The Hidden (The Hidden Trilogy) (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Saturday, September 5
th

EMILY

There was a knock on the front door just as I finished getting ready. I went to answer it, surprised to see Thomas standing on the other side, holding out a single blue flower. “Happy belated birthday,” he said.

That warm, fuzzy feeling flooded me at the sight of him. Then a rush of heat followed when I thought about sleeping on his chest. Damn, I really hoped I hadn’t snored or drooled.

“Thanks.” I held the flower up to my nose, breathing in its heady fragrance. “What are you doing here?”

He leaned against the doorframe. “You didn’t get to celebrate your birthday, so we’re celebrating today.”

My heart skipped a beat. “And how are we doing that?” Damn it, why did he have to go and do this kind of stuff? It made it impossible not to like him.

“Come on,” he said. “Just trust me.”

I rolled my eyes in mock irritation, but couldn’t stop the smile tugging on my mouth. “Fine.” My purse hung over the back of the couch, and I grabbed it before shutting the door behind us. “Where are we going?”

We started walking towards the elevator as he said, “It’s a surprise.”

Smiling, I held the flower up to my nose again and inhaled. “What kind of flower is this? It looks like a rose. Smells like one, too.”

He pushed the call button on the elevator. “It is. You said those were your favorite, right?”

“Yeah, but…it’s
blue
. Where’d you get a blue rose?”

“I have my ways.” He smiled. “Do you like it?”

I looked down to the rose, brushing my fingers along the velvet-soft petals. “I love it.”

Two hours later, Baltimore’s skyline greeted us as we came into view of the city. We pulled into a parking garage near the Inner Harbor, and–at Thomas’s insistence–I waited to ask the questions I so badly wanted to know the answers to. We walked around the harbor as the Chesapeake’s black water lapped against the city. It was beautiful. The weather, the city, Thomas–it was all beautiful.

We stopped in front of a tall glass building with an angular roof. The signs outside the building read “National Aquarium.” I looked up at Thomas. “
This
is where we’re going?”

He nodded. “If that’s all right with you.”

“Yeah.” I smiled. “It’s just…this is not what I expected. But in a good way.”

“Good.” He led me to the giant glass doors of the entrance, holding it open for me as I walked through. He nodded towards the ticket counter. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

A nearby fish tank caught my eye, and I wandered over to it. Big fish and little fish swam about, in all colors of the rainbow. Their scales shimmered underwater. I stared, lost in amazement, when Thomas’s hand wrapped around mine, leading me towards the exhibits.

“This is so amazing,” I said as we walked through the glass-encased tunnels under the biggest fish tank in the aquarium. The entire tunnels were made of thick glass, so it was like you were underwater with all the fish, sharks, and sea turtles. “It’s unbelievable how there’s this whole other world right under your nose, and you’re never really the wiser.”

It was dim in the tunnels and the water cast wavy blue shadows, but I still caught the peculiar look on Thomas’s face. “What?” I asked.

“Nothing.” The look quickly faded and he replaced it with a smile. “Are we ready for the next exhibit?”

“Sure. What’s next?”

“Seahorses, I believe,” he said as he led the way.

The seahorses shared a tank with the most unusual-looking creatures I had ever seen, called leafy seadragons. They were related to the seahorse, but had much more…
adornment
, I guess you could say. Long, leafy, wing-like appendages sprouted from their bodies. They were beautiful, yet completely alien in appearance.

I watched a seahorse float through the water, then hide behind the tall green plant in its tank.

Thomas leaned against the black wall next to the tank. “Did you know that seahorses mate for life?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.” Two seahorses lay on the gray and white rocks covering the floor of the tank. They didn’t seem to be moving. “Are they dead?”

He leaned in and squinted. “No, they’re breathing.”

“Why are they lying there?” I squinted and saw, too, that they were breathing. “Do they sleep lying down?”

His brows drew together. “I don’t think so.”

I felt sorry for the little things. “They look so…sad.”

“Maybe they were taken from the wild. Perhaps they’re depressed because they miss their mates. I’d be depressed too if I was separated from my soul mate.”

