Timespell (24 page)

Her breathing hitched.

“I think I counted on that kiss,” he murmured, so close she could feel his warmth on her mouth.

His eyes darkened to almost indigo. Heat pumped out from her chest in rapid waves. They hadn’t kissed since before their breakup. Only a fraction of an inch separated them now, but he remained still, keeping his promise to go at her pace. He would hold back if it killed him. That was David’s way. She didn’t want him to hold back anymore. She wanted him to kiss her until she couldn’t remember her own name. She wanted to feel his lips on her mouth, to taste him and feel him and be his all over again.

A door slammed shut. “David, honey? Can you help me with the groceries?”

David lifted his head. His Adam’s apple bobbed once. Angie lowered her eyes, disappointment burning her throat raw.

He stepped back, taking her hand. “Happy birthday, angel.” He brought her hand to his face. He hadn’t shaved this morning. Her heart sped up as his lips grazed her fingers.

Her eyes fluttered shut at the feel of his soft lips. She had forgotten it was her birthday.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I’d better go.” He released her hand and left the room.

“T
his had better be important,” Kaitlyn said, her green eyes flashing.

Angie glanced back at the inside of Abercrombie & Fitch, where Kaitlyn’s friends pretended to shop but really watched them. A shiver ran along her spine at the vindictive way their raccoon-lined eyes followed them. Ashleigh said something and Becca laughed, both of their gazes locked on Kaitlyn now.

Seeing Kaitlyn in all her imperious glory, with her hair done, make-up on, pleated miniskirt above strappy high-heels, Angie almost didn’t recognize her.

“It’s about Ethan,” Julia began, flustered.

“God, it’s
always
about Ethan!”

“Let’s find somewhere to freeze time.” Being kind never
seemed to work with Kaitlyn, but she still added, “Please? It’ll only take a second.”

Kaitlyn made a sound of disgust. “You’re so cheesy,” but she walked ahead to the bathrooms. “Hurry up.”

When they were behind the wall Julia closed her eyes.

“What are we waiting for?”

“Hold on,” Julia said. “I see him, but they have to open the doors to the plane or he’ll just be trapped in there when I freeze time.”

“What the
hell
is she talking about?”

“Just trust us, please,” Angie said. It seemed like any progress they had made with Kaitlyn was gone. “We’ll explain after Ethan’s okay.”

Kaitlyn’s long, spidery lashes blinked slowly. “Fine,” she said at last, checking her phone. “Freeze time, then. Save your precious Ethan.”

Angie frowned at the way Kaitlyn’s lips curved up and her eyes sparkled.

“The doors are open,” Julia said, relief pouring out in her smile.

Kaitlyn held out her hands, and when Angie took hold she felt a new undercurrent to the power. Something fierce and unyielding. She kept her eyes on Kaitlyn, and not for the first time she was tempted to breach the walls of her mind.

Time froze, and Julia let the connection slip away.

But not before Angie caught the end of Kaitlyn’s thoughts, a single word laced with possession.

Ethan.

Julia
stared out the car window, avoiding eye-contact with Brian. Ethan was safe now. It was time to focus on regular life. Normal stuff, like her normal boyfriend who she had ditched halfway through prom. She had dressed in a white eyelet lace skirt with tiny black flowers embroidered along the bottom. Her white tank top had the same flowers across the top, and she had worn a little black sweater, more to hide her mark of magic from her mom than because of the weather. Plus, it was cute. She wanted to make things up to Brian and make a good impression with his family.

He lowered the volume on the car radio. “I missed you.”

Her throat closed up. She forced her gaze forward but it dropped to her lap.

“I know I sprang the L-word on you last night, but,” his hand tightened on the gear shift as he put it in fourth, “you just left.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said. She had left him at prom and spent the night kissing a guy who was practically a stranger. “I suck. I really, really suck.”

“You don’t suck,” he said. “I rushed things, I know that now.”

She chewed on her lower lip. Brian blamed himself, which made her feel like the worst scum of the universe. It wasn’t as if she felt nothing for him. When she had finally called him back, the sound of his voice still sent her blood racing. When he came to pick her up, her heart melted right through to her feet. She missed him too.

