I squeezed him, and he lifted the visor on his helmet before putting one fist on his knee and turning slightly toward me. “Now?”
There was a reason I didn’t squeeze him twice. I didn’t know what I was feeling. “I’m feeling a little sick, can you just pull over?”
He nodded, pulling off the road. I jumped off the back and ripped the helmet off before I barfed into it. Holding it out, I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose, trying to calm the rising bile.
“Car sick?” he asked.
I didn’t trust myself to open my mouth, so I shook my head and began to pace. When that didn’t work, I put my hands on my knees and leaned over, sucking in breath after breath through my nose.
It wasn’t getting better. “Here.” Oliver handed me a bottle of water, and I guzzled it. Water spilled down the sides of my mouth onto my shirt, but I drank until the plastic bottle crinkled.
“Let’s keep going,” I said when I finished.
“I think this is it,” he said. “I think this is as far as you can go.”
I refused to believe that. We were barely twenty miles out of town. In a few months, I would travel a hundred miles from here. Nothing would stop me.
“I want to keep going.” I didn’t care if I was being stubborn. I could push through this.
“No. Thorn said they ended up in the hospital trying to resist it. Not today. We’re just starting out. If this takes a long time to kill it, then we’ll work on beating the need to stay put. For now, let’s assume that when my dad gets back, he’ll figure it out. He’s really smart.”
I lifted my head to look at Oliver. “You know, you’re pretty smart, too. I mean, you seem to know a lot.”
“I do, but not like him. Never as much as he does. Back on. We’re not done. We’re just changing directions.”
I forced myself to stand, putting the helmet back on my head as I did. “Okay.”
He hopped on the bike, and I got on behind him. This time, I leaned my head against his back and held on tightly. Oliver took off fast, getting to a higher speed than he had before, and I was grateful to him because soon enough all of that nausea, all of the sensation that I might keel over, passed. It really had been the compulsion.
Well, that answered that. I wouldn’t be jetting off to Paris spontaneously anytime soon. I smiled. Not that there had ever been much of a chance of that. Like a person who just didn’t give a shit, Oliver sped past our town as though it didn’t exist at all.
I smiled. Most of the time, I wished it didn’t.
I held on tight to Oliver. He was strong. I hadn’t realized how muscular he was, but I could feel it beneath my arms. I lifted my head to look again. The desert was pink. Or at least it had a pink tinge to it that I hadn’t noticed before.
I wasn’t nauseated, so I was surprised when Oliver pulled off to a diner on the side of the road. It was attached to a gas station. Maybe he was low. But instead of getting near the tanks, he pulled into a space.
“I’m hungry. And you must be now, too.”
I was, but eating might not be on the agenda for a while. “When we reach the limit I might puke.”
His smile was fast as he took my helmet off me and then removed his own. “Well, puking is better than dry heaving. Besides, if you tell me earlier, you might not. Lacey, I get that you’re tough, and you like to push limits. I figured that out about you the very first night you ate dinner with us. Within minutes. You don’t have to be over this. For now, it is what it is. Cut yourself a break. Not everything is a battle. I’ve had to learn that the hard way over and over.”
Glancing at the diner, I thought about that not-so-distant sensation of nausea. I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to see how far I could go before the compulsion hit. “I think I’m going to pass on the greasy spoon gas station burrito.”
“Lacey…” he started, but I held up my hand.
“Look, Oliver, I get that you know a hell of a lot more about this situation than I do, but I’m not a child. And for you to tell me that I’m hungry because you’re hungry—I’m actually not hungry, by the way—pisses me off. I need you to listen to me. I’m not hungry, I do want to push my limits, and I don’t appreciate your condescending tone.”
His smile disappeared as I spoke, and two spots of red appeared on his high cheekbones. Shit. I was a total asshole. Except—I was also kind of right. He was making a lot of assumptions about me, and while those assumptions were about my strength, they were also about how I didn’t have to be tough. But being tough was what kept me going. It made me hard when the world wanted to break me. So while it was nice to be appreciated, I wanted him to know me better before he started making decisions for me.
