Courage (Mark of Nexus) (25 page)

I got out of Maverick's car and slammed the door. Corynn had driven mine behind us, and the whole way back, she was one swerve away from crashing the damn thing. A woman driver, without a license, from a foreign country—
perfect arrangement
. Thank God for slow Monday nights.

“You're okay, right?” Maverick gestured to my dorm. “Your head doesn't feel like it's going to explode? You still know what to do Friday? Just make sure those vents are open.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes and made for the building, throwing him a wave over my shoulder. “Go bother someone else.”

“Dude, I’m just asking.” He fell back, and I didn’t stop for goodbyes.

There was some sort of scraping sound behind me, a few hushed whispers, and then footsteps hurried in my direction. I tilted my head and caught a familiar scent on the breeze. Leather. Piña colada.
Corynn.
“What?”

She froze in my peripheral vision. “N-Nothing. I'm just, you know, walkin' back with you.”

“Waiting for me to explode, too?”

Her back straightened with indignation, and she marched up beside me. “Hey, in case that surgery whacked your memory, my dorm is this way, too.”

I threw my arm out, blocking her path, and turned to look her over. “Do you understand I have like zero patience today? We may work for the same…uh…”
Shit. What was that word? Not a business, but a…

She strained her brow.

“Uh…”
Company!
The word came rushing forward, from the back of my mind. “We may work for the same company now, but you're nothing to me. I can't take the attitude.”

Her lips pressed together, and I cocked my head to the side. “What?”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought.” I kept walking, and my keys skidded across the pavement.
Heh. Can’t even hand them to me?
I snatched them up and ignored her, letting my body move on autopilot. The next thing I knew, I was standing inside my dorm room.

It was a little brighter than I remembered, a little more cramped, too. Had it really only been a few days?

“Aiden!” Josh threw his headset down and jumped to his feet. “You're back, man. Where were you? Rena said you had to go to the hospital for emergency surgery. Are you okay? We were worried as hell.”

If only he'd shown this much concern before I stopped giving a shit.

“Yeah, that's pretty much what happened.” I pointed to my nasal packs and shrugged. “I'll live.”

“You sure?”

“I frickin’ hope so.”

He shot me a look. “You're acting weird.”

“And you would know?” I would've snorted, if I could. “Just because I was gone for a few days, doesn't mean you’re obligated to talk to me. Why don't you go back to whacking off over pixel girls?”

“Aiden.” His face screwed up, going from dull to ugly. “Seriously.”

I reached for the door handle. “Everything's fine. Just…give me a few minutes. I'll be right back.”

My thoughts jumbled as I took the stairs down to the fourth floor. Why was he upset with me? All I'd done was remind him of how things were between us. But whatever. Two raps brought me face to face with Gabby. Her eyes practically popped out of her skull when she saw me, and she threw her arms around my neck.

“Wow,” I remarked, shaking my head. “Affection from you, too? This must be Backwards Day.” I edged around her and crossed the room to sit on Rena’s bed. “What's going on?”

“What's going on?” she repeated, giving me a look as she shut the door. “Dude, you know about all of this supernatural shit now, don't you? I mean, that's why you went up there. Where are your glasses? Are you okay?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I've been here five minutes, and I'm already sick of that question. Yes, I'm okay. I wouldn't be back if I weren't.” I paused. “And I don’t need glasses anymore.”

“Huh?”

“Am I not speaking the same language as everyone else?” I held my arms out in exasperation. “It's like pulling teeth trying to talk to you people. Where's Rena?”

Her lips disappeared into a tight line, and she crossed her arms. “I needed time to figure some stuff out, so I asked her to leave.”

“You kicked her out?” I quirked an eyebrow. “Do you even have the authority to do that with school housing?”

She recoiled like I'd been beamed in through the ceiling. “You're not going to try and talk me into getting her back down here? To go upstairs and move her crap out of Wallace’s room? You hate it when we fight.”

“First off,” I said, holding a finger up. “I'm not your personal counselor, so no, I'm not going to patch things up for you anymore. And second, how fricken' great is it that she's living with Wallace now? Because of you. Glad I went and got all of this shit done to my head, Gabby.”

