sensing the turbulence on their airplane. It wasn’t helping any of them feel better.
Julie slid the pile of books she was carrying down onto the desk with a thud. “Hey, you must be sick or something.” Julie reached out, putting her hand on Emma’s forehead. Her cool palm felt good. “You’re hot.”
Emma grimaced. “I know.”
“You should go home.” Julie sat down next to her friend. “Maybe you caught something at the concert? There were a ton of people there.”
Emma shrugged, too tired to respond. “I don’t know. I felt fine until yesterday. Sort of.”
“Hey, at least the concert was epic!” Julie said, smiling. “Meeting Duncan was amazing!” Emma smiled through her discomfort as Julie did a little bounce in her seat. “He was so nice! And Jake, too.” Julie smiled slyly. “And neither of them could keep their eyes off you. I even heard one of the reporters talking about it.”
Emma sat up. “What? A reporter was talking about us?” She felt both men suddenly pay more attention to her conversation. She closed her eyes as the room spun, but it didn’t help much as her brain suddenly zoomed in on Duncan fiddling with the window shade, trying to get it to close completely and block the sunlight. Jake was attempting to quell the vertigo he was experiencing from both the bonding and the airplane. She felt their alarm and wordless pleas for more information. She would’ve been hurt at their obvious desire to keep their relationship secret if she hadn’t also been aware of the strange suppression of any information having to do with bonding in the past week. The entire thing was frightening and suggested something more than just public disinterest. She suspected someone very influential was behind the dearth of news reports, someone who had both money and political capital.
“Oh, I think it was someone from an internet news site. She was talking to her cameraman, and they were speculating about who you were and what your relationship was to Duncan and Jake. She thought you might be a relative, but the cameraman wasn’t convinced.” Julie giggled. “If Duncan and Jake hadn’t been undressing you with their eyes the whole time, I don’t think it would’ve been an issue. Where were you right after the encore, anyway?”
Emma cursed in her head, feeling the men’s frustration. “I was in the bathroom, remember?”
“I saw Jake grab you, don’t think you can wiggle out of explaining. I’m your friend. I’m not gonna say anything if you were with them.”
Emma stared at Julie, trying to weigh what to say against her fear that something bigger was going on. Just this morning, she saw on the news that around twenty people were missing from the Philadelphia area. She suspected it had something to do with bonding but all the authorities would say was that they “were looking into the matter.” She sighed. “I told you, I had to pee. That’s all.” Emma willed Julie to believe her. Julie rolled her eyes but didn’t press her.
“All right, whatever. I gotta go shelve these books. You should seriously consider going home, though. You look really pale.” Julie squeezed Emma’s hand and got up, gathering the books on her way out of the office. Emma pressed her palms to her forehead, willing the headache to subside. It didn’t work. She had a feeling that it was really, really bad that Jake and Duncan had to fly out to LA on a red-eye the night of the concert. They’d had five minutes for a hasty good-bye after the fan meet and greet, and then the two men were off to film a new music video. Emma went home that night feeling good, feeling hopeful. The three of them had been completely unaware that the bonding was going to flare up like this. In the back of her head, she and the men had the feeling that they shouldn’t have separated, at least not so soon. She put her head down on her desk, relishing the cool feel of the wood against her skin. She needed a moment before she dialed
Julie slid the pile of books she was carrying down onto the desk with a thud. “Hey, you must be sick or something.” Julie reached out, putting her hand on Emma’s forehead. Her cool palm felt good. “You’re hot.”
Emma grimaced. “I know.”
“You should go home.” Julie sat down next to her friend. “Maybe you caught something at the concert? There were a ton of people there.”
Emma shrugged, too tired to respond. “I don’t know. I felt fine until yesterday. Sort of.”
“Hey, at least the concert was epic!” Julie said, smiling. “Meeting Duncan was amazing!” Emma smiled through her discomfort as Julie did a little bounce in her seat. “He was so nice! And Jake, too.” Julie smiled slyly. “And neither of them could keep their eyes off you. I even heard one of the reporters talking about it.”
Emma sat up. “What? A reporter was talking about us?” She felt both men suddenly pay more attention to her conversation. She closed her eyes as the room spun, but it didn’t help much as her brain suddenly zoomed in on Duncan fiddling with the window shade, trying to get it to close completely and block the sunlight. Jake was attempting to quell the vertigo he was experiencing from both the bonding and the airplane. She felt their alarm and wordless pleas for more information. She would’ve been hurt at their obvious desire to keep their relationship secret if she hadn’t also been aware of the strange suppression of any information having to do with bonding in the past week. The entire thing was frightening and suggested something more than just public disinterest. She suspected someone very influential was behind the dearth of news reports, someone who had both money and political capital.
“Oh, I think it was someone from an internet news site. She was talking to her cameraman, and they were speculating about who you were and what your relationship was to Duncan and Jake. She thought you might be a relative, but the cameraman wasn’t convinced.” Julie giggled. “If Duncan and Jake hadn’t been undressing you with their eyes the whole time, I don’t think it would’ve been an issue. Where were you right after the encore, anyway?”
Emma cursed in her head, feeling the men’s frustration. “I was in the bathroom, remember?”
“I saw Jake grab you, don’t think you can wiggle out of explaining. I’m your friend. I’m not gonna say anything if you were with them.”
Emma stared at Julie, trying to weigh what to say against her fear that something bigger was going on. Just this morning, she saw on the news that around twenty people were missing from the Philadelphia area. She suspected it had something to do with bonding but all the authorities would say was that they “were looking into the matter.” She sighed. “I told you, I had to pee. That’s all.” Emma willed Julie to believe her. Julie rolled her eyes but didn’t press her.
“All right, whatever. I gotta go shelve these books. You should seriously consider going home, though. You look really pale.” Julie squeezed Emma’s hand and got up, gathering the books on her way out of the office. Emma pressed her palms to her forehead, willing the headache to subside. It didn’t work. She had a feeling that it was really, really bad that Jake and Duncan had to fly out to LA on a red-eye the night of the concert. They’d had five minutes for a hasty good-bye after the fan meet and greet, and then the two men were off to film a new music video. Emma went home that night feeling good, feeling hopeful. The three of them had been completely unaware that the bonding was going to flare up like this. In the back of her head, she and the men had the feeling that they shouldn’t have separated, at least not so soon. She put her head down on her desk, relishing the cool feel of the wood against her skin. She needed a moment before she dialed
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