Betrayal - By Lee Nichols Page 0,75

his looks from his mom, who was dark-haired and beautiful. She had on a long asymmetrical burgundy sweater over black fitted pants and low boots and wore her long hair slicked back in a ponytail. Carefully made up, her pursed lips caused the only apparent wrinkles. Bennett’s eyes, though, came from his dad, who, aside from the blue marbles of brilliance under his furrowed brow, was almost completely gray, from his hair to his dress shirt and pants.

“The Sterns just got back from Europe,” Simon said into the silence. “They arrived late last night.”

Mr. Stern took a step toward Bennett. “What have you done to yourself?”

Mrs. Stern’s gaze flicked from Bennett to me and back again. “This is worse than I thought. Much worse.”

“So your flight was good?” Bennett said.

“You look like a”—his mother made a choking sound—“a ghost.”

“A junkie,” his father said.

“And these are my parents,” Bennett told me. “John and Alexandra. They’re very pleased to meet you.”

Simon took pity on me. He motioned me toward him and said, “Emma, let’s give the Sterns a few minutes alone.”

Bennett squeezed my hand tightly before letting me go. I crossed the room and Simon slipped me a twenty and said, “Go into town and get yourself a chai.”

I turned back toward Bennett, unsure whether I should leave him. But he wouldn’t look at me. His body was rigid with anger and I decided I wasn’t helping things by being there. I took the twenty and fled.

The walk back to the museum from the café was freezing, despite the half hour I spent warming up with the fire and the hot chai. Maybe I was just anticipating the inevitable cold front from Bennett’s parents. I stomped through the pockets of ice on the museum drive, wondering why they had suddenly returned.

Because they knew Bennett was hooked on Asarum? Because I was living in their house? If they kicked me out, where would I go? Would Natalie come with me?

Inside, I shed my coat and went straight up to Bennett’s attic room. “It’s me,” I called, climbing the steps.

He met me at the top and took my hand. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I mean, I’m slightly embarrassed, but …” I stopped at the look in his eyes. “What? What happened?”

He dropped my hand and turned away, and I took in the state of the room. His drawers were ajar and a suitcase lay open on the bed. I recognized the pale blues and grays of his wardrobe, messily folded and stuffed in his bag.

“No,” I said. “No. You can’t go.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “C’mere.”

I crossed the room and stood between his legs, looking down at him. I still felt a nervous shiver just being close to him, like the first time a guy you like kisses you. Maybe I’d never get over that feeling with Bennett.

He traced a finger down my arm. “It’s hard to think when you’re this close.”

“Then stop thinking.”

“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” I said, and kissed him. I just wanted to go back to before his parents interrupted us, before he’d started packing. I didn’t care that we might get caught again, I needed to recapture the feeling that we could be together. That everything would be all right.

I kissed him and he pulled me onto the bed, shoving his suitcase to the floor, running his hands over my body. He made me feel beautiful, he made me feel like I was the only thing he ever dreamed about. But I couldn’t stop thinking about that suitcase, and I pulled away.

“I’m going to miss that,” he said.

“Then why are you leaving me again?”

“They kicked me out, Em.”

“Your parents?”

A shadow of regret darkened his smile. “They told me to get off Asarum or leave.”

“So get off it!” As beautiful as his smile was, it would’ve been so much better if he was off that herb that stained his fingers and killed his appetite. Plus, I wasn’t convinced he ever slept anymore.

“I can’t. Not yet. Not until Neos is dead.”

I sat up on the bed. There was nothing to say about that; we’d already had the argument a dozen times. “How much do your parents hate me?”

His grin returned. “A lot.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“Because they’re pissing me off. And I want them to be unhappy, at least for a while.”

“Bennett, I don’t want them to hate me.”

He rolled over. “They don’t know you, Emma. Once they do, they’ll fall in love—like I did.”

“But until