Come Back To Me (19 page)

I don’t normally wear make-up I feel ridiculous, like a

clown. I think about wiping it off but I don’t want to

offend Didi, and then I realize that maybe it’s less clown

than I think, and it might be fun to pretend for a night to

be a blonde bombshell seductress.

I walk down the stairs, feeling Kit’s eyes on me with-

out even having to look up. I can’t look up. I’m too

nervous. Halfway down, though, I can’t help myself. I

raise my head, see him staring at me and almost lose my

footing. As it is my stomach kangaroo-hops at the sight of

him. He and Riley are both wearing 1940s-style black tie. I

don’t know where they managed to find suits like that,

but it makes me want to build a time machine and head

back to that decade permanently. Then I remember the

Second World War and decide that’s maybe not such a

good idea. Kit’s eyes have widened, his lips are parted.

His gaze travels down my body in a way that makes

me feel unsteady on my feet. When he raises his eyes to

mine I see the desire in them and it gives me a thrill like

nothing I’ve ever known.

‘You look nice,’ Riley says, though he’s frowning as he

says it.

‘You look beautiful,’ Kit mouths behind his back.

This year’s prom committee decided on The US Grant

Hotel in San Diego, renowned for its five-star splendour,

as the venue, and when we walk into the ballroom I’m

rendered speechless by how beautiful it is, with glisten-

ing golden lights reflecting off the polished floors and the

lights of downtown reflecting in the windows. There’s a

DJ set up in one corner, a table bowing under the weight

152

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 152

29/05/2014 15:30

COME BACK TO ME

of canapés along one wall, and bowls of punch which I

suspect from the levels of rowdiness and screaming have

been laced with something stronger than orange juice.

One couple are practically eating each other’s faces off

in the doorway, and we have to squeeze past them. Kit

winks at me, and when we walk into the ballroom, I feel

his hand slide gently down my back in a caress. It’s just

the lightest pressure but it electrifies my skin. I start to

imagine his hands sliding under the dress and over my

body and then that becomes all I can think about. When

Riley asks what I want to drink I just stare at him blankly.

‘You want a drink?’ he asks for the third time.

‘Yes,’ I say.

He gives me a weird look before gazing around the

room with a faintly furrowed brow. He doesn’t look that

impressed with the decor or the venue, and I bet he’s

thinking of the lost hours he could be spending with Jo. I

wish he’d at least try to pretend to be happy to be here.

I hardly ever get to see him any more. After Dad’s little

drama the other night, Riley’s been home even less.

He and Kit make a beeline for the bar and Didi runs off

to touch up her make-up in the bathroom, leaving me to

stand there watching all the couples in various stage of

making out, wondering how I’ll be able to keep my hands

off Kit for the whole night.

‘Jessa?’

I spin around. A guy I don’t recognize is standing

behind me, smiling at me uncertainly. ‘Jessa Kingsley?’ he

asks.

‘Yes,’ I say.

His smile widens. ‘It’s me, Todd. Todd Hansler.’

153

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 153

29/05/2014 15:30

Mila Gray

My mouth falls open as I suddenly place him.

‘Oh my God. Todd. What are you doing here?’ I shake

my head in amazement. The last time I saw Todd was

back in sixth grade. We went to school together on the

base at Panzer.

‘We just got back from Germany,’ he starts explaining.

‘My dad took a desk job. He’s working with your father

now on the base at Pendleton.’

I’m still trying to reconcile the memory I have of the

short, overweight boy with buck teeth who used to read

comics in the school cafeteria with the tall, athletic and

self-assured guy with perfect teeth that’s standing in front

of me now.

‘Wow,’ I say, finding it hard to hide my surprise. ‘Oh

my God. You’re . . . I wouldn’t have recognized you. How

long has it been?’

He laughs. ‘I don’t know. At least five years. You

haven’t changed a bit. I would recognize you anywhere.’

He takes a step back and his gaze sweeps up my body.

