Sidetracked: Part 1 Read online

He drove down from Seattle just this morning, and he has to drive up again tomorrow. He said he plans to leave early, possibly before the sun rises.

  It’s still light outside. I’m not ready for sleep myself, but—

  “Are you tired?” I ask.

  His eyes stop scanning. Then he looks at me, and he smiles.

  “No,” he says. “I’m fine.”

  I frown. “Tomorrow sounds like it’ll be a long day for you. You’re waking up super early, right? Maybe you should go to sleep soon?”

  No reaction.

  “Are you tired?” he asks, still sort of smiling.

  I shake my head.

  He glances at the TV. A pause. Then the screen goes dark—turned off—and he sets the remote on the arm of the loveseat.

  “You’re right,” he says. “Tomorrow will be a long day.”

  I don’t know what to say. Suddenly, now that we’re alone, I feel...awkward? Being here isn’t uncomfortable, exactly, but he seems more muted than usual. I wasn’t expecting it.

  “Will you be alright staying with the twins while I’m gone?”

  “It’s only a couple days,” I say with an unintentionally nervous laugh. “I’ll be alright.”

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  I nod, thank him, and stand from the couch.

  “I’ll see you in a few days,” I say. “Good luck in Seattle.”

  He meets my gaze with a measured expression before glancing away. “Goodnight, Jayde.”

  FALLING ASLEEP IN ICE’S bed is turning out to be more difficult than I thought—not that I imagined it would be easy.

  For a while, after shutting myself in his room, I sat at the desk. I tried to tire myself out by completing the daily quests in a mobile game, and then by scrolling down FaceSpace for a while, but I had to move to the bed eventually.

  The mattress is so soft and so comfortable, and I’m warm beneath the covers, but I’ve been lying here for at least two hours. Strange, unsolicited images pop into my head every time I close my eyes. I just can’t get past the idea of sleeping where he usually does.

  It’s late, but I reach for my phone and text Rose.

  He asked me to stay the night.

  I half-expected her to be asleep, and I had hoped she would be, but the read indicator pops up beneath my text. And she types.

  What?? Did you???

  I’m in his bed right now.

  Knowing Rose, she has the completely wrong impression after reading that. I ignore a hot flash of embarrassment and don’t give her enough time to respond before clarifying.

  I mean, he’s sleeping out in

  the living room, but still

  Σ(°ロ°)

  I’ll call you tomorrow!!

  Go ahead.

  I roll onto my stomach and hide my face in the soft pillow. It smells like him—like cinnamon and shampoo. The image of Ice lounging on the bed with soft strands of hair falling into his face sends my heart racing.

  My grip tightens on my phone as I stare into the dimly lit room. How am I supposed to fall asleep like this? I can barely stand lying alone in Ice’s bed when I like him so much, and his feelings toward me remain a complete mystery.

  It’s not fair.

  Smells good, though...

  fifteen

  I LIE STILL. MY HEART beats loudly, and I stare at the wall for some time before I finally convince myself to roll over.

  Of course, I’m alone in the room.

  As expected. And as I should be.

  I sit up, and my reflection greets me from the foot of the bed. My hair is a mess. Ugh. I push the grey comforter aside and instead admire the light filtering into the room through the thin curtains. Then I check the alarm clock on the end table.

  It’s 10:14AM—a little late, but excusable considering the grief I had falling asleep.

  I leave the bed and find a slip of paper on the desk. It’s a short note, written in neat cursive on off-white stationery.

  Please make yourself at home.

  Ice was right.

  He did not wake me up before he left. Though, he probably did see me sleeping with my mouth open.

  How embarrassing...

  I groan and rub my eyes.

  After dressing and brushing my hair into submission, I crack the bedroom door. The scent of bacon hangs in the air. The den is empty, so I leave the room and wander further out into the house.

  Both Night and Smoke are in the great room, sitting near each other on the large couch. She’s reading a book. He’s on his phone. She’s dressed in an earthy blouse and knee-length skirt, while he’s wearing pajamas.

