Page 11 of Losing a Piece of Me

I escape the house without her seeing me and head in the direction of Gemma and Brett’s.

It only takes a few minutes to cross town to their place, where I pull into the driveway and park next to a red Dodge truck. I look at their house in a daze. It’s not a big house, just normal-sized with a nice, clean lawn. Not completely overdone, like my parents’ house; it’s just small, comfortable, and inviting.

I step out and make my way to the door. After a few knocks, I hear Gemma shout to Brett from the backyard, so I close the screen door and walk around the side of the house to the privacy fence. The latch opens easily, and I step foot into their backyard.

Gemma, setting up the patio table, beams when she sees me. “I can’t believe you actually came!” she says, rushing towards me. She pulls me in for a hug before latching onto my wrist, pulling me toward the table.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

She stands up straight and adjusts her white top. “I just wasn’t for sure, you know? We haven’t seen you in six years and we didn’t leave things on the best of terms.” Her eyes nervously flash down to the table.

I wave her off as I take a seat. “That was years ago. None of that matters now.” My stomach tightens at the thought of our last conversation, but I refuse to let myself go there.

She looks back at me and her smile returns. “Good. We have so much to catch up on.” She pours me a frozen margarita and hands it over.

I take a drink of it and set the glass on the table before taking a deep breath. Just being back in my hometown causes me to feel uneasy. I keep waiting for the moment I run into him. I know it will happen eventually, the town is too small not to.

“So, what have you been up to?” Gemma asks before she takes a drink of her own margarita.

“Nothing much.” I pray that she lets me slide by with that.

“Nothing much? You’ve been gone for six years. Where do you live? What do you do?” Her dark eyes meet mine and I see nothing but friendship shining beneath them.

I sit up straight and brush my hair from my face. “I moved into the city. I am part owner of a clothing store on the strip.” It isn’t much, but it feels like I’m giving away a piece of myself. I want to stay hidden away from this town and especially from a certain person. My own mother didn’t know where I was until I told her two years ago.

I was supposed to go to college, but I didn’t make it. Instead I took a different road, and in turn, got a different life. A life which my mother isn’t happy with.

Her eyes are wide and her mouth is damn near hanging open. “All this time you’ve been in the city? I thought you left the state. Striker must have thought you left the country, the way he looked for you.”

And there it is. Striker.

The mention of his name rips my gaze away from my hands and directly into her eyes. “He looked for me?” A chill runs up my spine. “How long?”

“Years. Hell, he may still be looking.” Her eyes flash to the back sliding glass door. “Although, I bet you are much closer than he thinks you are.” A grin pulls at the corners of her lips, but she won’t let it form.

I turn to look over my shoulder and see Brett walking out of the door with a tray full of meat for the grill. He’s turned around talking to someone behind him. When he steps out into the sunlight and I see him, my blood runs cold.

Chapter 4

I wake up with my face pressed to the side of the couch. Motionless, I survey the room. Nothing seems out of place or unusual, but something feels different.

It’s her.

She’s home.

I haven’t even seen her, but I can feel her. I could always feel her.

I push myself up off the couch and head to the shower. There, while the hot water falls around my lowered head, I close my eyes and am swept away in a memory.

Leaving the gym, I see Lex standing next to the building, talking to Gemma. I start making my way over.

“What are you going to do? You have to tell him,” Gemma says.

I don’t think much of it. Instead, I grab ahold of Lex and pull her against my chest, pressing my lips to hers. She tastes so sweet. She melts against me and a soft whimper escapes her lips.

When we pull away, Gemma says, “Okay guys, we’re heading to the party. See you there?”

Lex looks at her and offers a nod and a shy smile. Her cheeks are flushed from our kiss, and her lips are red and slightly swollen.

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