“I think she’s waking up.”
Addy tried to open her eyes when she heard a door close, but the light was blinding.
“Addy? Can you hear me?” The voice belonged to Molly, Gage’s mother.
“What’s going on?” Addy opened her eyes slowly and saw that she was in her own bed. Her cat Moose was laying at her feet and Molly was standing over her. Addy tried to sit up, but she was met with heavy resistance from her body.
“You passed out after practice. Do you remember?” Molly reached down and brushed Addy’s hair from her eyes. “We were all very worried.”
It all began coming back to her. She’d been at practice with Gage. He was checking out her head after Bernard left.
“I remember.” She glanced at the window and noticed it was dark out. “What time is it?”
Molly looked at the clock. “Just before midnight; you were out almost twelve hours.”
Addy put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. She spent the entire day like a corpse and missed meeting Tanner. She was hoping he wouldn’t come snooping around the estate and get caught because she didn't show up.
“I need to get up and use the bathroom,” she said, slowly sitting up with Molly’s help. “Who else is here?”
“Kim and Matt are in the living room. Gage went up to check on things at the main house, but he should be back soon. He’s been pretty worried.” Molly looked pretty worried herself. “He said you practiced a little too hard.”
“Yeah, I didn’t get much sleep last night and I’m probably dehydrated.” She stood up and waited until the dizziness from lying down so long subsided before trying to walk.
Looking down, she saw that she was wearing a nightgown, not the white and blue yoga pants and top she remembered.
“I’m gonna go wash up and get dressed,” Addy said, heading for the bathroom that was attached to her bedroom. In the laundry basket by the door she spotted her clothes from earlier, covered in blood.
Surprisingly, her head didn’t hurt at all. There was no cut, just some dried blood in her hair and a few places on her skin. She checked the rest of her body and couldn’t find any bruises. The hot shower water melted the crusted blood from her hair and body. While scrubbing her scalp, she searched for any sign that she had an injury, but found nothing.
After she showered, she put on navy track pants and a gray t-shirt. She just brushed her hair and left it wet. She was in way too much of a hurry to dry it.
Addy walked out into the living room and Kim practically tackled her.
“You scared the hell out of us,” she said, hugging her.
She hugged Kim back lightly and then pulled away. “Sorry.” Addy glanced at Matt and Molly, who stood by watching her. “I need to know exactly what happened while I was unconscious.”
Matt started answering before Kim could, making her huff at him. “Gage said you guys finished practice and were putting the mats away when you fainted. He carried you to Molly and when—”
“When she decided you were ok, we brought you here and waited for you to wake up.” Kim finished and gave Matt a little smile.
“I had a big cut on my head from banging it on the floor—a really big cut. It’s gone. I should have bruises too, but...” Addy began shaking her head.
Molly took a step forward, giving her a reassuring smile. “You didn’t have any cuts or bruises when Gage brought you to me, honey.”
“But there was blood on my clothes,” Addy said, still trying to keep her voice even.
“Gage’s blood,” Matt said. “His nose was bleeding like crazy where you popped him. Nice one by the way.” He gave her the thumbs up.
“Matt!” Kim scolded him, doing a terrible job of trying to suppress a grin.
They were all staring at her like she was delusional. She decided she wasn’t going to argue with them and would just take it up with Gage in the morning. She ended by saying she must’ve been mistaken, and let it go.
Molly excused herself and headed back to the main house to check on Fate and let him know Addy was awake. They told Addy her grandfather sat with her for a long time waiting for her to wake up, but he was tired and not well himself and had to go rest in his room.
“You guys should go too,” Addy said, turning to Matt and Kim. Kim started to resist but she could tell they were tired and ready to leave. “Just go, I’m perfectly fine.”
“I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” Kim promised and hugged her. “Call me if you need me.”
“Don’t call me—I’ll be sleeping,” Matt said as he gave Addy a quick hug.
In his typical style, Matt made a few comments about taking pictures of her in compromising positions while she was unconscious as Kim dragged him out the door.
Addy checked the clock as she sat down on her bed. It wasn’t really much later than when she’d met Tanner the night before and she really wanted to talk to him again. She stood up and went back into the living room with Moose trailing behind her. Catching a glimpse of her hair as she passed by the mirror made her glad it was dark out. She slipped her shoes on and headed out the door to see if she could still catch Tanner.
Addy stepped out on her porch and froze. Gage was coming up her sidewalk. She figured Molly would’ve told him she was fine and he wouldn’t be back.
After taking a deep breath, she spoke quickly. “You didn’t have to come back tonight.”
He stopped when he saw her and looked around. “It’s late to be going out.”
Addy tipped her head at him. “You’re out.”
Gage shrugged and started walking again.
Addy wasn’t planning on inviting him in and was completely shocked when he stepped up on her porch and put his arms around her. She stood there stiffly, not knowing what to do. It was beyond awkward standing on her porch smashed against Gage. Matt was always throwing his arms around her or grabbing her by the hand, but she and Matt were friends. Until yesterday, her and Gage barely appeared on each other’s radars.
