Page 74 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
Jeremy reached over me and squeezed Phoenix’s arm. “I know only you are allowed to discuss this, Phoenix, but please don’t die of an overdose. I’m going to be really pissed if you do.”
Pissed?I believed he would experience a full range of emotions, but I doubted pissed would be one of them. Or at least not only that. Phoenix didn’t answer him, but I watched him squeeze Jeremy’s hand back. We were all wrapped up in each other, a tangle of limbs that satisfied me in a way I couldn’t explain. The room seemed so quiet, except for Julian’s snores from the floor.
“Jules got into a physical fight with that douchebag.” I could hear the amusement in Phoenix’s voice. “I meanwhat the fucktonight? Everyone says he is the nice Lent.”
Jeremy smiled, I could feel his lips against my skin. “Alatheia brings out his protective side. Besides, I’m the nice Lent.”
“Nah.” Phoenix kissed my hand. “We all know Barrett is the nice one.”
“Truth.” Jeremy’s voice faded. Drowsily, he lifted his hand to touch my cheek before he kissed my mouth. “Good night, Alatheia.”
I found my voice, and it only cracked a little. “Goodnight.”
Phoenix pressed his head down against my shoulder. His snore told me he was already asleep. When he went to bed, he just slept—fast.
I closed my eyes, surprised to fall asleep quickly myself.
I even knew it was a dream when I realized I stood in San Francisco. In my school uniform, though, it was me much, much younger.
“You’re ugly.”
I gasped, surprised to hear MacKenna, my tormenter from school. I couldn’t remember the last time I even thought about her. “You’re so ugly,” she repeated , in case I missed it the first time.
When she laughed, the whole rest of the room started laughing. I couldn’t see any of them, just perfect looking MacKenna and her blonde shiny hair were in focus.
“I honestly didn’t care then or now about how ugly I am,” I told her, feeling so much older than her or my own body. “There is so much that is going to go wrong with my life, it won’t matter if I’m ugly.”
She changed in the way of dreams, morphing until she became my Uncle Matthew. He looked so much like my Aunt Tricia that it dawned on me right then my mother must have looked like him, too. Aunt Amelia looked slightly different, but she had blonde hair.
He pulled out a shotgun and I gasped.Is he going to shoot me?
“You’re going to care about this.”
He pulled the trigger.
I sat up in bed and caught my breath. Jeremy and Phoenix were both out cold, snoring and unmoving. So was Julian. Barrett had rolled over on his stomach.
I was safe. The door was locked, and if something did happen, if I screamed loud enough, one of them would wake up and help me. I lay back down, still shaking in leftover fear from the nightmare.
Phoenix tugged me against him, changing his position so he scooched me against his side instead of him being up against me. That just made Jeremy roll even closer.
I’m not alone.
21
“Can’t find home,” Phoenix muttered. His head crashed back and forth on the pillow. I woke up and reached for him, since I certainly knew about hard nightmares. They might have been why he didn’t sleep much. He continued, “Can’t. Have to get home. Have to get away.”
He wasn’t shouting, just muttering through clenched teeth. I wouldn’t have been able to hear him if I hadn’t been awake.
“Sssh.” I soothed, brushing back the hair from his forehead. “You’re home. You found it.” Was he remembering being kidnapped? Maybe when he first escaped but didn’t yet know where they took him. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”
He settled back down, and I let out a long breath.
“You’re an angel,” Jeremy whispered near my ear in a low voice. I rolled over to meet his gaze. “Seriously. That was really nice. I didn’t know he still had nightmares. Now I’m wondering how long he’s been hiding them.”
Jeremy leaned over and kissed me. I caught my breath, not sure whether or not to respond. His brother held me in his arms, and we lay in bed together. “Is this … fine?”
He nodded. “It is. I’m just kissing you. It’s perfectly fine. If I do anything you don’t like, you tell me to stop and I’ll stop. No questions asked. That easy. I promise.”