I shuffle awkwardly. ‘I’m not sure that’s a compliment,’

I say. At twelve I wasn’t exactly winning any beauty

pageants.

‘Oh, it is,’ he says, ‘rest assured. You look great.’ I don’t

think I’m mistaking the look on his face when he says it

and it makes me blush.

‘Who are you here with?’ I ask, looking around and

hoping to take the focus off me.

‘Oh, some girl,’ he says dismissively.

‘Who?’ I ask.

‘Stephanie Murphy. She’s having a hair and make-up

crisis in the bathroom.’

154

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 154

29/05/2014 15:30

COME BACK TO ME

‘Oh,’ I say, wondering how he knows her and why he’s

come with her.

‘So congratulations,’ he says, gesturing at the room.

‘Where are you going to college?’

‘USD,’ I say with a forced smile, feeling that familiar

pang of regret as I say it. ‘What about you?’

He grins at me. ‘USD too. Guess we’ll be freshmen

together.’ He pauses. ‘I’m going through Officer Candidate

School at the same time.’

‘You’re enlisting?’ I ask, though I’m not surprised.

Todd’s family is a military family like mine.

‘I’m hoping to get a commission once I finish college,’

he says.

‘An officer, huh?’ I say, trying to look impressed.

‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘I heard Riley already enlisted.’

‘Yeah. He’s a marine security guard now. He’s back for

a few weeks.’ I twist my head around to see if I can see

him. ‘He’s here somewhere. You should talk to him.’

There’s no sign of Riley, but I spot Kit walking towards

me holding two drinks, his focus fixed firmly on Todd.

When he reaches us, he hands me one of the drinks and

stays standing right by my side, his arm brushing mine.

‘Um,’ I say to Todd. ‘This is Kit, my . . . ’

‘Boyfriend,’ Kit finishes for me, holding out his hand

for Todd to shake. His expression is pleasant and relaxed

but there’s a bright hardness to his eyes that makes me

duck my head to hide my smile. He’s jealous. Todd looks

surprised and throws a questioning look in my direction

before turning back to Kit and taking his hand.

‘Hi, good to meet you.’

I see the tendons in Kit’s arm grow taut and the tan

155

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 155

29/05/2014 15:30

Mila Gray

skin of his hand pale as he squeezes Todd’s hand in a

Vulcan death grip of a handshake.

‘This is Todd,’ I explain quickly, hoping I can get them

to release each other and make nice. ‘We knew each other

when we were kids. We were on the base together in

Germany.’

‘Right,’ says Kit, finally letting go of Todd’s hand. Todd

grimaces, flexes his hand and lets it drop to his side.

‘He just got back,’ I hear myself telling Kit. ‘He’s going

to OCS.’

‘Congratulations,’ says Kit, still holding Todd’s gaze.

‘You in the Corps?’ asks Todd, though I can tell it’s just

a polite question, not an interested one.

‘Yes. MSG,’ replies Kit.

‘Impressive,’ Todd says with the smile of a politician.

He nods at me. ‘I’ll leave you to it. Better go find my date.

It was good to see you again, Jessa. Let’s catch up soon.’

He kisses my cheek before walking away.

I turn to Kit, resting one hand on my hip.

‘What?’ he asks, shrugging at me.

‘What was that?’ I ask.

‘What was what?’

‘You just scared him off.’

Kit takes a sip of his drink. ‘I didn’t like the way he

was looking at you.’

‘The way he was looking at me? He wasn’t looking at

me any way.’

Kit almost spits his drink across the room. ‘He was

looking at you like he was mentally undressing you.’

I press my lips together. He might have a point.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says, turning to face me, his voice soft

156

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 156

29/05/2014 15:30

COME BACK TO ME

and a small smile of apology forming on his lips. ‘I just

don’t like the idea of another guy looking at you like that.

The only person I want to mentally undress you is me.’

My heart gives a little leap. ‘Just mentally?’ I whisper.

