Grounded (Grounded #1) Read online

  Over the next week, I ran into Jensen several times. Sometimes I orchestrated our meetings; other times, they were just accidents. He’d stop to talk to me, just the random neighborly small talk, and every time we’d chat a little longer. I started to hope that maybe he liked me or, at the very least, was getting used to me.

  Our conversations were all so sterile and cordial that I wanted to give up. I’d already found myself thinking about him when he wasn’t around in ways that had nothing to do with saving our people. I hated that, but we needed Jensen. He was like Obi-Wan Kenobi to my Princes Leia. He was my only hope. If he had the type of power his parents supposedly had, there’d be no losing.

  “We have to stop running into each other like this,” Jensen said. He caught me by surprise as I rounded a corner on the way to freaking nowhere. While in New York, when I got bored, I tended to just walk off all the extra energy I had. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

  “Jesus.” I held my chest. He really startled me.

  “Sorry,” he replied, laughing. “Where you headed?”

  “Nowhere, just walking. Probably get my billionth cup of coffee of the day.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  He turned around and fell in step beside me, close yet not close enough for us to be touching. Damn it. He held the door open at the coffee shop I went to so often, the staff were beginning to know my order before I even said it, which was extra impressive since what I ordered changed with my mood. I was in a caramel macchiato mood.

  He held his cup of straight black like it was going out of style. “So, how are you liking Putnam Valley?”

  “I like it. It’s nice to be in a city for a change.”

  “City?” He smirked. “I take it Delaware is pretty small then?”

  He remembered where I lived? Interesting. “I’d be surprised if it’s on a regular map.”

  “Have you been to the city yet?” I shook my head. “Maybe you should ride with me sometime.”

  “New York City? How close are we?”

  “’Bout an hour away. I make the trip every couple of weeks for the shop. Just a quick run.” He paused to take another swig.

  “That would be great. Just let me know when.”

  He nodded, said he had to get back to work and left me sitting in the coffee shop with a smile on my face and a hankering for another cup.

  Chapter Four

  Between my run-ins with Jensen, Aric and I got together pretty often, running and climbing anything and everything we could find to stay in shape. He pushed me, teased that he could run three laps in the time it took me to run one, but come on; the dude had almost a foot on me, making his strides much larger.

  After finishing dinner at Frost’s, another place where they were starting to know me by name, we walked back to his apartment. I loved that I could walk just about anywhere in town without a problem. Since the motel was farther out, I usually drove into town whenever the mood struck, parked my car in the first parking lot I saw upon entering Putnam Valley, and walked everywhere until I was ready to go back to the motel.

  The summer night was quiet and crisp when we stopped at the corner, waiting for the light to change. Aric cupped my face and leaned in until his lips touched mine. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Swept up, in or by the softness, I didn’t want him to let go. The kiss was much too quick for my taste.

  Then he pulled back, his eyes watching mine. He tasted sweet, and the constant prickling that covered my body whenever he was near didn’t hurt either. To say it surprised the hell out of me would be an understatement. It was a great kiss.

  “Sorry,” he said quietly, not looking like he meant it. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Why is that?” My racing heart made my voice breathy.

  “I have a list, actually.”

  I laughed. If I thought about it, I could come up with one, too. Mine would probably be longer than his.

  “Okay.” I faced him, crossing the street without looking to keep him right beside me, never missing a beat. “What’s number one?”

  “You’re Gremalian.” He paused. ”Oh, wait, you’re the Gremalian daughter of the head of the Gremalian council.”

  “Oh, please.” I brushed him off. “Number two?”

  He went on to list things like I came to New York to get Jensen, we were working together, and I was very young, although there was only four years between us. Then he hits me with the kicker.

  “You like him.”

  “Who?” Playing dumb was much easier than fessing up. I knew who he was talking about, and he was right.

  “Jensen.”

