Collide (4 page)

“Ian, stop the boat!” I yell, realizing that no one else has noticed that we are now pulling an empty inner-tube behind us. Ian turns around and finally sees that he's lost his passenger. He lets out a full belly laugh when he sees Emma floating several feet behind the boat, her arms waving in the air.

He turns the boat back around smoothly and pulls just a few feet away from where Emma is floating. “Ian, you ass! You did that on purpose.” She tries to act mad but she can't fight the smile that is lighting up her entire face.

“Shit, I wish I had.” He laughs, reaching over the side of the boat to pull her in. She looks even more beautiful with the sun hitting her wet body just right. Damn it. Why does she have to be so perfect? I feel like the ugly fucking duckling right now. I sigh and toss her a towel so she can cover up her perfect body before Zayne has a chance to really catch how beautiful she is.

I am surprised however, that when I look in his direction again, he's looking at me and not Emma. My cheeks flush with embarrassment but I am not really sure why I am embarrassed. Over my thoughts maybe? I try to shake the feeling away and turn my attention to Alec who seems to be rather enjoying watching Emma towel dry her half naked body.

I get the feeling that he definitely sees how beautiful she is and watching him watch her is more than a little uncomfortable. I turn my attention to the cooler to get another drink but just as I am about to grab my third beer, my body is hoisted into the air without warning.

“What the hell? Ian put me down.” I struggle against his strong arms, trying to wiggle free from his grasp.

“Oh no you don't Gracie. It's your turn.” He smiles at me widely.

“Ian please don't” I don't try to disguise the panic in my voice. While I am fine swimming, I don't like anything that involves falling into water. I wrap my arms around Ian's neck and hold on with a vice grip, my fear trembling through me.

He manages to peel my arms away and before I can react, he tosses me over the side of the boat. That's when I see him. Kyle. He's flying through the air next to me. I try to reach out to him but there's nothing there but air. I hit the water in the matter of seconds and having not put a life vest on, I kick my feet fiercely trying to reach the surface.

I finally find air, sputtering and coughing and then I hear Alec's voice. He's in the water next to me. His hands firmly on my shoulders. “Gracie, are you okay?” He asks when my eyes finally meet his.

“I'm fine. It just scared me for a second.” I say, forcing a  laugh.

“Come on, let's get you back on board.” He says, swimming to the edge of the boat. He grabs me around the waist and hoists me up, just as warm hands grip under my arms lifting me the remainder of the way. I know without looking that it's Zayne. The heat now running through my body is like an inferno and I can feel the burn all the way to my toes.

“I've got you.” He says, wrapping a towel around me. His fingers lightly graze the bare skin of my shoulder sending a chill through my entire body but he doesn't let on like he notices.

He guides me back onto the bench, releasing his hold on me to help Alec back into the boat. I want to protest the loss of his touch but instead, I push back into the bench and take some deep breaths trying to slow my heart rate.

“Ian, you asshole!” Alec turns on Ian the moment he steps foot onto the boat. “What the hell were you thinking?” Everyone on the boat with the exception of Zayne seems to know exactly why he's mad but I try not to let it show that any of it is bothering me.

“I...I didn't think.... Gracie, I'm....” Ian starts but I wave my hand through the air cutting him off.

“Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine. Now can someone please give me a beer?” I say, wiping my face on my towel. Ian grins at me and then shoots Alec a 'fuck you' look before grabbing me a beer from the cooler and tossing it to me.

Alec still looks pissed when he reclaims his seat and once again I can feel Zayne's eyes on me but I don't meet his gaze. I'm proud of myself for holding it together. I have to be strong. I can't let my triggers control me. I am fine. Everything is fine. But when I finally meet Zayne's stare, I can't help but get the feeling that he can see right through my act. Truth is, I'm not okay and what's worse? He knows.

––––––––

“Y
ou ready?” Kyle smiles excitedly next to me. I look down over the cliff and my stomach twists into a severe knot.

“I don't think I can do it.” I say, shaking my head and taking a few steps backwards.