  Did I miss breakfast?

  Night glances up from her book and smiles.

  “Good morning,” she says brightly. “Did you sleep well?”

  I shrug. I’d rather not talk about it.

  “You hungry?” she asks, setting her book down. “I made egg toast. There’s some left if you’d like me to warm it up.”

  “Oh, sure. Thanks.”

  She puts together a plate—a fat slice of bread with an egg fried in the center and a couple slices of bacon. As it’s reheating in the microwave, she retrieves a bowl of chopped honeydew melon from the fridge.

  “What do you like to drink?” she asks. “Tea, water, juice?”

  “Water is fine. Thanks.”

  I stand around awkwardly while she fills a glass with water from the refrigerator tap. She hands it to me and welcomes me to sit at the breakfast nook as the microwave beeps. After adding melon to the reheated plate, she finally sets the plate, utensils, and a cloth napkin in front of me.

  Looking up at her, I suddenly feel like a child. Like I just watched my mother fix me a plate after I slept in on a Saturday morning.

  “Thanks again,” I say lamely before picking up the fork.

  She sits across from me. “It’s no problem.”

  Her mom vibes were unexpected without being uncomfortable, and don’t seem at all artificial on her part. Something about her is warm and nostalgic, but she’s only a year older than me, so I feel a little guilty too.

  “I’m sorry you’re stuck here,” she says. “Are you settling in okay, at least?”

  “It’s weird staying in Ice’s room, but I’m okay.”

  “You’re free to sleep in the den instead.”

  “It’s fine.” Why am I so nervous? “Do you know what time he left?”

  She shakes her head. “He was gone when I woke up. Divulging the secret of immortals has made him very busy.”

  “It is a lot of trouble?”

  “Ice did this to himself,” she says with a smile. “Though, I doubt he expected it would be so much work.”

  Well, she obviously doesn’t think I should feel bad for him. Maybe I won’t. I don’t regret learning about immortals, but this slow-burn summer romance—or whatever it is—would have been less complicated if he never brought it up.

  “Are you the only cook in the house?” I ask, hoping to change the subject.

  She blinks before laughing. A faint pink touches her cheeks.

  “They both know how to cook—to some extent, anyway. But I love cooking. My mom taught me.” She lowers her voice and cups a hand near her mouth. “To be honest, I can’t watch Ice or Smoke in the kitchen without wanting to nag whenever they do something wrong, so it might be my fault if they’re not very good at it.”

  For some reason, it makes me laugh.

  As I finish eating, Night asks if I’d like to join her on a quick errand. A trip to a bookstore at the mall. She figures I have nothing better to do—she’s right—and assumes I may not feel comfortable staying at the house alone—right again.

  “A new book in my favorite series came out yesterday,” she says, drying her hands on a kitchen towel. “We can get smoothies after I pick up my copy.”

  “Okay. Sounds good.”

  While she gets ready, I gather my things from Ice’s bedroom. I tie my shoes. I put on mascara. And I worry I’m a burden—on Ic
e, and now on Night.

  She has a point, though. He did this to himself.

  But that doesn’t make it any less confusing.

  Why bother introducing me to the world of immortals if he has to leave in September? It seems like it would only inconvenience him, and it saddles me with this massive secret. Now, being here with the twins and stuck waiting for him to deliver the paperwork that will bind me to said secret forever...

  The reality of it all is finally setting in.

  Plus, I missed a phone call from Rose this morning and haven’t returned it because I have no idea what to say—or what excuse to give her.

  Ugh.

  A soft knock on the door cuts through the turmoil, and Night pops her head in. She asks if I’m ready. I nod, tuck my wallet into my pocket, and follow after her.

  “We’ll be back,” she says as we pass Smoke in the great room.

  He’s wearing a headset, but he still tells us to have fun.

