“I know about the rage. It’s because of his older brother. He’s starting to get past it. He’s better now.” I felt defensive toward Bryce. I understood him and I wanted Rachel to know he wasn’t bad, just hurt.
Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arched. “He’s talked to you about Royce? Jace told me he’s never spoken of him, not since his death. If anyone speaks his name, Bryce leaves the room. Jace said he never even cried.”
“Yes, he has. He almost cried in front of me when he talked about him at Christmastime. Bryce has written about Royce several times over the last couple of months. He said Royce was his hero.” I hoped I hadn’t crossed a line in admitting all of this to Rachel. I figured I could tell her anything because she could pluck it from my brain if she wanted to.
“Wow. That’s a side of him no one else has ever seen. Of course, Jace is biased. He’s never said anything good about Bryce. They’ve always had a tense relationship from what I’ve heard. I wondered why Bryce let him use the truck, though. It seemed out of character for him to do something like that.” Rachel was silent the rest of the drive home.
When she pulled into the driveway, she said thoughtfully, “You know I won’t say anything unless I have to. For now, it’s our secret. But I really think you should tell Abe and Jerica. Not about the kiss or any of the personal stuff, but about the emails. If anything, it might make them feel better that he’s got a friend.”
***
On Friday night, I slept with my phone close by in case Bryce called while I was still asleep. When my eyes popped open at a quarter past eight on Saturday morning, I anxiously checked my phone for missed calls. Nothing. I sure wished he would have been a little more specific about the time. A long day stretched out ahead of me with nothing to look forward to but that phone call. I hesitated to take a shower for fear he might call and I wouldn’t hear it ring over the rushing water. Or that I wouldn’t be able to get to my phone quickly enough. For the sake of personal hygiene, I finally put my phone in a water-proof plastic bag and took a bath.
Hours passed, but still no phone call. I waited for Rachel to pick me up and take me to Jace’s house for lunch.
“Why are you so jumpy?” Rachel asked as we pulled out of my driveway.
“Bryce is on an off-site training excursion and he might be able to call me today,” I explained in a rush. “I don’t know what time he’s going to call. It’s driving me crazy.”
She laughed. “It’s driving me crazy too, and I’ve only been with you for two minutes. You’d better get a grip on yourself, or you’ll worry Abe and Jerica.”
I felt too hyper and overanxious to be able to enjoy myself, but I tried to put on a good show in front of the Alexander family. When my phone rang halfway through lunch, I jumped out of my seat so fast, I nearly overturned it.
“I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I’ll be right back. It could be…” I looked at Rachel, willing her to cover for me. She rolled her eyes in response. Rushing from the room and out to the back patio, I pushed the talk button.
“Hello.” My lungs felt constricted and I could hardly get the words out.
“Wow, it’s good to hear your voice.” Bryce was practically yelling, so I guessed the reception wasn’t as good as he’d hoped. It was good enough, though.
“You too.” After several months and hundreds of emails, I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Alisa, I miss you so much. I can’t wait to see you again. I thought talking to you would make me feel better, but it just makes me want to see you even more.” Bryce spoke so rapidly, I could barely keep up.
“I miss you too. These past few days have been horrible. I’ve probably sent you ten emails just out of habit.” My voice shook with emotion. After waiting for this moment for days, it was overwhelming.
“We’ll be back at the dorm late tonight and I’ll read every email you sent. June seems so far away. I can’t wait to see you. Did you tell Mom and Dad I might be calling today?”
Bryce and I had never discussed how our correspondence might be viewed by others. Did he assume I discussed our long-distance friendship with his family? Maybe Bryce saw us as nothing more than friends and figured it would be natural for me to mention our online friendship. Maybe I’d been reading too much into it.
“No, I didn’t. Bryce, have you told them how often we write to each other?” I asked.
“No. It never felt like the right time. I wanted to wait until you were sure about us.” He sounded uncertain. He couldn’t have been any more uncertain than I was. Tell them what? I didn’t know there was an “us.” How exactly did he view our relationship?
“Alisa, I want to see you when I come home. Well, I want to do more than see you. I want us to be together. I’m no good at this. Am I making sense?”
I decided to take the plunge. “So, you want me to wait for you? You want us to be a couple?” I began blushing as soon as the words were out of my mouth. If I’d misinterpreted what Bryce was trying to say, I would never be able to face him again.
“Yes. I can’t imagine being with anyone but you and I can’t stand the idea of you being with anyone but me.” His voice sent shivers over every inch of my body.
“I’m already waiting for you, Bryce. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else,” I admitted, joy making my heart leap in my chest.
“I should call Mom and Dad. Are you there now?”
“Yes, I’m in your backyard. They’re probably wondering why I rushed out to take this phone call. Maybe they think I have a secret lover, or a drug dealer.”
“If they try to guess, I would put my money on secret lover as their first choice. The way you blush, you won’t be able to keep me a secret for long.” He laughed out loud. It was good to hear him laugh without a trace of mockery or darkness. He was like a new person.
