Chapter Twenty
Black Friday was apparently a tradition in the Edwards household, which consisted of getting up at the crack of dawn, consuming buckets of coffee, shopping until you dropped, and then watching movies the rest of the day. Somehow Grayson and Brock got out of the shopping part of the tradition.
I had to say that it was nice to spend time with just Liana and Kenna, and despite the awkwardness between Kenna and me, I still managed to have a fun girls' day. The crowds, the thrilling deals, and the Christmas shopping momentarily took my mind off tonight.
I hadn’t yet decided on the secret meeting with the anonymous texter, who was undoubtedly Carter. For that reason alone, I shouldn’t even contemplate going. It would be reckless. Stupid. Dangerous.
And yet I still considered it.
Why?
Did I believe that he had the proof he claimed to have? Kenna already admitted that it was her who kissed Brock. No, he didn’t immediately shove her off him, but he hadn’t wanted to hurt her feelings. To the Elite, Kenna was a delicate flower who needed to be handled with the utmost care.
I called total bullshit. My sister was not delicate. She was practically a master manipulator, giving Angie a run for her money.
Speaking of Angie, I heard nothing since she posted bail and was released from custody. I told myself that was another reason to sneak out on Sunday. Not that I believed Carter would give me truthful information about her. I should just call or stop by and see for myself, but I wasn’t ready for a face-to-face with Angie, yet that didn’t mean I stopped worrying about her.
What she did was unforgivable.
And still, a part of me wanted to forgive, wanted her to get better, to get help, because not all of my memories were horrible. But of course, those were the ones that stuck out the most.
The one person I could never forgive was Carter.
They said revenge was a dish best served cold. Carter might just find out what that tastes like.
The rest of the holiday weekend flew by, and when Sunday night arrived, I didn’t want it to end. Not that I was dreading my return to school, but I was almost afraid of myself. I had spent the last two days going over this foolhardy idea that I couldn’t seem to let go of. Once it was inside my mind, the idea simmered and stewed as I worked the details, contemplated the dangers, and thought of the possible problems that could occur. There was a lot. Too many. Enough that if I weighed the pros and cons, on paper everything told me this was a bad plan.
FML.
My head was nestled into the crook of Brock’s arm, as we were sprawled out on the couch downstairs in the theater room. Bowls of empty popcorn were scattered about, along with various candy wrappers. The credits rolled at the end of the movie, which had been Kenna’s pick ofThe Devil Wears Prada. The movie fit her to a T, and it was, no surprise, her favorite.
I’d lost count of how many we’d watched, and both Chandler and Liana had gone to bed before we even started the one we just finished. Seeing as Chandler was a movie producer, one could imagine the selection of movies in the Edwards’ house was incredible.
I yawned, untangling myself from Brock’s arms and sitting up on the couch. It was past eleven thirty. “I’m done,” I announced, already missing the warmth of Brock’s body. “I’m going to bed.” It was a lame excuse of being tired, when really I was wide-awake. The yawn had been forced.
Brock glanced over, giving me a look, and it made me wonder if he knew something was up. Or maybe it was disappointment that I saw. We hadn’t gotten much time alone, regardless that we were living under the same roof. Had he been expecting or hoping I’d sneak into his room tonight?
I’d be sneaking out, but not to his bed.
“I’m with Josie. I’m going to bed too,” Kenna said, unfolding herself from one of the chaise lounges. She tossed the blanket aside, swinging her legs over the edge of the chair. We were both dressed in similarly comfy clothes.
“Seriously?” Grayson complained. “It’s still early. What is with the two of you?”
“It’s been a long weekend, and we have school in the morning. I’m crashing hard. I already missed half of my favorite parts in the movie because I drifted off to sleep,” she replied.
True. She had, making little, tiny snores during the quiet parts of the movie.
I leaned in and kissed Brock. The moment our lips touched, he sighed, snaking a hand around the back of my neck, keeping my mouth sealed to his. I felt his reluctance to let me go linger, and guilt weighed heavy inside me.
He didn’t care that we had an audience but took his fill of me. I sensed that something, like me, bothered him. The kiss, as he slid his tongue against mine, felt more than a goodnight kiss.
“Okay, enough,” Grayson groaned. “You’re ruining the vibe.”
I chuckled, my lips curling into a grin against his before I pulled away to look into his eyes. “Night.”
Brock’s eyes followed me as I stood up, and the pull that was always between us tugged at me. With each step I took toward the door, it yanked harder, as if it sensed I was about to do something careless and wanted to stop me.
“Horror, action, or porn?” I heard Grayson ask Brock as I left.