—as nice as he was—especially affected me. But tonight, I wasn’t going to be alone, and I was thankful for that.

Damen had taken charge, already planning out the evening’s activities without any input from me. Apparently, Julian was going to bring food. Then we’d lounge around and wait to see if my ghostly friends might make an appearance. Damen also suggested that I walk through the two areas of the house I hadn’t yet explored: the attic and the basement. And, apparently, that was it. No regard as to what came after.

Damen was not very good at making plans.

The doorbell rang, and I realized that I’d been standing motionless amongst the plants. I shook myself out of my daze and trudged through the house until I reached the entryway.

I stood on my tiptoes and looked through the peephole before I unlocked and opened the door.

“Hi,” I greeted Julian. What was he doing here so early?

He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Hello, Bianca.” Then he tugged on his navy blue scarf. It made me feel a little better to know that this meeting must be equally awkward for him as it was for me. “I think I might be early.”

He looked exhausted. There were heavy bags under his eyes, and his previous statement had ended with a yawn—which he’d tried, but failed, to cover. He noticed me watching him and blushed. “Sorry, I’ll come back later if you aren’t ready.”

“No,” I gestured for him to come into the house. “It’s all right.”

My heart was pounding. I was nervous. I would now be spending the next hour and a half alone with Julian! I was also disappointed because he hadn’t brought the food.

Julian sleepily thanked me and followed me into the living room before he sat on one of the velvet couches.

“Sorry again,” he repeated as he inspected the cozy, English-styled room. “I was able to get away from work earlier than expected and was in the area. I figured I might as well come over.”

I mumbled—again—that it was all right and took a seat across from him. I was unsure what to do now. This wasn’t my home, and I couldn’t just play hostess. I hadn’t gotten any groceries.

But maybe he’d want coffee?

I had no idea how to socialize.

Then, something he had said struck me. “Work?” I asked. “But I thought you were studying? I assumed you were a student.”

“I am,” he shot me a puzzled look. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his long, graceful legs at the ankles. “I’m in my last year of medical school and have picked up jobs on the side. The world still turns regardless of our personal lives.”

I was curious what he might mean—but then again, maybe it had something to do with Damen’s earlier statement about them all having paranormal abilities.

“What types of jobs?” I was curious. “Leg modeling?” or something else. I couldn’t just ask what his abilities were; that’d be inconsiderate.

I’d let him lead us into that conversation.

Julian, who’d been nodding off, jerked awake. “What?”

I was mortified by my own words. “Oh my goodness.” I couldn’t look at him. “It’s just that your legs are really nice and…”

What was I thinking? Men didn’t like to be complimented on such things. This was mortifying .

“I was just wondering what you do,” I finished lamely.

He made a sound, and I glanced up as he regained his composure. His forehead was pinched in confusion, as he watched me. “You think I’m… a model?”

“No,” I groaned. I knew I would never be able to take that statement back. “Could we pretend I never said anything?”

“I’m not exactly model material,” Julian continued, almost pensively, as he stroked his chin. “You have to be approachable, and most people run away from me.”

I tilted my head. I couldn’t imagine why that’d be. Even if there was a certain energy from him, he was still gentle and sweet. And from what I’d seen so far, he didn’t brood.

Which wouldn’t change anything, because some people liked men who sulked.

He was friendly enough.

“Bianca,” he began. His tone was wary, and his masked expression revealed a veil of concern. “You do know who I am, right?”

It’d be embarrassing for me to get his name wrong now. “You’re Julian Kohler,” I answered. “Damen’s friend,” and mine, too, by extension.

“And what do you know about me?” he asked.

“You’re in medical school.” Where was he going with this? Now I was beginning to feel silly. “And…” He was not a leg model.

“You have some sort of paranormal ability,” I added, at his deepening gaze, just in case I’d misunderstood, so he’d know who to blame. “At least Damen said so.”

“And who is Damen?” he asked.

“Damen is Finn’s brother,” I answered. “You’ve all been asking me this. I guess you guys are popular?” Perhaps I was offending him. Maybe not knowing their names was a great insult.

Stupid Finn, he should have warned me.

The barest hint of a frown touched at his lips before he composed himself. “And do you know who we are?”

“People?” At least, I hoped so. But I wasn’t sure of anything these days.

“Yeah…” Julian reached for his forehead, not hiding his scowl. “We are.”

“Does your head hurt?” I asked, trying to change the subject. Otherwise, I had a feeling that this line of questioning could continue for hours. Not that I minded—I was always keen to learn new things. But Julian looked half-zombified already.

