“I know. What I mean is … you should stay. We’ll keep these days to ourselves and go from here. Does that work?”
I nodded. It did for now. I’d delete my number from his cell phone before we left on our separate flights home to the same city. And we could avoid each other and forget. This wasn’t a drama either of us needed. But for now, it would be just fine.
More than fine, I thought, falling against him, our bodies intertwined as one. Better than anything.
EPILOGUE
It was raining in New York. I looked out of the window of the library, watching it come down. Normally, the rain was the perfect weather for studying. I liked it best, anyway. And something about the city was beautiful and peaceful for a moment in time, the bustle stilled and muted.
But today, I was thinking of a certain boy I hadn’t seen in three months. I’d deleted emails asking for my number and address, and I’d asked my mother not to reveal where I lived. She hadn’t asked any questions, but they must have been there in her mind, looming.
I sighed and clicked my pen, watching the rain splash against the windows. I thought of the days I’d spent lying in the sand with Chase, sipping fresh juice and swimming when our skin got too hot. I’d become more familiar than I ever had been with someone else’s body, and I’d reveled in it.
Sometimes I’d wonder why I’d pushed him away, always settling on my penchant for keeping my life quiet and clean. There wasn’t room in my life for a stepbrother-turned-lover … or a lover-turned-stepbrother. Whichever way, it caused unnecessary problems I didn’t want to deal with. Not just for me. For Chase too.
A deeper part of me, though, missed him. That primal part that had responded to something like love on my little vacation away from the world. Sometimes, I’d see Chase everywhere. A golden-blond man walking down the street. A quick gesture on the subway. But it never turned out to be him.
Just then, a shadow passed in front of me. My heart beat fast as I caught a familiar smell, one of sun and sand and skin I’d grown quickly familiar with. I looked up, and he smiled.
“Your mom told me you studied here. She wouldn’t tell me where you lived, but she thought maybe it would be okay if I stalked you where you do your library science thing.” I blushed bright red.
“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” I said.
“Never,” said Chase. We drew several pissed off looks from several other library students. I lowered my voice.
“What now?” I asked him. He put his hand on mine.
“A date, a real one?” His eyes sparkled. I nodded, the shock of his touch overtaking me. Maybe there was room for some drama in my life after all.
Anyway, it made things more interesting. I packed up my things. I could study tomorrow.