The Equinox (13 page)

After I take their order and place it for
the cooks I’m approached again by stone-faced Johnny.

“You can take your break now. You’ve got
30 minutes.” He says this and I take an appreciative deep breath, not taking my
eyes from his.

“Did I do something to you, or something?”
I can’t help myself.

Johnny looks as if he’s going to walk
away from me but I step to the side to stop him. By the look on his face, my
confrontation surprised him.

“Look. I’ll stay out of your way if you
stay out of mine, okay?” He says this with such intensity that I have to step
back.

I just don’t understand his attitude, and
he obviously has no intention of seeking a resolution. I know what I have to
do.

I turn from Johnny and walk straight to
the break room to find the work schedule he mentioned. His name is all over it for
next week but I’m able to find a few spots that ensure I won’t run into him
before, after, or during any of my upcoming shifts.

I finish scribbling my name into a few
spots and smile.
There.

My mood is brighter as I walk back to the
floor to finish my break with my friends. I approach Alec and he immediately
pulls a chair close to him.

I sit and freeze when I hear what they
are discussing. They’re talking about Darryl French. My stomach tightens. Even
Johnny gave me a distraction to the reality I’m facing now. Maybe I should
spend my break in the back where I don’t have to hear or think about the
Equinox.

But Alec chooses that moment to slide his
arm around my shoulders, relaxing me enough to stay put. I focus on Alec’s hold
now, the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs, and then grazes over me just enough
to let me know I still exist to him.

Ava changes the subject to the carnival,
and for once, I’m grateful to her for something. She goes on about the garden
maze that her parents designed as a contribution to the carnival. It strikes me
as odd that Ava’s parents would ever want to do anything
nice
for Summer Island, considering Rose is the one they constantly
raise political issues against, but the idea of the garden maze is pretty cool.
Ava describes it as an enchanted garden filled with surprises at every corner.
Apparently it’s complicated to get through due to rigged contraptions that will
scare people and really help them lose their way.

I’m distracted by Alec who shifts his
weight toward me and smiles when our eyes meet. I smile back. The faces around us
blur, and we’re shielded by everything else. Mouths around us still open and
close, as if they are speaking, but I cannot hear them.

He leans in slowly so we are only inches
apart. “Great first day of work, huh?”

I grin, but the flirting is over quickly
as I catch sight of Johnny across the room, glaring at us. It brings me back in
the present tense, and I decide to tell Alec the truth about how
great
work is. Maybe he’ll have some
good advice.

“Work is good, so long as Mr. Grumpsters
over there doesn’t look my way again. I think I might just get through this day.”

He chuckles and pulls me in again so that
his lips brush my cheek, sending heat up my throat and into my cheeks.

“I’m excited for our date tonight,” he
whispers.

And there it is; the flutter in my
stomach reignited. I quiver slightly and smile. “Where are you taking me?”

“There’s an Italian place just outside of
Apollo Beach. I thought we could go there and get out of the city for a bit.”

“That sounds perfect.” He has no idea.

He smiles. “Good. Then I’ll pick you up
from work at four?”

My eyes grow wide. “I just realized I
haven’t eaten a thing today. I’ll be starved by dinner.”

“Uh oh. I better take on another shift at
the lifeguard post.”

I push him away and roll my eyes. “Watch
it, Stone. This is our first date, remember? You have to be on your best
behavior.”

He grins and leans into me. I catch one
last look of his emerald green eyes and melt before he touches his lips to
mine.

* *
*

It’s silly that I ever doubted Alec’s
affection for me. Circumstances are not ideal and the secrets are painful to
keep from him, but our feelings for each other are real.

To have a relationship with someone based
on him thinking I’m
normal
is
upsetting, but others do it. My dad dated my mom and he thought she was normal.
Although that relationship didn’t end well, and she wasn’t exactly
normal
, they were still in love.

The life of an Enchanter is full of
secrets. This is something that I’ll learn to deal with if I want to lead a regular
life.

My shift isn’t over fast enough. From the
moment Alec left with Ava, I worked faster and harder just to get through the
rest of my shift. I tried to ignore the growing irritation that Brent and Matt
stayed behind to play pool.

Now that my shift is ending, my steps
feel lighter, my laughter comes easier, and my senses are sharper than ever. Not
only do I get to go on my first date, but I get to go on it with Alec.

It’s four o’clock and I rush to the break
room to clock out and throw on my change of clothes, a jean skirt and
sleeveless blue blouse. After a quick glance in the mirror I instantly wish
that I’d brought some lipstick.