“You cussed.”

“Yeah, funny that.”

“Aiden…” She lowered her voice. “What's wrong?”

Good grief. I come back from experimental brain surgery, and everyone's worried about trivial shit.
“Nothing.”

She groped for the handle behind her. “You know, I think I
will
go get Rena. She…she would want to know you're here.”

“So my return was good for something, after all. Consider yourself counseled.”

Her laugh was stilted and awkward, the kind she saved for when she was nervous. “Yeah…”

Did I sprout…? Ah, hell. What was the word?
Horns
. Did I sprout horns or something? Everyone was acting weird. “Go ahead.”

Gabby bolted.

I let out a sigh and looked around the room. I'd spent half of my college years in here, but the memories were fuzzy—like relics from a past life. Maybe that was all anything would ever be to me, from now on. And maybe that should’ve bothered me…

But it didn’t.

A couple of minutes later, the door handle twisted, and all three of them paraded in. Anxious to see the Aiden exhibit, no doubt. Gone were my days of invisibility.

“Aiden?” Rena crept forward as if she were afraid to spook me. “How do you feel?”

She was wearing a pair of gym shorts with Wallace's ratty old t-shirt. Was that deliberate or what? “I'm okay,” I told her.

“Good.”

Wallace cleared his throat, and I looked at him. “Did you have something to add, Mr. Blake? Maybe a car to throw or bruises to inflict? What am I feeling right now?” I leaned in, raising my eyebrows. “Here’s a hint. The answer is nothing.”

His lips curled back, but he didn't say anything.
Smart choice.

“That's enough,” Rena said, perching on the edge of her bed. “Aiden, I need to know something. Why did you go there?”

“I saw an opportunity for improvement, and I took it.” I smiled and reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “Don't worry. I'm fine. Better than fine, actually. It's crazy.”

She glanced back at Wallace before adding, “Then, your senses…”

“Are better than yours,” I teased. “Yes.”

“Oh.”

“Everything about me is better.” This time, it was my gaze that wandered over to Wallace’s. “
Everything
.”

Her lips curved upward, not following. “Well, that’s good.”

I nodded. “So, are you back together with this clown or what?”

“What?”

I gestured toward Wallace and shrugged. “Well, you're staying with him now. I figure I lost my date to the dance this weekend. That's kind of disappointing.”

“No,” Wallace cut in, shaking his head. “We're not together. I just let her crash with me.”

“Is that so?” I laughed. “What a load of shit. You expect us to buy that?”

“Aiden!” Rena's voice jumped an octave. “You—”

“Cursed, I know.” I tried to wheeze through my mouth. “God forbid I say what I'm thinking, right? Come on. Secret meetings, superpowers, and lies…you think anyone believes anything you say now?”

Her brows drew together.

“Don't worry,” I said, patting her leg. “I'm not gonna rat you out. I did this to help.”

She bit her lip and looked away.

Wallace crossed his arms. “Okay, say we
were
together and you
did
do this to help us. Why would you—”

“Her.”

“What?”

“I did it to help
her
.”

His jaw ticked. “Whatever. I'm just saying, why would you consent to something like that? It’s practically self-mutilation.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” I laughed, lifting my chin. “You have no idea what it’s like to be normal.”

His shoulders stiffened. “You think I don’t know that?”

“That’s
enough
.” Rena cut in again. “Aiden, newsflash, what you overheard in the hallway was a moment of weakness. Wallace and I didn’t get back together after that, because things aren’t going to change between us. If you’d stuck around town, you would’ve known that.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Are you serious?”

“Do I discuss my personal life for shits and giggles?”

“Good point.” I stroked my chin, turning to face Wallace. “Then, I guess I have one thing to say to you, man.”

“Yeah?”

Once I knew his eyes were on me, I leaned over and kissed Rena's cheek—something I'd wanted to do forever. “You had your chance.” 

Let it go, let it go, let it go…

I counted to ten after Aiden—and the douche inhabiting his body—left before I dared move a muscle. One twitch, one breath, and I'd probably knock that stupid grin right off his face.

