Page 36 of The Twilight Theft

I’dwalkedupanddown the street five times already. I had it all paced off and could do it blindfolded, tapping each fire hydrant and power pole as I went.

The meeting at Drew’s was in an hour and a half. I could call for a rideshare and be there in thirty minutes. I could walk up and down this street at least seven more times and still be able to ring the doorbell, say hello, and leave. Maybe even ten times.

I was in a residential neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia, with modest townhouses on one side and single-family homes on the other. Small green lawns, young trees along the sidewalks, and nice simple cars. There was a school nearby. People I passed smiled or nodded at me. It was kind of like being at home.

Except, if I were at home, Tanner’s house wouldn’t be the one at the midpoint of my pace.

How had I let twelve years go by? We’d practically grown up together. Tumbling at the same gym in Toronto when we were five, at the same gymnastics birthday parties when we were eight, and sharing coaches until we were eleven. We were in school together, traveled together, and competed at some of the same meets.

I stopped and looked across the street at his white two-story house with the arch over the front door.

And kept walking.

I should have had Brie give me all the information instead of just his address. There’d be no need to be nervous because I would have been prepared. But that would take a plan and…

More courage than you’ve got, you coward.

The truth was, all the planning in the world wouldn’t have been enough. It couldn’t have told me how he’d react if I showed up on his doorstep. If it could have, I wouldn’t have been pacing.

I’d probably be pacing somewhere else, anyway.

Because today’s meeting meant I had to see Drew again—and try to focus.

Plus, I had to face Scarlett after failing her yesterday afternoon. She’d acted like everything was fine and it was a minor inconvenience, but I didn’t do failure. It wasn’t a Jayce Monroe characteristic.

I stopped at the end of my circuit and looked back at Tanner’s house.

You don’t fear the leap. You don’t cower on the sidewalk across the street.

“Let’s do this,” I said to myself.

Butterflies filled my stomach. What if he didn’t remember me? What if he was angry with me?

I needed some food.

No, you don’t. You need to do this.

One foot in front of the other, over and over, until I was knocking on his door.

Maybe he’s not home. It’s 12:35 on a Thursday. Maybe he’s at work.

The door opened and my breath caught.

He was nineteen when I last saw him, but he still wore his straight black hair short. Light wrinkles and plain black glasses framed his brown eyes. His face had more angles.

“Hi.” That wasn’t what I’d rehearsed, but it was all I could think of.

“Jayce?” Tanner held the door partially open, not moving other than his eyes. He blinked repeatedly, looking me up and down.

No surprise. I may as well have been a ghost. “I probably should have called, but…” Not probably—definitely.

He lurched forward and threw his arms around me. “You’re alive!”

“Um…” I patted his back, then slowly eased my arms tighter the longer the hug went on. I tucked my head against his neck—he was only a couple of inches taller than me at five-foot-eight—and the stress of the past week evaporated. I was eighteen years old again, hugging my best friend.

He pulled away, holding me by my upper arms, his eyes wide. “What are you—Where—How?”

“That was a lot of questions.”

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