Page 7 of Our Moon
Joey swims back over to me from where he was talking with Alex and gives me another hug, this one quick. “So good to see you, lil’ sis.” He winks and lifts himself over the side of the pool, his clothes dripping with water.
“There are some extra towels over there,” Alex says, pointing over to the chair by thedoor. “And you can run up to my room if you want, grab a change of clothes.”
“Thanks, man. See y’all later!” Joey calls as Evie waves. Then they disappear back into the house.
I pop back up on my float, and as I adjust myself into a comfortable position, I catch Chase staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I boldly turn to face him and quietly gasp at what can only be described as desire in his eyes. Oh, boy. I am in so much trouble.
***
Shortly after Joey and Evie leave, Trevor announces that dinner is ready and that Chase is joining us, which is both a blessing and a curse. I want to spend more time with this glorious creature, but at the same time, I would rather not look like a drowned rat. I didn’t have time to shower and change after the pool because Trevor finished grilling while I was still in the pool, and he insisted I not wait and have my steak get cold. I can’t exactly argue my side with my brother.
I’m formally reintroduced to Chase as we sit down for dinner, and I feel a spark when he takes my hand in his. The strange, yet very brief, look he has on his face makes me hope he felt it, too, but I can’t be sure. I keep stealing glances at him throughout dinner, and catch him looking back once or twice. I can’t say that it doesn’t thrill me to see that I may have a similar impact on him as he does on me.
I catch Alex looking between Chase and me near the end of the meal, and I worry I’ve been caught gawking at Chase.Shit. What am I doing?Chase is their friend. Their brother. Does that mean he’s like my brother? Gross, I don’t want to think about that. Chase isnotlike my brother! But how can I so blatantly disrespect my brothers like that, by crushing on the first single friend they introduce me to? I can’t be one ofthosesisters.
I vow in that moment that Iwillget over my little infatuation with Chase Baker. Too much can go wrong, and too much is at stake.
Chapter Four
It’s the end of August and I’ve been home for almost a month. I do my best to avoid Chase, though it’s hard since he lives in the apartment above the garage. Apparently it was an empty space, but after my parents died, the boys finished it, and Chase moved in. I see him around the house and property often, but I never make eye contact or speak to him, and I avoid any situation that can potentially leave us alone together. This results in a lot of time spent with Alex, Joey, and Evie, since Chase and Trevor are close and hang out together a lot. But apparently this is what it was like before the accident, minus Evie, so my behavior doesn’t come off as avoidance. Plus, they’re good company,and I have a great time with them, so I can’t complain.
I feel comfortable around the house but have found my home in the kitchen. I stumbled upon it that first night I was home and immediately fell in love with the black granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. I stood, running my hands over the cool surfaces, just taking it all in until Alex wandered in and called me a freak.
I’ve discovered I love to cook and to bake. While I was bored one day, I browsed cookbooks and recipe cards and selected several that sounded delicious and looked simple enough for me to test out since I have no memory of having ever made a grilled cheese, let alone a recipe from scratch. I made a list of ingredients, knowing I’d have been lucky to find eggs and milk in the bachelors’ refrigerator, and asked Trevor to take me shopping. He happily obliged and this has become a weekly ritual for us, our sibling bonding time. It’s nice to spend that time with him. Since I’m spending most of my time with the others, I don’t want him to feel like I’m avoiding him. I’m just avoiding his friend.
I seem to have found my purpose in cooking the guys dinner and dessert every night. Chase, Joey, and Evie join us occasionally, but it’s Wednesday nights--when it’s just me, Trevor, and Alex—that I’m happiest. My brothers insisted we have one night a week that was just family. Although I still can’t remember anything, these dinnersallow me to imagine what life was like before, when our mom and dad were here. On family nights, the seats at each head of the table remain vacant.
***
I’m in the kitchen mixing together batter for a gooey butter cake, when a figure in my peripheral vision startles me. I drop the mixing spoon and spin around quickly to see who it is.
“Trev, you nearly scared me to death!” I hold my hand up over my heart and feel it thumping in my chest.
“Sorry, kid,” he says, but makes no motion to move. He has the strangest expression on his face. Something is off.
“Is there something wrong?”
“That song you were just humming, what is it?” He tilts his head to the side, as if considering what my response might be.
I didn’t even realize I had been humming a song. “I don’t know; I don’t remember.” I shake my head. “I was humming?”
“Yeah,” he says quietly, his eyes piercing into mine, searching for something.
“What’s up?” Alex asks as he walks in from the patio, his board shorts still dripping from the pool. His brows furrow as he senses the tension. The tension I don’t understand myself.
“Ally was just humming ‘Our Moon’,” Trevor tells him.
Alex’s eyes widen. “What? Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Trevor says. They continue to speak, now in hushed tones, back and forth, sneaking glances at me every few seconds. I can’t make out what they’re saying, and it’s starting to freak me out.
“Um, will someone please tell me what’s going on?” I beg, crossing my arms across my chest in a defensive gesture.
If there’s anything worse than losing my memory, it’s feeling left out almost all the time. I know it’s not intentional, but sometimes the guys will get to talking and not realize that I don’t recall any of the inside jokes that I may have been privy to a year and a half ago. I already feel bad enough that they have to give me an intro to practically every conversation they have since I don’t know the back stories, even though they insist it’s no big deal.
But this, this whispering about me, I don’t like this feeling at all. It’s making me feel anxious.
Trevor and Alex quit their quiet conversation and look over at me. “Did you hear that recently?” Trevor presses.