“It's okay Gracie, I won't let anything happen to you.” His sweet voice fills my ears, calming me. Only it's not enough to change my mind.

“I know but I just... I can't. It's okay. You go without me.” I say, giving him an encouraging smile.

“Oh no you don't.” He smiles at me wickedly before hoisting me into his arms. I try to protest but my words get lost in the wind as he takes off running and then launches us off the side of the cliff. My stomach instantly hits my throat and I struggle to scream but I can't find my voice. All the air is pushed from my lungs as my body free falls down the hundred foot drop.

At some point, Kyle loses his grip on me and I hit the water hard. My ears pop under the pressure of the water and I kick and push myself upwards at a frantic pace. I need air. God, I can't breathe.

Finally I feel the weight lift and I gasp as I reach the surface. I turn around, trying to locate Kyle but I don't see him anywhere. Seconds bleed into minutes. Fear and panic grip through me as I frantically search the surface of the water. Where is he?

I can hear screaming. Someone is screaming. It's so loud that it hurts my ears and I cringe through the piercing noise. Then I realize that I am the one screaming.

“Grace. Gracie wake up!” I hear Emma's voice through my panic. “Gracie, you're having a nightmare. Wake up!” I feel my body shake and instantly my eyes shoot open. I fly into a sitting position, knocking Emma off balance causing her to fall back onto my bed.

She pushes herself back up and takes both of my hands in hers. “Gracie, look at me.” She pleads.

I finally find her eyes as my mind begins to process that I am here, that I am safe. Everything is okay. Only it's not. Nothing has been okay since that day. I take deep breaths trying to calm my rapid breathing.

“I'm fine.” I manage to croak out, my voice full of sleep. “Just a bad dream.” I say to no one in particular. Only I'm not sure who I'm trying to convince. Yes, it was only a nightmare but the fact still remains that my dream stems from reality.

I haven't had a nightmare in years. Once I left for college they became more infrequent until eventually they stopped all together. I can only assume that my dream was a product of the incident on the boat the previous day.

As much as I fight against the onset of emotions that one innocent incident caused, I can't help but feel like it brought a lot of unwanted memories to the surface along with it. Memories that I don't want to relive, that I can't relive.

“Do you need anything?” Emma asks, hovering over me. I shake my head and sink back down into the mattress. Seeming satisfied that I'm okay, Emma nods and then crawls back into her own bed.

After a few minutes I can hear her mumbling, the sure tell sign that she is fast asleep. I snuggle into my covers and try to find sleep again but I can't shut my mind off. I can't shake the grief or the pain that is stirring so deeply inside of me.

****

I
wake the next morning feeling groggy and not at all well rested. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Having tossed and turned the remainder of the night, I did not find sleep again until the early hours of the morning and as such, I got a total of about three hours of sleep.

Emma is rummaging through her clothes trying to find something to wear when she notices that I'm awake. “Good morning!” She sings happily.

“Morning.” I croak out weakly, my throat feeling overly dry. “What are you doing?” I question as she slips on a pair of jean shorts and flip flops to match her pale pink tank top.

“I'm running into town with Alec to pick up a few things from the grocery store for your mom.” She says brightly, avoiding my glare.

“Emma.” The word comes out as a warning and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what I am saying with that one word.

“Oh don't
Emma
me Grace. We're just running into town. It's not a big deal.” She says, waving her hand through the air. She clearly underestimates how well I know her and the fact that she is in full makeup does not go unnoticed.

“I just don't want you doing something you will regret. Ian is one thing but Alec.... Well Alec is something else entirely. You know how he is with women.” I point out, knowing full well that she knows that Alec is a bit of a player. Hell, even that's an understatement.

“I'm a big girl Gracie. I can take care of myself.” She says before making her way towards the door. “We won't be too long.” She says, waving as she exits the room.

Having no real plans for the day, I take a quick shower and dress comfortably in black yoga pants and a red tank top before throwing my hair in a loose ponytail and applying a light layer of mascara and some clear lip gloss. I take one last look in the mirror, not missing the dark circles that line my green eyes.

