We stopped at a flowering bush, and while she was humming, her body moving to the sounds around us, Brooklynn plucked a flawless red flower and slid it into my hair, tucking it neatly behind my ear.
She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful,” she said, this time winking at me.
I grabbed both of her arms and narrowed my eyes, letting the hint of a smile curve my lips. “You’re drunk already, aren’t you?”
Her face broke, and she grinned. “Maybe just a little.”
She took my hand, and again we were moving. Torches lined the winding pathways as we got closer to the center of the park, to the center of the rally, where the festivities were well underway.
Several people greeted us, some we knew and some we didn’t. Brooklynn knew many more than I did, especially among the guards dressed in blue. She did her best to introduce me, but I knew eventually she would forget I was even with her and she would wander away from me. It was in her nature. I understood that.
Someone gave us drinks, and the cool liquid traced fiery fingers down my throat, relaxing my body and quieting my mind. Brooklynn probably didn’t need another, but she took it anyway.
Finding her way into the crowd beneath the canopy of blossoming trees, she went off to dance while I watched her go. She raised her hands high above her head and twirled in hypnotic circles, her eyes—and her actions—inviting others to move closer to her.
As always, I wished that Aron were here. He would have stayed with me. He would never leave my side.
But Aron was against Brook’s rules. She didn’t like to take him with us on our outings. She was content to compete with him for my attention during the daytime hours, the way it had always been, but only because she had to. At night it was supposed to be just the two of us.
Her rule was absurd, really, considering she found new friends every time we went out and was quick to abandon me if the opportunity arose.
I glanced up in time to see Brooklynn dancing with a partner now, a boy with scruffy hair who pulled her close, his arm wrapped around her waist while she gazed boldly into his eyes as if they were the only two who existed within the crowded space.
Before I could roll my own eyes, a steely voice from behind intruded on my thoughts, causing me to shiver even in the balmy night. “You shouldn’t be here. The park isn’t safe after dark.” And then I felt his hand—his palm—lightly stroke the length of my bare arm, a tender gesture, at odds with his tone.
My stomach plummeted, and I felt sick at the very same time that I noticed a distinct spark of something B Aething else flickering through me. Something far too close to hope. I quelled that part of me, responding instead to the warning in his voice as I set my jaw, refusing to turn around.
“Fortunately for me, it’s not your decision where I go after dark. Or who I keep company with.” I pulled my arm away, ignoring the hairs that prickled in the wake of his touch. I stalked away, to the other side of the dancers, keeping my eyes focused on Brook so I wouldn’t lose her in the crowds. And also so I wouldn’t have to look at Max. So I wouldn’t have to face his unsettling gray eyes.
I could hear his footsteps following right behind me. “Charlie, wait. I didn’t mean to tell you what to do.” His voice was gentler this time, begging me to listen.
I shook my head—my stubborn refusal—but it was more to myself. I doubted he’d even noticed the slight movement in the flickering torchlight.
A part of me wanted him to follow me—I was almost certain I did—even though I was very nearly running away from him. My heart was speeding, and the confusion of my own reaction made me feel dizzy and unsure.
My entire body was tingling as if it had never been more alive.
Then his hand covered mine, pulling me to a stop as he stood before me. The battle within me surged until I was overwhelmed with frustration.
I wanted my hand back. And I didn’t.
It seemed as if it belonged in his, yet I refused to even look at him.
“Charlie.” Just that one word, that one whispered sound, and he had my complete attention.
I tried to breathe around my pride, but it was too thick in my throat. His thumb moved, ever so slightly, releasing a floodgate of currents that rocked through me.
My shoulders slumped.
“Go home. I can’t keep my promise if you put yourself in harm’s way.”
His promise. The reminder of his note sent chills over my entire body, and still, I felt myself straining to be closer to him.
“I’m not leaving,” I insisted, afraid to raise my eyes. Afraid to see him, and to let him see what I was trying so hard to hide. That I wanted to keep him near me.
He dropped my hand, and it fell to my side feeling strangely cold and empty. When he spoke again, his voice was hard, clipped. “What if I insist that you go?”
My eyes shot upward, staring at him in disbelief. “You can’t do that!”
But as soon as I looked at him, I knew that I was wrong. I knew he could do just that.
His uniform was crisp, immaculate, commanding. It was all the authority he’d need to have me escorted from the park, to have me taken back to my home.
It wouldn’t matter that I wanted to stay; Max could force me to leave.
My jaw tightened and I scowled at him, taking a step closer. The only conflict I felt now was toward him. “You wouldn’t dare! I have every right to be here. I havenR Bght AvenR 17;t done anything wrong, I’m not the one harassing people, you are! You’re the one who should leave.” I reached out and tried to shove him out of my way, but he didn’t budge. He didn’t even flinch. “I just want to be with my friend tonight,” I rasped, my voice verging on hysteria. “If I’d known you would be here, I wouldn’t even have come.” I tried to step around him, but his arms reached out and were around me before I realized what had happened.