A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2)(20)

“I didn’t—” My breath catches as Abe reaches over me, his arm across my waist as he opens the cooler to pull out a can.

“Excuse me,” he murmurs.

His touch sends my pulse racing once again, and I don’t feel insecure anymore. Instead, I’m smiling. “You could have asked me to get that for you,” I say.

“I know.” Abe pops the top on the soda and takes a drink.

When the charcoal is ready, Abe moves to help me grill my hamburger, burning the outside for what he claims is “maximum flavor.” At one point he even brushes his lips over my ear when leaning in to talk to me. I’m so comfortable with him. I can’t believe I haven’t known him all my life.

About an hour after we arrive, his friends are a little drunk. Abe and I are roasting marshmallows, quiet and close as he sits at my feet in the sand. I listen to their stories about setting a fire in Santo’s back room in an unfortunate silverware-in-the-microwave incident. Abe launches into one about an ex-server who was caught hooking up in the walk-in freezer, and soon I’m laughing so hard I can barely hold on to my marshmallow stick.

“He wasn’t always so cool, you know?” Marissa calls out to me suddenly.

“What’s that?” I ask, still chuckling a little bit.

Her face tightens in the orange glow of the fire. “Abe,” she goes on. “He wasn’t always like this. He used to be quiet.” She meets his eyes. “Not nearly as sexy.”

Next to me, Abe is sliding sand away from his sneaker, silent.

“Uh . . . okay,” I answer. I’m not exactly sure what reaction she expects from me, but I want to defend Abe. He’s been nothing but nice to me, no matter what he’s done in the past.

“In fact,” Marissa says, her voice beginning to drip with contempt, “Abe used to be in love with me. But I wouldn’t give him the time of day.”

“Give it a rest, Marissa,” Craig says from next to her, taking a sip from his drink. But Marissa’s watching Abe, a story obviously under the surface. I hate that he’s silent in return, as if she’s demeaning him somehow. I want to punch her for that.

“Things have obviously changed since then,” I say seriously. “As far as I can tell, you’re the one in love now.”

Her eyes snap to mine, and from next to me I hear Abe snort back a laugh.

“It would seem that way,” she says. “The question is, why?”

“Be quiet now,” Abe murmurs. I wonder if he broke her heart and if that’s why she’s lashing out now.

Marissa’s eyes blaze, but she falls silent, opting to watch the fire instead. Craig changes the subject, something about Margie once coming on to him when Santo was out of town.

The party goes on for another hour, the laughs slowly coming back. Abe does a dead-on impression of Santo, and it’s hilarious to hear about Molly’s new job at a local breakfast place. Turns out they’re all servers somewhere.

Marissa doesn’t participate in any of the stories, and she avoids any conversation with Abe altogether. She won’t even look at him. This entire night would be uncomfortable, it should be, but I’m wrapped up in the moment. It’s the first time since Colorado that I feel like I have friends.

Next to me Abe yawns, lifting his arms over his head before resting one casually across my lap. He bends his head closer. “We should go,” he says. “It’s late.”

I nod, checking the time. If we leave now, I’ll still make curfew. Abe gets up and says good-bye to his friends. Across the fire Marissa sits motionless, not acknowledging any of us.

I try not to stare at her as I say good-bye to the rest of the party, but her eyes have glazed over, the lower lids brimming with tears. Sorrow fills me, and I take a step toward her before Abe takes my hand, pulling me in the other direction.

We walk back to the car, the desert air getting crisp the farther away from the fire we get. “Did you have fun?” Abe asks, opening the door for me.

“I really did. Maybe next time I’ll actually camp?”

“Intriguing thought.”

I catch something out of the corner of my eye and turn to see Marissa standing on the hill, the light from the fire illuminating her from behind. Her arms hang at her sides and her shoulders are slumped. She looks absolutely desperate.

“Elise,” Abe says, smiling softly at me. “I’m gonna go say good-bye.”

“Sure.”

He leaves, walking toward Marissa as she moves to meet him halfway. I open the passenger door and get in, closing it quietly. My window is still down from the drive up and I can hear them talking. I feel like I’m spying.

“That wasn’t very nice of you, Riss,” Abe says, reaching to brush her red hair behind her ear. “I thought we were past all this.”

“I’m sorry,” she answers automatically, without reacting to his touch.

“I know you are.” He leans forward and kisses her forehead, pausing there a long moment. When he pulls back, Marissa grabs his forearms as if trying to keep him close.

“You don’t need me anymore, do you?” she asks, her voice choked off.

“You were out of control tonight,” he says quietly. “It hurt my feelings.”

Marissa doesn’t respond. The whole conversation is surreal and I have no idea what’s going on. They must have had a romance gone tragically wrong. I don’t want to be in the middle of something like this.