“Okay, that was weird.” Gabby sank down onto her bed. “Like
really
weird. What the hell happened up there in C-Town?”

Rena regarded her from across the room with wary eyes. “You want to know now?”

I probably should’ve jumped in, but I knew they were a few seconds from making up anyway. Their emotions crowded the room, just waiting for someone to cave.

“Of course I do,” Gabby muttered, running her hand across the bedspread. “I was just…everything was so…” She shook her head. “I'm sorry, okay? I needed time.”

Rena stood and took a tentative step forward. “I'm sorry, too. We didn't want to keep this stuff from you, I swear. It was just—”

“I know.”

“Man, I missed your stupid face.”

“I missed yours, too.”

And then there was crying. Lots of crying. And hugging. I stood off to the side, not knowing what to do until Rena wandered over a few minutes later.

“Sorry.” She wound her arms around my waist and slipped her hands into my back pockets. “Looks like I'm moving out, roomie.”

“For now,” I mumbled, hoping no one would notice the sudden swell in my jeans. “You're mine this summer.”

“Oh yeah,” Gabby piped up. “How goes the house hunting?”

That was one of the things I liked about Rena's roommate. She was easy to piss off, took her sweet time forgiving people, but she never held a grudge.

Rena snickered under her breath and pressed her body against mine, masking my reaction. “Pretty good, Gabs. We have a lead on a house behind the Rec.”

“No shit? That's awesome. I'll definitely come crash with you guys sometime.”

Just what we need.

“Anyway,” I said, prying Rena's hands off my ass. “I better go. You two have a lot to talk about.”

Rena lingered a second, her warmth mingling with mine. “You sure?”

No.

“Yeah.” I blew out a shaky breath. “I'll bring your bag down later.”

“Thank you.” She rose up on her tiptoes, kissed my jaw, and whispered, “Maybe we can have a sleepover after the dance, to make up for it.”

Heat. All over my face. I stumbled back, grasped for the door, and ended up crushing their door handle. “Y-Yeah, sounds good. Sorry about the door. I’ll, uh, call you tonight.”

“Later!” she called, giggling under her breath while Gabby shook her head in the background.

I ducked into the hallway and adjusted myself.
Damn women…

No, that wasn't fair. Not all women were as crazy as my girlfriend. They wouldn't pull my powers and spend all weekend trying to break my sexual resolve. They wouldn’t drive me crazy, fragment my thoughts…make me turn around in the hallway…

Shit.
I pivoted on my heel before I made it to their suite door and strode back toward the elevator with renewed purpose. What had gotten into me lately?

Probably the thing that hasn't gotten into her.

Ugh.
Stop thinking about that.
With this newfound freedom in the strength department, we’d been pushing boundaries. I knew we had agreed to wait—a decision that was half making good on our faith and half not trusting the Nexus to keep me from hurting her—but we never acknowledged what we were waiting for. Marriage? Some supernatural allowance?

I rubbed the back of my neck and passed the elevator. Stairs, this time. I needed air. The door screeched as I pushed it open, headed down instead of up.

Maybe Rena was waiting for me to do something. We’d pretty much cemented our relationship the night she gave me that injection, and I knew we were both in it this time. Now that Aiden was okay—well, maybe not okay. Now that Aiden seemed healthy enough, she wouldn't have to worry as much.

Hell, maybe she was right. Maybe we could cut our losses and go from there. This resistance crap didn't have to hinder our private lives. We could be together if we wanted.

I came to a stop in front of the door to the lobby, struck by the notion.
We seriously could.
Wasn't that what Corynn had tried to tell me? If I wanted forever, I just had to man up and ask for it. Make Rena mine once and for all. Take her off the market.

We were already going to live together this summer. What if that morphed into always? Her barefoot, wearing one of my t-shirts some lazy Saturday morning. Sun pouring in everywhere. Us cooking together, goofing around. A kid watching cartoons in the living room, waiting for breakfa—
holy shit.
When did a kid come into the picture?

