Grounded (Grounded #1) (7 page)

“So, we’re good then?” It was the last question I wanted to ask. If he said no, that he never wanted to see me again, I was sure I’d cry on the spot. I cared about Aric a lot, but, when I looked deeper, it was as a friend. Our friendship would help us through this awkward situation. It had to.

“You know us goblins…can’t get rid of us that easily.” He said those words to put me at ease because that’s the kind of thing a Gobel would do for their friend, but the tone did nothing to mask his sadness. I hoped the sadness would fade and Aric would keep being my friend.

He made me laugh, even though I felt horrible about hurting him, and it made me wonder how much hurt was actually there. Deep down I think even he knew we should only be friends. Not that I’m saying all the time we spend together was fake. There was definitely a physical attraction.

“I’d hug you, but you’re gross. So, I owe you one.” I smirked, testing the waters of our new friendship.

“Yeah, I don’t like IOUs.” He pulled me into a big, greasy bear hug, ignoring all my protests and wiping his hands up and down my back, leaving his mark. “Now that that’s settled,” he let me go, “we need to head back soon. He needs to know what’s up.”

“I know.” I nodded as I spoke.

“I can—”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Chapter Nine

Of course, that hug from Aric felt good because it let me know he’d still be in my life. Not having him by my side was the last thing I wanted, but I had to change my clothes…again. He’d purposely wiped an extra smudge of grease across my cheek because that’s the way he was. At least I could easily take care of that with a damp cloth and a quick touch-up with the make-up brush.

Then it was time to go see Jensen. That would be the easier conversation to have. As I tried to leave the shop quickly and quietly without Mr. Burkhardt seeing my dirty clothing and face, he called out that Jensen was doing some work for his mom at their house, just in case I wanted to know. That’s where I headed after getting cleaned up.

The Burkhardts lived just a few miles out on what used to be a large farm. Jensen told me, during one of our late night talks, that his grandparents sold the land years before. I pulled into the horseshoe driveway and stopped in the middle. His mom stepped out on the front porch that wrapped all the way around the white house. She immediately looked disappointed, throwing a tense, not quite rude, greeting that made me wonder just what Jensen told his parents about us. She told me where to go, which was not where I suspected she wanted to send me.

Jensen was out back, behind the garage, moving wood to make room for another delivery. He didn’t hear me come around the corner or pull in the driveway, for that matter. His radio was blaring.

I couldn’t help myself. Leaning against the corner of the garage, I just watched him work. His muscles strained when he picked up more than he should have for each load, and with his shirt off, his body glistening in the summer sun, who could blame my creepy Peeping Tom routine? The longer I watched him, the more I didn’t want to just watch him.

“I always wondered how you stay in shape,” I called out over the radio.

He spun in surprise at the sound of my voice, dropping two logs in the process. “Hey,” he smiled wide, genuinely happy to see me, “what are you doing here?”

“Just a little stalking.”

“Well, that’s always welcome.”

“Your dad told me you were out here.”

Jensen tossed the armload to the ground and grabbed the t-shirt that hung off the side of the truck to give his chest and arms a wipe down before coming over to me. Very considerate considering the amount of sweat that had been dripping from the hard planes of his bare back and abs.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

Grabbing my hand, he led me over to the big, black truck where the music was coming from. After dropping the tailgate and going around to lower the volume, he came back to sit beside me. Even with all the physical activity and the perspiration, he still smelled sweet. It was like a musky, earthy smell. It worked on him.

“I went to the shop first—”

“I told you I wasn’t working today, right?” He eyed me curiously, those beautiful blue eyes narrowing on mine. I assumed it was his way of asking if I went there to see the competition.

“I went to talk to Aric.”

His face fell and body tightened like he thought I was going to throw a punch or something. “And?”

“We talked. I still want to be friends with him and he gets it.”

“Gets what?”

“This is gonna sound incredibly stupid, but I had to pick, right? Make a choice. Isn’t that what you said?”

The little boy grin came out as everything I said started to make sense to him. He leaned over, stroking my bottom lip, then cheek, with a thumb before bringing his lips to mine. My entire body reacted when I felt his tongue on my mouth, making the kiss more urgent and full of the desire I’d been trying to keep at bay.

I had no idea how long we were there before his mom interrupted with glasses of lemonade. I swear I would’ve let him take me then and there. I think the lemonade was just a ruse to check up on us in case I was defiling her son against the back of her garage. I was still grateful. It tasted lemony, sweet and cold.

“Don’t forget the Dittmans are coming for dinner tonight. You said you’d be here,” she added. I threw him the look that asked who that was.

“Ashley’s family,” he whispered back even though his mom was right there and would hear either way.

“Ah, I see. The future wife’s coming over. I guess the girlfriend should leave.”

Jensen laughed loudly, though his mother didn’t seem to appreciate the comment. She looked like she’d been sucking on too many of those lemons anyway. I made a mental note to ask later if that was her normal disposition or something only I brought out. When he effectively dismissed his mother, Jensen walked me slowly to my car, a sticky arm around my shoulder.

“It was the motorcycle, right?” Jensen’s hip nudged mine.

“Course. Because I couldn’t find any other douche on a bike who’d have me.” I gave him a sharp elbow to the solar plexus, just hard enough for him to feel it. “Hey, could I pry you out of the shop for lunch Monday?”

Alone, we’d probably get distracted and I’d never get around to telling him that he’s the prodigal son of a powerful Gremalian and needs to come home to help save our lives. It probably wouldn’t come up. Other things would, but not that.

“I think I can make time for lunch with my girlfriend.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just don’t think this means I’m open for business or anything.”