So why couldn’t she stop thinking about Ethan?

He pulled into a gated, circular driveway. Julia’s gaze darted from the fountain in the center of the drive to the top of the three-story Spanish-style mansion.
Holy crap.

Rich people.

She wiped her palms on her skirt. Great. He probably had a housekeeper. His family would have rich-people manners and expect her to eat weird, rich-people food.

“You didn’t really want to come tonight,” Brian said, shutting off the car.

She looked into his chocolaty brown eyes. His blond hair was mussed, the way she liked it. He had done that for her.

Despite everything that happened with Ethan, her heart gave a flutter. This was so freaking confusing. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan, but as soon as Brian looked at her, her feelings became all mixed up. He took her hand and Julia felt definite butterflies. Were they any different than the butterflies she felt when a cute boy checked her out at the beach? Was it as strong as the crazy rush she got from Ethan?

“At prom,” he continued, “what I said ... I don’t take it back.”

Heat raced up her face and coated her from forehead to chin. “I’m sorry, Brian.”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope that you love me too. But I don’t want you to say it until—unless you feel it.”

Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it. She remembered Brian at the beginning of the semester, walking around Long Beach High with his new student paperwork. He always seemed
so happy to see her. He was funny and sweet, and he smiled so much more than Ethan did.

“Hey,” Brian said softly. “I won’t rush things anymore. We can forget the L-word and just be together. Like before.”

Julia squeezed her eyes shut. There had to be something that would make this easier to figure out.

“Julia? I—if you want me to take you home—”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just kiss me,” she whispered.

His breath came out in a rush. His brown eyes became dark as coffee in the shadowy car. In one motion, he cupped her cheek and brought his lips to hers.

She leaned in, finding his mouth soft and warm and familiar. Brian was a good kisser. She sighed and let herself be taken in by the feel of his lips. His hand trailed down her throat and behind her neck, and something in the movement reminded her abruptly of Ethan. The pleasant feelings of being kissed were taken over by a rush of white-hot shame.

Brian’s chest rose and fell like he had gone for a run. He placed one last kiss on her cheek, his eyes fever-bright. This would be so much easier if she was totally turned off by Brian. But the truth was she really liked him. She liked the way he looked at her and especially the way he made her feel.

He got out of the car and opened her door for her. “Ready?”

She stopped gnawing on her lower lip. “Yes,” she said, her voice shaky.

“Don’t worry,” he said, taking her hand, “my mom is going to love you. My cousins and brother might tease you a little, but my aunts and uncles will leave you alone.”

Aunts ... uncles ... cousins? “I thought I was meeting your family.”

His face went blank. “What do you mean?”

“Family. Like the kind of family you wake up and eat breakfast with, not the kind you see at Christmas or whatever.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “My aunts and uncles are over here all the time. It’s always been that way, no matter where we lived.”

Julia nodded. “You have a really close family.”

“Yeah, you have no idea,” he said, his voice hiding a laugh. “I was too little to remember my dad, but after he died I guess it brought everyone together.”

She immediately felt like slime again.

“Hey, if you don’t want to go, it’s okay. I guess I shouldn’t have sprung the whole family on you.”

Julia shook her head. She wasn’t going to do that to him, with his family in there waiting to meet her. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

His smile lit up his entire being, and Julia couldn’t help smiling back. “My family’s cool, but we can hang out in the den or go out back if it feels too crowded,” he said in a rush. “They’re funny, you’ll see.” He unlocked the front double-doors and led her inside to a big foyer.

The walls were painted a rich amber color and the floor was tiled in deep russet. The patterns made her think of her field trip to the mission at San Juan Capistrano.

“This is a great house,” she said, tracing a dark metal decoration along the wall. Her eyes focused on a wrought-iron lamp that hung from the ceiling.

“My mom loves to decorate,” he said. “Most of the stuff in here is from auctions and antique sales—”

“There they are,” a woman called from somewhere inside.

“And there’s my mom,” Brian said, smiling with sweet embarrassment.

A woman walked into the foyer. She had dark, curling hair and the same melted chocolate eyes as Brian. “Welcome! You must be Julia. I have heard so much about you!”

