Page 28 of The Immortal’s One (Bound to the Immortals #1)

We chat for a while, and I do my best to seem normal. Kayla tells me about her breakup with Josh—no surprise there—and the recent snowstorm that caused the town to cancel several holiday events. It’s all so mundane, so normal . I can’t help but envy it.

Then, she hits me with something I wasn’t expecting.

“You know, you should call Kevin.” The words are casual, but there’s an undercurrent of innuendo that I don’t understand.

I scoot my back closer to the wall. “Why would I call Kevin?”

“Um… because you guys are friends?”

True, I guess, but we aren’t friends who talk on the phone. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I’ve never spoken to Kevin on the phone.

Suspicion creeps in.

“Kayla…” I trail off, my forehead furrows. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Has something happened to Kevin?

Why on earth would I need to call him?

She exhales. The line crackles with static. “Look, I’m not going to say anything else. Just… call Kevin. Okay?”

This is weird.

I want to press her for more information, but knowing Kayla, if she says she won’t say anything else, she won’t say anything else.

“Okay,” I finally relent. “I’ll call him.”

“Great.” I can practically hear her smile through the phone. “Well, sorry to cut this short, but I need to get ready for work. But will you text me after you talk to Kevin?”

“Okay…”

“Great. Talk to you later. ”

“But I?—”

Kayla hangs up before I can say anything else.

I lower the phone with a huff and stare at the screen. What in the world was that about?

I don’t want to call Kevin.

It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him. I do. But I don’t know how much time I’ll have before someone checks on me. I don’t want to risk being caught with my phone.

Not to mention, the more I talk to people, the greater the chance I will slip up and say something that contradicts whatever story the Immortals weaved about my absence.

That’s the Immortals’ problem, not yours.

Except, it would be my problem.

I don’t want Dad to worry about me, not when there’s nothing I can do to get out of this situation right now. And not when I’m unsure about his current state of health.

I put the phone on the carpet, and my head falls into my hands. I press my palms into my eyes, willing my frustrated tears to remain at bay.

I’m so over crying.

A soft, melodic chime cuts through the air.

I lift my head. Is someone calling? I don’t recognize the ringtone.

I pick up the phone. Sure enough, a name flashes on the screen, indicating an incoming call, but I’m less surprised by the call than by the person calling.

Kevin

My heart skips. How does he know I have reception?

The answer hits me fast. Kayla . She must’ve told him I called. But why?

Knowing my time is limited, I get over my initial surprise and accept the call. “Hello? ”

“Hey, stranger.” Kevin’s voice makes my chest warm. “I was worried you weren’t going to answer.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Why wouldn’t I answer?”

“I don’t know.” He chuckles. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be busy. How is Greece?”

Am I crazy, or does he sound nervous?

“Greece is fine.” The lie rolls off my tongue. I only feel a little bad about it. “How are you enjoying being home for break?”

“It’s been good. It’s nice to catch up with old friends, but…”

I wait for him to say more.

I pull the phone back when he doesn't and squint at the screen.

“Kevin?” I press the phone back to my ear. “You there?”

“Yeah…” His voice falters. He coughs once. “I’m here.”

“You kinda cut out there. What were you saying?”

Another pause.

Then, slowly, he says, “I was just going to say that it’s nice to catch up with old friends, but… I wish you were here, too.”

A sudden heat rises in my cheeks. “You… you do?”

“Yeah.” The words are quiet, almost shy.

I can’t think of a coherent response. Thankfully, I don’t need to.

Kevin clears his throat and, with more confidence, says, “When Kayla told me you were coming back to Maine early, I was looking forward to hanging out. I was bummed when I heard you decided to stay behind in Greece for one last course.”

My stomach flips. “You were? ”

“Yep.” The word comes out strained. “It was gonna be my chance to finally ask you out.”

Wait, what ?

I stare at the white lace curtains hanging across the room, struggling to wrap my brain around what he said.

He… wanted to ask me out?!

I hold the phone between my shoulder and ear and pinch my arm to make sure I’m not dreaming.

Nope. This is real.

The guy I’ve been in love with for years admitted he’s wanted to ask me out.

On the inside, I squeal.

On the outside, it’s a struggle to breathe.

Kevin’s awkward laugh filters through the phone again, snapping my attention back to our conversation. “But, uh… never mind. Forget I said anything.”

No!

“I don’t want to forget it,” I blurt out, pulse racing

He pauses. “You don’t?”

“No, I don’t,” I sigh. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect you to say that. I… I didn’t know you liked me.”

“Of course, I like you.” His words come easily now.

A giddy smile stretches across my face. “I meant I didn’t know you liked me like that .”

“I didn’t either,” he admits, his voice soft. “Not until you and your dad left Maine.”

My heart thumps wildly. “But that was two years ago.”

“Yeah… it was.”

Oh. My. God.

Kevin has had feelings for me for two years?

And I’m just finding out about it?!

“Darcie? ”

“I’m here.” But it feels like I’m floating.

Emboldened by his admission, I decide it’s time to confess how I’ve felt about him since I was twelve—words I haven’t shared out loud since I said them to Kayla.

I smile to myself.

Something tells me I will enjoy Kevin’s reaction much more than his sister’s.

So, with a deep breath, I fulfill an almost decades-long dream and say, “I like you too, Kevin.”

Whatever he says in response is lost to me.

Almost as soon as the words pass my lips, a sharp, stabbing pain shoots through my body. It starts at my chest and jolts down to my stomach.

The phone slips from my grasp. My hands hit the floor as my body collapses forward. I gasp. My lungs burn like they’re on fire. I fight to pull in air.

A thud sounds in the hallway. I snap my head toward the door, my stomach twisting. I'm terrified of being caught with my phone but also desperate for help.

Through my pain, I brace for someone to enter. No one does.

Who’s there?

Are they doing this to me?

“Darcie?” Kevin’s voice penetrates my racing thoughts, but it’s distant and muffled, like I’m underwater.

I can’t respond. I can barely breathe.

I don’t know how long I sit there, hunched over in agony, but the distinct sound of footsteps thuds through my head.

And, with each step that fades down the hall, the debilitating pain begins to recede, leaving me trembling, weak, confused… and undeniably afraid.