  We turned one more corner and ended up back at his apartment. I’d already decided not to go in. Since I’d parked my car outside of his apartment, I stopped there. When I didn’t say anything, he started talking again.

  “It’s okay, Alyssum. He’s a likable guy.”

  “What makes you say that? About me?”

  “I’m quite perceptive. Plus, you blush every time you see him. I wasn’t going to kiss you. I didn’t want to confuse things. We’re talking war and have loved ones on opposite sides, but apparently, somewhere along the way, I decided to throw my hat in the ring.”

  I cocked my head to the side and scrunched my face. “It’s a good hat.” I had another question that couldn’t wait. I took a deep breath because the answer might not be what I wanted to hear. “Does it bother you that I like him too?”

  Aric swallowed and thought about that. “It doesn’t bother me that you like him. It bothers me that he likes you, but I’m a grown up. I can deal with that for now. It’s not like I have a claim on you. Yet.”

  That answer was part what I wanted to hear and part what I didn’t. It made sense, but I wasn’t ready to say that I wanted to be with either of them. Like them? Yes. Date them? Absolutely. But push one away? Definitely not.

  I hopped in my car and went home—or, in my case, a small motel room over a thousand miles away from home. My room felt empty and much too quiet. I didn’t even have a book to hunker down with because I’d already read the ones I bought in town.

  I don’t sleep much on a good day but, ever since I arrived in New York, I’d slept even less. Since it was still kind of early, even for small town, USA, I drove to the bookstore to feed my other habit and ended up with a few magazines that I couldn’t normally get back home. I overheard some people talking about the holiday celebration the next day and remembered Mr. Burkhardt inviting me to the Memorial Day Festival. Sounded like something the whole town would be attending. I needed to be there too.

  ***

  At the park, throngs of kids chased wildly after each other. Melted popsicles ran down their arms, mixing sticky with sweat. It reminded me of home, that the human and Gremalian worlds weren’t so different after all. I walked around, looking for Jensen or Mr. Burkhardt, trying not to appear like I was looking for them.

  I stopped at a vendor cart and ordered a cherry Snow Cone to give me something to do. Also, it was hot. The scorching temps from earlier tapered off, making the weather a bit more bearable, and the ice felt good going down my throat. I wished I’d pulled my hair into a ponytail when I felt a drop of sweat run down the back of my neck.

  “Fancy meeting you here.” Jensen came up behind me while I watched some girls playing hopscotch.

  “It sounded fun and I haven’t seen fireworks in a while,” I replied.

  “’Round here it’s like Christmas. So is the Fourth of July. Basically, we like to watch things explode into pretty colors. Our stuff is set up over that way.” He jutted his thumb behind him. “Come on.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

  “Please, there’s tons of people. My parents take in all the strays.” My eyebrows shot up. Was he comparing me to a dog? “I didn’t mean—”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I giggled and decided to give him a break. He was really cute when he was embarrassed.

  We walked bac
k slowly, making conversation like every other time we ran into each other. It was a lot easier to get comfortable with him than I thought it’d be. Talking to him was almost natural, as if we’d known each other all along. I was afraid he’d be wary of me, but he was laid back enough that it hadn’t been an issue.

  He asked about my family, but I couldn’t really tell the whole truth. That would come in time. As with every time we were together, I constantly tried to figure him out. Was he laid-back? Yes. Confident? Mostly. Once in a while, he seemed less sure of himself than his normal mannerisms would have me believe. A conundrum.

  None of that should even matter. Not to me. All I was supposed to care about was getting him home, but I cared about his feelings. Damn it, I cared about him.

  “You done?” he asked, pointing to the empty Snow Cone cup I was still carrying.

  I handed it to him and he tossed it in the trash can we passed just before I saw his group. It looked more like a house party than a picnic. There were portable tents everywhere. A couple of picnic tables were already full of people. Others were either sitting on blankets in the grass or standing with drinks in their hands, laughing, talking and seemingly having a very good time. One guy, about fifty years old, had clearly enjoyed a few too many drinks, as represented by his loud voice, swaying footsteps and slurred words. Somehow, they all noticed me, the newcomer, right away.