“Hello, Mrs. Tristanson,” Julia said, blushing from nerves.

“Please, call me Carmen,” she said.

Julia smiled in answer. Brian’s mom had a slight Spanish accent. Without thinking, Julia looked from her black hair and tanned skin to Brian’s blond waves.

“He inherited my eyes and his father’s complexion,” Brian’s mom said.

Julia blushed again, mortified this time at being caught staring. “Yeah, your eyes really match.”

“Come into the living room,” Mrs. Tristanson said. “The rest of the family are all waiting for you two.”

Julia tried not to cringe. “Actually, could I use your bathroom first?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Tristanson said. “It is just down the hall and to your left. Brian, take your girlfriend’s sweater, please. I know I have raised a gentleman, if nothing else.”

Brian hadn’t taken his eyes off her since they had come inside. She blushed on top of her blushes. “I’ll be right back,” she said, slipping her sweater off her shoulders as he took it. She glanced at Brian’s mom nervously, but she made no mention of Julia’s mark of magic. Julia gave Brian a quick smile before heading down the hall.

It was a huge relief to be alone for a second. She let out a shaky breath and leaned against the Spanish-tiled sink. Everything matched the rest of the house, with rich color on the walls, iron decorations, and bright glazed ceramics. She reached for the faucet handle and washed her hands, more to have something to do than because they were actually dirty. She almost regretted it, not wanting to mess up the beautiful, gold-embroidered towels.

“What am I doing?” she muttered, twisting her black and white jelly bracelets absently. “It’s just Brian’s family. His mom is super nice. Why am I so freaked out?”

After one more minute she forced herself back out. She heard voices down the hall. Brian’s rose above the others, immediately familiar to her. He laughed loudly at something someone said, and she caught the end of a sentence. “No way! I will not let you arm wrestle my girlfriend!”

“You’re brave bringing her here, little bro.”

Laughing and talking filled the air. She turned the corner,
regretting going to the bathroom now, because it meant facing the entire room alone.

“Julia!” Brian said, standing up. He took her hand and drew her into the living room. Everyone smiled, everyone’s eyes were on her. “This is my aunt and uncle, Lourdes and Vicente,” he said. “And here, this is my cousin, Eric, and that’s Marcos.”

Julia shook their hands and accepted hugs, her smile freezing in place. She didn’t hear the other introductions, or feel the next set of hands shaking hers. She couldn’t do anything except stare at the figure who remained as frozen as she was, halfway across the room.

He had a cup in his hand. His face turned to ash as the cup hit the floor.

“And this is my brother, Ethan,” Brian said, turning to the now empty space.

Ethan slowed to a stop in his attempted escape.

Julia couldn’t steady her breathing. She couldn’t look anywhere except at the broad shoulders that now turned to reveal the last person in the universe she expected to see.

His eyes, cold as polished silver, met hers for barely a moment. He smiled at Brian. “Sorry, I was going to get a towel. I spilled my soda.”

“I will take care of that,” Mrs. Tristanson said. “Go, say hello to your brother’s girlfriend.”

His brother’s girlfriend.

Ethan paled beneath his mop of curling hair. Hair exactly like his mother’s.

And Brian had hair like his father’s.

Julia turned to Brian, as if he could somehow help.

Brian smiled big before facing Ethan. “Hey, bro, aren’t you going to say hi?”

Ethan blinked slowly. “Julia.”

Julia shook her head. This couldn’t be real.

Ethan came to his senses first. “So nice to meet you.”

She held out her hand and he took it, neither of them moving, like two mannequins forced to touch in a store window.

“I’d better help Mom clean the soda,” Ethan said, taking back his hand.

“It’s already clean,
mijo
,” Mrs. Tristanson said. “Sit with your brother. You two don’t spend enough time together now that you are in college.”

“He’ll be here all summer, Mom,” Brian said, sitting on the sofa where Ethan had been. He patted the spot next to him. Julia lifted her gaze to meet Ethan’s as she sat down beside Brian. Brian put his arm around her, tugging her in close. Ethan stiffened before turning away.

“You’re so quiet, man,” Brian said, grabbing a handful of chips.