Love in Darkness (Castles on the Sand 2)

Eleven

I step into the house to the sound of my mother shrieking. “I didn’t mean to do it that way!”

Before I can panic too much, I hear Hiroko reply. “It’s fine, Grace. Come. Let’s have some tea.”

I arm the alarm and steal upstairs. Being screamed at by my mother while I feel a little psychotic won’t help my stress levels any. I get out my notebook and carefully jot down everything I saw and felt today. The sense that I’m being stared at hasn’t faded, but I feel more in control now that the most beautiful girl on the planet isn’t begging me to hold her.

Yeah, I shouldn’t have even had that thought. My chest aches as I think about how easy it would be to just give in and be with her. I curl up on my bed, shut my eyes, and wish the rest of the world would just leave me alone. I guess it’s like the naps Mom takes when she’s having it rough, only I can’t fall asleep. I just pray for a rescue from all this and lie as still as I can.

***

The scrape of the window opening rouses me. I don’t know if it’s been an hour or ten, and when I look up, I’m surprised to see that it’s dark. At least the voices are silent.

Kailie climbs in and shuts the window behind her.

“What if I’d just stepped out of the shower?” I say.

“That’s what I keep hoping will happen.”

“What do you want?”

“The skinny on Madison’s secret.”

“What secret?”

“Oooh, it’s that secret, is it?”

“I don’t-”

The doorbell rings. I glance at my watch and see that it’s past ten.

“Yeah,” says Kailie, “you go answer that. I’ll just wait up here.”

With a baffled look in her direction I head downstairs, disarm the alarm, and open the front door to find John standing on the dark front porch, his arms folded. “I know you were out with Madison today.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tell me what’s going on, Alex.”

Yeah, I don’t want to get in the middle of this. “You have to ask her.”

“I will not-”

I cut his outburst short by holding up a hand. “You have to talk to her. I can’t help you with this.”

“You think you can sneak around with my sister-”

“I’m not sneaking anywhere.”

His gaze remains hard and unyielding, and I’m out of patience. “I’m sure you know where to find Madison. And no, I did not try to get back together with her or anything like that, so ease off.” I shut the door in his face, knowing I’ll regret that.

I turn to find Hiroko at the other end of the living room, blinking in the light.

“It’s Madison’s brother,” I say, as if this explains it all. “He just got the wrong idea about her and me.”

“Ah.”

“Sorry if that woke you up.”

“No. I just wondered who came by so late. I should have known you were out creating scandals again.”

“Well, you know me. Women always making up stories about who I’m with.”

Hiroko doesn’t laugh at that, just looks me over.