Kit steps even closer to me and I get a waft of his after-

shave. Why does he have to smell so damn good all the

time? How am I supposed to keep my distance?

‘Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?’ Kit

says.

I smile at him. His focus is on my lips.

‘If I don’t get to kiss you soon there’s no telling what

might happen.’

I glance over his shoulder. ‘Where’s Riley?’ I ask.

‘Over at the bar, talking to the barman.’

I spot him. He has his back turned, thankfully. ‘Come

on,’ I say to Kit.

‘Where are we going?’ Kit shouts over the music as he

starts to follow me.

I weave my way through the dance floor, which is

already crowded, making a beeline for the balcony.

Outside a few couples are taking selfies against the skyline.

I draw Kit to the far end, into the shadows behind a pot

plant. We set our glasses down on a table and next thing I

know Kit is pushing me backwards against the wall. His

hands slide up my sides and his lips find mine in the dark.

There’s a desperate hunger in our kiss, as though it’s been

years and not just a day since we last saw each other.

He grips me to him and I wrap my arms around his

neck. His hand trails all the way down to my thigh and I

hoist it up onto his hip and he holds me like that, pinned

to the wall.

157

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 157

29/05/2014 15:30

Mila Gray

For a second he peels backwards and looks at me, his

face dark with desire. I’m glad I’m hanging onto him or

I wouldn’t trust my legs to keep me up. Behind him my

classmates are setting off Chinese lanterns from the bal-

cony. As they drift upwards into the sky they illuminate

Kit’s face, making his eyes glimmer with flecks of gold.

He leans forward and kisses me again just as I make a

wish that it will always be like this, that we will always

want each other the way we do now.

‘Shit, there you are!’

We burst apart like free divers coming up for air.

Didi’s standing panting in front of us. ‘Riley’s looking

for you.’ She looks over her shoulder. ‘Shit, he’s coming!’

She turns back around and lunges at Kit, using her

thumb to wipe off the telltale signs of red lipstick

smeared all over his face.

‘Go hide,’ she orders me, waving her hands at me in a

shooing gesture.

Not needing any more encouragement, I dart past her

to the other end of the balcony, sliding into a group of

girls who are all talking about college. It feels like I have

two hearts in my chest, each trying to beat faster than the

other. Out of the corner of my eye I see Riley appear in

the doorway, carrying two drinks and frowning as he

looks around. He spies Kit and Didi and marches towards

them.

158

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 158

29/05/2014 15:30

Kit

Riley appears in the French doors, scanning the balcony.

‘Just go with this,’ Didi says.

I’m not sure what she means but next thing I know

she’s throwing herself on me, laying a kiss on my cheek

and putting her arm around my waist. I’m too stunned

to do anything and when I look up I see Riley has seen.

He’s walking towards us, shooting me a sniper death

stare. Shit. Didi’s hanging off me like a decoration on a

Christmas tree. Maybe she’s overdoing it. I wonder if

Jessa is watching.

‘Where’s Jessa?’ Riley asks, his expression stony. ‘I got

her a drink.’

‘I think she’s in the bathroom,’ Didi says. ‘I’ll take that

if it’s going, though,’ she says, snatching the drink from

Riley’s hand.

Riley is still glaring at me. Catching the tension

between us, Didi backs away. ‘I’m going to go find her,’

she says. She cuts me a panicked, apologetic look over

Riley’s shoulder before she disappears back inside.

‘Dude,’ Riley says the moment she’s gone. ‘Aren’t you

fucking some other girl?’

159

PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 159

29/05/2014 15:30

Mila Gray

‘I’m not fucking anyone,’ I spit back at him, furious for

reasons I can’t even decipher.

‘Well, don’t screw around with Didi. She’s too good for

you.’

His words hit me like a punch to the gut and I take

a half-step backwards. Did he really just say that? ‘What’s

that mean?’ I ask, aware that my voice sounds calm, though

inside my anger’s brewing dangerously.

‘Nothing,’ says Riley, seeming to realize what he just