My Night Breeze (The Breeze Series) (9 page)

The living r
oom was scattered with people, but the music was coming from the basement. Audra walked down the hallway towards the steps when her shoulder was tapped. Chris pointed towards the kitchen, and she began to follow him when she was brought to an abrupt halt. Jim’s fingers tightened on her shoulder.

“Who
’s that?”

“Stephen’s boyfriend. He’s taki
ng me to him. Chill,” Audra said, prying his hand off.

She caught
up to Chris near the end of the hallway and spotted Stephen opening a can of beer. Stephen handed the can over to Chris before opening one for himself. Audra scanned the table, but it was all alcoholic beverages. She ducked into the fridge, finding a bunch of water bottles and grabbed one. Only after she returned to Chris’s side, did Stephen notice her.

“
Glad you made it. The fun is downstairs,” Stephen said.

They
headed down the basement steps where the bass rumbled the walls. There were at least thirty people crammed into the main room where Tobias was manning the mini bar. Stephen and Chris sat down on the couch, but Audra slipped in between the crowd of people. She was careful not to bump into anyone and spill his or her drink. Her caution made it more difficult and longer to reach the bar, but she did and was welcomed with a kind smile.

“Where’s Jim?”

“Last I saw, upstairs,” Audra said.

“You got something to drink?”

She held up her water bottle, and he chuckled. A guy banged on the counter for service, and Tobias filled up two shot glasses with an amber liquid, receiving a tip. Audra was shocked to see how good he was at making drinks. Tobias clearly drank more than she ever imagined.

“I can’t get away right now
, but I will come find you soon, all right?” Tobias said.

“Okay.”

She made her way back through the crowd only to find Stephen whispering with Chris on the couch. Awkwardness settled into her stomach. There was no way she could just sit there and listen or watch them do that without seeming creepy. Stephen already thought she was becoming clingy; she didn’t need to make it weird. Instead, she went up the stairs and back into the living room. The sight of Jim with a girl on each side practically sitting on his lap encouraged her to move on.

Audra
went through the hallway back to the kitchen; a few people she didn’t know lingered around the room. She just needed to settle down somewhere quiet, but there wasn’t anywhere that wasn’t inhabited by people. She flipped on the backyard light and donned her jacket, glad she never put it down in the living room. The light, catching her attention in the most comforting way, ensconced the old tire swing.

Her hand
tugged on the rope a few times, testing it out to make sure it was still functional before she sat on the swing. With eyes closed, she swung from side to side. The quiet of the night wasn’t as comforting as she thought it would be, but it was much better than the chaos of music, yelling and chatter. She would always end up having to leave Stephen’s parties early, missing out on the ‘best part’ as he would say. After tonight, she wasn’t so sure she was missing out on anything.

What’s the point of going to a party anyway? Meeting new people? That was never her strong point unless it was part of school. Drinking? She’
d heard the stories of hangovers and bad decisions; neither sounded appealing. Maybe after all the years of social captivity, she was no longer able to enjoy a social environment. Was that possible? Audra shook the thoughts away. There had to be something to cling to. Some semblance of hope.

“Need a push?”

Audra opened her eyes to find Stephen walking over. She disentangled herself from the swing just as he reached her side.

“No, you want to use it?”
she asked.

“Nope. I was looking for you though. You disappeared.”

“I don’t think I’m a party girl.”

“How will you know hanging out here?” Stephen ask
ed.

Audra shrug
ged, following Stephen back inside and into the basement. Chris spotted them as they hit the bottom of the stairs. Stephen grabbed one of her hands and Chris took the other. Whether she liked it or not, they dragged her over to the dance area. Her nerves started to prickle at the idea of having to dance with a bunch of strangers, but they kept her included; their tiny triangle. Chris managed to spin Audra out as he pulled Stephen in, tugging her back in where they both shimmied around her.

A popular slow song c
ame on, and even though they both tried to force her into the triangle slow dance, she managed to escape. Audra looked around for her water bottle but couldn’t remember where she might have put it down. She looked toward the bar area, but Tobias was nowhere to be found. She went back up toward the living room, but Jim wasn’t there either. Audra headed up to the second floor and found the bathroom vacant.

After washing her hands, she gaze
d at the sweaty girl staring back at her. She used the sink and a wet washcloth to cool down. The smallest amount of eyeliner that she managed to sneak on without her parents noticing had long disappeared. She used a towel to dry her face and replace a small amount of lip-gloss. Her cheeks appeared flushed from the dancing, but the color enhanced her features into looking warmer.

Tugging the bathroom door closed, she start
ed towards the stairs when movement caught the corner of her eye. The girl with the short brown hair who had let them inside was sitting on the end of a bed. One of the guys she had passed on her way to the backyard was sitting next to her, kissing on her neck. His hand gently cupped her chin, tilting her head back as he leaned closer. Audra took a step closer, mesmerized by the intimate scene before her.

She lean
ed against the wall, peeking inside carefully. The girl’s short hair suddenly lengthened past her shoulders as her lips reunited with his. The gentleness of his lips against hers resonated throughout her body, causing every muscle to relax. She ran her hands through his dark hair, seeming to inhale his every breath and unwilling to break contact. The smoothness of his lips with a slight pressure from the small piercing, sent anxious and excited jolts through her veins.