“We’re heading out in a few minutes, and I still need to stop in one of the shops before we leave, so I guess I’d better call my parents. I’ll send you an email as soon as we get back to Central. I love you,” he said.
“I love you too.” The line disconnected. I had to stand outside for a few minutes to compose myself. It was funny how easily those words flowed from my lips. It was a life changing moment.
When some of the heat faded from my cheeks, I went back inside and joined the family in the dining room.
“Bryce is on the phone,” Jace mouthed to me, pointing at a glowing Jerica. She held her cell phone lovingly, like she was holding a little piece of the son she missed so badly. I knew she worried about Bryce, not just because of his dangerous calling, but because of his inability to show his emotions.
I began to worry when Jerica started to cry. Abe looked alarmed at first, but relaxed visibly when he realized she was still smiling. “Baby, let me put your dad on the phone. I love you too.” She handed the phone to Abe and mopped at her eyes with a napkin. Jerica waved away Jace’s attempt to ask her why she was crying. “Later,” she whispered.
The expression on Abe’s face went from confusion, to sadness, to joy. “I’m so proud of you son,” he said, his voice breaking. “I love you. Goodbye, Bryce.”
It took a few seconds for Abe to get control of his emotions. He looked at Jerica, then over at me. He winked and smiled. I couldn’t imagine what that was about.
“What’s going on?” Jace asked. “Why are you two crying? Is Bryce okay?”
“I’m not crying,” Abe said. “Your mom is. Bryce is fine. We just cleared the air a little, that’s all. He said he’s thinking about exploring a different career. He said he only joined WTB because of Royce. He stayed out of a thirst for revenge, even though he knew he wasn’t cut out for the job.”
“He actually talked about Royce?” Jace asked in amazement.
“He’s looking into making a transfer to the Watcher Academy next year. Or he may not go back to Central at all.” Abe caught Jerica’s eye and they both smiled. “He said he’ll send us an email when he gets back to the dorm. Apparently, his unit has been out on a training mission
and he was able to get phone reception on his way back. Man, it was good to hear his voice. I haven’t heard him sound so happy in…wow.”
The room fell silent. I held my breath, praying no one would think to ask me who called my phone and why I’d been so desperate to answer it.
“Well, everyone,” Jerica said. I almost jumped out of my seat. “Let me go get the dessert.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was so relieved she didn’t ask me about that phone call. But I wasn’t out of the woods yet.
“Hey, who called you?” Jace asked as Jerica left the dining room.
“Jace,” Rachel interrupted. “Can you do me a favor? I think I left my cell phone in the car. Can you go get it for me?” Rachel saved the day. I owed her big.
“Oh, yeah. I can’t wait to see your new phone.” Jace’s ADD kicked in, his previous question to me completely forgotten. He got up and bolted out the front door.
I hoped he would become so absorbed in Rachel’s new technological device, he would forget all about that phone call. Then I felt guilty for being such a bad friend. I remembered there was a time not too long ago that I’d jumped him for keeping Rachel a secret, and now I was doing the same thing. With his own brother.
Jace reappeared after a few minutes. “I can’t find it.”
“Oh, I forgot. It’s right here in my pocket,” Rachel said, thrusting the shiny, new phone toward him.
His eyes lit up with glee as he snatched it from her. By the time his mother came back into the room with the cake, he’d forgotten everything but the possibilities presented by a new piece of communication technology.
Silently thanking Rachel—and the inventors of her new phone—I allowed my mind to drift a little, thinking about the email I hoped would be waiting for me when I arrived home that evening.
Jace interrupted my thoughts. “So, Alisa. You never answered my question. Who called you earlier?”
Damn Jace to the pit of Hell. I could feel everyone watching me as they waited for my answer. Basically, I had three options. Option one: I could answer the question right then and there and endure the interrogation that would be sure to follow. Everyone would know I’d been holding out. Jace, and possibly his parents, would be hurt and angry by my deception. Option two: I could lie, but I suspected Jerica might have a few mind reading tricks up her sleeve, so that would probably backfire. Option three: I could say “Look, a grizzly bear,” and run out of the house while everyone was distracted, never to return again.
Option three sounded good. Four people waited for my response. I dared a quick glance at Rachel and she nodded in encouragement. My face heated and was undoubtedly turning fire-engine red like it always did when I was nervous, embarrassed, or stressed.
“It was some guy, wasn’t it?” Jace blurted. “Who is it? Ooh, Alisa’s been holding out.” Jace smiled, enjoying my embarrassment. Time to wipe the smile off his face. I took a deep breath.
“Yes, it was a guy.” I willed myself to continue and tried not to look anyone in the eye. “It was Bryce. He’s been emailing me ever since Winter Break and…” I broke off, unable to continue. The silence was so thick, I couldn’t breathe. I waited for someone to say something.
“No, Rachel, it’s not okay,” Jace said, obviously in response to some internal message from his girlfriend. “This sucks. I may have kept Rachel secret for a few weeks, but this is different. Bryce is my brother and you know how I feel about him. You know he’s just doing this to piss me off. He doesn’t even like humans, Alisa.”
