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Jaden glances over, conveying the wish that he could give me more, but that’s the end of his effort. I’m getting nothing but more striations of stress.
Lots of weird, intense stress…
And voices?
Not the fuzzy echoes like from strong memories or dreams. This is different, perhaps clouded by our shared DNA, his anxiety, or both. It’s not even like real sound, though it’s more than simple vibrations. It’s more like phonic globs, whomping and wobbling through my senses, instead of organized language.
This is so weird.
Was I expecting anything different after the last three weeks?
“Jaden.” I grab one of his shoulders. “Out with it. What’s going on?” I squeeze into his lean bicep, trying to bolster myself as much as him. To help with the words that well in my instincts. “Does this have something to do with what happened at Rerek’s? Did he…do anything…to you?”
“You mean aside from what he did to you?” He pushes away and jams a hand through his mussed hair. “I’ve been trying not to think about that part, thank you very much.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Of course you don’t. Because that’s the kind of heart that you have.” He keeps his back to me but doesn’t shield his tightening fist against the top of his head. “The kind that’s likely forgotten why you went to Rerek’s party to begin with.”
“Okay, whoa.” I step over and around, forcing him to look at me again. “You invited me because you love me. Well, at least decentlylikeme.”
He snorts out soft air. “Eh. You’re all right, most of the time.”
I smile but not in full. The guy is a balls-out committer to zip lines and skydives, but not the risk of full-hearted conversations. But that’s what needs to happen now. “The point is, you assumed that Rerek didn’t have any crazy trickery up his sleeves. Like a true friend, you trusted him—”
“And nearly landed you in hell forever.”
“And I’m still not following,” I volley as fast as I can. “J, none of it was your fault. Last time I checked, these supersonic side wings didn’t come with crystal balls or divining rods.” I demonstrate my topic by playfully tugging at his ears.
But when he lets me continue the teasing, the wad in my belly doubles. He’s normally testy about anyone touching him there.
Where’s his brain gone off to now?
He saves me from having to beg for that answer by grabbing my hands with firm purpose. “So, you’re saying that friendship loyalty stuff isn’t always the smartest choice, right?”
My brows push toward each other. “And here I was thinking I wouldn’t have to force this point out of you.”
“I’m getting there,” he assures. “Just tell me you understand. Because you know who I really learned the friendship stuff from, right?”
I cock my head. “You throwing a spotlight or a gaslight?”
“Neither. Just a relatively objective observation.”
“Justthe one?”
I straighten out my sightline. But it doesn’t bring the additional focus I hoped for. He looks and feels the exact same. All my senses burn with the same mix of his exhaustion and tension. And the sound is still there too. That same low-grade mix of jumbles and rumbles, intensifying my impressions even more.
“Come on, damn it. Just get it out, J. Your energy’s chewing through me like raccoons on electric wires.”
He sobers a little. It’s not a casual comparison. He and I used to stay up watching the little furry bandits who sneaked into the backyard when the neighborhood fruit groves weren’t satisfying their needs for the night. Instead they’d gnaw on the power lines to our pool and tennis court, leading to many grisly demises.
“I took a walk this morning. You know, because I could,” he begins. “And at first, it was really great. I’d even say interesting…”
“Until?” I don’t need any more prompt than his deliberation.
“Until it gotinteresting.”
“Meaning what?”