I barely heard the door creak before someone slammed into me. They grunted, and I edged around them, muttering an apology without looking. I didn’t have time for
déjà vu
. Breath ran ragged through my lungs as I pushed through the lobby.
I’m losing it.

A few taps on my phone's screen brought up Corynn's contact information, and I pressed the green button.
One ring…two…

“Hello?” Her tired voice crackled through the speaker.

“Hey,” I said, bumping the door open and looking around. “Can you meet me at the fountain? I need your advice on something.”

“If you're going to do this, you need to stop freaking out,” Corynn declared, sitting cross-legged on the marble slab. “You're sweating through your t-shirt, and it's gross. No one's going to marry you like that.”

I raised my arm and looked down, wincing. “Sorry.”

“Don't apologize to me. Just get it under control.” She looked away for the umpteenth time and blew out a heavy breath.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, never better.”

“Let me rephrase that,” I said, stopping my pacing long enough to level her with a stare. “You look worried. Wanna talk about it?”

She muttered something incoherent and shook her head. “Just a tough weekend at work.”

“Did you see Aiden there?”

“Yeah.”

These curt answers weren't her style, and it was starting to make me nervous. “Faye didn't corner you, did she? Did you…tell her anything?”

“Seriously?” Her nostrils flared. “You're going to stand there and ask me that?”

I held up my hands. “I’m just checking.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek, looked both ways, and shrugged. “Forget about it.”

“Fine.”
Something is definitely up.

“Anyway, when do you plan on popping the question?”

The abrupt subject change gave me whiplash, but I didn’t let on. “That's what I wanted to know. Should I wait until I can save up to buy a ring or…?”

“No, the sooner the better.”

“So, just ask?”

“Well, it has to be romantic,” she scolded. “Wait for the right moment and use something else. A token. A placeholder. Something meaningful.”

Meaningful? I mentally scanned my room, taking catalog of everything I owned. The only thing that really meant anything to me was on my wrist, and that was…
perfect.

All at once, the puzzle pieces fit together. The dance would be romantic—we'd be dressed up, and the atmosphere would be right. Before we had to deal with this virus shit, I'd give Rena my Dad's watch and ask her to marry me.

Marry me…

My sweat glands kicked into overdrive.
This is what happens when you refuse to let yourself think about something for twenty-three years. It becomes panic inducing.

“You all right there, buddy?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re lookin’ a little pale.”

I rubbed at the scruff on my chin and stared up the side of the building. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“Are you going to think out loud, or did you ask me here for ambiance?”

“Sorry.” I turned to face her. “It’s just…do you think Friday would be too soon?”

Faint lines formed between her brows. “You want to ask her at the dance?”

“Yeah. Is that a bad idea?”

“N-No, of course not. I would just…ask her early.” Her gaze slid from mine, and I resisted the urge to press the issue. “That way, your nerves—and by your nerves, I mean your
sweat
—won’t get the best of you.”

I kicked at a loose rock on the concrete. “Good point.”

A group of girls wandered past us, talking about exams and who got nailed in the bathroom last weekend. Once they were out of earshot, I took a step forward. “Hey, you don’t think this is too soon, right?”

“I told you Friday was—”

I shook my head. “No, I mean in general.”

She uncrossed her legs and leaned back, scrutinizing me. “Let me ask you this. Do you think your feelings are going to change in the next two years?”

“No.”

“Do you think Rena’s will?”

I thought about it for a second, and for the first time since we’d started dating, I had a definite answer. “No.”

“Okay. Will getting engaged deter you from doing anything important? Finishing school, fighting the forces of evil, getting a job… blah, blah, blah…”

“I doubt it.”

She lifted her shoulders and brushed something off of her shorts. “Then what’s the point of waiting?”

“But…” I walked in a half circle and turned back to face her, running my hands through my hair. “I figured you’d go grab one of those magazines with all of the sex headlines on them, and we’d take a quiz or something. You think it’s really that simple?”

“It’s as simple or as difficult as you choose to make it, Wallace.” She sighed. “Just like any other decision.”

Well, who knew?

“Then, I guess I have a few visits to take care of this week,” I muttered, more to myself than to her.
Because Grandma’s going to flip when she hears this.