Jace got up from the table and stormed out of the room. I was too shocked to start crying—yet. I knew the tears would come, most likely at the worst possible time. What if Jace was right? What if Bryce didn’t like me? What if it was just a big practical joke from one brother to the other? I tried to convince myself otherwise, but I couldn’t think of a single reason why Bryce would want to be with me in the first place.
All my self-doubts came crashing down and the tears came at last. Rachel, the good-hearted person that she was, left Jace to pout in his bedroom. Instead of following him, she reached over and took my hand.
“He’s just angry. He’ll get over it. Jace didn’t mean what he said. You know how he is,” she murmured sympathetically.
The thing was, I didn’t know. I’d never seen him that angry before. I felt like I didn’t really know my best friend at all. Or, maybe ex-best friend.
“Don’t cry, Alisa,” Jerica said. “Rachel is right. Jace will get over this in no time. I’m glad you and Bryce are friends. Or is it more?”
I could feel her willing me to look at her. Unable to resist, I looked into her eyes.
“I see that it is. I thought as much. Bryce told me on the phone that you two had become close. Alisa, do you remember what I told you at Christmastime? I said ‘Be patient with my son. He can be difficult, but he’s worth it.’ I wasn’t talking about Jace.” Jerica gave my hand a squeeze and left the room in pursuit of Jace.
“Jerica sees things others don’t,” Abe said. “Have faith in Bryce. And Jace. Things will work out. I promise.”
I smiled at him, trying to look reassured. Abe and Jerica sounded like fortune tellers with their vague predictions which could mean anything or nothing.
Abe began clearing the table, waving away Rachel’s attempt to help. “You two girls go to the living room. I’m sure Jace will be out in a few minutes.”
I followed Rachel and slumped onto the sofa, feeling like my life was over. I had totally screwed up things with Jace. After everything he’d done for me, bringing me into his home and into his family, I chose to repay him by talking to his older brother behind his back.
“Stop chewing on your fingernails,” Rachel scolded. “You worry too much. Jace will be out here any second. He feels like an idiot and is trying to find a way to apologize for what he said to you.”
“How do you…oh, never mind.” For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me that Rachel and Jace would be communicating the whole time. Jerica came into the living room, followed by her shame-faced son.
“Alisa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said.” He stopped talking and looked at his mother. She got the hint and left the room. “Look, you know how I feel about Bryce. We’ve never been able to get along for more than thirty seconds at a time. I always think the worst of him, so my first instinct was to accuse him of using you to mess with me.”
Jace had trouble making eye contact, but at least he was sitting next to me. Rachel sat silently, probably feeding him things to say through their mental connection. “You’re my best friend, and I guess I’m jealous. I don’t want to share you with my idiot brother. I just don’t get it. How did this happen?”
I shrugged. “Nothing has really happened, other than we send emails back and forth. I don’t like him better than you, just in a different way.” I quit that line of explanation when I saw the look on Jace’s face.
“Yeah, I can imagine how. Please don’t go into details. It’ll make me sick. I just wish you had better taste. I mean, Bryce? Really?” Jace was starting to get himself worked up. “I should have known something was up when he let me use his truck. He’d never been nice to me before. And I couldn’t understand at the time why he tried so hard to keep Mikael away from you. He told him you were only fourteen.”
“You knew about that?” I asked. “I thought Bryce was joking when he told me he did that.”
“I’m not going to say I approve,” Jace continued. He looked at Rachel and said, “I can speak for myself. I’m not going to say something I don’t mean just because you’re here.” Looking back at me, he said, “But I will try to accept it. For now. This isn’t making me like Bryce more, you know?”
“I’m sorry, Jace,” I pleaded. “It just happened. Nothing has to change between us, right?”
“Fine. Everything’s the same until he comes home in a couple of months. Will you two stick to an email only relationship then?” Jace frowned when he saw the telltale look on my face.
I couldn’t help myself. I remembered that New Year’s kiss. “Eww. I’m glad I can’t read your mind.”
Rachel put an end to our conversation. “Let’s go to the tennis courts and practice, otherwise Team Abe and Jerica will kick your butts again next weekend.” Jace sprinted down the hallway in search of his lucky racket. I felt weird around Jace the rest of the afternoon and was relieved to return to my own house after our tennis practice.
***
It was ten o’clock that evening when I finally received an email from Bryce. I checked and re-checked my email so obsessively, I was surprised the computer didn’t crash. My heart lurched when I saw his email pop up on the screen.
Dear Alisa,
Today has been the best day I’ve had since New Year’s Eve. I’m so exhausted, I can hardly move, but just thinking about you keeps me going. Being able to hear your voice, hearing you say that you love me, I can’t believe how lucky I am. I told my mom about us. Well, kind of. I told her we’ve been in contact and that our relationship has helped me get past some issues I’ve struggled with. I hope you don’t mind. She didn’t seem surprised. I was even able to tell my dad that I’d only joined the Warriors because of Royce.
Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) Page 19