Forks, Book Two

by A. E. Davis

  “I was wondering…” He shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over the back of the chair.

  “Did Officer Sykes see you?”

  “Who? I didn’t see anyone.”

  “Isn’t there a cop car across the street?”

  “I didn’t really look that hard but I don’t think so.”

  “Good. Hopefully, he left.”

  “Why was a cop here?”

  “Oh, he works with Ken, I mean Officer Warren.”

  “And…”

  “He’s supposed to be keeping an eye out.”

  “For what?”

  “For me, I guess.” Shivering, I rubbed my arms and glanced back out the window as another flash of lighting lit up the sky.

  “How’s your Mom doing?”

  I did a double take. “How’d you know about my mom?”

  “Glinda told me.”

  “How’d she know?”

  “Got me.”

  “Weird,” I said more to myself than to him, thinking about how she said sorry to me even before I knew what happened to my mom.

  “Amber?”

  “Yeah?” I answered distracted.

  “Are we going to stand in the middle of your room all night?”

  “Oh, sorry,” I said. “We can sit on my bed.”

  “You sure you want me on your bed?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” An uncomfortable twisty feeling settled in my belly.

  “You may not be able to control yourself.”

  “Puhleeze,” I laughed and pushed against his hardened chest. “You wish.”

  “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” he asked teasingly.

  “Oh, stop,” I laughed again. It felt good to laugh. I grabbed his arm and steered him towards the bed. “You can sit now.”

  The bed creaked as Vincent sat down.

  I kicked off my shoes and then climbed up next to him. Pulling one of my pillows onto my lap, I crossed my legs and got situated. “So how’s it going?” I asked stupidly. My knee was touching his thigh and I could feel the heat through his jeans even though they were wet from the rain. I didn’t care though. A little water wouldn’t hurt my comforter.

  “It’s going.”

  I gathered my hair up. “When did you talk to Glinda?”

  “Earlier today.” He raked his hair back from his face. “After you left school.”

  “Oh.” I dropped my hands and fidgeted with the edge of the pillow.

  “So what happened to your mom?”

  “She fell down the stairs.”

  “How’d she do that?”

  I had every intention of telling him what Mom said, that she was pushed, but then I decided not to. “She tripped.”

  “Wow. That sucks.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Yeah. Luckily she only hurt her ankle so she’ll be home tomorrow.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “Yeah, it is.” I let out a nervous breath.

  “You nervous?”

  “No,” I lied. “Why do you ask?” I was sure he could hear my heart pounding.

  “Just curious.” I was sure if I could see his face he would be giving me one of his looks that made my heart go pitter-patter. I was glad it was dark.

  “So… what would you like to talk about?” He shifted and his leg rubbed against mine. My leg tingled.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “What would you like to talk about?”

  “I asked you first.”

  He chuckled. “Are we having a contest or something?”

  “No.”

  “Well then…what would you like to talk about? Or…”

  “Or what?”

  “We can always fool around.”

  “No!” I threw my pillow at him and he laughed harder. It warmed me like it always did.

  “Come on, Amber.” He nudged my leg with his. “Don’t get all riled up, I was just playing.”

  “You are so not funny.” I nudged him back, laughing a little.

  “And yet she laughs.”

  “Yeah, she does.” I didn’t mention that it was more of a nervous laugh.

  “So are you still allowed to come out and play with us this weekend?”

  “I don’t know,” I said glumly. “It depends if Mom is feeling better.”

  “Well,” he sighed. “There’s always next year.”

  “Can’t we go next weekend?” My voice came out all whinny.

  “Nah,” he said. “I can’t.”

  “Oh.” Even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with him before, now that I might not be able to, I was a little sad about the prospect of not getting to go.

  “I can get you a pumpkin.”

  “You will?”

  “Yeah, I’ll bring it over and we can have a carving contest.”

  “That’s what Ken said, too.” I hated to admit it but I was looking forward to the outing Ken had planned. It would be the first time I had done something like that since I was a kid.

  “Amber,” Vincent said, breaking me from my thoughts.

  “Yeah?”

  “Want to play a game?”

  “What kind of game?” I asked warily.

  “How bout truth or dare?”

  “Ah…no.”

  “Party pooper.”

  “Yeah, well, I had enough of that game the other night.”

  “It was a pretty lame idea.”

  “Yep, it sure was,” I agreed wholeheartedly, thinking of how he and Glinda were rolling around on the ground together.

  “Glinda was pretty lit that night.”

  Yeah, she was something, I though dejectedly. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Yeah, she was pretty upset, too.”

  “About what?” This surprised me because she didn’t look upset to me, well…at least not until later.

  “Viktor said something she didn’t like.”

  “Oh really…” I sat forward. “What did he say?”

  “I should let her tell you.”

  “Oh, come on. You brought it up.” I pushed his shoulder.

  “Well, she was trying to you know…”

  “What?” my voice came out all screechy.

  He laughed. “I thought that would get your attention.”

