I hope he’s right. God, do I hope. But until I see proof, I won’t be able to believe it.
“What about my memories? I don’t want to stop doing the treatment.” Don’t want to give up on Sadie.
“We’re not stopping,” he promises. “We’re just taking a short break and giving your mind some time to settle.”
I curl my fingers in and stab my nails into my palm as guilt crashes through me.
Sadie, I’m so sorry.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Sorry I can’t find you,
Sorry I’ve forgotten,
Sorry you have to suffer.
If I could, I’d take your place.
God, how I wish it were me instead of her.
What I wouldn’t give to make that happen.
Chapter 6
Lyric
“I love the smell of spring,” I declare as I inhale the delicious scent of the air. “It always makes me smile.”
“Everything makes you smile.” Ayden hands me a rag with a hint of a grin on his face.
It’s been a week since he sleepwalked, and for the most part, he seems to be okay. I’d put money on it, though, that he still feels guilty about the ordeal. Guilty because he worried everyone. Guilty because he freaked me out. My dear, shy boy, always worrying about everyone except himself. I wish I could talk to him about it without upsetting him, but after seeing him cry, I worry mentioning anything will trigger a nerve.
His parents—who I call Uncle Ethan and Aunt Lila, even though we’re not related—must have had the same thought process as me, because they seem pretty hush, hush about what happened.
“That’s not true.” I collect the rag from him and duck my head under the hood of my 1970 Dodge Challenger. I’ve been working on fixing it up for the last few months or so, and I’m hoping to have it drivable soon. “Bugs don’t make me smile. Or frowny faces.”
He snorts a laugh. “Frowny faces? Only you would say frowns don’t make you smile.”
“That’s because I’m that awesome.” I pull the dipstick out and wipe it off with the rag before dipping it back inside the oil.
“That, you are,” he remarks, moving up behind me.
“And don’t ever forget that, my friend.” I remove the dipstick, glance at the oil level, then put the stick back in. Wiping my hand off with a rag, I step back from the car. “It looks like it might—” My back bumps into Ayden.
He hardly ever instigates contact first, expect on rare, amazing, wonder-filled occasions, so I allow myself to enjoy the earth-shattering moment and breathe in the feel of his body heat.
I smile stupidly when he doesn’t move away. “Whatcha doing?”
“Nothing.” His voice is uneven, revealing his nerves. “I was just . . .” He releases a breath then places his hands on my hips. Surprisingly, his fingers are steady. “I just wanted to touch you.” He rests his forehead against the back of my head and inhales deeply. “And to make sure you’re okay.”
“Okay about what?” My eyelids drift shut as I lean into his touch.
His simple touches are better than light.
They awaken my body and bring it to life.
More. More. More, my body is craving.
The addiction is potent, consuming, aching.
Leaves my body wanting, pleading, shaking.
Sometimes I feel like I’m withering, fading.
Fading. Fading. Fading.
Into him.
“About . . . about what happened the other day . . . when I sleepwalked.” His fingers grasp onto me, and his chest crashes against my back as his shallow breaths turn ragged. “I know I probably freaked you out. I’ve been meaning to ask you about it, but I didn’t want to upset you, so I decided to wait until stuff cooled off.”
“I’m not upset about what happened.” And not surprised one little bit that my theory about him was right. I turn around and loop my arms around him. “I’m just worried about you and how you’re handling it.”
“I’m fine,” he swears, searching my eyes for my true feelings. He forgets, though, that I’m like an open book. “It’s not anything I haven’t dealt with before. But you . . . What did I say to you exactly while I was asleep?”
“Nothing I could really understand.”
“Are you sure? Because, if I said anything weird . . . Then I want to know.”
“The whole situation is a little strange,” I admit. “You were completely out of it, yet you were standing there, talking and . . . crying.”
“I cried?” His mouth curves to a frown. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did that in front of you.”
“Stop worrying.” I lure him closer to me with a jerk, the movement rougher than I intended. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You sleepwalk. So what? We all have our weird, little quirks.”
He cracks a small, adorable smile. “And what are your weird, little quirks?”
“Um, hello, isn’t that kind of obvious? I’m always as freaking cheery and sparkly as the sun is on crack, trying to spin everything and everyone into sugar and rainbows with my smile. Albeit, it’s an adorable smile.” I flash him my pearly whites. “I bet it’s kind of blinding and gets a little tiring to deal with all the time, though.”
“It’ll never get tiring.” His mood shifts as his gaze drops to my lips. “And your smile’s beautiful.”
I have to take a moment to catch my breath; otherwise, my voice will wobble like mad-crazy. “You can kiss me if you want.”
“Can I?” He tries to tease, but his voice comes out raspy.
Leaning in, he places his lips against mine, giving me a featherlike kiss.
“That’s it?” I jut out my lip when he pulls away.
Sucking in a few calculated breaths, his hands glide around my back, and he fumbles with the hem of my tank top. “It’s getting late, and your parents will be coming home soon. I don’t want them to find us making out in the garage.” When I crinkle my nose, he adds, “Lila and Ethan aren’t going to be home for a while, though, so . . .”
“So, what?” I play dumb and totally get rewarded when he blushes.
“I thought we could, you know . . .” He lifts one hand to nervously massage the back of his neck. “Go up to my room for a while, and”—his blush deepens—“continue kissing.”