  “I send you for ice and you bring back a girl?” A woman, presumably his mother, asked as she walked over to us.

  Of course, she looked nothing like him. The gray was starting to creep into her short, manageable mom-cut that human women tended to get by the time they reached forty-five.

  “Forgot the ice.” His eyes jumped from her, to me, then to nothing. Aw, being called out by his mom like that must’ve been rough, especially with me standing right there.

  “This is Alyssum,” he said to her. Then he turned to me and said, “And this is my mom.”

  “Don’t worry, Alice. I’ve got an extra bag in the cooler,” called another woman around his mom’s age.

  “That’s okay, Mrs. Hancock. I’ll go back. Feel like another walk?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  We headed out the way we came just as slowly as before. There was no rush. Everywhere I looked, people were enjoying food and their time with friends. Nobody seemed to care about anything else.

  “How long are you in town?” he asked.

  “Not sure. It’s kind of indefinite.”

  On our way back to the group, Jensen reached up as we passed under a tree and pulled off a handful of leaves. He let a few trail in the breeze. The rest crunched in his hand, which gave him a distraction to focus on even though he was carrying a ten pound bag of ice in his other hand.

  “Are you staying with friends?”

  “No. I’m at a hotel.”

  “Oh god!” He rolled his eyes.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  At the rate we were walking, I started to worry the ice would be water by the time we got back. Still, I wasn’t complaining. It felt natural being with him, comfortable.

  Once the sky darkened enough, some of the kids took out sparklers. Soon, the only light around the group were some lanterns his dad lit and the shimmering snaps off the ends of the sparklers. I watched Jensen straighten a blanket, then come back to me.

  “The show’s going to start soon,” he said.

  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  We sat down, side by side, not even a foot apart. I came to Putnam Valley to convince him his people needed him. I didn’t entertain the idea I’d actually like him so much. Even with the warm air, I liked the feeling of his body heat covering the right side of me. He felt relaxing and familiar, as if my body already knew his on a subconscious level.

  The first warning boom got everyone quiet and situated. Then the show started. Small pops of color against the night sky brought a smile to my face. As the flares climbed higher and higher, I noticed everyone else lying back on the ground to get a better view, so I laid down too. I felt Jensen do the same.

  The fireworks were perfect, even more beautiful than the few times my mom took me to Marquette to watch the fireworks display over Lake Superior on the Fourth of July. Our shoulders almost touched and, a few booms later, his pinky finger looped around mine, waking my body up. That’s when I had to look over. I had to see his face. I needed to see if that small touch had the same effect on him that it had on me.

  He wasn’t even watching the show. He was watching me. I held his gaze for a full minute. The dropping and clenching in my stomach became too much and I had to move my eyes from his. What I was feeling right then had nothing to do with us being Gremalian. Intertwining the rest of our fingers, we laid there like that until it was over.

  Before I had a chance to sit up, he pulled his hand back and jumped to his feet. The party went back to full swing like there’d never been any interruption. Music started, drinks got poured and people resumed eating. It was like someone pushed the pause button during the show and then hit play.

  “Hey.” I tapped his bicep, which was rock hard under my finger. I felt a spark. Not one of those ‘Love at First Sight’ type sparks, but an actual spark of static electricity. It was frustrating that he didn’t seem to feel anything. “I think I’m going to go.”

  “Really?” He looked disappointed, which sent the butterflies in my stomach wild. I wanted him to be disappointed, wanted him to ask me to stay, propose marriage, anything to keep me there. Okay, a proposal would be premature. Anything else would be good.

  “Yeah, I’m kinda tired.”