  As I climb into Night’s blue sedan, unease washes over me—the same as when she drove me home before. But the sun is high, and her demeanor is mild and warm. What’s done is done, I guess. She doesn’t blame me that Ice told me about immortals.

  I relax further as she offers me a smile. Then she turns the key in the ignition, and we’re off.

  We talk about reading; how I used to read more in high school, and she reads more now than she did a few years ago. She tells me about her favorite romantic crime thriller series. Each book ends on a huge cliffhanger, and she’s waited months with bated breath for the latest installment.

  “Maybe I should get into reading again,” I say.

  I ignore another text from Rose.

  Night offers to let me borrow books from her any time I want. It sounds like she has a small library tucked away in her room.

  We arrive at Century Plaza Mall and make a beeline for Barnes and Noble. The series must not be the most popular, as it’s not displayed on the flashy new-release shelf near the entrance, but she speaks with the store clerk, and he retrieves a hardbound novel from beneath the counter.

  “Is that everything?” he asks.

  She shakes her head and joins me beside a revolving rack full of bookmarks. We wander around the store for several minutes. She points out a few series she’s read before and picks up two other books she’s been planning to read. She then pays for everything, and we head back into the mall.

  We order drinks and find a table at the food court, where we chat more about school. I admit I don’t have a “real” major—though she assures me that keeping my options open with a general education transfer degree is nothing to be ashamed of.

  Her phone distracts her, so I suck it up and check the messages I’ve been ignoring all morning.

  Are you asleep? lmao

  Jayyy, I need details (T⌓T)

  GIRL, HEY

  Sorry. I’ve been a little busy.

  Busy?? Uh... details now, pls

  I sigh and drink my smoothie, chewing on the silicone straw. Rose thinks I’m up to something? She’s not wrong, entirely, but I hate to imagine what she thinks I’ve been doing.

  I’ll call you when I get back

  to the house.

  Back to his house?? Are you not

  going home?

  I’m hanging out with his sister.

  Ice isn’t here right now.

  Calm down, I’ll explain later.

  I suck at this. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her I’m staying at Ice’s house in the first place.

  Okkk please do that ( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡• )

  Don’t worry. I will.

  “Oh. Jayde,” Night says. When I glance up, she’s frowning. “Ice’s timing couldn’t be worse. I made plans to go to a summer solstice festival with Smoke tomorrow. I still intend to go, but it’s up to you whether you’d rather stay at the house or join us.”

  I hesitate. “Where?”

  “Riverside Park.”

  I love Riverside Park. But that reminds me.

  “You remember a while back at Riverside—?”

  Her expression blanks, and she winces, stifling embarrassment.

  “When I interrupted your date by accident?” she asks. “Yes. Sorry. I was delivering a message from my mom—business, you know? It wasn’t an emergency, but he wasn’t answering his phone, so I went looking for him. After we spoke, I asked if he wanted to stay behind and wrap things up with you, but he didn’t. He wasn’t happy with me, and he didn’t want to talk about you at all.”

  “I was worried when he didn’t come back,” I admit.

  “His behavior concerned me as well,” she says, averting her eyes. “That’s why... I had to make sure everything was okay. Since Ice wouldn’t talk to me, I felt I had no choice but to check on the situation firsthand.”

  She speaks slowly, her word choice careful and deliberate. To skirt around the issue of immortals? Or Ice’s stalking? Does she know about that?

  I glance around. Several people wander around the food court, but the level of activity in the mall renders all nearby conversation to a low, jumbled buzz.

  “But I realize now that involving myself did little to help,” she says lamely, her eyes on her brightly colored tea.

  She didn’t want Ice to tell me about immortals, and she still isn’t happy he went through with it. But he told me. I signed the paperwork. It’s done. Neither of us can change that.

  I clear my throat. “Anyway, about tomorrow?”

  “Right. Sorry.” She smiles. “The festival is mixed company, so it’s fine if you want to come. I agreed to meet a few friends there, but I can tell them about you in advance. Hopefully, it won’t get...stranger than it has to be.”