With a deep, calming breath I turn on my
heel and head for the door. The kitchen is bustling. Things have really picked
up in the last half hour. I dart out the door quickly, praying that Roy
wouldn’t stop me and ask me to stay longer. He hinted at it earlier but I just acted
aloof. There is no way I am going to miss this date.

Alec is nowhere to be found yet so I lean
up against one of the wood posts at the front of the restaurant and look out at
the scene around the Island. I imagine him searching for the perfect outfit
before leaving his house. The thought brings a warm smile to my face.

From where I stand, I can see a good
portion of the Island. The crowds at the pool, the tennis courts, and couples
taking early evening strolls on the track.

The happiness I see all around the Island
brings forward disturbing thoughts of Johnny. What is the purpose of being so
grumpy? Really. I’m a pleasant person to be around. I don’t smell bad. I release
my ponytail and sniff the wafting green apple shampoo scent. I smell quite good
actually.

I check the time. Four thirty. Maybe Alec
isn’t the punctual type. I take out my phone and flick through the apps before
pressing on the photo gallery. The latest photos brings an immediate smile to
my face. Alec took this one of us together on the bus. I save it to my phone’s
wallpaper.

When he’s still not here I press on the text
app and send him a message.

Hey,
where are you? I’m out front of the Grille.

A figure moves past me without
acknowledgement and I don’t have to look to know that it’s Johnny from his
aftershave which has a light trace of exotic fruit. I watch him walk away; his
posture tense as always, but purposeful. I just don’t know what that purpose
is.

Five o’clock comes and that’s when my optimism
begins to grow dark. Not once in the past hour did I think Alec would stand me
up; not until this moment.

As I give up on waiting and slip my phone
in my back pocket, the sky decides to open up and pour. Of course. It’s as if
the brilliantly hot sun just couldn’t take it anymore.

I don’t mind getting drenched from the
downpour. The rain drowns out my thoughts and prevents the sadness of Alec’s
no-show to take hold.

Have I ignored all of the signs that led
to this? He has been acting different lately—more eager and aggressive
than what I remember from when we first met. Nevertheless, he seemed pretty
into me at Weeki Wachee and then again today at the restaurant, so even if he
has been acting different, why stand me up?

Water soaks my clothes and presses
against my skin like plastic wrap. I don’t walk faster. I don’t run. Instead, I
let the water bathe me, hoping to feel something—anything, but I’m numb to
it all as I drag myself home. Part of me doesn’t want to accept the fact that
Alec hurt me. Alec, of all people. Is he okay? I’m too humiliated to ask.

I walk into Summer Estates and move
blindly past Rose and Charlotte. I take the steps two at a time and close the
door as soon as I’m safe in my room.

It’s not until I’ve washed up and I’m in
my running clothes that I begin to really think about what just happened. A
tear surfaces and I don’t brush it away. It feels good to cry. I continue to
let the tears fall, allowing the painful release to heal me.

There’s a knock on my door and I quickly
brush the tears away before standing, not wanting anyone to see me like this.

Charlotte stands there, her face already
knowing and full of sympathy. It crushes me. “Do you want some dinner? I can
bring it up.”

I groan. I haven’t eaten a thing all day,
but I have no energy to go downstairs and socialize with Rose. “Okay.”

Her arms wrap around me just as a tray of
food flies through the door and lands on the bed. I can’t help but laugh.
Charlotte and her use of her powers always entertains me. Even at a moment like
this, she can make me smile.

She leaves me to my food and I munch on
it lazily as I come up with all the possible excuses Alec would have for
standing me up. It doesn’t make sense. I just saw him and he seemed to be
completely smitten with me. Am I that naïve to believe that Alec could actually
like me when he never really did? But he’s the one who asked
me
out. These were
his
plans that he didn’t show up for.

My phone distracts me with a loud buzz
and my stomach moves to my throat in less than a second. I reach for my back
pocket and give my phone a yank. When I see Alec’s name on my screen I sigh
with relief. Then I see his message.

Kat,
sorry about tonight. Something came up.

I stare at the screen until it dims and
then darkens completely. That’s it? That’s all I get after waiting for him like
an idiot for an hour? He tells me
something
came up
? He obviously doesn’t want to reschedule either.
Fine
. Tears sting the back of my eyes
but I force them back.

With an angry flip of my wrist, my phone flies
to the other side of the bed. I put on my tennis shoes and take a running leap
off my balcony and land on the back patio harder than expected. A stabbing pain
runs up my leg but as soon as the sensation dissipates I’m off.