Page 256 of Ominous: Part 1
Him: Me too. Tell me a secret.
I smile, despite where I am, and who I’m with. Amanda’s laughter cuts in the background and the sound of wet tires along gravel means someone is leaving Sky Wash. I don’t look up from my boy’s words as I send him my own.
Me: What do you want to know?
Him: Anything. Right now. Give me a secret. Before you go to sleep, give me three more.
I bite my lip and look up.
Amanda is kissing Zach, and he’s picking her up by her ass, his grip shifting her yoga pants so they pull uncomfortably against her, but she doesn’t complain.
Just like I didn’t. Not after he started.
I drop my eyes to my phone.
Me: I’ve started writing a story about you.
It must catch Eli’s attention, better than anything I could have said about the man standing three feet away from me. He responds so fucking fast.Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Him: Who am I, in the story?
I’m smiling so hard I forget to be nervous. I forget the feel of Zach’s hands on me, then, or five minutes ago.
Me: The story is nothing without you.
Him: Stop making me feel so good and fall so hard.
Me: I can’t. I’m hooked on you. Muse, nightmare, dream.
He’s typing, then he’s not, then he is, and I’m holding my breath the entire time, even as Zach calls my name, then snaps his fingers, trying and failing to get me to focus.
Finally, Eli’s message comes through, and I think I could drown Zach in the puddle of water at my feet without a care in the world as I read Eli’s words.
Him: I love you, too.
41
Eli
Me:Three secrets, Rain.
I have one hand tucked behind my head, the other gripping my phone, and I hope she hears the teacher voice when she reads my text. It’s nearly ten at night, and surprisingly, she’s been texting me non-stop since a few hours ago. I hope her mom doesn’t mind.
I also hope her mom lets her keep her fucking phone. If she doesn’t, I’ll buy her one and pay for it myself.Take that, Lucy.
Somewhere downstairs, a door closes. Not loudly, not slammed, but even in a house like this one, the air circulates in such a way my own door squelches a little tighter shut.
I wonder what Dad is doing.
He watched me swim for a while, earlier in the evening. He grilled, we ate together on the patio. It was nice, but I know he wanted to ask about Mom. There was another letter with my name on it, stamped from Athens, left on the kitchen counter.
I didn’t open it. He didn’t either.
I glance at my ceiling fan, always on now because Eden likes it, and when she comes over, she’ll want it on, so I might as well grow used to it.
I close my eyes, my body tense, then I bring the inside of my elbow to my nose as I sneeze, wiping my nose over my forearm.
Fucking fan.
