“Only because I know you’re dying to show me.”
“Maybe it will sway you. Make you change your mind about us just being friends. It’s important before we go too far down the friendship path that I know how much willpower you really have.” He pulls his shirt off over his head and shows me a lean, buff, and tan chest. He doesn’t quite have a six-pack yet; more like an adorable four pack. “So what do you think?”
“I’d say military school does a body good.”
He smiles.
Then he raises his eyebrows and says, “Okay, so now it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
“To take your shirt off.”
I laugh at him. “You’re incorrigible.”
“It’s a gift. And, more importantly, I made you laugh.”
The paths you choose.
1:30 pm
Katie was really nervous about getting to dance on time. About fitting into her uniform. About dancing at the scrimmage when we only know one routine. I tell her to go ahead and I’ll meet her later, knowing I need to call Garrett.
But as I scroll down my contact list, I see a D. And I hit it instead.
I figure I’ll have to leave him a message, but at least I can hear his voice.
“Are you okay?” Damian answers right away.
“I’m fine. Where are you?”
“Stockholm, getting geared up for tonight’s concert.”
“I just called to thank you. I never thanked you for taking care of me that night. I’ve been a bad friend. I’m sorry.”
“You’ve never been a bad friend to me. And even if you were, I’d forgive you.”
“I broke down and started crying in front of a boy I barely know today.”
“You had a traumatic experience. Not to mention leaving your friends and family and going off on your own. Are you pretending it’s a new adventure?”
I think about my little sisters and want to start crying again. “I forgot it was your dad who started that when we were little. That’s what we told the girls. I’m worried about them. Do you think this is going to work? Have you heard anything? Are you taking precautions?”
“Yes, to all of the above. We have security built in with the tour. I’ll be fine. James sent me a photo of the guy that I shared with the team. Didn’t tell them why, but they will be on the lookout for him and we’ll get a heads up if he leaves the country. James also said that they had eyes on the guy when you left. That he was in his office all day. It worked. He doesn’t know where you went. You’re safe, Keats. Do you like it there? Is it nice?”
“It actually is. I feel safe. And so far people have been nice. And I met this guy.”
“That doesn’t really surprise me.”
I remember what else Brooklyn told me. “You know how I was maybe going to come here when I was a freshman, before I decided to stay in Malibu?”
“Yeah.”
“B suggested that maybe I fought fate. That fate was sending me here now because there was someone I needed to meet. Do you think that could actually be true? Or did he plant a thought in my brain and now I’m trying to fulfill it?”
Damian laughs. “All that fate stuff is just a little too deep for me. I think you make your own fate by the paths that you choose.”
“I’m not on a path that I chose, Damian.”
“That’s true. Just be safe, try to have some fun, and let fate take care of itself. Hey, I have to go. Break a leg.”
“You break a leg too.”
I scroll down and call Garrett.
“Mom said you wanted me to call?”
“Just wanted to let you know that things are looking good. Vincent has been following some of your friends around looking for information—”
I interrupt him. “Garrett! Did you lie to me? You told me my friends would be fine if I didn’t tell them anything. Where did he follow them?”
“Your friends are fine, because they don’t know anything. Thursday night, your friend Cush got together with, I believe it was, his soccer team. Does that sound right?”
“Yes. He’s the team captain.”
“They were having some kind of party at a pizza place. Let me look at the report. Yeah, it says they were having some kind of going away party.”
“Going away party? For who?”
“Not sure. But the report says Vincent sat beside them and listened to their conversation.”
“Did they say anything about me?”
“There was some discussion about you. All rumors. Really, the more rumors Vincent hears the better, as far as I’m concerned. Then, last night he was at the same club as Vanessa and RiAnne. He even danced with Vanessa.”
“Oh my God! I forgot that Vanessa knows him. Well, she met him once anyway.”
“She did? When?”
“When I came back from Europe. We were at The Chateau pool. He was there. Asked me to go to his room to see the script. Vanessa got introduced to him.”
“That shouldn’t matter. As long as we keep your friends in the dark, they will be safe.”
“You keep saying that. I’m sort of sick of hearing it.”