Don't Let Me Go. J.H. Trumble
of my room. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Nate.” He glanced around, then told me to hold on a minute. The image on the computer jarred and blurred, and I could tell he was moving the laptop somewhere else. When his face appeared on the screen again, he told me he’d moved to the bathroom, then turned the screen around so the camera could catch the fixtures.
“It’s the only place I could find,” he said, a little apologetically. “This apartment is small. Small small. Everything in here is like miniature. You should see the kitchen. It’s half the size of my closet back home. The refrigerator looks like one of Mea’s toys. And my side of the closet—”
“You’re sharing a closet too?” Just the thought of his things brushing up against someone else’s felt all kinds of wrong.
“A closet, a room, a bathroom, and everything else in this matchbox.” He sighed wearily and looked right at the webcam. “Nate, you know I have three roommates.”
“Looks to me like Justin might want to be more than just a roommate.”
“Whatever. You know I love you.”
“Are you still wearing the green underwear?”
He must have known from the sound of my voice that it wasn’t one of those sexy what-are-you-wearing questions. “What is it with the green underwear?” he said. “Yes, I’m wearing the green underwear. I’ve been wearing them all day. More than eighteen hours. I thought you liked them on me.”
“I do. I just don’t like them on you ... there.”
He huffed. “I’ll burn them if it makes you happy.”
“I don’t want you to burn them.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I wanted you to call me earlier. It’s one thirty in the morning there, Adam. One fucking thirty. I’ve been sitting at this desk for hours. And then you finally Skype and some half-naked guy is hanging all over you. Do you know how that makes me feel?”
He ran his hands through his short hair and sighed again. “I’m sorry. Okay. You’re right. I just got caught up in all the craziness. Will you forgive me? I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back home.”
“How?”
“You’re gonna be like that, are you?” He laughed, just a little. “Well, hmm, I’ll give you one of my lava lamps.”
“Uh-uh. I already stole one anyway.”
“I’ll paint your toenails again.”
“Sexy, but not good enough.”
“I’ll take you parking again at Ridgewood Park.”
Ah, Ridgewood Park. The place where our first fight had ended, and our first makeup session had begun. And Adam was very good at making things up to me.
“Tempting,” I said, “but you know sudden flashlight beams still send me into a panic.”
He laughed again, more like the Adam I remembered, then came up with an idea so graphic and naughty that I actually blushed.
Chapter 10
Last November 10
Making up and making out
The cast party was held in the Black Room behind the stage, the small room packed with family and friends who waved flowers and shared hugs and kisses with the heavily made-up cast members. Juliet dragged me around and introduced me to everyone. I discreetly tried to keep my eye on Adam, but he was always surrounded by friends I’d never even met, especially girls.
The atmosphere was charged with both excitement and relief. Juliet held on to my hand, letting go only briefly to give a hug or accept one. I don’t know how many of her friends I met before I realized she was carrying out her own subterfuge. While she wasn’t actually introducing me as her boyfriend, she was providing me that cover. I felt guilty that I appreciated it so much. She’d been doing that a lot in the five weeks since we’d let her, and only her, in—playing girlfriend to me in public, while I played kissy-face with Adam in private, of which there had been precious little.
We finally joined Adam’s group. Juliet flung her arms around his neck. He dipped and grabbed her below the butt and hoisted her into the air, her belt catching the edge of his shirt, flashing some skin. Juliet beamed at the sudden attention, but for me the moment was all about that flash of tanned, smooth, bare skin. I looked away and forced myself to think about oil-covered pelicans.
He put her down and reached out to bump my fist. “Hey, man. I’m glad you came.” He looked at me for a brief moment until someone called his name, and he was off to be adored by someone else.
Hey, man? I’m glad you came?
Juliet had been swallowed up by the crowd, so I found a soda and sat in a plastic chair against the wall. I read Adam’s text again—Stay for the cast party. Pls? GGLA. It taken only minutes to break the code: Gotta Go Love Adam. I nibbled on a cookie and checked the time. When the party finally wound down and parents headed home and cast members headed off to change, Adam made his way over to me. I handed him my soda and he took a sip. “Is that all I get?” he asked.
“What do you want?” I challenged him.
Before he could answer, his leading lady, Chloe, slid up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands flat against his stomach. “Hey, we’re all going out for burgers to celebrate,” she said into his shoulder. Then she deftly slipped her hand under the edge of his T-shirt, an indiscretion that annoyed the hell out of me. “Coming?”
“Sure.” He looked at me with his crazy blue eyes. “Nate’s coming too.”
Nine of us crammed ourselves into a large booth at the restaurant. I was hoping to sit next to Adam, but Chloe dragged him in next to her and I found myself on other the other side of the table, sandwiched between Juliet and a girl named Amanda. I don’t think Amanda had gotten the message that I was “with” Juliet judging for the way she kept leaning into me and twirling her hair.
I inched closer to Juliet and she squeezed my thigh, understanding.
Adam was focused on Chloe and that was pissing me off. I knew when he listened to people, he listened all the way. He made you feel like you were the only person in the world, that what you had to say was more important than any other words uttered since the dawn of time. And I loved that about him, but right now, I didn’t give a shit because Chloe had what was mine, and he was giving it to her, and I didn’t appreciate it one damn bit. He’d hardly glanced my way since we’d sat down. I hadn’t even told him yet how great his performance was.
Amanda said something, but I missed it.
“What?” I said.
Juliet nudged me and I realized how rude I’d sounded.
Amanda repeated her question and I responded with a “Hmph.” Finally she gave up and turned to talk to whoever was sitting on her other side.
“You’re staring,” Juliet whispered in my ear.
Adam looked up and caught my eyes, held them for a moment, then excused himself and headed to the bathroom. I toyed with the idea of following him, but Juliet must have read my mind. She would have had to move for me to get out, and a quick shake of her head made it very clear that was not going to happen.
Moments later my cell phone vibrated.
You’re leaving with me!
In the parking lot, Juliet offered to drive back to school with everyone who needed to pick up their cars. Adam would drop the rest—Mike and Natalie—at their homes. Amanda seemed pretty disappointed about the whole arrangement but went peacefully enough. Not so Chloe. She pouted and clung to Adam’s elbow until Juliet gunned the engine and put the car in drive and let it