Dawn by McKayla Box
Chapter 35
Trevor takes me home after dinner. If he notices how nervous I am, he doesn’t say anything. Maybe he’s nervous, too. I don’t know.
He pulls up to the curb and lets the truck idle. Turning to me, he gathers me into his arms and kisses me hungrily, urgently. The flare of anger, the nerves, even the text I sent at dinner – it all quickly fades, replaced by desire.
His hands roam over my back and his lips move to my neck, trailing hot kisses over my skin.
“I want you,” he breathes.
I hug him to me, pressing myself into him, nudging his face to encourage his lips to return to mine. I moan as he kisses me, nipping his lips, telling him with my actions just how badly I want him, too.
I do.
I want him.
And I want all of this to be over.
His hands snake to my waist, then inch under the silky tank top I’m wearing until they close over my breasts.
I moan again, reveling in the feel of his skin touching mine.
“Let’s go somewhere,” I murmur. “The beach. Your house.”
His hands still and his kisses soften.
Now he’s speaking with his actions.
Telling me he can’t.
“Soon,” he promises, his voice soft. His lips drift to my cheek, then my nose, then my forehead, dropping kiss after kiss.
And just like that, I’m dropped right back into reality.
I shift away from him, tugging my shirt down.
I look at him and he’s staring at me, his blue eyes intense. “Soon,” he repeats, more firmly this time.
I just nod.
There’s nothing else to say.
He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I love you. This will all be over soon. I promise.”
“I love you, too.”
And I do.
I love him enough to not sit back and be a helpless bystander.
My dad isn’t home so I have the house to myself, which is a good thing. I change out of my clothes from dinner and pull on black leggings, a black T-shirt, and a gray hoodie.
Then I sit on the couch and wait.
I told Sunny that I wanted to wait a little bit after Trevor dropped me off because I wanted to make sure that nothing changed with his plans and that he didn’t circle back to my house.
When my phone rings, I jump.
I see Bridget’s name on the screen and after hesitating, I pick it up and answer. “Hey.”
“Hey. What are you doing?”
“Um…nothing. Why?”
“I just…I was just wondering what you were doing,” she says. “Is Trevor…?”
“Yeah. They’re going again tonight.”
“Shit. Did you talk to him about it today?”
“A little, but nothing really changed,” I tell her. “He’s going to see it through to the end. He thinks he owes that to Brett.”
She sighs loudly through the phone. “Right. I guess I’d do the same for you.”
“I know. That’s what got me, too. If the tables were turned, it’s hard to argue that we’d be any different.”
“Right.” The line goes quiet for a moment. “So. What are you going to do?”
It takes me a few seconds to answer. I know she won’t like the truth. I know it will bother her and worry her. But I also really don’t want to lie to her. It goes back to the conversation with my dad about keeping secrets.
“I’m going down there,” I finally say. “And before you tell me not to, here me out. Sunny is going with me. She won’t let me go alone. We’re just going to drive down and see what’s there. We won’t even get out of the car, and we aren’t going to wait for Trevor and Brett to get there. I know that probably seems stupid, but I feel like I have to do something, Bridge. Not doing anything is going to drive me insane. And I didn’t want to ask you because you were totally clear in not wanting to go and I totally respect that. But I don’t want to lie to you, either.”
She doesn’t say anything and I’m not sure if she’s hung up on me or if she’s pissed.
But it’s neither.
“Okay.” Her voice is soft, her tone resigned. “Thank you for at least telling me. I won’t try to talk you out of it. But will you do me a favor?”
I’m so glad she’s not pissed that I immediately agree. “Of course.”
“Right now, share your location with me on your phone,” she says. “I won’t say anything to anyone, but if something happens or whatever, then at least I’ll be able to see where you are.”
“Hang on.” I pull the phone from my ear, get into our text thread, and share my location with her. I put the phone back to my ear. “Okay. I just shared it with you.”
“Yep, I got it,” she says. “And I shouldn’t tell you not to go, right? I know I just said I wouldn’t, but you know me.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” I stand up from the couch and begin to pace, a burst of nervous energy rocketing through me. “I’ve already made up my mind and I’m gonna go pick up Sunny in just a few.”
“And she wants to go?”
“She basically wasn’t going to let me go if I didn’t let her come with me.”
Bridget chuckles. “I guess that’s good then.” She sighs. “Just be careful, okay? And text me when you get back, no matter what time. Please?”
“I will do it the second we are back, no matter what time it is,” I promise. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. I think just seeing wherever they are will make me feel better.”
“Just be careful,” she says. “Please.”
We hang up.
And it occurs to me how much that what I just said to her sounds exactly like what Trevor has been saying to me.
Don’t worry.
We’ll be fine.
I hope we’re both right.