Page 103 of Eternal

Teal: Self-portrait.

He responds almost immediately, like he always does.

Declan: Work of art.

I’d like to think it’s a compliment, but it could also just be a fact. Art is subjective. Often better understood at a distance.

I look at the foggy photo and wonder how Declan interprets it.

Setting my phone down, I climb into the shower and let the hot water wash my thoughts away. It soaks through my chilled bones and quiets the noise in my head. My shower is twice as long as usual, but since no one is waiting, I don’t rush myself, taking my time until Declan returns.

Once I’m out, I slather my skin with lotion, hoping the fragrance won’t attract bugs.

I throw my half-dried hair up in a messy bun, leaving it wet. It’s darker when it’s damp, and the colors blend together. It’s been so long since my hair has been just blonde. I don’t remember what I look like when I’m not trying to hide behind the painted-up version of myself.

Slipping into shorts and a baggy T-shirt, I leave the bathroom to find the bedroom empty. Declan sent me a text while I was in the shower, and it’s a picture of the lake. I recognize that stretch of beach as being a spot near my parents’ cabin.

He must have met with his father there, and I can only hope our parents haven’t tried to shoot each other yet.

I walk through the cabin, noticing Kole and Violet are nowhere to be found, which is likely how they’ll spend most of the weekend. Violet will do her best to avoid Ian Pierce, and Kole is probably more than happy to keep her distracted.

Declan said he’d be back in thirty minutes, and that was only twenty minutes ago, so I decide to go find him instead of waiting.

Slipping on my sneakers, I leave the cabin, down the path that leads to my parents’ cabin. The sun is just now starting to set, casting a warm glow across the lake. Crickets and frogs make a symphony at dusk, and I take it all in.

The space.

The fresh air.

Sometimes, I wonder if I should just escape to a place like this—to a lake less haunted. Maybe then I’d finally find happiness.

I follow the path until the sound of laughter and talking overwhelms the sounds of the forest. On a final turn, I can see my parents’ cabin at the top of the hill, and the firepit is surrounded by people. I recognize a few as Declan’s fraternity brothers, and others as their parents.

I’m immediately on edge when I spot my father off to the side of the gathering, talking to Jase’s dad. He watches me approach, and it sends a shiver up my spine.

Declan is sitting in a chair at the bonfire, talking to his father, and both of their expressions are tense. Whatever they’re discussing has Declan digging his hand into his hair like he does when he’s irritated. And when his father claps him on the back, his spine stiffens.

They say a few final words, and his father stalks off to find Paul and Vince, while Declan watches him go. Maddox drops into the chair Declan’s father abandoned and says something, pointing to a couple of girls who are sitting at a picnic table with my mother.

I never thought of myself as a jealous person because I’ve never had anything worth getting jealous over. But as I stare at Declan on my approach—the glow from the crackling fire casting shadows over his strong jaw and features, his dark hair a tousled mess on his head, his long-sleeve shirt hugging his solid chest—I admit to myself I’m jealous of anyone who wants any piece of him.

The other night at the Sigma Sin party, he said he wouldn’t share me, and my guard was down just enough that I admitted I didn’t want to share him either. But is that too much to ask? Is it too much to want?

He’s Declan Pierce.

He’s constantly pulled in a hundred different directions, either by his fraternity or his family and friends. I’m just one more obligation in his day. Especially considering we don’t make sense in the long run.

The long run.

I’ve never let myself focus on the future when it always seems so uncertain. But when I look at Declan, that’s what I see.

The long run.

It’s too bad it’s not possible.

Whether he likes it or not, he’ll follow in his father’s footsteps. He’ll go into politics or do something equally high profile. He’s charming and charismatic, and it draws people to him. Declan’s fire will grow well beyond his years at Briar, and he needs someone who can stand at his side through that. Someone appropriate and respectful.

I glance at the girls sitting by my mother, sipping wine coolers out of crystal in the middle of a forest.

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