by Nia Stephens
While the members of the ensemble took their bows, Bree and Thomas clapped louder than anyone else in the club.
“It’s still early,” Thomas said as Bree led him back to their table. “Want to come over to my place?”
Ordinarily, Bree would have laughed. She did not go home with guys on the first date—except in the case of Sean, the Thandie Newton stalker, and that was a complete disaster. On the other hand, Thomas might have a hard time maneuvering around anyplace Bree could suggest. Maybe it made more sense to go to his place?
“I don’t know,” she said thoughtfully. “Are your parents there?”
“No, they’re in Venice. The company is based there.”
“What do they do?” Bree asked, stalling.
“Shipping. We’ve got offices in a lot of places, but we’re based in Venice. We have been since the eighteen eighties.”
“Well, sure,” Bree decided. “I guess. But I don’t want to be out too late.”
Halfway there, though, Bree realized she had made a mistake. It would be wrong to dump a guy because he was blind—that was obvious. But wasn’t it also wrong to do things you wouldn’t normally do for the same reason? This was sketchy territory. And it didn’t help that Thomas had been trying to get to know Bree’s body by touch as soon as they got into the car.
“On second thought, maybe I should go home,” Bree announced. This was more than a little awkward, since they’d been locked in an intense kiss just a moment before.
“Why?” Thomas asked, eyebrows raised in a textbook expression of innocence. Bree began to wonder how many facial expressions were learned from watching other people and how many were innate. She realized then that she didn’t know how long he had been blind; she had assumed that he was born that way, but maybe it was recent? No matter how curious she was, it wasn’t something she could ask, which just made things more and more uncomfortable for her.
“Well, I barely know you, Thomas,” she explained. “You could be a serial killer or something.”
“A blind serial killer?” His voice was a touch sarcastic, so Bree didn’t mind snapping back.
“I don’t even know for sure that you’re blind.”
“Huh?”
“This could all be an elaborate act to get girls into your apartment where you rape them and cut them into little pieces.”
Thomas made an odd gasping noise, which sounded to Bree like shock. Then he burst out laughing.
“Sorry,” he gasped after almost a minute. “But I don’t think anyone has ever actually been scared of me before.”
“I’m not scared,” Bree insisted, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. She was used to Sutton and Kylian laughing at her, but this was different. “I’m just cautious. This is New York.”
“Bree, look carefully,” he said, removing his sunglasses for the first time. His eyes were pale blue, quite beautiful, and definitely blind. They didn’t track at all, even when she wiggled her fingers at what would be the edge of his vision, if he could see.
“Okay, I believe you,” Bree said, suppressing a shiver. It was irrational, she knew, but on some level she found his blank gaze absolutely terrifying.
“I guess there might be blind serial killers, but I’m not one of them.”
“Okay, fine,” Bree said. “I’m still not going home with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s just not a good idea on a first date. It’s too fast. I’m sorry.”
“It would be a little difficult for me to rape you, you know.” Now he sounded annoyed.
“I realize that. But we’re still in the car, and you’re awfully grabby.”
“So are you saying you weren’t enjoying it?” He crossed his arms over his chest, like a spoiled kid. Which, of course, he probably was, though the same was true of Bree. But Bree had had enough.
“Whether I enjoyed it at first is not the point. Now I want to go home, so either get your driver to head to Central Park West, or I’ll call my driver and get him to come to wherever you think we’re going,” Bree growled.
“Relax, Bree. I’m not kidnapping you. Hey, James,” he said, switching on the intercom. “Could you go back to Bree’s place instead?”
“Yes, sir,” said James.
“Thanks,” Thomas said, settling back into the creamy leather cushions, his arms still crossed. After a long silence, he put a hand on her knee. Once again, she was amazed at how aware he was of her position. It was spooky.
“I’m sorry, Bree,” he said gently. “That was pretty obnoxious. What can I say? Only a complete idiot wouldn’t try to talk you into coming home with him.”
“It’s all right, I guess,” Bree said. “But I want to be clear: even if I had gone to your place, we would not have had sex. I’d have to know you a lot better before that’s even a possibility.”
He grinned a sly grin. “What do you want to know? I’m happy to tell you anything you want to know.”
She patted his hand gently. “Not Twenty Questions stuff. I mean really knowing somebody.”
“Sounds like that could take a while.”
“Yep.”
He paused, thinking it over, then said, “You’re worth the wait.”
Bree had to laugh. “How would you know? We just met!”
“Some things you just know.”
“Like what?”
“All kinds of things.”
Like . . . whether someone is a serial killer?”
They laughed about that and other things until they arrived at Bree’s apartment.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Thomas said, kissing her on the cheek.
“All right, then. Goodnight.” She didn’t wait for James to get the door for her. She almost ran into the Edwardian, despite the skyscraper heels, trying to escape from her confusion. She was attracted to Thomas, but she didn’t believe that they had all that much in common. The ride to the club had been awkward in one way, and the ride from the club wasn’t much better. Ordinarily, she would drop a guy like that as soon as possible—second date conversation was even harder than first date conversation.