“I’m fine.” She wiggled her arms in-between them and pushed him away. “How am I fine, Gage?”
Even through the dark, Addy could see that he looked tired. He turned away and ran his hands through his blond hair.
“I should still have bruises and a pretty deep cut on my head, but I don’t.” She moved to look at his face. “I remember everything about practice.”
If he’d used his Akori powers to shift the time back, she shouldn’t even remember having the injuries. Plus he was involved, which would’ve made it impossible to change. If an Akori was involved in the time that was being shifted in any way, it wouldn’t work.
“I think...” He tried to look away, but she moved over again, forcing him to look at her. He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I think I healed you.” He leaned over, resting his chin on the crown of her head.
Addy was speechless and just stood there. Between what he said and his sudden touchy-feely spree—she didn’t know what to think. She’d never heard of such a thing—as far as she knew Akori couldn’t heal. Gage was clearly shaken up and she mindlessly reached her arms up and looped them around his neck.
“You just collapsed—I started to pick you up to take you to my mom, but I noticed you weren’t breathing.”
His words sent a shock through her from head to toe.
“You were lifeless, Addy.” He picked his head up, looking down at her. “I thought you were going to die.”
Taking his hand, she led him inside her villa to the sofa. She decided they both needed to sit down before one of them fell out again.
Gage explained that he’d placed his hands on her to start CPR, but instead, the Akori symbols on the tops of his hands flashed a bright blue wave of light and she gasped for air. The bruises and cuts were gone, but she wouldn’t wake up.
Addy couldn’t think of anything to say, so she reached over and laced her fingers through his. She wasn’t sure why she did it—it just seemed appropriate at the mo
ment. Gage’s hands were bigger and so much more grown up looking than when he used to hold her hand to cross the street. She noticed he was wearing his family’s silver ring, with the letter E engraved over an Akori symbol. Molly gave it to him when he turned twelve, but she’d never seen him wear it before.
After a couple of minutes, the silence was becoming too much to take and Addy felt like she had to say something. “Do you remember when we tricked your mom and Fate into both giving us money for the candy store?” She had no idea what made her ask him that of all things, but it just came out.
Gage leaned his head back and a smile spread across his face. “Yes, you were six and you puked on my shoes.”
“Yep. You needed new shoes anyway.” She’d been so afraid of being caught with the extra candy that she’d eaten all of hers at once and gotten sick. Gage took care of her until she felt better so they wouldn’t have to tell Molly and Fate.
Addy was his partner in crime on more than one occasion. Gage always convinced her to do the things he’d get in trouble for. He figured out at an early age she could get away with more than him because she was too young to know better. He took advantage of it as often as possible.
Their conversation stalled out again and neither one of them spoke. Moose jumped on the sofa and cuddled up next to her, forcing her to shift closer to Gage.
Gage put his arm around her and pulled her over so her head was on his shoulder. He rested his head on the top of hers and twisted her damp hair around his fingers. After meeting Tanner the night before, sitting—cuddling, on her couch next to Gage ranked way up there on her Oddest Moments list.
“I’m glad you’re alright.” Gage murmured, sounding almost like he was talking in his sleep.
Addy started thinking she should get up or something before he went to sleep, but by the time she decided to make her move she could tell by his even breathing it was too late. After being knocked out all day, she wasn’t tired at all. She didn’t want to disturb Gage or the cat though, so she just closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
The next time Addy opened her eyes it was to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Daylight was pouring in through her windows and she could hear the ocean. She was still on her sofa next to Gage who’d managed to somehow get both of his arms wrapped around her. She tried to move, but her long hair was caught under his elbow.
Until two days ago, they hadn’t been alone together for years. It was unreal to wake up face to face with him sleeping on her hair after he’d basically saved her life. She’d never heard of Akori having healing powers, and judging by how shook up he seemed, neither had Gage.
There was another knock at her door, which prompted Moose to jump up on the window sill to look out.
“Gage, wake up,” she whispered, shaking him lightly.
He opened his eyes and looked around, stopping on her.
“Someone’s at the door.”
He smiled and motioned to the door with his head. “Answer it.”
“But—ok…” Addy peeled herself off him, pulling on his arm to free her hair. Outside of the teasing she was going to get, it didn’t matter if Kim saw him there or not.
After reaching up and smoothing her hair down, she opened the door. When her eyes caught sight of the person on the other side of it her heart dropped to the floor and she bit her lip—hard.
“Good morning. You look much better than the last time I saw you,” Bernard said. “Your grandfather wanted me to check on you, and ask that you join us for breakfast if you’re feeling up to it.”
Bernard walked in past her, not waiting for an invitation.
Addy prepared herself to explain why Gage was at her place, but she didn’t have to. He was gone.
Chapter 7