  “It’s super weird that I know, huh?” I ask, scratching my neck.

  Her smile doesn’t falter. “I’ve only met a handful who do—one in high school, and a few others through my parents’ company—so... While it’s certainly not commonplace, it’s not unheard of either. I’m sure Ice is taking care of the details as we speak.”

  He’s probably still driving as we speak, but she’s right.

  Dealing with Human-Immortal Affairs is Ice’s responsibility. Until he gets back, it’s out of my hands. Night is only trying to help by spending time with me. And she wants to introduce me to some friends, so I might learn even more about immortals.

  “I’ll go,” I agree.

  “Great,” she says, her voice bright. “It’ll be fun.”

  I THANK NIGHT FOR LETTING me tag along on her errand before we part ways. She heads down the hall, toward her bedroom, while I linger in the empty den. Judging by the muffled music coming from behind the door, Smoke is in his room too.

  I’m alone.

  Letting out my breath, I check my phone. Rose hasn’t called or messaged since I told her to wait, but I need to call her before she decides I’m being held against my will.

  I pull the heavy curtain over the sliding glass door aside.

  Oh, wow! The backyard is lovely. I’m not surprised, but I’d only caught glimpses of it before.

  I step out onto the sizable wood patio, half-covered by a glass canopy. There’s a small patio table near the door, and a wrought-iron firepit circled by three wicker chairs on the far end. A short set of stairs lead down to the maintained, grassy yard. The yard itself isn’t huge, roughly three times the size of the patio, but it appears to wrap around the side of the house and link up to the front. The garden beds are near overflowing with produce, half of the first bed full of ripening strawberries.

  I sit on the edge of the patio, which is bordered by smooth river rocks below, and I call Rose before I have time to change my mind.

  “Heyo,” she says.

  “Is now a good time?” I ask, hoping it’s not.

  She laughs. “As good a time as any.”

  “Sorry I didn’t answer earlier.”

  “It’s fine. It’s fine.” Then she sucks in a breath. “Sooo, let me get this straight: Your boyfriend asked you to st
ay the night? And you did?”

  “It’s not nearly as exciting as you think,” I say dryly. “He slept out in the living room and had to leave super early this morning for, um...work.”

  Uh...

  “Work?” she asks.

  “Yeah.” Guess I’m rolling with it. “He was called away all of a sudden. I don’t really know what it’s about. Anyway, I’ve been hanging out with his sister, and she asked me to go to some summer solstice thing tomorrow. I’ve been lonely at home, you know? It’s nice having people to hang out with.”

  Two truths and a lie, I guess. Makes it a little easier. She’d never believe me if we were speaking face-to-face, though.

  Ugh. This secret might be harder to keep than I thought.

  “Aww,” she coos, oblivious to my deception. “You’ve been lonely without me? Well, I’m glad you found someone to hang out with, even if it is your boyfriend’s sister. It’s about time you made more friends.”

  “Yeah...”

  “What happened with the secret talk?” she asks.

  “Oh, um, we got it figured out. It’s still a secret—sorry—but I’m not so worried about it anymore.”

  “Glad to hear it. I knew you were working yourself up over nothing.”

  Nothing...

  Right.

  SMOKE IS MORE TALKATIVE tonight, making dinner ever so slightly less awkward than it was last night. Night watches attentively as he describes a series of collabs he has planned with other YouTube creators. She praises him for doing well.

  How much money does vlogging bring in?

  I’m curious, but I don’t ask, and the conversation soon shifts away from YouTube. After glancing at her phone, Night perks up and says her friends look forward to meeting me.

  “They don’t mind that I’m human?”

  She shakes her head. “Nope!”

  “We don’t hang out with anyone that would if we can avoid it,” Smoke says. “Those types tend to not like me either.”

  Night makes a face that doesn’t quite agree, but she doesn’t disagree either. Then, moving along, she asks if anyone wants another kebab. Smoke takes one. I still have one I haven’t touched yet.