Are you with me? (Trinity Series Book 3)

by Regina Bartley

  As I lay there, my thoughts went to Gwen. I couldn’t wait to see her again. I had this desperate need for her.

  I reached my hand into the pocket of my jeans, and with one eye open, I found the number I was looking for.

  There was someone I needed to talk to.

  18

  Gwen

  “You’re never going to believe who’s calling me right now?” Obi said. We were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie when his phone rang. He flashed the screen at me, and Josh’s name popped up.

  I felt a little flip flop inside my stomach as I sat up a little straighter. He was being awfully risky by calling my brother.

  Obi answered it and hit the speaker button. “Hello.”

  “Hellooooo,” Josh said in response.

  Obi looked over at me, his eyes wide. Josh was wasted. You could hear it in his voice.

  “What do you want man?” Obi shook his head.

  “I wanted to tell you that I love your sister.”

  I couldn’t hold back a snicker. It sounded like English, but his words were slurred all over the place. He was calling Obi to profess his love for me, or at least I think he was. Truthfully, he sounded more like a blubbering mess.

  “I know,” Obi said sincerely. “I think you better get to bed. You don’t sound too good.”

  “I don’t feel too good either. Will you tell your brother not to kill me, and tell your sister I love her?”

  I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. It wasn’t in my nature to laugh at other people’s expense, but he was cracking me up. Chances are he wouldn’t remember this conversation tomorrow, but he’d likely be humiliated if he did.

  Poor guy.

  “Yeah.” Obi rolled his eyes. “I got to go now.”

  “Okay,” Josh replied.

  The line grew silent, and all you could hear was his heavy breathing. Obi was laughing so hard. “I think he passed out.”

  “Hey, give me that.” I snatched the phone from his hands, and pressed the end button.

  “What?” He shrugged. “That was funny. Of all the people to drunk dial, he chose me.” Another laugh escaped him.

  “I’m just thankful he didn’t call Fox,” I countered.

  “Touché’.”

  Wonder if he called me?

  I left my phone upstairs by my bed for that very reason. I didn’t want him calling me while I was with either of my brothers. It would just cause more problems, especially if he was smashed and drunk dialing.

  A part of me was wondering why he’d been drinking all night. Was it because he’d been out with Garrett, or because he was dwelling on what happened between him and Fox? I couldn’t be sure. We didn’t get to talk as much as I hoped we could.

  My body slacked against the arm of the couch, and I fought the urge to run up the stairs to check my phone. It wouldn’t matter anyway if he were passed out.

  That left me lying there asking myself the million-dollar question.

  Do I tell him that I heard his drunk dialing conversation with Obi, or no?

  Got to be no. I don’t want him self-loathing on my account.

  But maybe one day, when the whole mess of our lives was sorted out we could laugh about this night.

  One day…

  19

  Josh

  I nursed a killer hangover for the first part of the week, trudging through the never-ending bout of classes. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how I did it so many times before. I tried drinking Gatorades and unlimited amounts of water, even consumed a half a bottle of Ibuprofen in four days, but it didn’t help. It was lack of sleep. It had to be. So on my first day off from classes, I spent a solid twelve hours tucked away in my bed. It wasn’t the best sleep I’d ever gotten, but I felt mighty refreshed afterward. It made the next day way more bearable. By late Thursday night I had all the plans made for a weekend getaway with my girl, one that she hadn’t even agreed to yet. I hadn’t even told her yet. Obviously, I was counting my chickens before they hatched, but I was too excited not to.

  By Friday, I was ready. Once my last class of the day was over, I went back to my room to finish up my studying, and waited for the right time to tell her. It had to be late. She was going to have to sneak away from her house unnoticed.

  I swear, in my head it sounded like the perfect plan, but I was sure we’d make mistakes along the way. Not to mention the wrath that is Fox Taylor, who’d surely kill me if he found out I was taking his sister away for the weekend.

  I already knew their big secret, and we’d be far away from her stalker guy. Nothing was going to happen to her on my watch. They could be sure of it.

  Instead of studying, I ended up daydreaming about the weekend, and staring at a blank sheet of paper for two hours. It was useless. There was no way I was going to get anything done, though I had a lot of catching up to do after skipping classes to take a trip home. I was just too excited to concentrate. Also, I was a little worried that she’d shoot the whole idea down, and I’d be going to the city by myself for the weekend. That wasn’t what I had in mind.

  By ten o’clock, I couldn’t wait any longer. I’d already replayed our trip in my mind about a hundred times, and I was ready for the real thing.

  Fingers crossed that she’d say yes.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened my phone and sent her text.

  Me: What are you doing?

  Gwen: I’m putting away the dishes from supper.

  Me: Really? That sounds boring.

  Gwen: What would you rather I be doing?

  Gwen: Nope. Don’t answer that. Lol

  Me: Damn. I had the whole scenario typed out too. You would’ve loved it.

  Gwen: I’m sure I would.

  Me: Why are you doing dishes so late at night?

  Gwen: Why are you texting me so late at night?

  Me: I had a question to ask you.