This was no ordinary situation, though. Bree knew perfectly well that most guys were initially attracted to her looks—and most of the time that was all they found interesting. With Thomas, that couldn’t be true. Whatever interested him went beneath the skin. Maybe he could see—no, feel—something between them that would grow into something truly special if Bree gave it chance, even though so far Bree had stronger feelings about her favorite eyeliner than she did about him.
On the other hand, though he wasn’t drawn to her physical beauty, he was definitely interested in her body. Maybe the only thing between them was their clothes, and all he wanted was to take them off?
Bree was too tired and too confused to come to any sort of conclusion. She said hello to Ameera, who was amazed to see Bree home at such an early hour, and went straight to bed.
The next morning, Bree felt fantastic—an unusual event for a Saturday morning. She didn’t have any real clarity about the Thomas issue, though, so she decided to head down to Sutton’s apartment for a second opinion.
Sutton was also wide awake, though still ensconced in the massive lake of ruffles and lace that was her canopy bed. After a quick review of Bree’s entire evening, Sutton wanted to go back to sleep.
“It would be one thing if you wanted to break up with him because he’s blind,” she said, ruffling her hair thoughtfully. “Obviously that would be wrong, even if his eyes are a little scary.”
“But Kylian still should have warned me,” Bree growled.
“True,” Sutton agreed with a yawn. “Is that why you’re having this little pow-wow with me and not Mr. Online Love himself?”
“Maybe,” Bree admitted. “But also because he would say something dumb like, ‘Follow your heart.’”
Sutton laughed, because it was so true. “Still, to keep going out with a guy because he’s blind—”
“That’s n
ot it at all!” Bree wailed.
“I see what you mean about it being complicated. So, let’s forget what’s right for a second.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Sutton,” Bree said slowly.
“True. But I don’t think this is about what’s right or wrong in theory. It’s about what you actually want to do. Do you want to go out with Thomas again or just tell him you’re not interested?”
SHOULD BREE GIVE THOMAS ANOTHER CHANCE?
turn to page 147 to find out what happens!
SHOULD BREE TELL THOMAS THAT HE HASN’T GOT A CHANCE?
turn to page 155 to find out what happens!
Think Bree should give Thomas another chance? Then read on!
Chapter 6
Blind Luck
“Teensie McPhoo?” Thomas repeated doubtfully. “I’ve never heard of her.”
“Them, actually,” Bree explained, shifting her phone from one ear to the other. She was sitting in the sauna by her mother’s shower, a place she found too steamy for books or magazines, which made it perfect for catching up on missed calls. After dragging Sutton out of bed that morning, they had gone for a run down by the Hudson, longer and slower than usual. Kylian had called three times and Thomas had called once, just like he said he would. Bree decided to let him wait a while before getting back to him, but found herself hitting the dial button as soon as she got comfortable on the little cedar bench. He invited her to the symphony, but Bree knew she would never stay awake. So she invited him to Teensie McPhoo instead.
“Teensie McPhoo plays Celtic funk,” she explained. “Imagine Parliament with bagpipes.”
“I’m having a very, very hard time imagining Parliament with bagpipes. But it does sound interesting.”
“They’re fun,” Bree promised. “It’s something you really have to be in the mood for, and it’s best to be in a group.”
“I really don’t think any of my friends would be into this,” Thomas said quickly.
Gotcha there, Bree thought. “Mine are,” she said.
“Well . . . okay. Pick you up at nine?”
“Why don’t we meet at the club?” Bree suggested, not eager for a repeat of last night’s drive home. The next time they made out it would be on her terms. “I’ll give you the address.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
After making sure that James would be able to find the club, Bree felt tired. The cool shower she took after the sauna didn’t perk her up. She was drowsing in her bed when Ameera wandered in, looking concerned.
“Are you sick?” she asked, placing a cool hand on Bree’s forehead.
“Nah. Just resting,” Bree sighed, letting her eyes flutter closed. “Big date tonight.”
“And I can see that you are simply bursting with joy at the very thought,” Ameera murmured.
“You know how it is,” Bree said. “He seems all right, but I feel so . . . wishy-washy, I guess? It would be nice to be really excited about hanging out with a guy after the first date.”
“Yes.”
“Yes what, Mom?” Bree’s eyes fluttered open again.
“Yes, it is nice to be excited. I remember, when I first met your father, a hundred times a day I thought, I can’t wait to tell Rashid this.”
“But that was after a few months, right? It didn’t happen before your second date!”
“It did,” Ameera said in her soft but always firm voice. “And it was for him as well. He called me at eight o’clock in the morning after our first date to tell me about his dreams, and ask me what I dreamed about, what I ate for breakfast, what I was going to do that morning. We thought everything the other said was interesting.”
“Urrr,” Bree groaned softly. “I’m going back to sleep.”
“Lazy little American thing,” she answered, kissing Bree on the forehead. “I’ll let you sleep.”
Tired as she was, Bree couldn’t get to sleep. It was obvious that her feelings for Thomas just weren’t strong enough. She could have invited him out to dinner, or somewhere else more suited for conversation. But she didn’t, because she didn’t want to have to talk about music again all night. She thought most of the things he said were pretty boring, and that was a clear signal that this wouldn’t work out over time.