Maybe after he took a nap.

“You should rest,” I said, jumping to my feet. “We’ll be able to talk more when the others come.”

He was distracted as he looked down at the pillows. “I don’t know,” he said finally, a note of longing in his voice. “I really should—”

“No,” I protested, thankful for this diversion. “It’s all right. That gives me time to finish up a few more things before everyone else gets here.”

Julian studied the pillows for another moment. “I should help you—”

“I’m fine.” I opened the linen closet and pulled out a quilt. I turned to him, face burning, as I hugged the fluffy folded square against my chest. “Even though I don’t know what you do, it doesn’t really matter right now. I know you work hard, and you need to rest.”

I hoped I didn’t sound as stupid as I felt. I moved to him, noting that he didn’t protest as I tucked the blanket around his shoulders .

In fact, his blue eyes widened as he stared at me.

“Sleep,” I said. When had I gotten so forward? “It’ll be okay.”

His expression softened, turning my insides to mush. “Then I will,” he said, grasping my hand before I could pull away. “Thank you, Bianca. You’ve helped me more than you could possibly know.”

Julian’s words stayed with me long after he fell asleep and I’d meandered into the kitchen to give him space. I’d finished the rest of the chores, but I didn’t dare take a bath while he was in the house. What if he woke up and needed me? I couldn’t fail in my duty to keep him entertained.

I loitered in the kitchen, trying to kill time and figure out what to do for dinner. I was tempted to text Damen or Miles, telling them my dilemma, and to make sure they knew to pick up food, but what if they bugged Julian instead? Still, I didn’t blame him for forgetting, since he’d clearly had a full schedule and was now being roped into helping me.

But at the same time, I felt strange. My chest felt hot, and my pulse throbbed under my skin. I didn’t understand why I was suddenly feeling this way. Who were these people, and why did it feel like—despite knowing next to nothing about them—I’d been with them for years?

Was this how friendship was supposed to be? I didn’t understand.

The only thing I knew for certain was that it was my duty to make this the best slumber party/ghost hunting experience everyone had ever had. They were going out of their way to help me, and I had to let them know I appreciated their efforts.

I prepped the coffee maker for a fresh pot, my excitement slowly beginning to outweigh my nervousness. It had been a long time since Finn and I had our last sleepover…

Once again, my memories drifted to my ex-best friend. It was inevitable, considering I had known him for over half my life.

It had been a surreal day. I made new friends, I’d gone to a fancy lunch… and then there was everything with Titus. There was so much going on that I’d been too emotionally exhausted to contemplate what I’d learned about Finn.

My phones were laid out on the table, side by side. I put them there when I got back and hadn’t touched them since. They were a constant reminder of a problem I needed to address, and now there was nothing left to distract me.

It was hard not to compare the two devices, not only because of their different appearances but also because of what they symbolized.

Titus had taken the time to pick something he thought I’d like, compared to the plain, generic phone that my parents approved. It was a happy chance that Titus understood me already. Plus, the knowledge that he enjoyed cute things only made him less scary.

My gaze drifted toward the phone Finn had given me. It was still turned off, and I’d tried not to touch it more than I had to, but I couldn’t avoid it forever.

I gave in, sighing as I pulled it to me. My mother would have messaged me by now, and if I didn’t respond, she’d worry. Other than that, I would either have a lot of messages from Finn, or absolutely nothing.

I didn’t know which would be worse.

The phone barely had a chance to start before it vibrated in my hands. Two new messages.

Mother’s message was brief, as usual. She asked how classes were going. I replied that I was studying for the evening. And that would be the end of our conversation until tomorrow .

We could never find many things to talk about.

The other message was from Finn. It’d been sent to me only about fifteen minutes before.

Finn

I’m coming over.

My stomach sank. Why was he coming now? I didn’t want to see him.

The doorbell rang before I could finish composing my response.

The weight pressing against my limbs grew heavier. It was him. It was still too early for anyone else, and there was no other way to explain the coincidence.

I stared at my phone, and outside of my panic, a sense of righteous fury began to swell inside me. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but I latched on to it like a lifeline. Anything was better than fear.

How dare he boss me around.

I’d answer the door and talk to him, and I’d be calm and mature about it, too. Someone had to be the adult between the two of us.

My thoughts swirled in a furious haze as I stomped through the house and swung the front door open. I was not surprised to see Finn, looking completely unashamed, yet, somehow, perfect as ever. He was furious, but I met his gaze without flinching.

