Page 98 of Elusion

Benji comes in. “Time’s up, man.”

I stare down at my writing sample, not a word on the page. Oh well, that section doesn’t receive an actual score. “Phone?”

He tosses it over.

After ten. Callie promised to only stay at the party until midnight, so I need to occupy myself for another hour or so.

Or not.

“Want to go to Felicia’s party?” I ask.

Afraid of my lack of concentration in anticipation of seeing Callie, Benji won’t let me drive. Whatever. It means I can ride back with her. Plus, I need to restring my laces.

He parks in front of the house on Monroe Street. I resist the urge to run up to the porch. I even play it cool, letting Benji take the lead and go inside first. My impulse-control issues are a problem from the past I’ve valiantly overcome.

Jess meets us a few steps in the door. “Jordan?”

“Jess?” I mimic.

Her eyes stay on mine, wide and surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I was invited?”

Even though she doesn’t make me feel like a piece of eye candy for the first time since meeting her, she still needs to work out a few kinks in how she greets people.

“Right.” She shakes her head. “Sorry, just wasn’t expecting you. Felicia said you were doing some practice test and weren’t coming.”

I nod, only half-listening because my fucking chest cavity constricts at the sight of Callie thirty feet away in the living room. A tight top and just as tight jeans and her hair down. She stops her conversation with whoever she’s talking to and smiles. Damn, I already hate the thought of saying goodbye to her before I even say hello.

“There’s something I’ve been needing to tell you,” Jess says. “But I haven’t—”

“Can you hold that thought, Jess?” I walk away without waiting for her response, my eyes never leaving Callie. Whatever she wants can wait while I attend to incredibly urgent business.

We meet in the middle of the room, and Callie leaps into my arms. Her legs lock around my waist, she holds my face in her hands, and her mouth crashes down on mine. Everything Callie floods my senses. Everything is right again.

“Hey,” she says.

“Hey, beautiful.” I stare into those eyes. A vague memory of a party happening around us surfaces, but no one else matters; they never will as long as she exists. “I kinda missed you,” I say.

She kisses me again and not a sweet, I-missed-you-too kiss. The take-me-right-here kind. All tongues and moans, and now we’ve both forgotten the other people in the room. But man, do we give them a show.

“The two of you are making me nauseous,” Benji says, prying Callie off me. He nudges her toward Felicia. “You take yours, and I’ll take mine.”

Felicia laughs and drags Callie away.

“Bye,” she says, giving a longing look over her shoulder.

“Bye, beautiful.”

We watch each other until Benji breaks my focus.

“Let’s get Calico a drink, man. And maybe we’ll have a chat about manners.”

Reluctantly, I agree and follow him to the kitchen. He attempts to occupy me with a conversation about a new band he discovered. He’s working at a local radio station for the summer and experiencing rock heaven. If he decides not to pursue a career as a professional guru, which has my vote, he can put his mass communications degree to good use as a radio DJ.

Felicia pushes through the swinging door. “Callie’s whining, so you can go back in if you behave.”

“Thanks, Gibs.”

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