A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies - Christina Lee Page 0,58

it out,” Audrey replied. “It was like, your first kiss.”

Now Rhys felt a bit dizzy as he held on to the bannister. That whole time-distortion thing again.

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Rhys said to himself again but loud enough for Audrey to hear.

“Because he didn’t want to make you feel responsible or ruin your friendship,” she explained. “I wanted to tell you, but he said it was a bad idea. He said it was important you figured stuff out on your own.”

He sat back on his heels and braced his hand against the wooden floor to try to get his bearings. “Oh my God.”

“He’s gonna be mad that I told you.”

She looked so haunted that he pulled her into his arms for a hug. “It’ll be okay.”

It would, wouldn’t it?

When lights shined in the driveway, Audrey looked momentarily panicked until she realized it was in fact Janice picking them up.

“Sam, come on down,” Rhys called out as he stood and wiped imaginary dirt off his knees. “Your aunt is here.”

Sam flew down the stairs and out the door. “Bye!”

“You promise it’s gonna be okay?” Audrey asked, her eyes wide and watery.

“I promise.” He sure as hell hoped it would be.

Once he closed the door behind her, he rested his forehead on the cool wooden frame.

He and Emerson had kissed.

And Audrey had caught them. Oh, he’d bet that went over really well with Emerson.

He’d smile if he weren’t so bowled over. He wished he could remember what that had felt like as well as the circumstances leading up to it.

But then his accident happened, and Emerson didn’t want to…what? Make Rhys feel obligated or awkward about it when he didn’t even remember? Yeah. So like him.

Or wait a minute…maybe after the kiss Emerson had decided it was a really bad idea—ever the responsible one in the room. Or maybe…maybe Emerson just wasn’t that into him. That made Rhys’s stomach throb.

But could it explain why Rhys was feeling so strange around Emerson lately? Was Rhys just on the pinnacle of remembering something, or was his attraction evolving naturally? Did it fucking matter? It did to someone like Emerson.

As if Emerson had heard his thoughts, Rhys’s cell buzzed with a text from the very man.

Be home in about an hour.

Take your time. The kids are gone, and I’m meeting Lance for a drink.

Oh, okay.

The house is all yours.

He winced as he sent it. He had no idea why he’d say such a thing. Especially after what he’d just found out. But he was so fucking confused, and he needed time to work through the idea in his head before he faced Emerson. Emerson and his date. Or whatever the hell that guy was. There was that jealousy again.

And now he held his breath, waiting for his response. Fuck.

It’s not… That’s not what this is. I’m not interested.

He gripped his chest. Why did that bring him immense relief?

Ah, okay. Keep your cool. Did you at least have fun?

Well, we lost, which sucked, but yeah, sure. How about you? Everything okay on your end?

It will be once I wrap my head around this.

Yep! Kids are all cool too. See you later.

Rhys felt like he was crawling out of his skin, and it was a relief to get out of the house and take that first sip of beer, sitting next to Lance on a barstool, like it used to be on a regular weekend night. Before everything in his life got flipped on its head.

And he was different now, down to his bones. Not only had his life changed, but his perspective as well. He was viewing stuff from a level of gratitude he hadn’t really grasped before, and it helped him appreciate the little things that really mattered. Had this been a handful of months ago, he might’ve been scoping out a hookup tonight or throwing back a few more drinks. But none of that interested him now. He had even gone through his phone and erased some random numbers that no doubt had been a good time.

Now he was only sipping his beer, afraid he might get a dizzy spell even though they’d recently been few and far between. The accident that he couldn’t remember had scared the shit out of him, his bruised and battered body a reminder of how fragile life was. Being afraid definitely had its downfalls, but it also gave him much needed clarity, and for that he was thankful.

He suddenly felt bombarded with a series of emotions—they felt