AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I quickly type my response to Marc as the professor finishes setting up his desk.
L: Of course. I hope everything is okay. Thinking of you both. Please send me the address when you can. I’ll see you tonight.
I remember Marc telling me about his parents’ house that’s close to campus. His parents come up and stay on the weekends during Eli’s hockey season to watch his games. I’m assuming Eli wants to be alone and that’s why they’re staying there tonight.
Marc responds quickly with the address, followed by, You’re the best. I owe you. Which, of course, he does not. I would do anything for him, and at this point, I think I would do anything for his brother too.
Class begins, but I have a hard time focusing. My mind wanders off to Eli, wondering how he’s doing. Does he have a good relationship with his birth father? Is he sad right now? I sit through thirty minutes of class without taking in a single word the professor says. My mind is only thinking about Eli. This is precisely what I wanted to avoid this year. I wanted to be selfish and not worry about anyone else, but right now, I don’t care about myself or this class. I just care about the tall boy with brown eyes who hasn’t left my mind since Friday night.
Chapter 21
Logan
The drive to Marc’s parents’ house isn’t too long. Although, in the last couple of minutes, the weather has begun to take a drastic turn for the worse. I’m not used to these kinds of thunderstorms in California, and driving in them is scary. As I pull up, the rain has begun to beat down even harder. I open the driver’s side door, and the wind is so strong that it swings the door open, almost hitting Marc’s car parked next to mine. Grabbing his assignments from the passenger seat, I place them under my crewneck sweatshirt to keep them dry and make a quick dash for the house. Just as I knock on the front door, a thunderous boom erupts, and a flash of light burst through the sky.
Shit. That one felt close.
Marc answers the door, and the smile on his face quickly changes to a look of shock when he sees the state of the weather outside.
“Oh my god! Get in here.” He urges me inside. “When did that start?”
“During the last few minutes of my drive.” I wipe my wet shoes off on the entryway mat.
He quickly glances outside one last time before closing the front door.
I take the papers out from under my sweatshirt, wanting to give them to Marc as quickly as possible and be on my way.
“Here you go.” I hand him his assignments, which had gotten a little damp. “Sorry. I tried to keep them dry.”
“Don’t even worry about it. I just appreciate you bringing them all the way over here,” he says as he places them down on the entryway table.
“Of course.” I pause for a moment to look around the foyer of his parents’ home. “This house is so nice.”
“Yeah, it’s worked out great for my parents to have a place to stay when they visit.”
“Have you or your brother ever lived here?”
He shakes his head. “No, we both wanted to have the college experience of living on campus, but it’s nice to come out here when either of us needs a night away...like tonight.” He nods his head towards the living room where I assume Eli is.
“How’s he doing?” I ask, referring to his brother.
He shrugs. “He’s okay, I think. To be honest, I don’t really know. He hasn’t said much about it.”
I nod my head in response, and we both stay silent for a moment, unsure of what to say next.
“Okay, well, I’m gonna take off.” I move to hug him goodbye, but he stops me.
“What? No. No way. I can’t let you drive right now.” He furrows his brow. “Come hang out, at least until the storm passes.”
Marc starts walking towards the living room, expecting me to follow, but I don’t want Eli to see me right now. I shouldn’t be here. This is a very personal time, I would know, and I doubt he wants some random girl in his space.
I try to get Marc’s attention. “Wait, Marc. No, no—no,” I say in a whisper, but my hushed voice is too quiet for him to hear.
“Marcus!”
He turns around with a questioning look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“I just...I don’t think I should be here. Your brother doesn’t need some stranger hanging around right now.”