Pressure on Audra’s lower back cause
d a silent but deep gasp to enter her lungs. She glanced to her right noticing Tobias. He nodded farther down the hallway, and she followed him. She could feel her cheeks hot with embarrassment from being caught. The only good news was that it was him and not Jim. She didn’t even want to think about what he would have said.

Tobias open
ed the door to his room, allowing her entrance and shutting it behind her. She sat on the chair by his desk, but he paced the small space. When he finally stopped, he took a seat on the corner of his bed. She could see the words were on the tip of his tongue, but something was holding him back. She angled the chair to face him completely.

“No matter what…I won’t hold it against you. I swear I won’t say that you told me.”

“I don’t care about that. You’re so impatient to find out that you probably haven’t thought about what I told you,” Tobias said.

“I did
, but I haven’t changed my mind. Please don’t deny me my life.”

“No one is den
ying you but you,” Tobias stated.

Audra stood
up from the chair and walked up to him, leaning so they were eye level.

“What are you talking about?”

“You forgot. No one hid anything from you. I’d rather you remember on your own than have to say it out loud,” Tobias said.

“That makes no sense. Why did my parents flip out on Jim then?”

“They don’t want you to remember,” he said.

Tobias grab
bed her hands, tugging her to sit down beside him. “Close your eyes. Tell me what you remember from the youngest memory.”

Frustrated
, Audra closed her eyes and tried to think back. Stephen appeared by her side in her mind’s eye, holding her hand.

“I promise to protect you no matter what
,” Stephen had said.

Audra nod
ded beneath her hood but gripped Stephen’s hand tightly. He guided her into the gentle rainfall a few feet from the house. She could feel the panic start to make it hard to breathe. Stephen stopped walking, facing her.

“See your fi
—”

A strong heat start
ed to rise, close enough to hurt her eyes. She took a step back, but it didn’t help. The heat refused to simmer down. She opened her mouth to cry out for help, but smoke clogged her throat, making it hard to breathe. Audra gripped her hands tightly, only to feel a thumb gently rub the back of her hand. She tried to open her eyes once again and saw Stephen smiling back at her with pride.

“We did it. You did it
,” Stephen said.

*****

“Audra…” Tobias whispered.

She open
ed her eyes to find him leaning over her. What just happened? She sat up trying to get her bearings. A stray tear slipped down her cheek.

“What did you remember?”

“Stephen…trying to help me get over my fear of the rain. I…still don’t know why? What happened to me?” Audra asked.

“What else happened?”

“There was a—”

“Tobias, have you seen…Audra?” Jim ask
ed barging in.

The shock on Jim’s face matche
d Tobias’s, most likely for different reasons though. Audra stood up and ran to her brother, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her mind hadn’t caught up with an excuse yet, but it seemed safer to hold on and hope for something. Jim rigidly gripped her with one hand while untangling his arm to point at his best friend.

“What were you trying to pull?” Jim ask
ed, outraged.

“No way. Jim
, it’s not what it looked like.”

“Jim, Tobias helped me
,” Audra said looking up with pleading eyes.

“What happened?”

“Some guy was pestering her. I kicked him out, but she wanted some space,” Tobias said.

The lie wa
s convenient and quick. She unwrapped herself from Jim and grabbed Tobias’s hand.

“Honestly, I would have just left if it wasn’t for Tobias. He didn’t want you to worry about me,
so he brought me here,” Audra added.

Jim tug
ged her back roughly, out of reach of his friend. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“I couldn’t find you
, but I’m okay now. I just needed a few minutes to calm down, and I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Jim ask
ed, swiping away the stray tear trail.

Audra nod
ded and warmth settled into his eyes. He let out his frustration in a rough breath. Tobias stood, heading towards the door, but her brother stopped him.

“Thanks for looking out for her
, man.”

“Not a problem
,” Tobias said before slipping out of the room.

Audra walk
ed with Jim back down towards the living room. She grabbed his hand and leaned into his ear.

“I’m gonna go home. I’m pretty tired.”

“I can take you,” Jim offered.

“No
, really, I need the fresh air. I promise to go straight home, okay?”

“Al
l right, text me so I know you made it,” Jim said.

Audra agree
d and made her way out the front door.

O
nce in the cool night air she took a long pull of oxygen. The relief engulfed her completely; she was just lucky Tobias was thinking on his feet. She never intended on getting Tobias into an argument with Jim, but it would have been worse if Jim knew what they were really up to. Audra took another deep breath and crossed the street heading for home.

The memory of the rising heat start
ed to come back to her as she turned the corner. A flash of bright orange blinded her eyes. Audra rubbed her eyes, but nothing seemed to help readjust them to normal. How could this be? She squinted, and it helped her focus on the sidewalk in front of her. A low sound of flapping and movement started to get louder. She looked around her but nothing made sense. Was there someone following her?

Audra crosse
d the next street knowing that her house was at the end of it. A burst of heat hit her causing her to trip over her own feet. She caught herself before she fell but couldn’t understand what was going on. She unzipped her jacket in hopes of cooling down, but nothing seemed to help. She looked around one more time but saw nothing out of place. Audra tried to clear her mind, focusing on getting home safely, but a trickle of fear started to creep in.

She check
ed behind her once more and tripped over the uneven sidewalk, ramming into something. She went down hard on her knee, yelping out of surprise and fear. When she looked up, she froze in shock. It was Mateo, but he made no move to help her up. She tried to shake herself clear of thoughts and stand up. That’s when she noticed the bloody cloth in his hands around his nose.