I looked away from the tank, up to his dimly lit face. “You believe in soul mates?”

“I do now,” he said with a trace of a smile.

My heart thudded against my chest as I looked back to the seahorses. It was a good thing the lights were so dim in here. I didn’t want him to see my face all red and pink.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

*          *          *

“Why is it almost ten o’clock and I’m no closer to being drunk?” Beth yelled from the living room. “Aren’t you ready yet?”

I stood in front of my closet, wearing only my underwear. My hair and makeup were done, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what to wear.

“I need help,” I called out to her.

Beth walked into my room and took one look at me. “You look fine. Now let’s go.”

“Very funny.” I went through the clothes in my closet once more. “I don’t know what to wear.”

She smirked and leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. “Thomas is gonna be there, isn’t he?”

All right, so
maybe
he told me this morning that he was going to Kappa Psi’s party tonight. So what?

Beth took my silence as a yes. “When are you going to admit that you like him?”

I turned to face her, impatient and irritated. “If I admit it, will you stop standing there and help me?”

She nodded.

“
Okay
,” I said. “I like him.”

She smiled. “Now was that so hard?” She crossed the few feet to my closet, her black patent leather heels clicking on the tiled floor. 

I stepped out of the way. “Should you be wearing heels if you plan on getting drunk? It seems like that’d be a bad combination.”

She took out a top and held it against me, then scrunched her face and put it back. “I need the height,” she said, pushing through the rack of clothes. “ ’Sides, I’ll probably take them off at some point.” She held a black halter top against me and smiled. “Okay, now we just need to find a skirt.” 

After several runs through my closet, Beth couldn’t find a skirt she liked, so she said she’d be back in a second and ran out of the room. She came back and handed me a black cotton miniskirt that looked about two sizes too small. I eyed it skeptically and held it up, inspecting it. Wait a sec…

“Beth, this is a
tube top
.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just try it on. Nobody else is gonna know, I promise.”

I huffed out a quick breath and pulled it on. It hugged my hips like a second skin, and made my ass look...
awesome
. I turned around, checking it from various angles. “Not bad.”

She handed me the halter top. “Told you.”

I pulled the top over my head and tugged it down. Turning away from Beth, I took off my bra, since the straps would be obvious under the top. She held my hair up as I tied the halter’s straps behind my neck. I didn’t remember this top being so tight…or so low-cut. 

I turned around to face Beth. She looked me over and adjusted my boobs so they were showing even more. “Perfect,” she said.

I went back to the mirror inside my closet and frowned. Between my skin-tight clothing and almost obscene amount of cleavage, I looked like I belonged on a street corner. 

I looked like
Amber
. 

Facing Beth, I scowled. “I look like a hooker.”

She tilted her head and appraised me once more, frowning. “All right,
maybe
a high-class call girl.” She yanked up the plunge of my top, covering some of my cleavage. “Better?”

I turned to look in the mirror. “Better.” 

Kappa Psi Beta’s house sat on the outskirts of the university, and was about a fifteen minute walk from our dorm. We stuck to the lighted parts of campus as we made our way. It was quiet out–the only sounds were Beth’s heels clicking on the concrete sidewalks and an occasional cricket or two.

“I’m gonna make a move on Josh again tonight,” she said as we cut through the courtyard. Much to Beth’s dismay, her and Josh hadn’t hooked up since that one time. She paused and took off her shoes, walking barefoot through the grass.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Actually…the other night wasn’t a total fluke. I kind of supplied the beer, thinking ‘If he goes for it, great, and if he’s not into it…well, I can save face by saying I was drunk and it didn’t mean anything.’ ”

It wasn’t the
worst
idea I’d ever heard.

“What about you and Thomas?” she asked. “Do you think you’ll hook up with him tonight?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not gonna have sex with him or anything.” At least not yet, I wouldn’t.

“Why
not
?” she demanded. “He’s gorgeous, and you like him, so…what’s the holdup?”

Deep bass filled the air, music pumping louder and louder with every step we took. I didn’t answer her question. I couldn’t. It was too embarrassing.

