rest of the day to cooking, her idea being to freeze things in preparation for the long 4th of July weekend when her friends would return. It seemed far off, but it would be here before she knew it.
She unloaded groceries, put them away, cooked, cleaned up, went for a jog, and took a shower. She had set aside some of the meatloaf she had made, and now she heated it up for dinner, taking it out to the porch to eat.
As she gazed at the lake, she thought about all the strange occurrences, both ordinary romantic quandaries and possible supernatural signs, that had taken place in just seven days. If she considered all the unexplained, potentially paranormal happenings, they were hardly confined to just her bedroom. Rain decided that her room was as safe as anyone else’s. It was time to act brave, even though the idea of falling asleep made her nerves crackle with apprehension. She would strip the sheets on A.J.’s bed so she couldn’t change her mind. She was planning to wash everyone’s sheets anyway and remake the beds before they came back.
Climbing the stairs, she paused at the top and then inexplicably wandered to the right, down the hall to Jason’s bedroom instead. Her heart started beating faster, as though she were in danger of being caught trespassing. There was actually nothing much to see, the bed was made neatly and his personal items were gone. She sat down on his bed and pulled the pillow onto her lap. Would sleeping here make her feel safer?
Oh, God, she was losing it. She tossed the pillow back and started to leave, noticing his sweatshirt hanging by its hood from a peg on the back of the door. Gingerly, she lifted it off and considered. Bloody hell, she thought, and pulled it over her head. It would make her feel less lonely, she told herself. Jason wouldn’t mind.
She stripped A.J.’s bed, pausing several times to push the dangling sleeves of Jason’s sweatshirt back up to her elbows. After depositing the sheets in the washing machine, she poured a glass of wine and wandered out to the porch.
Her novel lay on a cushion of the outdoor couch, and she settled beside it, drawing a blanket over her lap. Burrowing her chin into the neck of the sweatshirt, she inhaled Jason’s familiar scent. With a sigh, she reminded herself that they could never be more than friends. And she had no one to blame for that but herself.
It had been her choice. But she’d never actually thought she would be forced to choose at all. Looking back, it was clear now that she’d been both foolish and naïve, believing they could pretend the kiss never happened.
She’d avoided being alone with Jason in the weeks after New Year’s Eve, and she’d been confident her strategy was working. When they were together in a group, things between them had seemed fine. Completely normal, at least on the surface. They’d been friends since grade school; nothing could change that.
Then Brandy had vanished, and absolutely everything had changed. Not only had they lost Brandy, they had somehow lost each other as well. A.J. had withdrawn into a deep depression that none of them could penetrate. Allie had simply removed herself from their group. At first, she had made excuses; eventually, she had just stopped returning Rain’s calls altogether.
Rain had turned to Jason for support, as she had so many times in the past. The hours they’d spent together, sharing grief and confusion, strengthened their bond. She’d known that being alone with Jason was risky, but she’d been unwilling to give up her last friend.
With a shiver, Rain pulled the hood of the sweatshirt over her head. She gathered the bulky material under her chin protectively against the chilly night air. The memory of her fight with Jason settled over her, and she wished there was a similar way to block the heartache that always came with it.
Something splashed in the water, and Rain gazed out into the inky blackness as she pictured herself that long-ago night. She and
She unloaded groceries, put them away, cooked, cleaned up, went for a jog, and took a shower. She had set aside some of the meatloaf she had made, and now she heated it up for dinner, taking it out to the porch to eat.
As she gazed at the lake, she thought about all the strange occurrences, both ordinary romantic quandaries and possible supernatural signs, that had taken place in just seven days. If she considered all the unexplained, potentially paranormal happenings, they were hardly confined to just her bedroom. Rain decided that her room was as safe as anyone else’s. It was time to act brave, even though the idea of falling asleep made her nerves crackle with apprehension. She would strip the sheets on A.J.’s bed so she couldn’t change her mind. She was planning to wash everyone’s sheets anyway and remake the beds before they came back.
Climbing the stairs, she paused at the top and then inexplicably wandered to the right, down the hall to Jason’s bedroom instead. Her heart started beating faster, as though she were in danger of being caught trespassing. There was actually nothing much to see, the bed was made neatly and his personal items were gone. She sat down on his bed and pulled the pillow onto her lap. Would sleeping here make her feel safer?
Oh, God, she was losing it. She tossed the pillow back and started to leave, noticing his sweatshirt hanging by its hood from a peg on the back of the door. Gingerly, she lifted it off and considered. Bloody hell, she thought, and pulled it over her head. It would make her feel less lonely, she told herself. Jason wouldn’t mind.
She stripped A.J.’s bed, pausing several times to push the dangling sleeves of Jason’s sweatshirt back up to her elbows. After depositing the sheets in the washing machine, she poured a glass of wine and wandered out to the porch.
Her novel lay on a cushion of the outdoor couch, and she settled beside it, drawing a blanket over her lap. Burrowing her chin into the neck of the sweatshirt, she inhaled Jason’s familiar scent. With a sigh, she reminded herself that they could never be more than friends. And she had no one to blame for that but herself.
It had been her choice. But she’d never actually thought she would be forced to choose at all. Looking back, it was clear now that she’d been both foolish and naïve, believing they could pretend the kiss never happened.
She’d avoided being alone with Jason in the weeks after New Year’s Eve, and she’d been confident her strategy was working. When they were together in a group, things between them had seemed fine. Completely normal, at least on the surface. They’d been friends since grade school; nothing could change that.
Then Brandy had vanished, and absolutely everything had changed. Not only had they lost Brandy, they had somehow lost each other as well. A.J. had withdrawn into a deep depression that none of them could penetrate. Allie had simply removed herself from their group. At first, she had made excuses; eventually, she had just stopped returning Rain’s calls altogether.
Rain had turned to Jason for support, as she had so many times in the past. The hours they’d spent together, sharing grief and confusion, strengthened their bond. She’d known that being alone with Jason was risky, but she’d been unwilling to give up her last friend.
With a shiver, Rain pulled the hood of the sweatshirt over her head. She gathered the bulky material under her chin protectively against the chilly night air. The memory of her fight with Jason settled over her, and she wished there was a similar way to block the heartache that always came with it.
Something splashed in the water, and Rain gazed out into the inky blackness as she pictured herself that long-ago night. She and
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