Too late now, she decided. At least this way she would have plenty of company, and she wouldn’t be alone with him until the end of the evening when she would have to ask him not to call anymore. She wanted to put off that moment as long as possible.
Bree didn’t spend a lot of time getting ready that night. Her date didn’t know what she looked like, and it was probably going to be their last date anyway. So she dressed for comfort in old Levis and a Jackson Five T-shirt along with tough new Timberlands to protect her toes. She met Sutton in the lobby, similarly dressed, except that her pants were plaid.
“I already called Sam,” Sutton said, tucking her hair into a messy bun.
“Where’s Kylian?”
“The slacker wants us to pick him up.”
“That’s pretty bad,” Bree said, since he lived on the same block.
“He’s over at Lucas’s.”
“Ah,” Bree said slowly. “So we get to meet the mystery boy?”
“I get to meet two mystery boys who belong to other people,” Sutton said. “Lucky me.”
Bree almost told Sutton about her decision to dump Thomas, assuming that dump was the right word for someone she’d have only dated twice. But Bree decided not to get into it with her yet. Sutton might feel compelled to drop a hint, or somehow alert Thomas that something was going on before Bree was ready to talk to him herself.
Fortunately, distraction came in the form of Kylian’s new boyfriend, who was as charming and bizarre as Kylian himself. Bree couldn’t believe that anyone would pay her any attention with the two of them around. The first thing Lucas said when he climbed into the car was, “Oh my god! You weren’t kidding! Your best friends are the most beautiful girls in New York! I feel so . . . pimply! Argh!”
“I feel like that every day,” Kylian said, patting him on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”
Sutton was blushing bright red, but she didn’t say anything. Bree took the opportunity to introduce Sutton and herself.
“Oh, you’re the one who invited Thomas!” His green eyes were comically wide under thin red eyebrows. Lucas was not pimply at all, and barely freckled—Bree thought he was pretty cute in a skinny, geeky way. He wasn’t her type at all, but he suited equally skinny, geeky Kylian perfectly. “Has he shown you the trick he can do with his cane yet?”
“Um, no,” Bree said, hoping she knew which cane he was talking about. “But we just met.”
“Matter of time, I’m sure. It’s a good trick.” Lucas winked.
Thomas turned up a few minutes after they did, waiting patiently by the door until Bree saw him and dragged him through the crowd to their table. Bree introduced him around before fetching a round of drinks. By the time she got back, he and Sutton were shouting at each other across the table. Not in anger, but in response to the ever-increasing noise—the opening band had already hit the stage.
“What are they talking about?” Bree asked Lucas after passing him a Guinness. Bree had a perfectly good fake ID, but the bartender hadn’t even asked to see it.
“What do you think?” Lucas shouted back.
“Music?”
He nodded and rolled his eyes.
“Thomas, what do you think of the band?” Bree shouted across their tiny table. He didn’t respond at all. His head was turned to Sutton, who wasn’t even saying anything. She was tapping her fingers on the back of his hand, demonstrating the fingering for button accordion—and, just as clearly, flirting with him.
Bree wasn’t sure how she felt. Her automatic reaction was rage—how dare Sutton move in on her date while she was off getting drinks? Bree would never do something like that to her. Of course, Sutton knew that Bree wasn’t exactly head-over-heels for Thomas, and Bree was planning on brushing hi
m off anyway. But she hadn’t told Sutton that.
“Hey, Thomas,” Bree said, getting up to stand next to Thomas. “Feel like dancing?” When they were in physical contact he found it very easy to pay attention to Bree, at least he had the night before.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Are they moshing?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, no thanks. I don’t think that would be such a good idea.” It wasn’t until he said it that Bree realized what a stupid, dangerous idea that was. She slunk to the bathroom in embarrassment, and when she came back, Sutton was dragging Thomas out of the club.
“Wait, where are they going?” Bree asked.
“Outside, so it’ll be easier to talk,” Kylian explained. “They’re debating who did the best cover of ‘Low Rider.’”
“I’m with Sutton,” Lucas announced. “I like the Korn version, with bagpipes.”
“I hope they don’t get mugged,” Bree said, mostly meaning it. She really wasn’t happy with Sutton or Thomas at the moment.
The boys shrugged. It was obvious to all three that Sutton and Thomas were in no shape to notice whether their wallets went missing. Apparently the months without Jordan around had been tough on Sutton in more ways than one. Who knew she was so desperate to discuss her favorite cover of “Low Rider”?
Bree realized the situation was really serious when Sutton didn’t come bounding in the instant Teensie McPhoo took the stage. She didn’t reappear until the end of their first set, tugging on Bree’s elbow this time.
“Outside?” Bree shouted.
“Bathroom!” Sutton answered. As soon as the door swung shut she turned on Bree.
“How serious are you about Thomas now?” Sutton demanded, her deep blue eyes frighteningly dark.
“Why?” Bree asked, though the answer was obvious.
“I want him,” she answered with no hint of embarrassment.
“What about Jordan? I thought you were still in love with him?”