Page 33 of Without a Trace
Scarlett
Ipoured myself another glass.
Well, a Solo cup. But still—dramatic and necessary.
The bottle glugged and hissed as I filled to the top, the sound sharp in the quiet.
Trace raised an eyebrow from across the tub.
“You trying to forget something?”
I smirked. “Trying to remember who I am.”
Alden chuckled low beside me, eyes flickering over my face. Trace's stare cut away—down to the tattoo on his wrist before he smoothed his face again.
I took a long sip, the wine warm and sharp, and leaned back again, arms stretched over the edge, chest rising just enough to tease. “Okay. Next question.”
Trace sighed, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Here we go.”
“If you could relive one night with me,” I said, voice honey-laced and dangerous. “Which one would you pick?”
Alden’s face didn’t change, but I felt the shift in the water. Just a flicker of tension when he looked at me.
“That night after graduation,” he said. “You were wearing that red dress. You climbed onto the roof and made us all swear we’d stay friends forever.”
My throat tightened.
“You kissed my cheek,” he added, voice lower now, “and told me I had the kind of heart people ruin.”
The image hit me hard—like it wasn’t just a memory, but a wound.
I turned, slowly, to Trace. “And you?”
“The lake. The first time I watched you swim out past the rocks. You didn’t even look back.”
My stomach flipped. He hadn’t said it like a compliment. More like a confession. A curse.
The silence between us swelled—thick, aching, intimate. Full of everything we’d almost said and never could.
I took another sip, but it didn’t help. The heat of the water was nothing compared to what burned behind my ribs.
“Okay,” I whispered. “My turn.”
I shifted through the water, slow and deliberate, until I was perched between them. Not touching either one, just… there. Like gravity didn’t apply to me.
“If I asked you both to stay in this tub all night with me, would you?”
“Yes.” Trace held my gaze.
I turned to see Alden smile.
“Every night, if you wanted.”
The drink burned slower this time and
I smiled.
But it didn’t reach my chest.