  Gwen: Okay… You’re scaring me a little.

  I was terrified myself.

  Me: Come away with me for the weekend? I’ll take you to the city, and we can spend the weekend together, just the two of us. What do you say?

  And the awkward silence began…

  I think I really did scare her.

  Crap!

  20

  Gwen

  Oh boy…

  I stared at his text message for a good ten minutes, trying to figure out what I was going to do or say, weighing every possible scenario that was going to happen. Fox would likely never forgive me. He’d probably want to murder us both.

  Was the reward worth the risk?

  That’s what I kept asking myself.

  Josh: What are you thinking? Am I crazy? Is it a bad idea?

  Me: I’m thinking about a lot of things. Yes, you’re crazy! Yes, it’s a bad idea! But…

  Josh: But…

  Sheesh. I was actually considering it. It was thoughtless, reckless, and bound to come back to bite me in the ass. But the biggest part of me didn’t care. I wanted to run away with him, even if it was only for a night. Consequences be dammed.

  My heart was pounding frantically in my chest to the point I thought it might explode. I wasn’t a risk taker. I wasn’t someone who followed my heart. I was a gut only kind of girl, and my gut was twisted up in knots. It was telling me that I was out of my mind.

  Josh: Are you with me?

  I rocked back and forth on my bed waiting for the queasy feeling to subside. When that didn’t work, I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair.

  Me: Give me thirty minutes.

  Me: Oh, and pick me up out by the street. Don’t pull into the driveway.

  Josh: Yes ma’am!

  What the hell had I just done?

  Probably the dumbest idea ever, and I just jumped on board.

  Just breathe. As if telling myself that would actually work.

  I rushed over to my closet and pulled out an overnight bag from the top shelf. Then I quickly locked my bedroom door so I wouldn’t get
caught in the middle of packing. Wouldn’t that be great?

  I wasn’t careful about picking and choosing clothes. Instead, I just threw everything in there like I was running away from home. That’s what it felt like I was doing, running away.

  Fox was going to flip out once he realized I was gone.

  I decided that I’d leave him a note on my nightstand, and just text my Mom once I was already on the road. I could make up some story about hanging out with my cousin Beth over the weekend. She couldn’t exactly freak out until Fox and Obi called her, and hopefully by then we’d be far out of town.

  Fox was out late, and Obi fell asleep on the couch around eight thirty. He was exhausted from wrestling practice, and I told him I’d be in my room studying for the night. He’d never expect me to leave, but boy he’d be pissed when he found out. This overwhelming guilt started to creep in. I could feel the weight of it on my shoulders like I was carrying bricks, and I wished it didn’t have to be that way. Obi was the last person I’d want to hurt, but deep down I thought maybe he’d understand. After our talk, he seemed more receptive. Maybe a trip away would be exactly what we all needed.

  Oh, who was I kidding?

  It was a gigantic excuse to try and rectify my wrong doings, and it wasn’t working.

  This was my chance. I could run away, even if just for the night, and forget all about the burdens at home. It was a chance for me to have a tiny piece of freedom. And no matter how small it was, I needed it.

  Once my toothbrush was in the bag, I zipped it up. I grabbed my phone and my charger and stuffed them into my extra-large purse. Chances are, I was probably forgetting something, but I didn’t have time to worry about it. Inside the drawer of my desk, I grabbed a notebook and pen to write Fox a note. I wouldn’t tell him where I was going, not that I actually knew, but I wanted to give him some peace of mind that I’d be all right.

  Dear Fox,

  I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you this face to face, but I needed a break. I needed a chance to breathe a little, and I couldn’t do that here. So, I’m going out of town for the weekend, but I’ll be back home soon. Please don’t worry about me. I’m in good hands. Nothing will happen to me, so there is no need to worry. Just give me this space. It’s what I need. I know that you don’t understand what it feels like to be trapped, and living a life that has no meaning, but I can tell you that it’s hard. But… It’s even harder when the people trapping you are the ones you love the most. Maybe someday, when you aren’t so angry with me, we could sit down and talk like we used to. But I’m probably fooling myself. Things won’t ever be like they used to be. Will they?

  There is no need to try chasing after me either, I’ll be back home when I’m ready. I’m eighteen, Fox. You’ve got to give me a little freedom, even if it means disappointing our parents.

  I love you very much, and I promise I’ll be home soon.

  I’m so sorry.

  All my love,

  Little BIRD

  P.S. Don’t be hard on Obi. This wasn’t his fault.

  I set the notebook on my nightstand so that he wouldn’t miss it, and then grabbed my bag. I crept slowly through the hall, and down the stairs, careful not to wake up Obi. Too bad we didn’t have carpet; cause the hard wood was not easy to sneak around on. You would’ve thought that I weighed as much as a grown man with the amount of noise I was making.

  I disarmed the alarm, and gently closed the front door behind me. I was paranoid, and looking all around. Just waiting for someone to snatch me up, and drag me back into the house. My pounding heart was almost as loud as the ringing in my ears.