“You’re right,” he said. He shook his head and started walking back to the bike. He put his helmet on and called over his shoulder. “Get your helmet on.”
I did, scurrying after him. His long legs ate up the distance between him and the bike, and I struggled to keep up.
“This isn’t going to be pretty, but if you want to push it, we’ll push it. Everyone has to know their own limits.”
“Thank you.” I flipped the visor over my face and took a deep breath.
“You know I wanted to take you on a date,” he called over his shoulder.
“Then you should have considered that before you took me for a motorcycle ride to see when I started to feel sick. Maybe we could have gone horseback riding around the edges of my comfort zone, but taking me out to where I might puke and then bringing me to a diner wasn’t great planning.” Had I gone too far? It’d been a long couple of days. I was tired. My head hurt, the air smelled like gasoline, and I probably had sunburn.
Oliver started to laugh. His shoulders shook, and he grabbed my hand, pulling it to his abdomen and then patting it. “You’re right. I’m listening now.”
“Let’s go.” I threaded my fingers together across his stomach.
This time, we were going south. It was a lot more populated. We blew by our first strip mall when anxiety began to bloom. I lifted the visor, letting the air hit me, and I turned my face to the side so I didn’t eat any bugs.
Traffic got heavier, and Oliver had to slow down. We passed gas stations, and I watched them go by longingly. I shut my eyes. I could do this, I wanted to find the edge, and I wanted to push it. Oliver was giving me exactly what I’d asked for.
And suddenly, I was done. This was it. This was as far as I could go. I squeezed him twice.
My entire focus went to not puking as Oliver made a quick U-turn and opened up the throttle. As each mile passed, I felt better and better. I opened my eyes at a Harley dealership I knew was fifteen miles from our town. “Can we stop?” I yelled.
Oliver was quick to turn into the parking lot of the dealership. I tripped in my haste to get off the bike, but he caught me, watching as I tugged the helmet from my head and paced back and forth.
“Thirty miles.” He lifted one side of his mouth in a smile. “Ten miles more than we went before. There’s a major hospital with a trauma center between mile twenty and thirty, and a state police barracks. If you had to go those extra miles, you could.” He put his helmet on the handle of his bike and strode toward me. When he was inches from me, he put his hands on my waist and tugged me closer. “I don’t want to hurt you more than you’ve already been hurt, Lace. Forgive me if I come off too demanding.”
“You can count on that.” I wrapped my arms around him. His heart thumped beneath my ear, the rhythm fast. I realized how hard it had been for him to push me, and why he wanted to stop when I first started to feel discomfort. If I had to put him through that, I would have wanted to stop as soon as possible, too. “Thanks for trusting me.”
“You’re a fighter, Lacey.” His breath tickled my forehead, and then his lips pressed against my skin. He trailed them down my temple to my cheeks and then planted a small kiss on the corner of my mouth. He pulled back an inch, his gaze darting from my eyes to my lips and then back again. Kiss me.
&n
bsp; But he suddenly drew back. Eyebrows drawn together, he withdrew his phone and stared at it. Then he shook his head and glanced up at me. “My mom has the unique ability to ruin a moment but is also weirdly intuitive. She was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with her and Aaron.”
I turned, looking at the chrome sign over my shoulder. Next to the dealership was the strip mall where I bought most of my clothes. “Tell her to meet me here.”
Oliver looked where I indicated. “Here?”
“Do you have a problem with here?”
He held up his hands. “No, I just thought you might like to go to the boutiques. That’s where I see all the girls shopping.”
I thought about the hole Jacinda had noticed in my shoe. “I don’t have money to buy clothes there.”
“My mom does. And trust me, she wins. Not that I’m trying to tell you what to do.” He held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. “But I can tell you right now that Jacinda Chee is going to want to go to the mall.”