He smirked back at me. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” I raised an eyebrow. “Okay, maybe I would
dream
of it, but I assume nothing.”

Another elbow to his ribs got more laughter out of him. I could only shake my head.

***

The thing I loved about Putnam Valley was that, compared to home, it was huge. I had actual options as to where I could eat. Back home, my only choice was the one family-run restaurant. Putnam Valley even had a Chinese restaurant, something you’d have to drive miles for in the Upper Peninsula.

I chose the deli for my and Jensen’s lunch that Monday because they made the best sandwiches I’d ever eaten. Plus, most orders were take-out, so we would have some privacy. Jensen told me, as soon as we sat down, that he didn’t usually leave the shop for lunch unless it was just to grab everyone’s take out. He joked that his dad might think he and I are on the verge of marriage since I got him to go out.

He ate. I pretended to, since I was feeling a little nauseous. It was time to explain everything, which was why I came to town in the first place. I was falling for him and the prospect of that beautiful man never wanting to see me again if he thought I lied to him or if he thought I was crazy was almost more than I could handle. I almost backed down, but I knew I’d been there too long to keep delaying. With the way he sometimes looked at me, I couldn’t imagine he’d say no. Or, at least, I hoped his feelings would be a factor in his decision. I hoped he wouldn’t think I was completely nuts even though I know I’d sound nuts.

“I have to tell you something.”

Our eyes didn’t meet because I made sure to avoid looking at him, but I could feel his on my face as I tore the corner of a paper napkin apart. I could honestly say I’d never been that uncomfortable in my life.

I thought it would be easy. No sweat. I’d roll into town, make him take notice, get him alone and tell him who he really was. Instead, I fell for the guy. Now, not only was his return on the line, but a relationship was, too. I hadn’t seen that coming.

“Why do I not like the sound of that?” he replied. The chair creaked as he sat back, folding his arms across the muscles in his chest. I tried not to notice. I didn’t want to be distracted, but the years working on cars had an excellent effect on his body, one I seemed to enjoy quite a lot.

“It’s no big deal. I mean, it is, but it’s not, you know?”

I couldn’t have made less sense if I were actually speaking Mandarin. What the hell was wrong with me? I once fought a six pack of evil fairies—really, just a bunch of overzealous high school boys with an awesome nickname, courtesy of me—on my own when I was fifteen, which impressed even our most experienced fighters since I’d kicked their asses. Yet the minute I had to tell a boy I liked something important, I could barely put a coherent sentence together.

“Okay, well, I know you’re not pregnant.” He snorted at his joke. “So, out with it.”

With one deep breath, I used all that air to spit it out. “I’m Gremalian, and so are you. We need you to come home to help save our people.”

That’s when I finally looked at him. He didn’t believe me, or he didn’t understand, because I’d explained nothing and sounded psychotic. The entire sentence came out as one word.

“Gremlin? Like Gizmo?” He cocked his head to the side and smirked.

A nervous laugh came out, but I rolled my eyes. “No, those gremlins are the bastardization of our people. I’m not small and green, am I?”

“You are pretty small,” he teased.

“Jensen,” I sighed, “I’m serious.”

My face pled with him to listen. He stood up to leave instead.

“I can see that you think you are, but you’re also making no sense. I’ve got work to do. An old carburetor is calling my name.”

Then he was gone.

When I thought about this conversation beforehand, I was afraid he wouldn’t wait for an explanation. Gremlins, as he called us, did sound crazy if you grew up in the human world oblivious to anything out of the ordinary, but I also hadn’t planned on sounding like a moron when we talked. This one was on me. When I saw his motorcycle pass the front window, I had to act.

Shit.
I tore out of there like my pants were on fire and sped through town, trying to beat him back to the shop. I failed. His ten second head start was all he needed. So, instead of busting in there to haul Aric out, I loitered at the corner until I caught his eye and waved him over.

“Some kind of lunch, I guess,” he called out before getting all the way into the parking lot. I shushed him with a finger over my mouth and gestured for him to hurry.

“I told him.”

“What?” Aric’s voice dropped the way it should have.

“I told him. He didn’t believe me and he left. Of course, I really explained nothing, which I’m thinking was the wrong way to go.” Deflect with humor; that’s the Alyssum way.

Pushing his shoulders back to stand tall, he said, “That explains his weirdness.”

“What?” I pulled him by the arm to the other side of the building in the hopes Jensen wouldn’t see us. That would be the last thing I’d need at that point.

“He’s been weird since he’s been back. Slamming drawers, cursing under his breath. Everyone’s kind of keeping their distance. They think he’s had a stroke or something because that’s not like him. I mean, me they expect it from. Not him.” He paused to look at me. I tried to envision a pissed off Aric tearing apart the garage. “Do you think he thinks he got stuck with the crazy chick?”

“Probably,” I muttered. “What do we do?”

I still couldn’t believe I was asking a Gobel for advice. My father would roll over in his grave and he wasn’t even dead yet.

“Okay, I’m supposed to go to his dad’s with him to watch the baseball game—”

“I never understood the appeal of that game.”

“Not really the point here, Alyssum. It starts at seven. We’ll have to lay it all out for him.”

I agreed. In the weeks I’d known Aric, he became one of the most trusted people in my life. Jensen too, of course. I trusted both of them more than my own parents. It didn’t help that I thought my parents would feed me to wolves if it suited our people. Our people came first. I came last.

Aric went back to work, pretending he knew nothing, and I went around the other side to sneak back to my car two blocks away. Just as I passed the entrance, his dad caught me. I turned with a smile. After a nice, short conversation that left me believing Jensen told him we were officially together and he was happy about it, I went on my way.