  Really, I needed some space and perspective. Two guys in two days had shown some interest in me, which I wasn’t used to. Sure, I had a semi-serious boyfriend until the year before, but Sage was now only part of my life because he was part of my father’s security team. I didn’t let our relationship go very far. The realization that I found him heinous kind of squashed all romance.

  “How long does this whole thing last?” I twirled my finger in the air to indicate the party.

  “Oh, some of these people will end up sleeping here,” he laughed, “so possibly all night.”

  “Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun.”

  He nodded, eyeing me for a few seconds. “Where are you parked?”

  “Way out. But it’s a nice night. I don’t mind the walk.”

  He brushed his hands off on his khaki shorts. “I’ll walk with you.”

  “That’d be great.” With a good-bye to the new people I met and a ‘don’t be a stranger’ from Jensen’s dad, we headed out in the general direction of my car.

  We didn’t talk much, just a random comment here or there. Instead, we let grasshoppers chirp us a soundtrack. He trusted me. I could tell, feel it even. My purpose in coming was to gain his trust, but my plan took an unexpected turn somewhere along the way. I had a whole new batch of feelings for Jensen.

  “Here I am,” I said, hitting the button on my keychain to unlock the doors.

  I leaned casually against the front panel on the driver’s side, palms resting against the hood. He stopped just before his knees could brush my thighs, so close I couldn’t help looking up at him. The girl in me wanted him to dive in for our first kiss. I was pretty sure it’d be a good one.

  “I’d like to see you again,” he said softly. A smile played with his lips. “On purpose.”

  “You have my number. Or rather, your dad does.”

  I could already read his next move, which, on the one hand, made me feel like he had yanked an imaginary cord attached to my belly button, drawing me closer to him. On the other, it let me know that I was as good at reading people as I thought I was. His hands cupped the sides of my face as he moved in slowly.

  When our lips met, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in his softness and the burnt sparkler smell that coated his skin from helping the smaller kids ignite theirs. The kiss was too tame for the way I was feeling, yet it still made my knee
s shake. It ended too quickly.

  “I swear I didn’t plan that,” he said, resting his forehead on mine, just a touch out of breath.

  “Be fine if you did.”

  Another quick peck and I was on my way. I drove up the dirt road slowly so I could watch him in the rearview. He didn’t walk away until I was far away.

  Chapter Five

  Two boys in two days. I didn’t come to Putnam Valley for boys, but the longer I stayed, the less I wanted to go home. Disappointment, possible punishment and a society on the brink of war waiting for me wasn’t exactly drawing me back in. I had two cute boys to occupy my time. Both liked me, both were great kissers. With Jensen, I got to see what it was like to be human, something I never thought I wanted, or even considered to be potentially enjoyable, until I met him.

  Unfortunately, being with Aric didn’t automatically mean I got to be myself. I wasn’t ready for him to know everything about me, my powers, and what my people can do if he didn’t know already.

  To be fair, I hadn’t given Jensen the opportunity to know all of me either. I was always myself with him, minus all the Gremalian stuff. Eventually, I had to stop kissing one of them. They’re friends—I mean, actual, real friends. That’s quite unusual for a Gobel. They don’t make friends easily, which is why their society is as contained as it is and their only interaction with outsiders, for the most part, came in the form of war.

  The next weekend, the three of us decided to go to Putnam Lake. Together. As if it was totally normal to hang out with two guys you were dating. Yeah, no big deal. That was when I first noticed the bond that I’d always heard about where Gobels were concerned.

  Legend had it that it was incredibly difficult for a Gobel to make friends with someone outside their own community, but once they did, it was a lifelong bond. That legend came to mind on the ride to the lake in Aric’s truck. Jensen seemed a bit uncomfortable and Aric was totally normal, joking with me and Jensen as if we were the three musketeers or something. That could have meant that Aric was being as mature about the situation as Jensen was. Or it could mean that Aric’s friendship with Jensen meant as much to him as dating me. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted it to be.