  The driveway was mostly dark once I made it around the fountain. I tucked myself as close as I could to the hedges, and jogged the rest of the way. If Fox had pulled up and caught me, he would’ve gone ballistic.

  Once I was outside of the gate, I stopped for just a second to catch my breath. I hadn’t even run that far, but it was like my body’s natural response. The adrenaline rush was overwhelming.

  Headlights caught my eye, and I almost freaked out. I thought for sure I was caught. Whoever it was rolled to a complete stop, and that was when I saw the Camaro. It was a sight for sore eyes.

  We did it.

  I opened the car door and jumped in like my ass was on fire. I didn’t look back.

  “Go!” I yelled.

  His car jolted forward, and we sped off into the night.

  21

  Josh

  “I can’t believe I just did that,” she said in a nervous voice. Her beautiful blue eyes were wide when she held out her hands in front of her. They trembled. “We’re crazy.”

  It made me nervous to see her like that. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can still take you back,” I reassured her. The holes in our plan were bigger than the potholes on Main Street, the ones that suck your entire car under. People were going to be pissed, and there was a good chance Fox was going to wring my neck. I was ready and willing to take that chance, but she didn’t have to. I needed her to know that.

  “I’m sure.” She nodded her head. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  I took hold of her shaky hand, and laced our fingers together, offering her the security that she longed for, that she was used to getting. I could read her like a book. I knew the comforts that she needed to feel safe and secure. I would give her nothing less, maybe because I needed it to.

  Raising her hand up to my lips, I kissed the back of it gently. “Let’s make a pact right now, that for the next two days we won’t mention a word about the mess that’ll be waiting for us back home. We won’t talk about your brother,” whose name I couldn’t even say. “We won’t talk about home or running away from it all. We should focus on us, and the adventure, because the two of us need a little fun in our lives. We throw all the serious shit out the window.”

  “I love that idea,” she replied before resting her head back against the seat. Her hands weren’t shaking anymore, despite the nerves that were still showing on her face.

  “Let’s start by turning off our cell phones,” I suggested, passing mine across the seat. “Here,” I gave her mine to shut down. “Did you leave a note or anything?”

  She said yes. “I left one beside my bed, but I didn’t tell them where I was going or who I was with. I also texted my Mom and told her that I was spending the weekend with my cousin. They’re still in Japan or somewhere, and I have no clue when they’ll be home.”

  Her parents? Geez. I was a complete douchebag.

  I jerked the wheel hard to the right and pulled off to the side of the road. “We can’t do this. I’m sorry. I’d never run away from home and leave my parents worrying like that. They know exactly where I am. I should’ve never asked you to do that. I’m an idiot.”

  “Wait, hey,” she shifted in her seat. “I’m supposed to be the one with all the doubts, not you. You’re supposed to be the calm one.”

  “I’m know, and I’m sorry.” My hands tightened on the steering wheel. “But I wanted this to be perfect. I wanted us to get to know each other better, away from all the craziness. I didn’t stop to think about your parents. They’ll be worried sick when Fox tells them.” I frantically shook my head. “There’s no way anyone will ever let me see you again after this. They’ll hate me, and who knows what they’ll do to you when they find out you ran off with me. We can’t take that chance.”

  “You’re forgetting one thing.” She leaned across the seat so that our faces were just inches apart.

  My breathing nearly stopped. “What’s that?” I responded.

  “I’m eighteen years old.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “No buts,” she shook her head before placing a soft kiss against my lips. “I’ve been in trouble maybe twice in my entire life. I do everything that is asked of me, no matter how crappy it makes me feel. I’m supposed to be experiencing college life, and living it to the fullest. Yet, I barely leave the house. I know that this will probably upset my parents, a
nd my brothers are going to be mad as hell, but I don’t care. I agreed to come with you because I wanted to, more than anything. For my sanity, I had to get the hell out of that house.” She kissed me once more. “Now, please stop worrying. I’ll leave my phone on and answer it only if my parents call. Everyone else doesn’t matter.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive,” she smiled.

  It was probably a dick move on my part for suggesting this in the first place, but it was only two days. I’d bring her back in better shape than I took her.

  “Okay.” I grabbed her and kissed her hard. “I’m sorry for my little meltdown. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good.”

  “And I want you to know that I don’t have expectations for this trip. We’ll get separate rooms if you want. My intentions were only to spend time with you. Real time, and not thirty minutes.” I told her. I didn’t want her thinking that I only wanted to get her away so that I could sleep with her.

  She blushed, and dipped her head down. “I know that, and I don’t want separate rooms.”

  Thank God.

  I pulled back onto the road and headed for the highway. We were just a couple of hours outside of Little Rock, and I couldn’t wait for us to get there. We could have dinner, enjoy the city, and talk all night.

  Suddenly, the nerves subsided, and I was finally ready to relax.

  “What kind of music do you have?” She smiled. I guess her nerves had gone away too. I cranked up the stereo, and she smiled. “You were listening to country?” She looked surprised.

  I chuckled. “Don’t knock my music, Woman.”

  A loud beautiful sound came flowing out of her. She had the best laugh ever. “I just didn’t expect that. I love country.”