I take a deep breath before exiting my room and making my way downstairs to grab some breakfast. My steps falter when I spot Zayne sitting at the kitchen table. He's dressed casually in black board shorts and a black t-shirt. The look only makes him that much sexier and I have to mentally force myself not to stare.

“Good morning.” I say lightly, making my way to the refrigerator to grab a yogurt and a bottle of water.

“Morning.” He says, finishing off his coffee. He stands and makes his way into the kitchen to rinse out his cup as I take a seat at the table. “See you later.” He says, quickly exiting the room without a backwards glance. I sit there for a moment and look at the door he just left through.

What the hell is with that man? Am I so repulsive to him that he can't even share a table with me? I try not to let it hurt my feelings but the truth is, it does. How can he be so immune to the electricity that flows between us when I feel it so strongly?

I'm surprised he's even here, having expected him to join Alec and Emma in town. “Good morning sweetheart.” My mom's voice breaks through my thoughts. I peer up to see her smiling widely at me from the end of the table. She's still dressed in her pajamas and her blonde bob is an unruly mess of waves.

“Morning mom.” I say, trying to hide the agitation I feel at this moment. “Did you sleep well?” My horrible attempt at making small talk.

“I did.” She says happily, making her way into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. “Rob was hoping to do a bonfire tonight down by the dock.” She says, turning to face me.

“That sounds great mom.” I say with a smile that I wish were genuine. “I'm gonna go for a walk but I will be back in a couple of hours. Do you want to come with me?” I ask being polite but hoping that she doesn't take me up on the offer. What I really want is to be alone.

“No honey, I'm good. Me and Rob are gonna take the boat out for a little while.” She says, kissing my forehead before walking onto the patio with her cup of coffee in hand.

After slipping on my sneakers, I exit through the back of the house, which is kind of like the front since it's the side facing the road. Turning left, I make my way to the end of the street where a large patch of woods spans for a couple of miles before meeting the lake again.

I wonder the trails aimlessly, having no real point or purpose to my walk. When I finally reach the water, I stop, shocked to find Zayne sitting right outside of the woods where the lake meets the trees. He clearly heard me approaching before I realized he was there and quickly pushes himself into a standing position.

“Hey.” I say casually when he turns to face me. His blue eyes seem darker than usual and I can tell that I interrupted a private moment. “Sorry. I didn't know you were here.” I immediately start to make excuses which in turns makes me feel even stupider.

“No worries. I was just leaving.” He says on a shrug, quickly stepping past me.

“You really don't like me very much do you?” The question shocks even me and he immediately stops at the edge of the trees, turning back to face me.

“I don't know if I would say that.” He says casually. “Is there a reason you care if I like you or not?” He raises his eyebrows in question and for some reason the expression pisses me off.

“Not one bit actually. Just curious.” I bite back, a little harsher than I meant too but feeling proud of myself all the same. I turn back around and face the water before saying. “I just wasn't sure if I did something to piss you off is all.”

He lets out a light laugh and then appears at my side. I jump a little, startled by his sudden appearance. I had expected him to continue walking away.

“What makes you think you pissed me off?” He asks, laughter lacing his voice. Again, for whatever reason, the action pokes at my temper.

“Hmm, let's see. You won't look at me, you don't speak to me and you conveniently disappear every time I walk into a room. Sounds to me like you've got a problem with me. I'm just not sure why.” I say, defensiveness evident in my tone.

He grabs my arm and spins me to face him. The sudden movement catches me off guard and I stumble, trying to find my footing. Once I do, I glare up at him, ready to let him have it but upon registering how close his face is to mine, I suddenly can't form words.

“Did you ever think maybe I like you too much? Maybe I avoid you because I can't want you the way that I do?” His words seep with seduction and my body damn near collapses right on the spot.

“I.... I.... Wait, what?” I manage to stumble out, not trying to hide my confusion. My god this man makes no sense. Wants me? He doesn't even know me.

“Bullshit.” I bite out, challenging him. He lets out a rough laugh and then closes the gap between us even further, leaning down until our lips are but mere inches apart. His scent invades my nostrils and I am silently willing him to close the remainder of the distance between us and kiss me.