We stepped over some bushes and onto the street the frat house was on. “Emily, are you…?” She stopped and grabbed my arm.

Damn it, we were so close. The house was in sight, right down the street. There were people everywhere–walking ahead of us, passed out on the lawn, hanging out on the front porch. Why did she have to do this now?

“Are you a
virgin
?” she whispered.

I turned around to face her. “Why are you saying it like it’s a bad thing?”

“I’m sorry, I just–
Really?
You’re still a virgin?”

I threw my hands into the air. “Yes, all right? Is that really so hard to believe?”

“Well…yeah. You’re nineteen and it’s not like you’re fugly. How did this happen?”

I crossed my arms and looked away. “God, Beth, you make it sound like I’m diseased.”

“I just don’t understand,” she said as she put her shoes back on. “Are you waiting until marriage or until you’re in love?”

“No, not really. It just…hasn’t happened yet.” I wasn’t
totally
inexperienced. I’d made out with a couple guys before, but I never let them go any further than kissing and copping a feel or two. It was always awkward and sloppy and we just kind of fumbled our way through it. “I haven’t met anyone that I’ve really…
wanted
before.” 

She looked at me incredulously. “You’ve never had the hots for anyone?”

I shrugged. “Not to the point where I wanted to sleep with them.” Sex was so personal. I mean, Jesus, you were inviting somebody
inside you
. And so far, I hadn’t met anyone I wanted to extend that invitation to... Well, except maybe for Thomas.

“But you have the hots for Thomas,” she said. 

“Oh, yeah.” Hell, at this point I had the hot liquid magmas for Thomas.

“So...” She nudged my shoulder as we started walking again. “You gonna let him pop your cherry?” She grinned and wagged her eyebrows.

I laughed as we came upon Kappa Psi’s house. “Not before we’ve even gone on a proper date. And
definitely
not at a frat party.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

EMILY

Music blared throughout Kappa Psi Beta’s dimly lit house. The bass was so deep I felt it vibrate through me, making it feel like my heart beat in time with the music. It was packed inside and most people congregated in the living room, which served as a makeshift dance floor. Red plastic cups littered the floors and hallway, sitting on tables and furniture, and beer permeated the air.

I looked around, trying to find Thomas. I didn’t see him anywhere.

Beth said something, but I couldn’t hear her. Taking my hand, she led me through the crowd to the kitchen, where the drinks were.

Beth poured two shots of tequila and handed me one. I braced myself and drank it, wincing as it went down my throat.

She smiled. “It burns so good,” she yelled over the noise, pouring us another shot. The second one went down a little smoother. “Come on,” she yelled as she took my hand. “We’re gonna go dance.”

Normally, I was not one to dance. I was too self-conscious. But the tequila shots started to make their way through my system, making my chest warm as I started to relax.

Beth led us inside the crowd. My eyes closed as I listened to the music, letting my hips sway to the beat. Hands were placed on my hips, and I opened my eyes to find Beth dancing behind me. She pressed up against me, her hips moving in unison with mine.

My eyes wandered around the room as we danced. Guys along the sides of the room stared at us, some smiling, some pointing–some just staring with an unmistakable look of lust in their eyes.

I looked back to the foyer, seeing Thomas lean against the wall with a red plastic cup in his hand. His eyes locked on mine and the corners of his lips turned up.

I turned away, trying not to smile. In a move that I hoped was sexy, I faced Beth and put my leg between hers as our hips moved together. Our faces were inches apart as we writhed, and from the outside, it probably looked like we were about to get it on.

After several seconds, I glanced back at Thomas, trying to make it seem casual. His stare was so intense, I felt like it might burn a hole right through me.

Yep, my little stunt definitely worked. I leaned into Beth and shouted, “Thomas is here. I’m gonna go say hi.”

She looked up and spotted him. “Okay,” she yelled back.

Thomas straightened as I approached, and once I reached him, he leaned down so his mouth was close to my ear. “Hey,” he said.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe I just wanted to be closer to him–I didn’t know–but while his face was still close to mine I asked him, “Wanna dance?”