If my reaction surprised him, he didn’t let it show.

He opened his mouth to speak—

“How dare you show yourself here!” I pointed a shaking finger at him. I could barely see through the red haze clouding my vision. “You… you butthead! I’m very angry with you.”

Finn’s gray eyes flashed. He was dangerously close to losing control of his infamous temper. I couldn’t remember why I cared. All my succinct, planned arguments were lost at the sight of his arrogant face. He had no right to be upset. He was the one who’d lied to me. He was the one who was wrong.

“Did you just call me a butthead?” His voice strained as his shoulders shook. “After everything I’ve done for you?” He stepped into the house, bringing himself only a few inches in front of me.

I glared at his larger, taller frame. I wouldn’t be intimidated.

“Everything you’ve done?” I threw the words back at him. I could feel his burning heat. But instead of making me feel secure like it might have before, I became more furious.

If anyone had the right to be angry, it was me.

“You lied to me!” I spat out the poisonous words.

“What are you talking about?” Finn’s eyebrow twitched. “Where have you been? And why has your phone been off? I’ve been worried sick.”

I was seething. None of those things were any of his business.

“Why would you lie?” Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was a bad idea to rile him. Especially when he was so close to snapping, but I ignored it. “You were my friend.” I pushed hard against his chest, needing him to leave. I didn’t want to see his stupid face ever again.

“I hate you!” I told him, meaning it with every ounce of my being.

Finn’s temper flared to life. His eyes were wild as he pushed forward and grabbed my arm, pushing me until my back was against the wall. I didn’t even have time to blink before he grabbed my wrists.

“Stop hitting me!” he demanded. “And stop yelling! Just answer my questions.”

I didn’t hit him; I pushed him. Besides, he’d done the same thing. The fact that he had gotten physical didn’t penetrate through my despair. I only wanted to understand—why would he have done those things?

I just wanted him to leave.

“Why would you do that?” I asked. My heart broke all over again. Seeing him face-to-face made everything more real.

“What are you talking about? What did I do?” he asked. While one hand was still holding my wrists, he touched my face with his other. His gaze flickered to a bruise on my chin that I now barely remembered getting.

“What is this?” he asked. “Who did you see?”

It wasn’t like he actually cared. “It’s not your business!” I told him.

My refusal to answer only seemed to cause him more stress. Worry flickered through the anger as he asked, “Are you still taking your medication?”

My heart lurched, and my fury vanished. My medication was a sore subject, and it’d taken only a reference to it to break through my raucous thoughts.

“I already told you,” I answered, twisting my arm. But I couldn’t get free. But my actions only seemed to intensify his resolve.

His grip turned painful. Why was his skin so hot? It grew around me, the heat making it feel like flames were licking at my hair. He didn’t even seem to notice; there was anger deep in his eyes.

Maybe, though, I was imagining it. It was hard to focus—my ears still rang from being pushed to the wall. I was, however, able to make out his next words.

“What’s wrong?.” Finn hadn’t noticed that I’d given up. “Where did you go?”

His voice had a power that shot a chill through me. I rarely heard him sound like this. He was terrifying .

“L-let go!” I tried to hide my panic. “I’m fine!”

“Bianca.” He still couldn’t hear me. But I didn’t understand, why was he freaking out? “Stop saying you’re fine. Just tell me who—”

I was freed the same instant Finn’s sentence dropped, and I stumbled before Julian was there. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me steadily against him while he moved me behind him.

Julian’s eyes were soft in the brief instant our gazes met, but his demeanor toward Finn was not.

The thin welcome table was scattered across the floor, and Finn staggered to his feet amongst the ruins. However, the broken table was the least of my concerns, even though I knew that I’d have to replace it. I was still in shock as I peeked from the safe shelter that Julian provided.

The bespectacled blond jerkily readjusted his glasses before he wiped the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth with his clean sleeve. I couldn’t help but to follow the stained red line left behind, and to the place where it’d pooled on his shirt.

Had Julian punched him? I hadn’t even seen…

“Back off.” Julian’s voice held a tremulous ferocity that had me shaking. Or was it because I had been attacked? I wasn’t sure…

“Julian!” Finn glowered at the man in front of me. Yet, there was something in his gaze that I hardly ever witnessed from him—fear.

“Why are you here?” he asked, and his frown deepened. I could literally pinpoint the exact second when Finn figured it out. His focus shot to me, and my grip on Julian’s shirt tightened. “That was Miles on the phone! Bianca, you went to see Damen ?”