Page 14 of The One

And why does it feel completely normal to stare at him while loitering in a room packed full of people as music blasted around us?

I knew that answer.

I’d known it since gym class freshman year, when I first spotted him. He wasn’t supposed to be at the front of the net while we were playing volleyball. It was his turn to serve. But I noticed that he switched with his friend, and the next time he was supposed to rotate, he switched with someone else. And when class was over, he came up to me before I got to the lockerroom and asked my name. The drip of sweat that was falling down my cheek never hit my neck.

Because he’d caught it.

Now, as he gazed at me, he handed his cup to one of his friends and began to walk toward me.

The air suddenly seemed so thick; I couldn’t fill my nose. There was a tingling in the back of my throat, and it moved to my chest and my hands. My fingers clenched, released, clenched, and with each pump, sweat bled through my skin.

With the length of his stride, it only took a few paces before he reached me.

But he didn’t stop once he was close.

Instead, his fingers linked with mine, causing a spark to shoot through my body, and he led me to the staircase on the other side of the house, positioning me in front of him so I climbed first and he stayed behind me. At the top, he switched our order again, guiding me down a short hallway, opening one of the doors at the end and closing it behind us.

Pitch-black darkness. That was all I saw.

But even in here, the air hadn’t thinned. The temperature was cooler, doing nothing to settle what was happening inside me. The nerves were peaking, my chest heaving even though it didn’t feel like I was breathing at all.

“I’m right here.” He touched my waist, rubbing as high as my ribs, causing my breath to hitch. “Where the hell is the light switch?” His fingers tapped the wall. “There it is.” He smiled as it flicked on. “Not that I mind the dark. I just can’t see you, and I fucking love seeing you.” He took a seat on the bed, which made me realize we were in a bedroom. I hadn’t noticed a single detail in here except for him. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Why?”

“This isn’t your scene.”

“You don’t think so?”

“A party this size? No. A handful of friends hanging out? Yes.”

I laughed because he was right, but also because I was so surprised he was right. “Small settings feel better.”

“Why did you come, Lainey? If you tell me it was to chaperone Penelope, I won’t believe you—although she needs to be chaperoned if she’s as wild now as she was a couple of years ago.”

“Oh, she is. Maybe even more so.”

“Then, I’d bet a twenty that, right now, she’s doing a keg stand downstairs.”

“I can almost guarantee that she is.”

I didn’t like where I was standing—or that I was standing at all. I felt like I was on a stage with a spotlight shining over me, and that thought made me shiver. So, I joined Rhett on the bed but sat toward the foot, whereas he was near the head. I folded my hands in my lap, and when that didn’t feel right, I set my palms on the blanket.

“I came because I wanted to talk to you.”

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. But if you tell me you’re moving again, I’ll need about ten more beers before we have that conversation.”

My hair fell into my face when my head shook. “I’m not going anywhere until college.”

“Then, what is this about?”

I filled my cheeks with air. “I feel like I owe you an apology. You know, about me leaving and never reaching out. I know we talked about it a little on my first day back, but I didn’t tell you I was sorry. That I was wrong. That Icouldn’tkeep in touch with you …”

His arms were behind him, holding his weight, forcing his torso to recline back. “Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?”

“This is going to sound crazy.” While I waited for the courage to come, I chewed on my lip.

“You want to hear crazy? You should hear my thoughts right now …”