  “Well…what she doing?” I couldn’t mask the expectancy in my voice.

  “Sorry. No can do. Besides, why do you care?”

  He had me there. Why did I care? Because I kissed Viktor, that’s why, my sick mind chided me. “I was just curious,” I lied.

  “Anyway, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I’m sure she will tell you…eventually.”

  “I doubt that,” I muttered, instantly irritated with Glinda again because she knew I liked Viktor. Or did she? Shoot. I couldn’t even keep my feelings straight so how could she? At least he shut her down…that was something, I supposed.

  “We’re used to how she acts when she drinks.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “She gets a little….friendly.”

  “Friendly…how?” God. Why was I asking that? I didn’t really want to know.

  “She just gets flirty…silly acting. Nothing extraordinary.”

  What the heck was that supposed to mean? “Oh. So have you been a recipient of her flintiness?”

  He laughed. “Is that even a word?”

  “Yeah…a made up one.”

  “You’re funny.”

  Great. That was so not what I wanted to hear Vincent say about me. “Funny as in…”

  “Cute…adorable…like a kitten.”

  “A kitten.” God. Really? A kitten?

  “You have this way about you…I never know what you’ll do next.”

  “And you think that’s a good thing?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I’m not easily amused.”

  “Great. So I’m like a clown to you?”

  “An adorable one,” he added.

  My heart went pitter
-patter as color bloomed to my cheeks. Thank God it was too dark to see. “Thanks, I guess.”

  “Oh, come on, Tiger…it’s meant to be a compliment.”

  “Yeah, if you say so.” Lightening crackled in the sky and lit the room for a moment.

  Vincent’s expression made my breath catch. He looked so…intense…sad. It was weird. Wasn’t he just joking around with me? “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he breathed. “I was just thinking about Sandy.”

  I tensed. “What about her?” I couldn’t believe I had completely forgotten about her. I felt horrible.

  “She was funny, too.”

  Oh great, that was freaking perfect. “Oh.”

  “She had this way about her, you know, like she didn’t know how pretty she was.”

  My heart pounded faster, but this time not in a good way. I was suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. “I guess you two were pretty close?” I didn’t know why I asked that, either. I didn’t really want to know.

  “Yeah. We were,” he said sadly.

  I wanted to ask how close but couldn’t seem to get the words out. They were stuck in my throat. Right behind the giant lump that formed as soon as he said her name.

  “I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she is gone.”

  “Oh.”

  “I thought I was getting better, but sometimes she just creeps back in my mind, you know?”

  No, I didn’t know. Well, that wasn’t true either. I kind of did know because she kept creeping into my mind, too. More often than I would like. “I guess I shouldn’t ask this again but…” I stopped. I was afraid he would get upset like the last time I asked him.

  “Go ahead.” He exhaled and I smelled cinnamon on his breath.

  “Nah. I better not.” I backpedaled. “Some things are better left unsaid.”

  His body tensed. “That’s what she said, too.”

  Are you kidding me? What was I to say to that? “Did you two date or something?” Oh. My. God. What was I asking that for?

  “We did… for a while.”

  A sharp pain settled in my chest from the wistfulness I heard in his voice. “What ended it?”

  He let out a brittle laugh. “We both did.”

  “Why? I mean, if you liked each other so much.” I couldn’t mask the jealous tone in my voice but luckily he didn’t seem to notice.

  “She liked someone else.”

  “Who?”

  “Viktor.”

  With that one word, the proverbial blade that was already in my chest plunged deeper—now I really wished I kept my big mouth shut.

  A long silence stretched between us. My mouth was dry and my heart hurt…for me, for him…even for Viktor. “That’s really sad.” I choked back the rush of tears that stung my eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you sorry for?” his voice had an icy edge. “You didn’t do anything.”

  “Your loss. I can tell you really cared about her.”

  “Yeah, well…shit happens.”

  The anger in his voice threw me for a loop. I reached out and put my hand on his. Trying in my own way to console him.

  He slid his fingers through mine and squeezed.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” Just like the day in the car, his pain was palpable.

  “I shouldn’t be dumping this on you. It’s just… I don’t think I’ve gotten over it yet.”

  A pang of guilt settled in my chest. I couldn’t help wondering if he was having a hard time getting over her…or her death. It sounded like the same thing but it really wasn’t. One he could get past, eventually, the other…well, it didn’t seem likely that he would and that made me feel even worse, which I immediately felt horrible for. I took a breath, trying to squash my own inner turmoil. “It’s okay. That’s what friends are for.” I was trying to be helpful even though what I said came out sounding not as sincere as I would have liked.

  “Yeah. I guess.” He absently slid his thumb back and forth over the side of my hand.

  I wanted to lean forward and give him a hug, try to take his pain away, but I felt like I would be intruding on his grief. That I would somehow make everything worse for him. So I stayed silent.

  The storm raging outside matched the one raging inside of me. It was at odds with itself, just like my emotions. My mind spun. I wanted to know if Viktor had dated her too, but I couldn’t ask him that. Then I immediately felt like an insensitive “b” for even thinking it.