My cheeks got hot. I’d been right with Oliver, and he had clearly listened, but things were going to be awkward now, and I might need him to tell me what to do when it came to the monster. “Please take me to the mall. And, Oliver, look… I’m not trying to be controlling. It’s just always me, myself, and I. Okay?”
He smiled. “Got it.” He indicated the bike. “I won’t compromise your safety, Lacey. I hear you. You decide what you can and can’t do. And you dictate all dates. I get it.”
I dictate all dates? I hadn’t meant to imply that, but before I could explain, he started up the bike and I hurried to get on.
We drove through town, everyone turning to look at us as we went by. Oliver was a handsome stranger, so he got lots of stares automatically. But add me to that equation? He’d be screwed. Or pitied.
A block of boutiques came into sight. He was right. The other girls all bought their clothes there. But I was strip-mall, thrift shop Lacey. Or at least I had been. What would it be like to have brand named clothing? My stomach tightened. I didn’t accept gifts well.
We pulled in at the same time his mother did with Aaron. Jacinda breezed out of the car like she had no cares.
“Oliver!” she shouted. He shut off the motorcycle, and she continued at a more reasonable volume. “What do you think about me getting a bike? I mean… maybe I could have one. Wouldn’t I look great flying down the highway?”
Aaron paled, his eyes wide as he stared at Oliver. I got off the bike and Oliver took the helmet off. “Mom, if you want a bike, get a bike. I’m not in the habit of telling women what to do.”
I started to cough, and he blushed but continued. “Have at it. I’ve got to go to work. Aaron, you’ve got this? There are lots of people. You might see him. Check the eyes. Call me if you have any serious issues. Lacey, it’s been real.”
Without another word, he started up his bike and took off, leaving us there in his wake.
Aaron shook his head. “He’s not been the same since India died.”
Jacinda locked her car. “True.”
“Who’s India?” I looked between them.
“His girlfriend. She was killed a year ago. Tracking a creature. Pretty sure he’ll never ask anyone out again.” Aaron sighed. “Enough of that.”
Thirteen
Aaron was ready to gloss over a statement like that? Nuh-uh. Back up. “His girlfriend died?”
Jacinda glanced at me sharply. “They weren’t exactly dating.”
“They’d been friends forever,” Aaron interjected, “which is saying something, considering how much we moved around.”
“This is a story you should let your brother tell,” Jacinda said, for the first time sounding a lot like a mom, but then she softened it with, “don’t give away all his secrets.”
To his credit, and to my annoyance, he nodded. “Yeah.” He took my hand and began to drag me toward one of the stores. “Let’s check this one out.”
The boutique he led me to was way out of my price range. “Are you shopping with us?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It’s time with you.”
“Thanks a lot,” Jacinda muttered, walking past him on her way inside.
A chime on the door jingled as we came inside, alerting the employees that they had a customer. One of the women strode toward us wearing a bright smile. “Hello! Can I help you?”
Hopefully, no one knew me here. The mall was located in a bigger city, and there were probably a thousand girls like me wearing ripped jeans and a surly expression. To her credit, she didn’t even flinch when she studied me from head to toe.
“I need some clothes for Lacey,” Jacinda said, totally at ease. She gestured with her hand toward me, and the woman actually bounced on her toes.
“Oh! I was hoping you’d say that!”
Geez. How bad did I look? I glanced down at my clothes. The jeans and shoes were mine, but the t-shirt was probably Kelly’s. It was black and pretty similar to what I’d wear to school.
Like a whirlwind, the woman began to rush around the shop. Jacinda followed her, pointing at items or shaking her head. I noticed the woman had chosen a pink top, and I yelled out, “No pink!”
The two women laughed and kept going. I guessed that was how it was going to go. I’d be their living doll.
“Should I help?” I asked Aaron. I didn’t see any opportunity for me to participate. They seemed to be working well just the two of them.
“Do you want to?”
