His Reverie (Reverie #1)(69)
Holy. Shit.
“Do you think her dad could’ve done that to her?”
“I don’t know.” I stare at the TV, not really hearing what they’re saying. They’ve already moved on, talking cheerily about the weather. How this storm brought in some much needed rain to the west coast, though it was going to warm up again. An animated sun wearing black sunglasses flashes on the screen as they talk about today’s high temperatures and I want to punch my fist in its too-happy face.
Someone f**king died and it’s like no big deal. Let’s move on. What the hell is wrong with people? Have we become so conditioned that we talk about death and great weather all in the same breath?
“Hey.” Reverie’s voice brings me out of my thoughts and back down to earth. “You going to take a shower before we leave?”
“I’m fine,” I automatically say, though I’m not. Not even close. “I need some coffee.”
She exhales loudly. “Me too. Let’s leave in a few minutes and pick something up on the way there.” She stands, looking determined to make this as normal a morning as possible. Too late. That’s so not happening. “I’m going to get dressed.” We threw her clothes in the dryer last night after we showered and they were still in there. One of the things Mom loved best about this apartment was that it came with its own washer and dryer…
Sadness bears down on me and I try to shake it off. First Mom and now Krista. In six months’ time I lose two people close to me. Why?
Why?
“Nick.” Reverie shakes my shoulders. “I know this is tough. But you need to stay strong and make it through today. Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay,” I say with a quick nod. Reverie backs away from me and I stand, going to my room so I can change into my work clothes. I move like a robot, methodically doing the same thing I’ve done for the last few months but everything’s changed. Mom is gone and I’ve dealt with that. Somewhat. Now Krista is gone too. Reverie is in my house. She spent the night in my bed tangled up with me and we had sex multiple times while sometime out in the parking lot, someone killed Krista.
And now Reverie is riding out to her parents’ house with me while I go to work. How we’re going to sneak her in, I don’t know, but we’ll figure something out. We have to. No way am I going to get caught, not now. Though now would probably be the most likely time for us to get caught because I’m so damn distracted I’ll likely f**k something up.
I just…I can’t even think straight. I am in a serious state of shock.
She distracts me though. Reverie. She rides right beside me in my truck and indicates with a wave of her hand that we should pull over at the local coffee place so I do. I wait in the truck while she goes inside and picks up our order, bringing me a giant coffee exactly how I like it, full of creamer and a little bit of sugar. I sip it gratefully, down almost half of it in about five minutes before I fire the truck back up and pull out of the parking lot.
“You okay?” Reverie asks, lacing her fingers with mine and resting our joined hands on my thigh.
“Yeah.” Not really but I want to be, especially for Reverie. I can feel the slight tremble in her fingers and I know she’s nervous about…everything. What happened to Krista, what’s happening with us, what’s happening with her family.
As I drive with the windows rolled down, the fresh air blows over us, smelling of last night’s rain mixed with the scent of the ocean. The wind sends Reverie’s hair scattering, wild strands crossing my face and I bat it away, making her giggle. That rare sound lifts my spirits and I focus on it. Focus on her. The way she fits so perfectly against my side, how good her hand feels in mine. I remember last night, the way she felt moving beneath me, her breath in my ear, my name falling from her lips when I made her come…
I chance a glance at her, overwhelmed at her beauty even though she’s wearing yesterday’s wrinkled clothes, no makeup on and her hair a mess. She catches me looking at her and she smiles shyly, leans over and drops a quick kiss on my lips. “Give yourself time,” she says, her voice soft and full of so much understanding I wonder yet again how I got so damn lucky that this girl is mine. Because she is mine, we’ve established that and there’s no going back. “Death is difficult to deal with. We all process in our own way.”
“I feel like I’ve dealt with a lot of death lately,” I say, choking up a little. I clear my throat, getting rid of the lump that formed there. I feel like a baby, wanting to cry. I need to look strong and prove I can take it like a man. It’s not that I’m sad for Krista because I was in love with her or anything.
But I’ve known her for what feels like forever. It’s terrible that she’s gone. And if her dad had anything to do with it then that’s f**ked up times a thousand. Fucked up so bad, I can hardly wrap my head around it. I know her dad is an ass and they didn’t have the best relationship, but for him to kill her? I just…
Can’t imagine.
“You have. But you’re strong. I know you can handle it. You’ve handled a lot already.” She smiles at me. “And you have me by your side, so how can you go wrong?”
Her words are sweet, but are they one hundred percent true? Do I have her by my side? If her parents have their way, they’ll be gone in less than a week. Back to Southern California while I’m here alone. With no one, not even Krista.