  He shifted and took a deep breath. Leaning his head back against the wall. I didn’t know what he was thinking and was afraid to ask at this point.

  Neither of us said anything for a while. And with the rain and wind, and the warmth of his hand as well as the soft gentle stroking of his thumb, I was getting sleepy. I bit back a yawn.

  “You tired?” he asked his voice quieter now, no longer sounding angry.

  “Kind of.”

  “Here,” he said and moved up to the top of the bed next to me.

  “What are you doing?” My voice came out all pitchy.

  “I’m getting comfortable.”

  “Oh.” I moved over so he could have room to sit beside me.

  He situated himself and leaned back against my pillows.

  “C’mere.” He lifted his arm.

  “Why?”

  “Amber, just lean back,” he said, sounding exasperated.

  “I am,” I lied.

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “I’m not afraid.” I lied. I was afraid of everything where he was concerned. If he still had feelings for Sandy, how could I compete with a ghost? And if he didn't, I didn’t want to inadvertently hurt him, either. He had enough to deal with without me and my contrary emotions that were constantly at odds. I was a mess.

  “Sure you are,” he said, on a breath of air.

  “I am not,” I said a little snappily irritated he could read me so well.

  “Prove it.”

  “How?”

  “Lay down.”

  “Fine,” I huffed and did as he instructed to prove the point but it only made me more aware of him. He reached down and pulled the edge of my comforter over me. In spite of my earlier objections, with the sound of the rain combined with the warmth from his body, my eyes slowly drifted shut. His hand moved down my shoulder and back up again. A warm fuzzy feeling spread deep inside me each time his hand slid back down my arm.

  Tentatively, I reached up and placed my hand on his chest. The heat from his body seeped through his shirt. My fingers tightened on the soft material suddenly wanting to lift it up and feel the warmth of his bare skin.

  “Vincent?”

  “Hmm?” His chest vibrated under my hand.

  “Are you asleep?”

  He chuckled. “Not yet.”

  “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why aren’t you sleeping?”

  “Because you keep talking to me,” he said.

  “Oh.” I tried to close my eyes but that only made matters worse. “Vincent?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  “For …?” he asked.

  “For coming over,” I elaborated.

  “Anytime,” he said and squeezed my shoulder.

  “You’re going to stay for a while, right?”

  “I suppose,” he sighed.

  “Gee, don’t sound so enthused.”

  “I wasn’t trying to.”

  “Hey!” I smacked his stomach.

  He groaned. “I was kidding.”

  “Sure you were.”

  He chuckled.

  I closed my eyes again. He smelled really good and the low thrum of his heartbeat was soothing and unsettling at the same time. I had never slept in the same bed with a boy before. And quite honestly, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get any sleep at all with him next to me.

  “Vincent?”

  “Yes?” A soft sigh shuddered through him.

 
“Never mind.”

  “Amber, you’re killing me.”

  “Why?”

  “Listen, I am trying really hard to be good but you are making it …difficult.”

  “Good how?” My belly did a little flip.

  “That’s a loaded question.”

  “How so?”

  “You really want me to tell you?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want the answer.”

  “You want us to be just friends…right?”

  “Well, yeah. Of course,” I said quickly.

  “Then go to sleep.”

  “But…”

  “Go to sleep,” he repeated, his voice stern.

  “Oh—kay,” I said slowly, wishing I knew what he was thinking. Instead of asking another question, I closed my eyes. His hand kept moving slowly up and down my arm, making it tingle everywhere he touched.

  The rain continued to come down and the wind howled but with Vincent beside me, it didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did before. And if the truth were to be told, I was glad it was storming because if it wasn’t Vincent probably wouldn’t be here beside me now.

  “Goodnight, Amber.”

  “Goodnight, Vincent.” Smiling, I snuggled closer to him and finally, albeit reluctantly, drifted off to sleep.

  thirty eight

  Viktor stood away from me dressed in dated clothing, his beautiful face once again void of all emotion.

  My chest rose sharply with an intake of air. I couldn’t believe I was seeing him. Cold air swirled around us and a thick white blanket of fog covered the ground. I tried to recall the elusive thing that floated in my mind just out of reach. Like I should be seeing someone else’s face and not his, but for some reason I couldn’t recall who that might be.

  A funny little smile tipped up his lips as he placed his hand against the side of my face. It was cold, too cold, but as always when I was around Viktor, I didn’t even care.

  The wind ruffled his dark hair, pushing it forward.

  “Amber…” he said my name, but his lips weren’t moving. My brows creased in confusion.

  I didn’t recognize anything that I was seeing. A huge dilapidated building with light seeping out of its crumbling walls was in front of me and I was standing in a parking lot but no cars were in it. He turned and looked toward the building.

  “What is this place?”

  Titling his head to the side, he motioned me forward.

  I couldn’t get my feet to move. I was suddenly very afraid.