Shopping for me was trying to find bargains and the right sizes. I didn’t spend a lot of time on styles, not because I didn’t care, but because I didn’t know what I’d like.
“I don’t know,” I answered Aaron honestly as I studied the store. There were some things here that I liked. There were some shorter sweatshirts and cut off shorts. I didn’t wear dresses, but if I did, I’d choose one of those billowy ones hanging on the wall.
“Come on.” Aaron took my hand and tugged me in the direction I was looking. “I’ll help.”
For the next hour, he and I made our way around the shop, choosing items I liked. He caught me a few times shaking my head after I looked at the price tag, and in those cases, he ignored me. Soon, we had a dressing room filled with clothes and I stood at the entrance, overwhelmed.
“Here.” The woman who worked there took my arm and dragged me to another room. “I’m going to hand you outfits one at a time. It’s easier that way.”
“You have to show us, though,” Jacinda added.
I had to show them? Like this was some kind of modeling thing? I grumbled but agreed. This was kind of fun. I’d never imagined myself having things like these. New clothes! And a lot of them had fancy names! I came out in the first outfit and knew immediately it wasn’t me. The saleswoman had been very excited about it, using the word scumbro, and I was certain that I’d never been meant to dress like this.
The outfit consisted of jeans that were too big on me, a tie-dye sweatshirt, and a pair of shoes that looked like they should probably be used on construction sites.
Aaron scrunched up his face as his mother shook her head. “I mean… if you love it.”
“Absolutely don’t.”
She nodded fast like that was good news. “These trends come and go. Maybe put away the half-zip sweatshirt, too. I think we can officially say that look isn’t going to work for you.”
I was glad for it and rushed back into the changing room. The light flickered as I changed, and I looked up. Were we having weather that was going to knock out the power? I shrugged. I supposed I could get dressed in the dark as easily as anything else. Might be easier, actually. I could just pretend I couldn’t see the ones I didn’t like.
This outfit I actually liked, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever have a reason to wear it. It was a long, oversized teal blazer that was supposed to go over a white t-shirt and a short pair of white shorts. I wouldn’t have imagined liking this one, but it did make my legs look longer than I thought they were. I kept on th
e shoes that would work great at a construction site and came out.
“I think I love this, but I have nothing to wear it with.”
Jacinda sat forward. “Oh, so cute. Don’t you think she looks cute, Aaron?”
He shifted in his seat, and it took him a second to answer. Did he hate it? “Really cute.” He nodded. “Yep. That’s… that’s an outfit. Get it anyway. Might be fun just to wear it to school one day.”
I snorted. “No, this is too much money just to have it. The girls at school would put me in the toilet to ruin the whole thing if I dared show up in something this nice.” The lights flickered again, and Aaron rose, looking at them. He walked over to me before he turned to his mother. “Buy all of them. We’ll try them on at home, and what she doesn’t like, we’ll return.”
Jacinda headed for the cash register. What was going on? I stared at him. “You okay? Something wrong?”
He motioned toward the corner. “Can you see that woman?”
I looked over but no one was where he indicated. “Who?”
“Try again. You’re sensitive. It’s why you saved those football players Thorn told me about. Look over there and see her. Turn and look at her. I know you can see her if you try.”
“What is it?” I shivered, but tried to play it off. “A ghost?”
“Yes.” I had the urge to cover my eyes, but somehow, didn’t. He spoke again. “Most ghosts in folklore don’t just hang around for shits and giggles. They show up as a precursor to something else.”
I steeled my shoulders. I was dressed in a teal outfit, and I was going to look at a ghost. I rubbed the back of my neck. “Are there monsters under my bed, too?”
“No, I checked. Come on. Look.”
For some reason, I could not make myself turn around. I tried. I really did. First one foot, then swiveling my hips, but I’d whip right back around to face Aaron. “Okay. Just tell me one thing first. Is she bloody? Or—I don’t know—gooey in some way?”
Eyes in the Darkness (The Coveted) Page 12